Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

WARNING: This story contains light spoilers for Danganronpa: Fictional Nexus. If you can, go ahead and give that a read if you feel like it’ll boost the experience! Enjoy the prologue, orientation will begin shortly…

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RenegadeBraveheart Presents…

Danganronpa: Fictional Epicenter

Prologue: College Prep

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“Ow… my head…”

My name is Yūgo Hachiken, a student of Yezo Agricultural High School and in the Department of Dairy Science. I’m currently working through school to eventually start an organic pork business alongside some of my classmates. I’m the vice-president of the equestrian club, which I take care of with my wonderful girlfriend Aki Mikage.

However… This does not look like my school at all, or anywhere close to it. No grassy farmlands, just a bunch of odd buildings placed on concrete walkways. I was laying down on a green lawn, which did not feel like natural grass, fake probably? That might explain why I woke up feeling a bit uncomfortable, except for the head pain. I stand up and dust myself off as I began walking around this strange place.

“Hello?! Anyone?!” I said aloud, hoping to hear someone answer.

Not a sound. That gave me chills.

My head was filled with questions. Where am I? How did I get here? Does anyone know I’m gone? Is Mikage okay? As well as another important question…

“HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE?!” I yelled at the top of my lungs when I saw a large iron dome wall in front of me.

It stretches all around this area, except for a rectangular window that’s too high for me to reach. The evening sun could barely be seen from where I’m standing as I sit down and place my face onto my hands. I’m trapped alone in here without any idea on how to escape. I feel like I’m done for, like I’ll never be able to see my friends again, see my mom again, my dad… okay I might feel fine without seeing him, but still. 

“Hello?”

“Gah!” I shouted out at the voice that came out of nowhere.

I guess I’m not alone then.

“Oh! I’m sorry, from the back you kind of looked like someone I know. But now that I’m seeing you closer, you’re not too similar. Ehehe~...” A high school girl around my age with coral pink hair and a red bow rubbed the back of her head embarrassed.

Insert Song: Peachy Pie (Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!)

“Um… it’s okay. Do you… know where we are?” I ask her.

“Eh?! I was just about to ask you that question myself!” The girl held her hand in front of her mouth in surprise.

We’re both in the same boat then, “Yeah, this is definitely a place I have never been to. I figured that you didn’t know, but how did you find me anyways?”

“Oh! I heard a voice yelling and I decided to check it out. That was you, wasn’t it?”

I nodded as I stood back up, “It was… I just felt a lot of stress about a minute ago. Feel a bit better now that I know I’m not by myself here.”

“By yourself? You mean you never ran into anyone else?” She tilted her head when I said that.

“Yes, wait… there’s more people around here?!” My eyes widened with surprise.

“I ran into a few people earlier, but I was told that there were others. Sadly though, they didn’t know anything either…” Her head lowers in disappointment.

Well that doesn’t give me much hope. Regardless though, maybe we can find something or someone around here that could help us.

“Let’s keep looking then, the longer we sit here, the less we’ll know about our current situation.” I told the girl.

“True… okay! Time to go sightseeing!” She jumped excitedly as she pointed towards the main area.

Seeing how big it is from here now makes me regret thinking of exploring, but we have no choice. I almost forgot one important thing though!

“My name is Yūgo Hachiken, glad to make your acquaintance.”

“I’m Sayori! Nice to meet you too, Hachiken!”

*buzz* *buzz*

What was that?

I felt a vibration go off in my pocket and I checked to see what it was, some kind of tablet. Sayori took out hers and our screens lit up. My screen has a picture of myself on it, while hers has a picture of her.

There were also these titles attached to them, “Ultimate Tutor… I guess that makes some sense.”

After I finished reading mine aloud, Sayori did the same for hers, “I’m the Ultimate Poet! Although a lot of people are better than me, ehehe~.”

These pads and these “Ultimate” titles, this is getting stranger and stranger…

Afterwards we entered the area, that’s when I noticed that this place looks similar to an American college campus. One with very weird architecture, I mean what’s the deal with these bear head busts? As we were about to walk into the recreation center however…

Whoosh!

Heavy wind blows past us, I hold onto my glasses and Sayori does the same with her skirt. When we both look up, we see a guy with bleached hair and a jogging outfit.

“What? You didn’t see that coming?” He asked us in a European accent.

A sweat bead rolls down my face as I respond, “Uh… no. Are you…”

“Before you finish, no I was not the one who captured you.” He interrupted me before I could finish my question.

“Thanks for clarifying, but what I meant to say was are you just like us? Trapped in here?”

He nods, “Indeed. Though I am confused, since I should be dead right now, but whatever.”

What… did he mean by “dead”?

“Um… was that you that made it blow wind just now? I haven’t felt a breeze since I’ve been here, so…” Sayori asks curiously.

“Yup. Name’s Pietro Maximoff, Ultimate Speedster. Not a bad description.”

The tablets in our pockets buzzed again when he introduced himself, and he looks to be a bit… arrogant.

“I don’t know anything about why we’re here either, all I do know is that there’s eighteen of us in total. I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting, I’d invite you to come with but… you would not be able to keep up. Bye!”

Pietro quickly dashed away as I stood there wondering who else I was stuck in here with. If people with superpowers are here then—

“One more thing!”

“Ack!” I fell over as Pietro came back immediately.

“That’s so coooool!” Sayori’s eyes sparkled with wonder, I’m glad she’s enjoying herself.

“We’ve got a meeting in the plaza in about two hours from now. For what, I don’t know. Better speed it up if you’re gonna look around.” He speeds away once more, leaving us covered in a cloud of dust.

Ha, like you’ll be late, Mr. Quick.

That meeting though, if that’ll help us learn more about our situation then I guess we could go. Still very suspicious of what’s going on here, especially since I assume there’s more people with powers here. Now I’m wondering if Sayori has some special poem-related ability…

“Um… Hachiken, are you there?” Sayori waves her hand in front of my face as I snap out of my thoughts.

“Sorry Sayori, let’s go in now.”

The two of us entered the recreation center and it’s pretty large, as one could tell from the outside. Two floors filled with exercise equipment, a climbing wall, an arcade, and three open gyms. Well, two open gyms, because in the third we hear some noise coming from behind it. I could also hear some yelling from inside the arcade, but the gym is closer.

I heard metal clanging together and a lot of grunting, when we opened the door we saw the source of it.

“Oh yeah, baby!”

“Don’t be careless now!”

Insert Song: Time to Fight! (Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition)

Two guys were having a fight in the gym, using a wooden lance and some kind of weird shield/lance hybrid weapon.

The normal lance wielder was a blonde guy around my age, he looked like he belonged to some medieval nobility. The other one was a large man with red hair in a sleeveless orange and metal top.

“Hiii!” Sayori greeted them.

“Huh? Yeesh!” The redhead nearly got hit by his opponent's lance, “Oi, what the hell do ya think you’re doing? I almost got gutted there, thanks to you!”

“I’m so sorry, you guys looked strong though!” Sayori complimented them.

“Why thank you. And to correct you, Reyn, these are only training weapons, so you were in no danger of getting hurt. I do apologize for attacking you when you were distracted like that, but I told you not to be careless.” The blonde puts down his weapon and wipes the sweat off his forehead.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course, Your Highness.” Reyn, what a strange name, plopped down on a nearby bench.

“Your Highness?” I looked to the lance wielder for an answer.

“My apologies, I have neglected to introduce myself. My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, heir to the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.”

His profile appeared on my pad as Dimitri, Ultimate Prince. I definitely could tell he was regal-like, but… where is Faerghus?

“And I’m Reyn , and this doohickey calls me the Ultimate Tank, not bad huh?” He points to his profile on his screen.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sayori and this is Hachiken!” This girl beat me to the punch before I could introduce myself.

“R-Right, what she said. Anyways, do you two know how we got here?” I asked.

“I wish we could give you a better answer, but we both woke up here without any knowledge of how or why it happened. After going around and introducing ourselves to the others…” Dimitri began.

“We figured having a little sparring session would help us not lose our heads. I mean, that barrier ain’t going down anytime soon, so we don’t have much else to do!” Reyn sighed with frustration.

“What about that small window from above?” Sayori brought up.

“I tried to break it, but I couldn’t reach it. Even throwing stuff at the damn thing couldn’t shatter it. Made of some strong stuff, that.” Reyn scratched his head, annoyed.

“Ugh, so that’s out of the question too.” I sighed.

“HEY YOU QUICK BASTARD, DON’T MESS UP MY GAME!”

I heard a voice yell from outside, which I’m hesitant to see who it came from. They sounded quite angry, and from that nickname choice it’s likely to be Pietro they were yelling at.

“It was nice to converse with you for a while, Hachiken, Sayori. Yet we need to keep up our strength in case we need it. What an interesting way to drink water...” Dimitri gulps down a bottle of water before going back to grab his weapon.

Reyn wipes sweat off his face with a towel before joining him, “Yeah, good to meetcha, let us know if you find anything out there, alright? Alright Dimitri, I’m not going down so easily this time.”

“Very well, face me with all that you have!”

Sayori waves them goodbye as they clash once more. Glad to know that there’s some strong guys here in case things get rough, which I won’t be surprised if they will. Right when we walked out of the gym I think I saw a blur, the “quick bastard” making his exit. On his way out though, he bumps into someone walking into the recreation center. We immediately ran over to the boy with a purple jacket to help him up.

“Hey are you okay?” Sayori asked him.

“Don’t touch me! I’m just fine, stay out of my way.” He brushes us off and immediately walks away.

Insert Song: Bede Encounter (Pokémon Sword and Shield)

He doesn’t seem like a very pleasant person, very rude of him to say that to her. I take a look at Sayori and she’s looking a bit down, his words must have hurt her a bit. My pad goes off and I read his name.

“Bede, Ultimate Gym Leader.” Whatever that is, it doesn’t give him any right to be that uptight.

I pat Sayori on the shoulder with sympathy as we entered the source of that loud yell, the arcade. It’s filled with a lot of classic and modern games, some that I’ve never even seen in local arcades I’ve been to! There’s two people inside and they’re playing at an air hockey table, one is a guy with brown hair and a green mantle, while the other is a…

“Z-ZOMBIE?!” Sayori and I screamed in terror, while the long blonde ponytailed zombie girl just rolled her eyes.

“Ugh man, I thought I heard the last of people reacting like that today… It’s starting to get annoying, and I just dealt with some speedy assshole. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna eat your brains or whatever.”

“Y-You aren’t?” I shivered with fear.

She gave us a smile in response, “Of course not! Only thing I’m hungry for right now is some Drive-In To—HEY! Where did my paddle go?!”

The brown haired guy revealed it in his right hand, as he hit the puck into her goal. How did he…

“Ha ha ha, yeah! That’s another point for Kazuma!” He says with a smirk.

Sayori whipped out her pad and saw his profile, “Satou Kazuma, Ultimate Thief.”

“Goddamnit you ass, I’m not playing if you keep taking cheap shots like this!” Saki quits and walks over to another game cabinet, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001.

“Oh well, any of you two wanna play?” Kazuma offers.

Sayori jumps in, “Sure! Sounds fun!”

She seems to be feeling slightly better from that encounter with Bede, maybe I’m overthinking things but it is quite odd. I walk over to the zombie girl as she’s playing her fighting game.

“ Power Wave! Burn Knuckle !” The character she was playing as shouted.

“Hey, um, do you know anything about this place?” I asked her.

“Not really, only that I’m supposed to be in Saga right now doing idol stuff. Shades is probably gonna give me an earful when I get back…” She replied.

Saga, like the prefecture? Something tells me that it’s not the Saga that I know though, since she’s a zombie. Unless there’s zombies in Saga and nobody’s ever talked about it.

“Anyways, the name’s Saki Nikaido, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Pretty badass you think so?”

“I guess so, thanks anyways. Come on, Sayori.” I look over to see her searching all over for the puck before Kazuma hits it into the goal.

She pouts, “He really is cheating!”

“Nahhh, luck’s just on my side I guess.” He says smugly.

If he’s the Ultimate Thief, he’s probably got some way to steal items from people. From the way that he’s dressed, it’s probably magical or something.

“I’ll kick his ass later, don’t worry.” Saki tells me and I almost feel bad for Kazuma.

Almost. We left the arcade before we could see what could happen, hope he survives though. I think that’s enough for the recreation center so I asked Sayori where we should head to next.

“Hm… how about the cafeteria? There might be a good amount of people there.” She suggests.

“That does sound likely, okay then.” I nodded as she smiled in response.

I reciprocated that smile as we walked over to where the cafeteria is, although it was named Black (& White) Bear Diner. Inside were different areas based on the types of food they were serving: American, Japanese, Italian, etc., and desserts were all placed into one section. I explored the area, looking at all the options for food, and admittedly I’m starting to get pretty hungry… wait, Sayori is over there grabbing as many cookies as she can!

“Did… you just tell me you wanted to go here because you wanted a snack?”

“Nomph!” She shakes her head, but her stuffed mouth says it all.

“Ha ha ha!” I hear some giggling coming from a booth behind me.

“Hello there, ribbit.” A girl who kinda looks like a frog greets me.

“Why don’t you grab something and come sit with us?” Another girl with orange hair waves as I decide to grab a bit of cake and sit down. Sayori happily munches on a cookie as she joins us.

“I’m Sora Takenouchi, it’s nice to meet you!”

“Tsuyu Asui, preferably though you can call me Tsu.”

Their names and titles appeared before us on our pads: Sora Takenouchi, Ultimate Love and Tsuyu Asui, Ultimate Amphibian. The former’s title probably has some deeper meaning to it, but the latter looks to be more obvious based on her looks. A lot of the people I’ve met today have been very weird, and the titles given to them are no different. We introduced ourselves loud and clearly (well, Sayori was muffled) and we explained why we were there. We just received the same response though, nothing.

Sora is stirring the straw in her cup, “So far everyone’s been wandering around this place, trying to find an exit or some clues leading to it. However, it doesn’t look like any of us will find it soon.”

“Ribbit, it looks like the best we can do right now is be acquainted with one another before this ‘orientation’ begins in about ninety minutes from now. That’s probably when we’ll hear everything, even if it is suspicious.” Tsuyu placed her finger under her chin.

True… it is a good idea to learn more about everyone if we’re stuck together for a while. There’s something else I want to talk about though, but I’ll save it for when ALL of us are together.

Sayori then spoke up, “So what do your titles mean? Your Ultimates I guess?”

“Oh, well, I think it has something to do with an item I had a while ago. It was the Crest of Love.” Sora gave her answer.

It was then Tsu’s turn, “I have a quirk that allows me to use the abilities of a frog. It’s a common trait in my family, ribbit.”

“I’m a poet! As well as a member of a literature club!” Sayori told them her Ultimate.

I’m starting to feel a bit insignificant compared to these girls, “I’m just a high ranking student to helped tutor someone important to me, that’s all ha.”

“That does sound quite nice though, Hachiken.” Sora says.

“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Tutoring shows that you’re willing to help people with your knowledge, that’s pretty kind of you.” Tsu explains and Sayori nods in agreement.

Wow, that makes me feel a little better with a description like this. Yeah, I’m the Ultimate Tutor! I raised my head up high, until I noticed them all staring at me weirdly and I quickly apologized. It was then that I noticed half of my cake was gone, I looked to my immediate suspect.

“Sayori?”

“It’s not me, honest!” No signs of frosting or cake crumbs on her mouth so who…

WHOOSH

The other half of the cake was gone too. I sighed heavily, I guess I didn’t see that coming, Maximoff.

We bid farewell and I made the choice to go to the library next, in case Sayori wants to trick me into getting her more food. Right when we walked in it was MASSIVE, I mean it’s a college campus but sheesh… Way bigger on the inside. The shelves included a lot of textbooks on history, science, and strangely enough police records on homicides. That is unnerving.

“Oh wow, a book on poems! I should borrow this and show it to the rest of the club!” Sayori cheered as she flipped through it.

I then heard a shushing sound coming from above the shelves, Pietro lying atop it and speed reading a dozen comic books. Is this going to be a running gag with him? Pun not intended. 

Insert Song: Studying for Exams (The Promised Neverland)

I then spot two younger kids sitting quietly in the corner. A young man with black hair covering the left part of his face, and a girl with short light-brown hair and glasses. With the exception of Pietro, who looked to be in his twenties, most of the people we’ve met today were around high school age. They looked to be around middle school age, and now I’m questioning the logic of the person who brought us here. 

“Do you mind not staring? We’re trying to look for answers.” The boy told me.

“Sorry, have you found anything so far?” I asked them.

“Unfortunately, no.” The boy shook his head.

“How about you then?” I asked the girl with glasses, who had them go from opaque to clear.

She shook her head, “We both believed that we could find information on where we were here, but so far our search has been fruitless.”

“Ugh, it feels like we’re just walking around, but not getting anywhere. Everyone’s had the same answer each time we’ve asked that question.” I sighed.

“Cut us some slack, okay? Of course we’d have no answers if we ended up trapped in a place like this, only more questions.” The black-haired boy rolled his visible right eye at me.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, “Sorry for being like that, it’s just so confusing that it’s driving me nuts. I’m Hachiken by the way.”

I extended my hand and the boy shook it, “Ray, and that’s understandable, no need to apologize.”

“Ray, huh? What about you?” I asked the glasses girl.

“Minori Ichinose.” She shakes my hand before returning to her book.

Ray then took out his pad, “I discovered these devices have a feature that allows us to contact each other through messages. The two of us will stay here in case there’s anything we find in this library that’s worth sharing with you and everyone else.”

Interesting, so I first looked through the two profiles: Minori Ichinose, Ultimate Bookworm & Ray, Ultimate Strategist. I then saw the messaging app on the main page, though it had some weird jagged logo on it. It kinda looked like a closed eye...

“Thanks, we’ll see you later then. Let’s get going, Sayori.” I turn to see her totally invested in that book of poems.

She really seems too carefree right now for someone in her situation.

“Okay, where to neeeeeeee—'' I got interrupted as soon as we exited the library and someone else was about to walk in.

Insert Song: Because I’m a Perfect Girl (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

It was a girl with long blue hair but… something about her is just so stunning, so radiant… it makes me want to go:

“Oh wow.”

“Thank you, I get that a lot.” Even her voice is beautiful, and it’s like her very presence is so powerful that she’s glowing!

“Hello again, Teruhashi!” Sayori greeted her.

Her name also sounds like it fits her well… wait a minute, snap out of it, Hachiken! You have an amazingly cute girlfriend back home, you idiot! I slap both my cheeks to bring myself back to reality, which confused the girls I was with.

“Who’s your friend, Sayori?” Teruhashi asked her.

Sayori slapped me on the back, “This is Hachiken, the Ultimate Tutor!

“You sound so smart! I’m Kokomi Teruhashi, Ultimate Beauty as this pad says.”

Her compliment made me swoon before I pinched myself again and thought of Mikage.

“T-Thank you! Have a good one!” I grabbed Sayori and quickly walked away before Teruhashi’s purity could control my thoughts.

“Hm? You looked quite mesmerized back there Hachiken, do you have a crush?” Sayori teased me.

Embarrassed, I denied it, “S-Shut up! I don’t, I have a girlfriend back home!”

She gasps, “Really?! That’s lovely! What’s her name? What’s she like?”

Oh boy, now she’s starting to ask me a lot of questions about her. I tried to answer as much as I could before I got tired. Ended up sitting down on a bench near a fountain to catch my breath, man I wish I ate some of that cake so I had more sugary energy. Sayori’s nice, but I feel tired running around all over with her. I think if we were under different circumstances, I’d be enjoying our time together, maybe.

“Hachiken?”

I turned my head when she called my name, “Yeah?”

“Um… I’m not bothering you too much, am I?”

Oh… uh…

“Not really, no. It’s been fine exploring with you.” I answer, hoping that I won’t upset her.

“Hm… if you say so. But… you don’t have to lie if you’re not comfortable around me.” She nods slowly.

“I-I’m not, I swear! I… huh?” 

I see two girls in high school uniforms walk in front of us. One quite small, but with long blue hair and the other tall with long black hair.

“Hey look Sakaki, a lover’s quarrel! This should be entertaining!” The shorter girl said while giggling.

“I-I-I have a girlfriend!” I denied her claims by shouting at the top of my lungs.

My exaggerated reaction must have cheered Sayori up a bit, since she’s laughing alongside the blue-haired girl. Still though, I would hate to offend her or make her feel sad at all.

Insert Song: Shin gakki(1) (Azumanga Daioh)

The blue-haired girl smiles smugly, “You do, huh? Hope she doesn’t dump you if she finds out you’re with another girl, heh.” 

She wouldn’t do that…. Would she? I mean, of course she won’t!

“Let’s just get off this topic for now, please? I’m Yūgo Hachiken, and this is—”

“Sayori, we know. We met her a while earlier!” Now she tells me.

“Sorry ehehe~, this is Konata Izumi and Sakaki!” Sayori introduces me to them.

“Hello.” Sakaki speaks up for the first time.

She seems quite calm and mature, I wonder what her “Ultimate” is….

“This pad thing really gets me. It gave me the title ‘Ultimate Otaku’!” Konata poses with a peace sign.

Huh, Nishikawa would really like a girl like her, with how crazy he is about his otaku stuff.

“Hm… I know a guy who might fit into that same category.” Sayori smirks for a second, I wonder who she was referring to.

“Oh right, Sakaki, I haven't asked what your ‘Ultimate’ is! C’mon, lemme see it! It’s gotta be something cool to match you, right?” Konata pumps her fists in anticipation.

Sakaki then suddenly walks away quickly.

“Hey, wait up! Nice to meet you Hachiken, don’t cheat alright?” Izumi dashed after her, she’s quite fast.

Well that happened, wonder why Sakaki—

Then my pad buzzed and I saw her profile, “Sakaki, Ultimate Animal Lover.”

“Aww, that’s pretty cute!” Sayori smiled.

No wonder she ran, it sounds like quite the embarrassing title to have if you’re someone like her. Feel kinda bad, but I’m also curious as to why she’d be ashamed of it.

We continue walking around the campus, and I really doubt this place is how actual colleges in the U.S. are like. I mean, this place is pretty clean, but I feel dirty just walking around. There’s these weird short bear statues scattered, the parking lots are completely empty (plus the markings for the parking spaces are placed oddly), vines are growing on the sides of buildings almost like they’ve been here for a while (despite a lot of this place looking brand new), and oh, I just remembered that HUGE METAL DOME. 

Really hoping we’ll get answers soon, I’m getting more and more uneasy as time goes on. About half an hour until the meeting, and there’s only a few more people we haven’t seen yet. I’m thinking that maybe they’re in this next building.

Sayori reads the name on the sign, “Ultimate Lab Facility… like science labs?”

“Maybe, though with this place I don’t know what to expect.”

It’s a three floor building, so hopefully there’s an elevator inside that we can take. The inside is relatively normal, white marble flooring and black ceiling. Each floor had six large rooms, as we read on the wall sign.

“Huh, Hachiken look at this!” Sayori ushers me over and I see a plaque near a door.

“Yūgo Hachiken’s Ultimate Tutor Lab? Is this supposed to be for me?” I tried to open the door, but it was locked.

Hm... instead of a keyhole it has a device kind of like a barcode scanner. It’s telling me to scan my “e-Handbook”.

“Is that what these are called? Neat.” Sayori looked at hers, intrigued.

I scanned my handbook and the door unlocked, nice. We walked in to see a bunch of books we couldn’t find at the library strangely… which also includes books on agriculture!

“Wow, Hachiken, this place suits you pretty well!” Sayori said as a compliment.

“Thanks, but this is getting even more freaky.” I immediately walk out of the lab and into—

“Ow!”

“Ack!”

I fall over, holding my forehead. That’s the second time today that my head felt pain, though I could blame this on me not being careful.

“I’m sorry, please excuse me.” The girl in a red outfit and high ponytail ran out the building before I could apologize.

Sayori pulls me back up, “Are you okay?”.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. I wonder who that was?”

“Whoever she is, she’s gone now. I did see her run out of another lab though.” Sayori points over to a door that closed within a few seconds.

You can only enter if you had a specific e-Handbook for that particular lab, and the doors close quickly after a while. Why do these labs have this much security?

As yet another question about this place is added to the pile I read the plaque on the door that girl just exited.

“Kale’s Ultimate ??? Lab. Kale?” A girl named after a vegetable, not the weirdest thing I’ve seen today.

But… Why keep her ultimate title blank? She looked a bit timid and nervous, she can’t have anything too bad, right?

We browsed the second floor next, Sayori’s lab was quite simple. A high school classroom with poems and other forms of literature around, although for some reason there was manga in the closet. Not sure if that qualifies as literature, but for some reason I don’t want to argue about that.

“It’s just like the literature club room back at home! Home…” Her brightful demeanor slowly falls when she realizes our situation.

“Sayori?” I watched her slightly bite her lip.

“I’m okay, we still have one more floor left. Let’s go, Hachiken!” She then pulled me along with her as we ran through the halls and up the stairs.

With how fast she’s moving, I wouldn’t be surprised if—

“Oof!” She trips on the last step.

“You alright?” I helped her regain her footing.

She just embarrassingly giggled, she’s lucky she’s cute.

Clang! Clang!

I guess there’s someone else in here, good. Makes this building a bit less eerie. That noise seemed to have come from the room nearby, so I knocked on the door.

“It’s open!” A younger voice comes through it.

We open the door to see a workshop with a small yellow plane inside! Is it really safe to have something that big when it could fall down to lower floors? Other than that, there’s a bunch of mechanical tools, hopeful that this person could build us something to get us out.

I see a dark-skinned man in a tan jacket and he’s getting something off the top shelf for… a two-tailed fox boy. Because why not?

Insert Song: Believe in Myself Instrumental Ver. (Sonic Adventure 2)

“Is this what you need?” The man asked the fox.

He grabs the contents of the box and looks them over, “Yeah this is perfect, thanks! Now then, how can we help you?”

“W-Well, we just happened to drop by just to see the area, that’s all. I’m Hachiken, and this is Sayori. And you two are…?”

“Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails ! As you can see by this lab, it’s for the Ultimate Pilot, or mechanic, either works!” The fox introduces himself.

“The name’s Finn, Ultimate Rebel. Member of the Resistance who helped save the galaxy. But… I don't think this place is part of it…” He looked out the window to see a short view of the campus.

“We’ve been talking about how weird this has been, with so many different types of people gathered here. There has to be some kind of purpose, and from what I’ve been through it can’t be good.” Tails sighed.

I nodded my head, “I’ve been feeling the same way, something REALLY isn’t right here. We need to find out who’s behind us now or…”

BZZZZZZZ!

A vibration goes off in my pocket and my e-Handbook flickers on. Is it time already? It did feel like we were exploring for quite a while… um… it looks like someone’s broadcasting an audio message to us.

“New students, please meet in the plaza for your orientation! A new semester is beginning soon, so you better not be late! Puhuhu~.”

W-W-What? The voice that came out of my handbook, it sounded so… joyful? It sounded like some kind of twisted American cartoon mascot character, it’s really giving me the creeps. A glowing red jagged eye thing, just like the ones on the bear statues, just appeared on our screens and pulsated.

“S-Scary…” Sayori shivered.

“What is going on here, what was that voice?” Finn stared at his handbook confused.

I then see Tails open up the window and stand on top of the window sill, “Everyone, grab my hands!”

“Huh?” I uttered.

“Just do it!” He said a bit louder as I grabbed his left hand.

“AGGGGHHHHHHH!!” I let out as he pulled me outside.

Right when I realized I wasn’t falling though, Tails helped all three of us land on the ground. He… can fly with those tails of his!

“T-That’s amazing!” Finn complimented him.

“Thanks, but there’s no time, we have to get to the plaza quickly!” Tails grips his fists.

ZOOM!

Pietro arrived as soon as he said that, “Need a lift?”.

He put his hand on my shoulder before I could object to it, “WHOA!”.

He dashes Sayori, Finn, and I over to the plaza, while Tails takes to the sky. When we got there, everyone else was already there. They were all chatting with each other, introducing themselves, some were even arguing.

“Do I… know you?” Saki asked Dimitri.

“Um… can’t say I’ve ever seen you before. You say you’re… a walking corpse?” Dimitri ponders.

“Oh wow…” Reyn and Kazuma say as they stare at Teruhashi like I was earlier.

Konata begins to play with Tails’s ears, “Coool, you look like you’ve been dragged right out of your game!”

“Ack, hey! Let go!” The fox tries to get her to stop.

Bede and Ray glare at each other briefly before the former decides to speak up, “Whoever brought us here, the one with the goofy voice, show yourself now! I’ve already lost my patience, so you better not test me…”

The voice from the message then rings out immediately, “Ask and you shall receive! Let’s get things rolling!”

The large fountain in the plaza suddenly began to shoot out a large amount of water into the air, just like a geyser. However, at the top of the water spout was a bear. A teddy bear almost, creepiest one I’ve ever seen.

“Greetings, new students, welcome to Kuma-versity! I am your dean, the Bear of Despair, Monokuma!”

Eh...eh…. EH?! WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?

“I’m here to introduce you all to the amazing plan we have for you all here at this college of chaos!” The bear was moving all around us, and I’ve forgotten what normal looks like now.

“It… doesn’t look to be a Digimon…” Sora whispers.

Dimitri’s eyes were wide “Just what is this creature…?”

“It’s really unsettling…” Minori stares at him as he walks by.

Konata tilts her head, “I don’t know, he looks to be a good mix of both creepy and cute.”

“The dorms are separated into three different buildings, each having six personal rooms! They are all accommodated well for each of your interests! Meal plans are free, and the diner is open from 9am-8pm. There are no classes you have to attend either!”

I’m getting the feeling this is all leading to one big catch...

“And best of all… you can graduate within a day, and you don’t even have to pay for student loans!”

“That’s actually a relief.” Kazuma muttered quietly.

Tsuyu stepped forward, “Excuse me, most of us look like we haven’t even finished high school yet, plus I doubt any of us would have enrolled here regardless.”

“Please save your opinions until I’ve finished, Kerm-ette. Ahem, so sure it seems like it’s easy to graduate but nope! In order to get out of here you need to pursue a degree in DEATH, aka killing a fellow student!” Monokuma cheers.

Killing someone… is our only way out? Who… is this psycho? I was distraught.

“After killing someone, you must cover up your crime from the others and participate in a class trial! You must discuss your evidence before voting on who you think it is, vote correctly and the blackened is punished. Vote incorrectly, and everyone BUT the blackened is punished! Doesn’t that sound fun and educational?!”

“What do you mean by punishment?” I asked the crazy bear.

“Execution. Guillotine, drowning, suffocating, strangling, smashing, crashing, electrocution, etc..”

I shouldn’t have asked, because I’m paralyzed with fear now.

“Excuse me, I know we all just met today, but there is no reason any of us would kill each other to survive!” Dimitri responds with a bit of sweat rolling down his face.

“Hey Teddy Suxpin, how about we kill YOU, then we escape? How’s that sound, huh?” Saki slams her fist into her hand and grins evilly.

“...” Bede scoffs and just turns away.

Reyn equips his weapon, “Alright bear, you let us go or we’re about to get messy.”

I then see Minori slowly pulling out a ring and a makeup compact for some reason...

“It looks like I’m doomed, oh how will I ever get out of this one?” Monokuma dramatically falls to mock us.

“I know! I’ll just get some help from the woman behind the curtain!”

Huh?

Suddenly, the fountain gets split in two as a small platform rises up from below. A tall, sinister-looking woman with slanted eyes and pale skin stands above us all, and then suddenly throws three balls to the ground.

Out pops a lioness-like animal, a large purple starfish, and a creepy doll creature with a zipper-like mouth. Immediately they attack the people looking for a fight. The starfish spins directly into Dimitri and Saki, sending them flying. The lioness pounces at Reyn, who blocks it, but gets attacked from behind by that ghost doll thing.

“Pretty Cure Tropical Cha—” The ghost doll then snatches Minori’s ring and compact from her before throwing them back up at that woman.

“You… monster!” Dimitri tosses a wooden lance at her, but it gets cut down by the lioness.

“Monokuma is an intriguing machine, but he is simply a puppet.” The woman says in a chilling tone.

“So… you’re the one who brought us here then?” Sora looks at her with anger.

“Indeed. I am known as Sird, and I had the pleasure of  traveling to multiple different universes to bring you all together for one purpose.”

Monokuma pops up in front of her, “The killing game! In order to spread despair across all of your worlds, we will make you kill each other. And if you don’t comply… you’ll just have to deal with being held back here until you rot! Puhuhuhu~!”

“No… it’s wrong…” Sayori begins to let out, tears falling down her face.

“Sayori?” I turned to her as she stepped forward.

“ No, that’s wrong ! We aren’t going to follow your rules, just because you force it upon us!” She shouted at Sird.

“How do you know that? You all have just encountered each other today, who says that they don’t have any killing intent within them?” Sird just simply smiles as she sits atop her starfish monster, “If you don’t act now, then one of your peers will get to you later.”

Sird suddenly disappears along with her weird creatures. We all tended to the ones hurt by her assault, but as we were doing so…

“The fact that she managed to travel across different worlds, in addition to having powerful Pokémon… it makes her a force that cannot be overcome easily.” Bede states.

Dimitri stands up slowly, “If we can combine our strength, then it should be possible to—”

“No.” Bede interrupts.

“What?” I looked at him with confusion.

“She’s right about one thing, none of us know each other. Why should we all be so trusting of people we have just met? I’m not gonna play this game, but don’t expect me to help you people when you could stab me in the back. I’ve felt that before, and I won’t feel that again.”

Bede walks away, the rest of us just stand around looking at each other. Nobody is in a trusting mood right now, and we don’t know what to do.

I place my hand on Sayori’s shoulder, hoping to calm her down. Unfortunately I don’t think I feel any different than her after what I just heard. Murder? Trial? Execution? Killing game?

I wish I could just wake up and be glad that it was a dream. However, it’s reality…

And it’s like I’m living a nightmare.

To be continued…

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Ichinose Minori (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

Chapter Text

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

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

Insert Song: Despair Syndrome (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

“I’m fine, it’s just a scratch.” Dimitri tells Sora as she’s wrapping bandages around his arm.

Sora shakes her head, “No you’re not, none of you aren’t. You all could have gotten even more injured, or worse, killed.”

There were only fifteen of us here in the student center. Kale ran off after the confrontation with Sird, Bede didn't want anything to do with us, and Pietro was out surveying the area. Those who actually tried to fight Sird were being patched up, after she used her… Pokémon(?) on them.

As for me… I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. Confusion? Fear? Frustration? Pretty much a mix of all of that and more, since I’m trapped in a “killing game” with strangers in a creepy university. That’s just me though, I look to my right and see someone who’s in worse condition than me.

Sayori, that cheerful girl I met earlier today, is now quivering in her chair with tears streaming down her face. She hasn’t said a word for about a few hours and I’m really getting worried about her. I was about to say something to help, but someone else started speaking up instead.

“This is close to being one of the worst things that ever happened to me. And the world I live in is almost like hell.” Kazuma leaned back in his seat and groaned.

“A-Are we sure this is even real right now? We could be dreaming, I’ve even had dreams that felt real like this before!” Teruhashi’s beautiful voice was shaky.

Ray shook his head, “Not a chance, all of us having the exact same dream at the same time? That would be too coincidental. Like it or not, we’re trapped in here.”

Tails stood up, “There’s gotta be some way out! I can try building something to help get through that barrier, I just need some time and—”

“I don’t think we’d have enough time, mate. Being stuck in one place for too long could drive a Hom mad.” Reyn sighed.

“We shouldn’t give up though, ribbit. Even if someone wanted to kill someone, they would have to go through one of those class trials. It’s not as easy to escape through graduation as Monokuma said, so I’m good with waiting for another solution.” Tsuyu responds to the redhead’s concerns.

“Who’s to say nobody could still try? I mean… we’re all strangers, so what we’re saying right now could be lies.” Finn states.

He’s… unfortunately right. I wish he wasn’t, but we all just met hours ago. I don’t think any of us could read minds, so someone could secretly be planning to kill us. Maybe the people who aren’t here are probably doing that? Even I might be pushed to a breaking point where I could consider it, it’s terrifying.

“Those would sacrifice the lives of others for their own survival… it’s disgusting.” Dimitri uttered intensely as he clenched his arm.

“Ugh, this is so god damn stupid. I ain’t gonna listen to that bear and that bitch’s rules!” Saki grit her teeth.

“We have no choice for now. Until a new solution comes up for us, we have to follow the rules. Or else something worse could happen…” Minori softly tells her.

After that discussion, we all ate dinner in the cafeteria before going off to our dorms. Monokuma mentioned there were six personal rooms per building, good, so I don’t have a roommate that could hear my screams of anguish. I did have dormmates though, so I checked to see who I was staying with.

On the 1st floor it was myself, Reyn, and Tails, while on the second floor it was Sayori, Konata, and Saki. I walked in and at the very least we aren’t living in terrible conditions. The fridge was filled with food, there was a clean kitchen and dining area, soft couch, and a tv with video game consoles, plus movie streaming service.

After checking out the amenities, I went over to my room and scanned my e-Handbook on the door. I walked in and immediately fell face first onto my bed, yelling into my pillow. Ten minutes later I fell asleep, and hoped that this nightmare would end soon.

__________________________________

MONOKUMA THEATER

“Some people for some reason can’t accept other interpretations of certain characters.”

“Like having different stories or different people stepping into the roles of previous characters!”

“There are also fans who just fail to see any good of a particular interpretation, just blindly worshipping the ones they like!”

“Just ask the fans of a particular web-slinger, they can’t stop living in the past and insult the new movies without looking closer! He isn’t going to be the next Iron Man, you idiots, he doesn’t want to be!”

“Well, it’s a good thing there’s only ONE TRUE Monokuma, one that’s AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, SENSATIONAL, and SUPERIOR!!”

_________________________________

It didn’t end. I’m still in the same room I was last night.

I walked over to my personal bathroom and looked in the mirror, man I look awful. I washed my face to get rid of the remaining sleepiness and washed my hair a bit. For some reason one of my hairs just kept standing up and couldn’t be patted down. I just ignored that as I changed out of the clothes I had worn last night.

When I came downstairs I saw Tails working on some kind of gadget, while I saw Saki and Reyn in the kitchen. Sayori and Konata must not be awake yet. I sat next to Tails on the dining table and began to rub my eyes.

“Good morning!” Tails greeted me.

“Mornin’ pal!” Reyn said as took out a carton of eggs.

“Yo, g’morning Hachiken!” Saki waved.

Insert Song: Beautiful Days (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

“M-Morning everyone…” I replied to them.

H-How are they so… chipper? Was I still dreaming? Because I vaguely remember us being STUCK IN A KILLING GAME yesterday. I think I feel numb.

“Uh… Hachiken, you alright man?” Reyn snapped me back into reality.

I got my bearings and cleared my throat before speaking, “Y-Yes. Sorry I’m just still trying to get over what happened the other day. Speaking of, how are you guys holding up?”

Reyn let out a sigh, “I uh… it’s not something you can stop thinking about, that’s for sure.”

“I really don’t like it, but ain’t gonna change anytime soon. Whoa!” Saki suddenly turned the flame on the kitchen range too high.

Oh god, I do not feel safe with those two in the kitchen.

“H-Hold on! There we go.” Tails rushed over and turned down the stove.

“Hoo, nice going there Foxy, about as quick as the Blue Blur Himself!” Saki complimented him.

Tails lightly blushed, “Thanks, though I’d never be as fast as him, or Pietro either! But uh, be careful next time.”

“Yeah, for sure.” Reyn scratched the back of his head as he began to take out the eggs.

“Morning… oh wow, the muscle heads are in the kitchen, this’ll be fun.” Konata came down the stairs and into the dining area.

“Huh?!” Reyn and Saki let out angrily at once as Konata giggled.

“Oi, brawn is better than brains, y’know?!” Reyn yelled.

“Heh, as if.” Tails laughed in response.

Konata then sat down in the seat across from mine and glanced over at Tails, “Hey, whatcha working on?”

“Oh this? I’m just trying to make a new Miles Electric, it’s like a handheld computer that has a whole range of functions! I’m thinking I could build one that could help us contact people from the outside, wherever we are at least. Sorry if I was making any noise last night while working on it, ha ha…” Tails explained.

“No it’s fine, I was out cold last night. Though, after screaming for a bit, sorry if you heard that.” I apologized.

“Weird, I didn’t hear anything and my room’s right next to yours. Hm… perhaps these rooms have soundproof walls?” Tails ponders.

Soundproof walls, huh? They do sound convenient if we want to rest, but at the same time it would be terrible when emergencies happen. Like if the dorm was on fire or… if someone got killed.

Damn it, I can’t get it out of my head!

“D-Do I smell… breakfast?” I hear Sayori’s voice come down from the stairs seconds later.

Of course she’d be down immediately if she knew we were cooking something, although I wonder if she’s feeling alright. She did come out the latest out of all of us so she’s probably not in the best of moods. Especially after seeing her left speechless last night…

“Good morning, everyone!”

EH?!

“Reyn…” Sayori ran up and hugged the redhead, almost making him drop a stack of bacon.

“Saki…” The zombie biker gang leader was also confused, as were the rest of us.

“Konata…” The otaku just rolled with it and hugged her back.

“Tails…” She squeezed the poor fox tight and I felt bad.

“And Hachiken!!” ACK, I THINK MY BONES JUST CRACKED.

“Mmm… bacon, eggs, toast, and even rice too! Thanks for the food!” Sayori told Reyn and Saki.

“Uh… no problem, don’t expect it to be too good though.” Saki awkwardly smiled.

“Yeah, we ain’t master chefs. You can always go to that diner place if it’s terrible.” Reyn recommended.

Sayori shook her head, “It’s fine, food tastes better when it’s an actual person who does it!”

“Do we actually know who cooks the food in the diner?” I raised an eyebrow.

Konata had come up with something, “Maybe it was Monokuma? That Sird lady said he was a machine, so it could have a special function. Plus it’s called Black & White Bear Diner, so it goes along with the theming.”

“Well… I’ve heard stranger things, so that could be possible…” Tails just went back to work on his pad device.

“Yo Hachiken, how do you like your eggs?” Saki asked me.

I then suddenly got an idea, “Just hand me one raw please, also a bowl of rice and soy sauce.”

“Uh… you sure? Don’t think I heard of this…” Reyn was confused, he must not have this where he’s from. Although based on his accent, he likely doesn’t.

“I have, and I want to try it too! Give me the same, but also with some bacon please!” Sayori requests.

“Actually can you add bacon with mine too? Thanks.” I told them as I waited for my breakfast.

When I got the rice and bacon, both of them were piping hot, perfect for what I was going to do. I cracked the egg over the bowl as well as some soy sauce, and then stirred as quickly as I could with my chopsticks. The result I got was some warm rice coated in egg with bacon bits all within that bowl, a simple meal but…

“Soooooo gooooood!!” I exclaimed after shoving so much into my mouth.

The first of many meals I enjoyed when I enrolled into Yezo Agricultural High, tamago kake gohan (farm fresh egg on rice)! I was originally disgusted after seeing them come from the chicken’s anu-I mean cloaca, until I was finally convinced to try it.

“Mmmmm, what a delicious idea Hachiken!” Sayori said with her mouth full.

“Man, what kinda school taught you this stuff?” Reyn’s face lit up when he took a bite.

“It’s a farm school, it’s a lot better than it sounds.”

I finished that bowl fast, so I went over to the sink and started washing my dish… and then everyone else got done as well.

“Wow, you just got up and started washing the dishes, huh? You’re an alright guy, Four-Eyes, hah!” Saki placed her bowl in the sink as well as the container for the rice cooker and the frying pan.

“H-Huh?!” I let out.

The others put in their dishes as well.

“Yeah, thanks for volunteering!” Tails smiled at me.

“Wait a minute—”

“You’re a real stand-up guy, Hachiken.” Reyn chuckled.

Ugh… I can’t believe I couldn’t say no. After being unfortunately stuck with washing all the dishes by hand, we all sat back until the food went down. I decided to check on Sayori real quick.

“Hey, Sayori?”

“What’s up?”

I cleared my throat before I continued, “I was wondering if you’re feeling any better after… what happened the other day.”

She was silent for a few seconds until she decided to answer, “Oh, I… I’m alright! You don’t have to worry about little old me.”

Hm… that’s just making me worry more. Why do people even say that?

“I see… you sure?”

“Yup! It’s still very scary, I admit, but we can’t get anywhere just moping around. Oh, I know! Let’s meet up with everyone today to check in, how does that sound?”

I guess she’s right, and it would be nice to see how everyone’s holding up since the big info dump on the killing game. Before we could answer though, Sayori’s already out the door.

“Hey Pietro, are you out there? Helloooooooo!”

“You called?” The quickster arrived, blowing a gust of wind into the doorway.

“Yeah, can you gather everyone up? We’re gonna have a quick check-in at the fountain.” Sayori explained.

“H-Hold on, we didn’t all agree on that yet!” Tails told him.

“Eh, but we might as well.” Pietro said before speeding off.

“Alright, I’ll meet you guys there then!” Sayori ran out the door after him.

I just sighed heavily, the day just started and I’m exhausted.

“That girl’s no slouch, I can’t just sit back and let her do all the work. Hey Sayori, wait up!” Saki left as well.

“You guys go on ahead, I just need to make a quick adjustment to this and I’ll join you.” Tails says as he turns his attention back to his “Miles Electric”.

“If you say so, Hachiken, Konata?” Reyn ushers us to go with him.

“If we have to…” I sighed again.

“Wow, you’re like one of those characters who can’t say no and overwork themselves, huh?” Konata said to me.

How did she… never mind, probably because she’s seen a lot of anime with characters like that.

Insert Song: A Gentle Breeze (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

The three of us left the dorm and walked our way to the fountain at the center of the “Kuma-versity”, as the bear called it. On the way there though, I spotted someone about to join us.

“Mornin’ Your Highness!” Reyn greets Dimitri.

“O-Oh, good morning.”

The Prince didn’t look like he was all there, so he was a bit startled. He wasn’t in the best shape last I saw him, physically and emotionally. He still had his bandages on to cover the scratches he got from that lioness-like thing.

“So are we doing more training today, or what?” Reyn asks him.

“Ah, my apologies, but I have to decline that offer for now. I will let you know immediately when an opportunity comes up. Please excuse me for now.” Dimitri leans his head forward apologetically.

Reyn shakes his head in disappointment, “Aw, man. I woulda loved finally taking you down, oh well.”

“Is fighting all he thinks about?” I whispered to Konata.

She shrugged, “Probably, though I also heard him whisper some girl’s name in his sleep when he passed out on the couch. Sharla , I think?”

“Eh? Are you two talking about something?” Reyn turns back to us.

“It’s nothing!” I reply back to him and he shrugs it off.

We soon arrived at the fountain where Monokuma and Sird first appeared, and some of us were on high alert if either of them showed up. Bede wasn’t there unsurprisingly, though Kale was, fidgeting as she looked around.

“Okay, everyone! Ehehe~, I sound like a club leader. Ahem, I’m glad you’re all here with us this morning!” Sayori welcomed everyone in attendance.

Kazuma didn't look like wanted to be there, “Did you really have to call us out here so early?”

“Now now, let her explain why she brought us here.” Sora chastises him for being rude.

“Ugh, man this is annoying.” He grumbled in response.

“I just wanted to check in on how you’re all doing, since things aren’t… the best right now.” Sayori explains.

“Understatement of the century.” Kazuma snarked.

Finn shushed him, “Quiet, kid. I’m getting by, though it is a lot to take in.”

“This enclosed space isn’t doing anyone favors either. I barely have enough room to jog.” Pietro states.

Sayori just nods as she listens to the discussion. I wonder what’s inside that brain of hers…

Ray was next, “I was thinking of having us split into groups to explore the surrounding areas that none of us have been to. We were interrupted by the meeting before we could continue.”

“Good idea. Some of us just decided to stick to only one location, so having us all be more familiar with this place would be beneficial, ribbit.” Tsu agrees.

“Or it can be one of the many factors that can lead to someone’s downfall.” A voice suddenly speaks up and we hear footsteps.

Insert Song: Bede Encounter (Pokémon Sword and Shield)

“Bede…” I saw him approach with a smirk on his face.

He looks up at Sayori before speaking, “Gathering up everyone for a little camaraderie, aren’t you? Instead of doing that, you could have all gone searching the area immediately, rather than having that be a suggestion.”

“What did you think I was doing, sitting on my ass?” Pietro got up in his face.

“Exactly, since if you were, you would have found one of these.” Bede takes out a paper pamphlet in front of all of us.

“What is that?” Sayori asks him.

“A map of this zone, obviously.” He reveals.

“Zone? Like the levels Tails would go through in his games?” Konata tilts her head in confusion.

Bede sighs, “That map calls this the first out of five main zones in the entire campus. What we’re in right now is the Ex Zone and the one after this one is the R.A. Zone.”

These are strange names, but I should expect no less from this place.

“You received this information from this single map? Where did you find it?” Dimitri looks over the map as he asks his question.

“The student store. Now if you’ve all gotten the information you wanted out of me, I’ll be leaving to do more searching.” Bede turns away to depart.

“Hold on!” Sayori grabs his arm before he can go.

“What now?” He glares at her.

I have a bad feeling about this. Hope you know what you’re doing Sayori…

“Don’t just leave like this! If we’re getting out of here, we all have to work together to make it possible!” She tells him.

“Ugh, that’s such a childish thing to believe. We’re all still strangers to each other, and the only guaranteed way of escaping is to kill. The person right next to you could be planning on killing you right now, and you’d be blind if you didn’t have any distrust. How do we even know that you aren’t willing to murder one of us right now?” Bede berated her with his words.

I’m really wishing that I can just walk over and hit him, making him shut up. But… he was right in some ways, and I hate that he is.

“That’s not true, I would never kill anyone! And none of the others would do that either!” Sayori denied it.

“Hmph, such ignorance. Do you truly believe that?” He asked her.

“Absolutely.” She answered.

Bede grit his teeth, “Then from my perspective, you’ll be the first to go.”

Sayori was left speechless.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

“Then from my perspective, you’ll be the first to go.”

Sayori took a few steps backwards after Bede said that. He did NOT need to say something so horrible to her. Just what kind of person straight-up tells someone that they would be the first to die?

“...” Sayori just looked down, her expression was one of complete anguish.

Like the face you would make when told a favorite animal or pet of yours had to be put down. I’ve had this feeling before actually, a pig I was caring for became large enough to be processed for bacon and pork bowls (Which is what I named him). I know this doesn’t sound as terrible, but I was really sad okay?!

Sora then stood up, “Hey, why would you say such a thing? Are you just setting things up so that we could hate you, is that it?”

Bede just scoffed and turned away from us, “Hmph, like I would care about how you all would feel, like I said we’re complete strangers. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Bud, you’re just begging to have someone walk over and shut that mouth of yours for ya.” Reyn grumbled.

“It’s Bede, and let them try. Let any of you try to take my life, you will fail. I’ll be leaving now, this conversation is getting exhausting for me. Farewell.”

Bede walked away, and left most of us reeling from what he said. I looked back at Sayori, still shaken up and I tightened my fists in anger. This Bede, he’s a problem. And depending on what he does next… he could be an even bigger one.

“Sayori, are you alright?” Sora asked her, but she just stayed silent.

“Damn, did that kid even learn any politeness where he’s from?” Finn shook his head in disbelief.

Pietro just clicked his tongue, “Too arrogant for his age.”

“Could say the same for you pal.” Saki stated.

Insert Song: Doki Doki Literature Club! OST - Poem Panic!

“Excuse me, do you mind speaking up? I did not catch that.” Pietro then started walking closer to her.

“I said that you’re pretty arrogant too, old man.” Saki repeated, though with an added insult.

Oh no.

Pietro was beginning to get really annoyed, “I’m 26, and shouldn’t you respect your elders? Don’t act smart, brain-eating brat.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell from how grey your hair looks. Though from the way you’ve been running around this place annoying the hell outta anyone, you might be the real brat around here!” Saki says with a smug smile.

Pietro then dashed behind her and pushed her off the bench, “No no, I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“Okay you speedy bastard, that’s it!” Saki slams her fist into her hand as she stands back up.

“P-Please stop.” I heard Sakaki say softly.

“No no, I kinda want to see what might happen if these two fought.” Konata looked on curiously.

“H-Hey! You know it might not end well!” I tell her, flabbergasted at how calm she’s being.

“Ugh, things are already starting to look bad. I better book it before the killing starts.” Kazuma sighed before he sat up from the bench.

“No.” Dimitri grabbed his arm before he could get far.

“H-Hey! What’s with this guy’s grip strength?!” Kazuma tried pulling away, but he couldn’t escape.

“You are not going anywhere until we figure out our next assignment. Now everyone, listen to me!” Dimitri drags him back into his seat before walking in front of the fountain.

“We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves just because of one small insult.” He glared at Pietro and Saki before continuing, “If we’re that wound up over the little things, it could prove catastrophic in the near future!”

“Hmph.” The speedster and the biker grunted as they looked away from each other.

Sora nodded in agreement, “He’s right, you know. If we’re this dysfunctional as a group, then it would be difficult to trust each other. And that would eventually lead to…”

“A murder…” Tsuyu uttered softly.

“Okay, so what do you suggest we do, oh noble leader?” Kazuma asked sarcastically.

“We band together and use our strengths to figure out a way out of this prison. It’s as simple as that.” Dimitri answered seriously.

Finn then stepped up, “I’m all for that idea, but it doesn’t work unless we have all hands on deck. Where’s Tails?”.

Oh, looks like I better explain.

“He’s working on a device that can help contact anyone on the outside… if there is anyone out there.” I told them.

Reyn backed me up, “Yeah, some kinda communicator doohickey, he told us it needed some uh… tweaking.”

“I see, then be sure to inform him of what happens here when we conclude. Also tell him he could feel free to build his machine alongside us if he can.” Dimitri nods before continuing, “What we need now more than anything, is to continue working together to ensure our survival. Now are we all in agreement?”.

I saw the majority of us nod along to him, as did I. Dimitri’s really managing to be a good leader, and considering he’s a prince that’s no surprise. Glad to see someone taking charge and being responsible. 

Still though, I feel really bad that Sayori was the one that had the idea to bring us all together, yet Bede put her down with his words. I need to see if I can talk to her about this later on. For now I was given a job to do, like everyone else.

“Now then everyone, continue searching the area to find anything that could assist us.” Dimitri instructs us.

“We’ll meet up again in a couple of hours to discuss what we have and our next plan of action. No slacking off until we’re done, you hear that Kazuma?” Sora calls him out as she addresses us.

“Come on…” He sighs.

“May you all find success in your searches, good luck!” Dimitri says to us before we all break off from this meeting.

After making a quick stop at the dorm to tell Tails the news, my roommates and I have decided to go searching in the recreation center. Sayori and Tails were with me searching the gymnasiums, while Reyn, Saki, and Konata were going to check around the climbing wall and arcade.

Insert Song: Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST - Respite and Sunlight

First off, man, someone needed to pick up all these balls scattered on the floor. Why?

“Agh! Ouch…” That’s why, I slipped on a nearby soccer ball and landed flat on my butt.

“Are you alright, Hachiken?” Sayori asked as Tails pulled me back up.

“I am, it doesn't hurt too bad. Though you can see why I don’t play too many sports.” I said to try putting a little humor in this situation.

Sayori giggled a bit, even if I can tell she’s 100% okay herself. We should get searching.

Looking through this first gym there’s quite a lot of equipment just laying around here. Someone could easily trip over something (like me), and hurt themselves, though that is probably what Monokuma and Sird would have wanted. With these kinds of items, they could easily be set up for some kind of murder chain reaction machine.

There’s the basket/soccer balls on the main gym floor, so the three of us put them all away into their basket containers.

“Hey guys, watch this! Ha!” Tails dunked the last basketball through the basket and into the container.

“Nice one!” Sayori clapped as did I.

“Pretty cool, though using your helicopter tails to get some air might be considered cheating.” I lightly chuckled.

“Not where I’m from, ha!” Tails says as he descends from the basket.

Next up is the first closet on the right, this one seems pretty small compared to the one in the center which has double doors.

*CLANG! BANG! THUD!*

“Ack!” The three of us jumped when a lot of things just fell out.

Well, despite its size, that didn’t stop someone from stuffing all this equipment inside of it. And now it’s all on the floor again, so now we have to clean things up AGAIN. What kind of college campus is this sloppy?

We picked up the tennis rackets, shot-put balls, metal/wood baseball bats, wooden training weapons, and javelins that fell out of the closet before placing them back in a more orderly fashion. Man, this closet is making me think about what would happen if someone with murderous intent was around… we should find a lock for the door.

In the larger walk-in closet there’s sports uniforms, rope, cleaning supplies… and something big and metal in the corner.

“What… is this?” I dusted off the machine and saw that it had several baseballs loaded in the back and a large tube in the front.

“A pitching machine, makes some sense for it to be in this location…” Tails states as he looks over it.

“I guess so…” I say as I stare at it.

A pitching machine can launch things pretty fast and hard, imagine what someone could do by placing a dangerous and appropriately sized replacement for a baseball. Or even baseballs alone… UGH! WHY CAN’T I STOP THINKING ABOUT MURDER?!

Aside from finding some weird Monokuma branded coins in the bleachers, there was nothing left in this first gym. We should tell Dimitri and the others about the dangerous items we found here, so we can try to find somewhere else to put them.

“Hey Sayori, we’re about to move on to the next gym!... Sayori?” Tails called to her, and we spotted her still in the closet staring at something.

I ran up to her and snapped her back to reality, “Sayori, we’re leaving now.”

“Ah! Sorry, Hachiken, Tails, let’s get a move on!” She says with a smile, but I grab her sleeve.

Insert Song: Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST - Recollection and Regret

“Hey, are you still thinking about what Bede said to you?” I asked her.

“....” She looked down at her feet when that question came out of my mouth.

Tails walked up from behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, “I can’t believe he would say something that heartless to you. But he’s probably just saying that because he’s scared like the rest of us.”

I nodded my head in agreement, “Yeah, he might be right. A situation like this could really make someone act out, regardless though, you should just ignore it and move on. Whether he meant what he said or not, it’s not true. We will get out of here together, without any of us dying!”

The two of us gave her reassuring smiles as she looked up with tears in both of her eyes.

“You really think so?” Sayori asked us.

“Yup!” Tails held out his fist in front of us.

“Yeah.” I said as I bumped his fist.

The two of us waited for Sayori to put her first in the middle of ours, which she did after wiping away the tears in her eyes.

“Thank you two, so much…”

“No problem, now let’s continue searching the rec center until our next meeting.” I told her.

“Alright, I’ll go on ahead then!” Sayori ran out the door.

Tails laughed in response, “Man, once she gets going, it looks like there’s no stopping her!”

“Ha, looks like it.” I chuckled a bit as Tails exited as well.

Before I left though, I turned around to see what Sayori was looking at in this closet.

It was… rope?

Hm…

______________________

“Ah… all that time lookin’ and nothing big to show for it!” Saki yawned while stretching.

“Like you’re one to talk, you two were busy playing those weird games for half an hour instead of searching like me in there!” Reyn complained.

“Whaddya talkin’ about, big guy? I climbed the top of that climbing wall to get a good view and saw jack shit. Also you’re one to talk, I saw you trying that punch machine to get a high score earlier!” Saki replied.

“Ugh, ya got me there…” Reyn sulks.

“You two really need to get better at fighting games by the way, neither of you managed to get out of even my simpler combos.” Konata shrugged.

“Are you all basically just saying you wasted your time playing games instead of searching?” I asked them, exasperated.

The three of them just all pretended that they didn’t hear me, sweat rolling down the side of their faces as I sighed. Jeez, what a group I have with me, huh? They did tell us about the layout of the exercise rooms though, so that could be useful.

Half a dozen treadmills, two lat pulldown machines, about FIFTY dumbbells with varying sizes, five bench press sets, a pull up bar, four speed and punching bags each, concrete and wood blocks for shattering, and even a boxing/wrestling ring!

It’s definitely a playground for musclebrains, like Saki and Reyn. No offense to them though, I prefer my bones NOT to be broken.

The two hours went by quicker than I thought it would be, since the other gym we searched really only had gymnastics mats, vaulting poles, hula hoops, uneven bars, and trampolines. So appearance wise they were the same, but this gym contained stuff for olympic-level sports. Interesting, but nothing really eye-catchingly dangerous like the last one.

We met up with the other groups who just got back from their searches before reaching the fountain, where we all took our seats at the various benches surrounding it. Everyone else grouped up just as we did, with our dorm mates. Dimitri had Minori, Ray, Pietro, Kale, & Sakaki, while Sora had Sora, Tsuyu, Kazuma, Teruhashi, & Finn (Bede lives with them but… he’s off doing his own thing).

Dimitri once again took charge and addressed us all, “Welcome back, now let us discuss what each of our groups have managed to find. Ray, Minori, would you two mind explaining what our group has found?”

“Yes sir. Ahem, so we explored the student center which also had the cafeteria on the side. The student store had nothing truly significant, aside from the maps that Bede found. Quick fact, if you scan them with your e-Handbook, you can access it anytime without having to carry the paper version. Aside from that, it was just filled with school supplies, snacks you wouldn’t find in the cafeteria, various gift giving machines, and… Monokuma merchandise. ” Ray explained.

Hm… this student store does sound like a place for me to use the coins I found earlier. For what exactly? I have no clue, but I might as well not waste them. Definitely won’t be using them on the Monokuma stuff though. 

“Speaking of our e-Handbooks, we better look over the rules Monokuma set for us real quickly.” Sora brought up.

“Ah, that is quite the smart decision to make. My apologies for not thinking of this earlier.” Dimitri put his hand on his chest and bowed.

His formalities are just what I expect from a prince. Though he should learn to tone it down a bit.

Rule #1: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.

Rule #2: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.

Rule #3: If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed.

Rule #4: As a reward, the surviving blackened will be forgiven of their crime and allowed to leave the campus.

Rule #5: The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time.

Rule #6: Destroying any property of this campus without permission is expressly prohibited. This includes the surveillance cameras and monitors.

Rule #7: You are free to investigate this campus at your own discretion. Your actions in this regard are not limited.

Rule #8: The blackened may only kill a maximum of two people during any single "killing game".

Rule #9: Additional rules may be added at the dean’s discretion.

“Ech…” I felt shivers reading these rules in my head.

This killing game thing is like something I would have seen as fictional, aside from twisted real life stories with insane serial killers. Well, from what I could tell our captors weren’t any different. How can our lives be played with like this?

“Damn it, I can’t get through a single one of these without feelin’ ticked off!” Reyn gritted his teeth.

“It’s almost like we’re on some twisted reality show, ribbit.” Tsuyu croaked.

As a few others chatted while reading the rules, I spotted Dimitri shaking a little bit before recomposing himself. 

“ What’s up with him? ” I thought to myself as he clears his throat.

“Let us continue, Minori, you may finish our segment.”

She adjusts her glasses before standing up, “There’s multiple halls on the top floor where one could give announcements indoors, so we could use those instead if we please. One large open area on the main floor to sit around a fireplace, with a large television screen in the center. Lastly for our dining experiences, we had Pietro try something using his speed.”

The speedster then stepped up, “They had me take several items from the food areas, and when one meal was completely out, they replaced it immediately.”

Sakaki slowly raised her hand for a question, “Isn’t that, um, normal for buffet-like food places to do that?”

Pietro shrugged, “Well, yeah. But it’s like, what is that American word? Instantaneous? Taking anything from the stand will always result in it being replaced as soon as it is taken.”

“So it’s easy to believe that the amount of food we have here is enough for each of us, but we have no idea how dense our supplies are. We better not be too careless with our meals.” Dimitri instructed us, “Now then, moving on with our second group.”

Oh, that’s us. Well, we better explain what we found, despite there being very little. We talked about the gyms with the dangerous sports stuff in them, as well as the exercise equipment area. All of us just sat there, nervously sweating since we didn’t have a lot to talk about. We all breathed a sigh of relief when they moved on to the final group.

“To sum it all up, the labs in that facility were all tailored towards our “Ultimate Talents” and the only way into them is through a specific person’s e-Handbook. The other location we searched, the library, contained multiple murder mystery novels and files on murder cases.” Finn told the rest of us on his group’s behalf.

We all turned back to Dimitri once he finished, “Okay, well done everyone on your group searching for today. I assume this area still hides many more secrets to uncover, so we will have to conduct the same procedure at least a few more times until we discover them. For new areas when they open up as well, until we find the truth behind our captivity and our way of escape.”

“That sounds pretty exhausting…” Reyn put his arms behind his head and groaned.

“It does, Reyn, but we have to endure it in order to find another way of escape. It’s not like our captors are going to open up a way for—”

*Ding dong bing bong*

Huh? I felt a vibration coming from my e-Handbook. I turned it on and Monokuma appeared on my screen. I wonder where Sird was, if she’s like our prison warden, why is she relying on this bear to keep an eye on us?

“ Puhuhuhu, it’s been a while since we’ve last talked! We should catch up in a few hours, just so we can discuss… more of your college killing life. Meet me in Hall M in the student center at 5:30, just before dinner! Y’know, so you won’t get queasy listening to any unnerving details. See you soon!”

The bear laughed maniacally as he ended the transmission. Ugh, I was so hoping I wouldn’t see him again so soon. I guess we can’t ignore him though…

“It… looks like we have one more meeting for today. You’re all dismissed for now, let us have time to ourselves until later. Thank you, once again everyone.” Dimitri left in the direction of the dorms.

The rest of us followed, unsure of what that twisted bear’s plan was for us tonight. All we knew was that it will have a sick sense of humor on his part.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 3 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

There’s a lot of time until 5:30, maybe I should go get some fresh air. Don’t want to lie here in my room thinking about what that bear has planned, clearing my head would be a good idea.

Free Time Start

Insert Song: Beautiful Days (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

I check my pockets and see that I still have those Monokuma imprinted coins on me. I’ll check if I could use them at the student store Ray mentioned. Let’s go shopping for a bit.

The student store was pretty sizable, but nothing that special. Ray was on the money about there being so many Monokuma branded college merchandise. It got me thinking about whether or not this school was built recently, or if it was an old property that got taken over by that Sird lady. I couldn’t find anything relating to this school’s history, although I haven’t really done enough searching.

Back at the store, there was a large vending machine in the back and a capsule machine as well. The capsules looked quite bigger than those smaller ones I’m used to seeing, and the vending machine items were more than just chips and candy bars. I saw a bag of mint candies in the vending machine, so I inserted five of the coins I had into the slot.

Obtained Present!: Mint Candies

After grabbing the candies, I turned my attention to the “MonoMono Machine”. I don’t really believe that I’ll get anything too valuable, so I just inserted one coin in. Opening my large capsule I got… a video game? A game that I haven’t even heard of before, maybe it’s from another world?

Obtained Present!: Myriad Swords 1&2 Remastered

I’m not too into games, and I don’t really want to eat all these candies by myself. I should go find some people who would like these gifts. Making a few new friends out of this “traumatizing” experience could be helpful in the future! 

Hm… who should I hang out with?

I considered going to Sayori at first, but I should try to give her some space. She might need time to relax her emotions. Plus if I keep hanging out with her repeatedly, then the others may start getting the wrong idea. I thought about the items I got from the store and wondered who would like them. I have two ideas, so I went forward with the first one that came to mind.

To find someone who likes games, I better look in the arcade. Lo and behold, I found Kazuma leaning against an arcade cabinet.

“Oh hey, you’re… Hachiken, right?” He asked.

“And you’re Kazuma?” I responded while nodding.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m Kazuma. So what’s up? You want to play a quick game?” Kazuma points over to the air hockey table where we first met. 

Do I really want to take him on when I saw his tactics firsthand?

After thinking about it more, I just sighed and walked over to the table. He followed with a smug grin on his face, making it even more obvious what he’s going to do. Kazuma and I had a pretty one-sided air hockey match, but I feel like we grew a bit closer. 

Oh yeah, the thing I didn’t want to keep myself. I handed him the game case, and his eyes widened.

“W-W-WHAT?! How did you get this?!” Kazuma begins questioning me loudly as I’m just slowly stepping back.

“I, uh, got it from the student store’s capsule machine.” I explained.

“Man, that’s some good luck then… not as good as mine but still. This is an excellent find! I’ll gladly take it off your hands then, if you don’t want it.” He chuckled a bit.

“Sure, you can keep it.” I told him.

“Thanks, pal. Y’know… you’re probably the most normal guy here, huh?” Kazuma assumes.

“Pretty much…” I answered.

“Ah, kind of a shame that you got dragged into a situation like this then, huh?” Kazuma states and I nod in agreement.

Yeah he’s definitely right. There’s so few people here without some kind of special power, and even then some of the “normal” people have likely had extraordinary things happen to them. Meanwhile I just simply chose to go to an agricultural high school, instead of anywhere close to home. Makes me stand out a bit more than I would want to in a killing game.

“Y’know, it is hard getting used to a whole new world after being so used to the old one. This is like my second time going through this, well…  third technically.” Kazuma sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Wait, he’s been to other worlds before? I feel like I shouldn’t be too surprised, but I’m curious.

“You’ve done this before?” I asked him.

Kazuma turned to me so he could answer, “Uh-huh, not the killing game thing though, just ending up in another world. First time it happened I was on Earth, died and got reincarnated in a fantasy world by a… goddess. Second time was when one of my party members pressed a random button and we got sent to a school.”

If someone told me this before today I would have just walked away slowly, but now I have to suspend my disbelief. This sounds a lot like the plot of an anime or manga, or rather a lot of anime or manga.

“You’re probably thinking that it’s similar to a lot of anime or manga plots, huh? Well yeah it pretty much is.” He assumes.

Man, he knows his stuff. Based on how he reacted when I gave him that game, he might have been like an otaku or something back on his Earth. I am quite curious about this fantasy world he’s been to, so I should at least ask him something.

“What’s life been like for you in that fantasy world?” I ask.

A sweat drop rolls down Kazuma’s face before he answers, “Well… it’s been traumatizing to say the least.”

“Oh…” I responded with a bit of pity.

“Let’s just say that being an adventurer is like hell, to the point where I’m fine with just hanging around if I have enough cash.” Kazuma sighed.

Fighting monsters does sound like a pain in the ass. If I had to deal with a lot of that on a daily basis, I’d have trauma too. Still though…

“You’ve got to have some things that are enjoyable over there, don’t you? Maybe some friends from your… party? I think that’s the word for it.”

“Ugh…” He cringed when I asked that question, touchy subject?

“I’d tell you more, buuuuuut for now I’m just gonna head back to the dorms. I’ve wanted to try this game out for AGES. See ya!” He said as he waved goodbye.

I may not know everything about Kazuma yet, but I feel that I managed to learn a few good details. Not everything though, I can tell. Hopefully I can trust a guy like him.

________________________

Afterwards I decided to head back into my dorm for a while… except that I was locked out.

“H-Huh?!” I let out in confusion.

I checked my pockets and found out I left my e-Handbook inside my room. Just great, now I’m gonna have to sleep outside tonight unless someone comes by…

“Well hi! Got locked out of your dorm?”

“GAHHH!!” I yelled as Monokuma popped in front out of nowhere.

“Jeez, don’t you know it’s impolite to scream in people’s ears? You’ll break someone’s eardrums like… like… OH NO I’VE GONE DEAF!” Monokuma panics as he holds his ears.

“Do you… even have eardrums?” I reluctantly ask.

“WHAT?!” He replies.

“I said do you—”

“WHAT?!” He repeats himself.

Why do I even bother even talking to this psycho bear? I wanted to avoid seeing him for a while, but now I have to deal with him right in front of me AND at that meeting of his later on.

“Oh! I’ll just open this door up as well as your room for now! Remember not to leave your handbook anywhere… and no one can loan you your handbook either! I should really add that onto the list of rules…” 

Monokuma gently pushes open the door to the dormitory, before he kicks down the door to my room.

“Sheesh! Be careful!” I warned him.

“WHAT?!”

I simply put my face into my hands and groaned heavily.

“Now don’t forget your handbook next time, and don’t forget the meeting later! Puhuhu~!” The bear guffaws as he finally leaves.

Thank god, I don’t think I could have listened to his voice for another second. I closed my door and layed down on my bed and took a short nap.

An hour later and it’s 4:00 pm, an hour and thirty minutes until the meeting. Looks like I still have time to myself until then, how should I spend it?

Free Time

I still have these mint candies with me, I’m thinking I should share them with one of my dormmates. I walked into the living room and I just so happened to see Tails continuing his work on his Miles Electric. I’m thinking the kid needs a break, so I sit down on the couch on the opposite side and take out the candies.

“Huh? Hey, where’d you get those?” Tails suddenly perks up when he sees them.

“The student store, you want some?” I ask as I offer him one piece.

Tails grinned, “I’d love some! Thanks a lot, Hachiken!”.

We sat around for a bit and ate the mint candies, though I only chose to eat a few and he finished the rest easily. While doing so he explained some info about what the Miles Electric does, although I couldn’t follow along too much. Despite that, I’m sure Tails and I grew a bit closer.

Y’know, maybe I should change the subject to something not technology-related, it’s starting to get more confusing. I am very curious about Tails’s, well, tails after all.

“So were you just born with an extra tail or…?” I present the question while looking at his two tails.

“Ah, yeah I was. Used to not enjoy it, since I got bullied a lot.” Tails told me as he sighed.

Man, that’s pretty rough. It’s never okay to treat anyone badly, much less a person that has an abnormality. Feel bad for the kid.

“Jeez… I’m sorry about that.”

Tails shook his head, “Don’t be, it’s been a long time since then. I ended up meeting someone who helped change my life for the better.”

“Glad to hear, so you’re okay with having those tails now, right?”

A smile returns to his face, “Yeah, they’re a part of me and I shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Besides, they help me fly as you’ve seen, as well as other things!”

“Really? For example?”

One of his tails reached over to the coffee table and grabbed a bottle of water for him, which he drank from. Impressive control! I clapped as a sign of me being impressed.

“Wow, that’s handy… I mean, tail-y? If you know what I mean.” I joked a bit.

Tails chuckled half-heartedly at my pun, “Ha, I get it.”

An awkward laugh was shared between us before I decided to move on quickly.

“So about that person who helped you, Saki mentioned him earlier. The ‘Blue Blur’, was it?”

“Yup! Sonic The Hedgehog, I’m his best friend and his sidekick!” He grinned proudly.

“I see… and his nickname suggests that he’s fast as well, correct?”

“Definitely!” Tails nods.

“About as fast as Pietro or…”

Tails ponders for a bit before answering, “I’m not too sure myself, since we can’t really compare the two, at the moment. Knowing him though, I’m sure he’d say he was faster.

“Ah… it seems that the two of them share big egos along with super speed too then.” I sigh in exasperation.

“Right? Ha ha! Although as arrogant as he is, he’s still an amazing hero. I hope to make it out soon and see him again.”

Tails really seems to have a lot of respect for his hero, makes me really hope we’ll all make it out of here together so they can reunite. Glad he managed to overcome some past events and appreciates his tails as a gift rather than a curse.

We bid farewell for now and I went back into my room to rest for what little time we both had left.

________________________

*Ding dong bing bong*

My e-Handbook acted as my alarm as I switched it on and found Monokuma in a large chair with some kind of alcoholic drink on my screen.

“ Everyone, come on down to Hall M in the student center for an important announcement! Get there immediately by 5:30pm and you will not be dragged there by one of our resident guard Pokémon! You have about 30 minutes, so chop chop or you’ll be chopped chopped!”

I certainly don’t want to get hurt like some of the others had while facing them, it’s time I get going. I make sure my e-handbook’s on me before I join up with the others. But there’s only four of them here….

“Where’s Sayori? We can’t be late.” I ask and Reyn just shrugs.

“Wonder what’s taking her so long…” Reyn groans.

“Hm… what if she’s y’know…” Konata ponders.

I immediately interrupted her in denial, “No way! That could never happen! Besides, if someone had planned on… killing her, they wouldn’t be able to get into her room.”

“Still, you never know dude.” Konata replied.

“.... Fine, I’ll go get her then.” I volunteered.

Tails raised his hand, “Same here, she’s our friend.”

“Ugh, I’ll come too. Just to be sure Bow Girl is alright.” Saki speaks up.

“Be sure to make it on time, you two!” Reyn warns us as he leaves off with Konata in tow.

Saki, Tails, and I made our way over to Sayori’s room and knocked on it.

No answer.

That’s… far from a good sign here.

“Sayori, it’s time for the meeting! Are you awake?!” I shouted as I knocked again.

Still, nothing. Oh god, no…

“Sayori, it’s us. Can you please answer?” Tails gives a knock of his own, but no luck.

Saki then grit her teeth, “C’mon, Sayori! Open up, we need to go see the bear or he’ll give us hell!”

Silence once more.

Sayori…

“Y’know what, sorry, but we have to get goin’!” Saki yelled.

Wait, sorry for wha—

CRASH!!!

“HUH?!?!”, Tails and I let out loudly.

Saki just kicked Sayori’s door down! It’s starting to come apart at the frame, why the hell did she do that?!

“What’re you trying to do, freak her out?!” I asked Saki, exasperated.

“Just trying to make it easier. Huh?” 

Saki then notices something inside Sayori’s room. The two of us enter at the same time and then…

…

…

…

“S-S-S-Sayori?!”

I stumbled on my words as I saw something horrifying.

“What the hell…” I hear Saki say next to me.

Tails’s mouth was agape, “T-That’s…”

The three of us were just standing there confused… our eyes were widened with immense fear.

…

…

…

“What… are you doing?”

That question fell out of my mouth as I saw her standing on top of a chair, tying a rope to a ceiling fan.

“H-Hachiken, Tails, Saki…” Sayori notices us with tears flowing down her face and shakiness in her voice.

“Were you planning on… no, it can’t be.” Tails couldn’t wrap his head around what he saw, same as me.

“I’m sorry… I’m so so sorry…” Sayori crumbled to her knees as she sobbed atop her bed.

Saki just picked up the rope, staring at it in disbelief. Tails held Sayori close in an embrace. And I just stood there, trying desperately to find out why… 

Why would Sayori try to hang herself?

______________________

After a few minutes of explanation, it was as I feared.

Insert Song: My Feelings (Doki Doki Literature Club!)

“Depression, huh?”

She nods sadly in response to Saki. I never imagined such a bubbly and excitable girl like Sayori really felt like this for most of her life. So many years believing that you did not deserve any love from everyone around you, it hurts to think about.

“The fact that someone like me is even here shows that I’m being punished. Before I even got here I was acting so selfish, and now because of that… I’ve been sent here to be killed, that’s what I deserve…”

The three of us just sat on her bed listening, staying silent respectfully.

“I really tried to find some kind of hope in this situation, but in doing so I ended up making someone angry. If I continued on with trying to help, then it likely would have happened again. I have always tried making people happy to see if that would help me feel happy, but after what happened with Bede… I know now that I can’t help anyone.”

Man, knowing now what she’s been going through, those words that he said to her are even worse. I don’t even know if he’d feel remorse, even if he did know that she had depression. Perhaps he could, but I can’t even think of that at the moment.

“That’s why… During our investigation earlier, I was looking at this rope. The rain clouds in my head began to storm and turn into thunder clouds, my thoughts telling me that I could make things better by ending my life.”

So that’s why she was eying that rope, I should have connected the dots right then. But I just refused to even think of the idea that she could commit suicide. I’m so stupid.

Tails decides to bring something up, “Sayori, before you noticed us, we saw you hesitating to put the noose over your neck. So… were you starting to have second thoughts?”

Sayori was quiet for about a quarter of a minute before nodding solemnly.

“It was because… I started thinking of the people that I could hurt if I did this. You guys of course, but there’s also those back home. My friends at the literature club… and him.”

“Him?” I questioned.

“My best friend, I call him MC. He’s the reason I was being so selfish back home, due to being in love with him.”

The three of us softly gasped.

“I introduced MC to my club and he became a member, hoping that he’d be able to make friends there. He did, but even still I wanted to be with him. I liked him so much that I wanted to die, so… I guess the universe decided to make that second part come true. I truly deserve this…”

“ NO, THAT’S WRONG !! ”

I suddenly stood up and yelled, instantly silencing her.

“Sayori, you do deserve much more than this. Don’t think that you are being punished for trying to be kind, it’s not your fault…” My fists tightened as I spoke to her.

Tails stood up from Sayori’s bed as well, “He’s right, there’s only a single person to blame and that’s not you. Choosing to make people happy is the most selfless thing for a person to do, and you’ve been doing that.”

Saki then gritted her teeth, “Don’t believe the crap that your brain has been feeding ya. The universe didn’t send you here, that bitch Sird did! “

The lights suddenly flicker on and off in her room, but we just chose to ignore that for what’s more important: Sayori.

“No, don’t try to waste all your energy you three. It’s already too late.” She shakes her head.

“It is never too late. We cannot just move on from this after we just saw you trying to off yourself, not even if we tried to.” Tails states seriously.

“I don’t believe any of us are experts, but regardless we will be here to lend a hand. We’ll help you clear those clouds around your head, and we will make sure that you get back home to MC.” I tell her, my tears starting to well up behind my glasses.

“What if we can’t? I’m too weak to be able to help, and besides we don’t know if there’s a way out.” Sayori says as her head lowers and she’s staring at her feet.

“Then we just have to keep at it until we find one.” Saki replies.

Sayori stopped talking and the three of us just approached her for a large hug. I can hear her sobbing into my chest as we hold her tight.

My e-Handbook then went off and I saw some messages from Reyn and Konata in the chat option.

“Ten minutes, what’s keeping you three?”

“C’mon, the bear’s gonna be livid if you don’t get here on time.”

“We should go now. Sayori?” 

I looked at her face, she still seems like she’s hurting. I don’t think our words helped too much, though it’s a bit of a start.

Tails takes the three of us to the student center, making me feel bad that he had to carry three of us at once. When we got into Hall M, everyone was already seated. There were four empty seats just for us at the front of the hall. As I sat down at the end of my row, I got tapped on the shoulder.

“Hey. Why were you four so late?” Ray asked.

I didn’t answer vocally, just pointed at Sayori using my head. Tails was patting her on the shoulder as she wiped her tears from her eyes. Ray’s mouth opens in surprise before he nods in understanding.

“I see, if she needs more help I could volunteer.” Ray offers.

I nod my head, “That would be nice yes. Thank you.”

I looked over my shoulder and at the end of the row behind me was Bede. Sayori’s depression may have already been quite bad, but Bede ended up cutting her down a lot. My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at him for a bit, which he only noticed for a split second before turning away from me.

I turn back to check on Sayori and she’s taking some deep breaths in. Her expression suggests that she’s calm, but probably still has some “rain clouds”. It’ll be a while until Sayori can be able to overcome her depression, but as long as I’m here, I will help her through this. We will help her through this.

“Puhuhuhu~!”

Oh no, here we go again…

The lights in the hall flickered then flickered, so this problem isn’t just affecting the dorm…

BANG!!

“YOWWWWW!!!” 

Uh… what just happened?

Monokuma slowly rose up from behind the podium with a large bump on his head. Did he hit something?

“Ugh… who woulda thought this stupid motive would be affecting me too?! Damn it…” Monokuma groaned in pain.

“Motive?” Ray then spoke up with a question.

“Eh?” Monkuma responded.

“Oh I see, you’re here to give us a motive to make us start the killing game. Am I right?” Bede assumes as he approaches the podium.

“Y-Yeah… man I really should have chosen something better… regardless, that’s what you all have to deal with! Until someone gets murdered, the power on campus will be unreliable. Eventually, it’ll also shut down completely, leaving you all in darkness, a perfect opportunity to assassinate a classmate! Ha ha, ow!” Monokuma began to laugh, but clutched his head again.

“No power?!” Teruhashi cried out in shock.

“I see… you won’t be able to see your killer without any source of light. Although… couldn’t you use candles as an alternate light source?” Ray asks.

“We only have them in limited supply, 18 each for all of y’all!” Monokuma answered.

“Tch…” I heard Dimitri grunt next to me, “No matter what you take from us, we won’t fall victim to your game.”

Kazuma sighed, “I don’t know man, I don’t think I can go use the bathroom in the dark.”

“These flashlights I found in the student store don’t come with the batteries either, and the battery section was cleared out as well.” Pietro took out a flashlight and demonstrated how it doesn’t work.

I then heard Monokuma whistle as I clearly see a huge stack of batteries being dumped out the window.

All around me I saw the others complaining about this motive, but would anyone really kill over this? Honestly… I don’t completely doubt that possibility. Who knows when we’ll COMPLETELY lose power?

And how will everyone react?

Chapter Text

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

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

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

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

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

Sora quivered at the thought, “Without electricity then…” 

“It’ll be easier for someone to be killed during the night.” Ray finished for her.

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

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

“Can we just start a fire?” Saki suggests.

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

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

“Uh, good point.” Kazuma admits.

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

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

“Where are you going? Shouldn’t we all stay together in case the power cuts out?”

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

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

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

“Now where are you off to?” Ray confronted him.

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

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

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

Ray grunts, not intimidated in the slightest.

“You’re formulating a murder plan, am I correct? Or did I answer incorrectly?”

“.....”

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

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

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

“No answer, huh?” Finn shook his head disappointedly.

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

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

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

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

“What’s up, Tails?” Sayori tilts her head in confusion.

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

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

“Th-That’s incredible.” Sakaki says softly.

Dimitri puts a finger to his chin, “I see… so this ‘generator’ device will be able to assist us?”

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

“Wow! You’re so smart, Tails!” Teruhashi compliments him.

The fox blushed in response, “Ha ha, it’s nothing…”.

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

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

“Can we really take that chance?” Sora wonders aloud.

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

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” Teruhashi screamed.

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

“M-My glasses!” Minori says, alarmed.

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

“Hey! Whoever’s on me better move or get knocked into next week!”

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

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

“Hah?” She lets out as she looks around confused.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Okay… I guess we’ll take that chance…” Finn retracts his skepticism for now.

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

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

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

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

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

__________________________

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

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

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

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

“Pass.” I stated outright.

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

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

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

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

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

“YEAH! It’s Reyn Time, baby!” 

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

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

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

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

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

Finn backs off, “No ma’am.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Eh, why not?” Pietro shrugged.

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

“Is there something wrong?” I asked her.

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

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

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

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

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

She nods softly, “Thank you, Hachiken-kun.”

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

“Well, hopefully this won’t end badly, ribbit.” Tsuyu shakes her head.

Same here…

…

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

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

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

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

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

________________________

“Urgh, urgh…”

“Huff… huff…”

“Ack…”

“Hold it steady, you three. There’s still a bit of daylight left!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, that would really help. Thank you.” Finn nods.

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

“T-Thanks…” I responded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You should keep fighting on then.”

“Huh?”

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

“...”

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

“Finn, thank you. I…”

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

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

*Ding dong, bing bong*

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

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

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

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 5 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 18

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

I’m getting worried, but also thirsty.

It’s been about twenty minutes since Sora left to get us those water bottles from the student store. What’s taking her so long? I’m fiddling around a lighter I was given in case the blackout happens. Each group was given one, other than Kazuma’s group since he has fire magic of course.

“Hey, Hachiken. Did you try messaging her on your Handbook?” Finn asked me.

“Just did, how about you?” I relayed the question back to him.

He sighed, “I had a minute ago. Where is she?”

“Where is who?”

We turn around to see Dimitri carrying an armful of steel pipes with no problem at all.

“Sora, she went to grab some water for us from the student store. Haven’t seen her for a while.”

“What?! And you two let her go by herself?” Dimitri immediately cross-examines us.

Oh shoot.

“We, um…” I suddenly am at a loss for words.

Dimitri shakes his head, “Don’t you know that we need to keep an eye on each other, especially when we’ll all be in the dark sooner or later?”

He’s right to be acting like this, leaving someone alone like this makes them an easy target.

“S-Sorry…” I apologized to His Highness, bowing my head in response and Finn did the same.

“One sorry isn’t enough, if she hasn’t returned then let us go search for her. You said the student store, correct?”

Dimitri ushered us to follow him as he placed down the pipes he was carrying.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Finn sighed.

Honestly feeling the same, just a lot of unease circulating right now.

When we arrived at the student store, Tsuyu was near the front of the entrance.

“Is there something wrong?” She speaks up as we approach her.

Finn answers for us, “Yeah, was Sora here earlier? She wanted to drop by and get some water.”

She puts her finger to her chin and thinks, “Hm… I haven’t seen her. And the others are deeper into the store, so they couldn’t have seen her even if I had. How long has she been gone?”

“As of right now, half an hour. She hasn’t even answered any of our messages either.” I say as I checked my Handbook.

“Oh no… if that’s the case, then something may have happened. I’ll go with you to find her, if that’s okay.” Tsuyu offers.

“Are you sure? I’m sure you have some more supplies to move, and your group might need your frog… quirk?” Dimitri replied.

“Good point, and with how Kazuma and Saki could end up bickering if left alone, someone needs to keep an eye on them. Konata wouldn’t be responsible enough for that, so it looks like I can’t help you unfortunately, sorry ribbit.” Tsuyu states.

“It’s okay. We’ll find her, hopefully before the power goes out.” Finn reassures her.

“Good luck.” Tsu turns to me and nods before reentering the student store.

“Okay, you two. May the search continue.” Dimitri began to lead us away.

“Oh! One more thing, here.” Tsuyu then tossed three water bottles our way.

Finn and Dimitri catch theirs easily, while mine meets the side of my cheek and gives it a peck with its cap. Can you tell I’m not much of a jock?

“Thanks…” I tell her as I rub my cheek and pick up my bottle.

The three of us quickly gulped down our water, as if we had just been in a bone dry desert. We needed that after the work we’ve done carrying those spare parts to Tails. Really hope that by the end of this, that generator will be fully functional.

_____________________________

The closest area we could head to was the recreation center, and right when we got there we saw Pietro standing around eating some hard candy in the corner.

“Pietro, what are you doing here? Weren’t you and Reyn gathering parts like we were?” Dimitri confronts the speedster.

“Your Highness, we are just on break. Reyn needed to take care of ‘business’, so I am just waiting around until he is done. Besides, we brought plenty of scrap for the little fox boy to use.” Pietro tells us as he eats another candy.

“Business?” I tilted my head at that.

Pietro shrugged, “Big man didn’t tell me what it was. He had a weird look on his face though.”

Finn decided to change the subject, “Have you seen Sora around here? She’s been missing and we’re wondering if she’s been here.”

“Hm… which one was she again?” Pietro asked.

“Orange haired girl.” I answered.

I mean I could imagine it is hard to memorize faces when there’s eighteen of us, but come on…

“Oh right. I saw her walking in and heading to the storage room along with three high school girls. Including that girl with the bow.”

Ah, she’s with Sayori’s group? They must have found something big if they needed another set of hands like hers. Wish she’d have let us know beforehand though and saved us all the worrying.

“At least we know she’s doing well. If they’re working hard, we better not stand idle for any longer! Finn, Hachiken, let’s finish gathering more supplies!”

I’m glad that Sora’s doing fine, whew. Unfortunately for us, we have to get back to work. My legs have been tired already, and walking around looking for Sora has made me close to cramping. I should have chosen to gather the student store supplies…

________________________

“Great job everyone! The generator is so close to completion!” Tails addressed almost all of us.

The only ones not here were Sora with Sayori’s trio, Pietro & Reyn (who I am somewhat suspicious of at the moment), and finally Bede and Kale who were already on their own.

The generator itself was certainly big, with its size I can definitely see it powering the whole campus for about a month or so. Tails really managed to pull it off using what were basically heaps of junk in a scrapyard. Which reminds me that I need to wash my hands for the third time after touching all of that stuff.

Saki pumps her fist in the air, “Hell yeah! Nice one, Tails, this hunk of metal’s gotta be strong right?”

“Impressive, not only a pilot but a mechanical genius as well.” Ray complimented him.

Dimitri pats the machine proudly, “Indeed, an incredible result of all our efforts. Well done to all of you! Especially you Tails, for coming up with the idea in the first place.”

“Aw thanks…” Tails grinned from ear to ear.

“Whooooaaaaaa! It’s huge!”

I turned to see both Sayori approaching while carrying a large metal container. 

“Aha! There’s the last piece we need! What kind of fuel did you find?” Tails asked them.

“We found some propane tanks lying around, but we could only carry back one for now. Sorry.” Sayori explains.

“Oh! It’s okay, we can make do with this amount. Where are the other girls?” Tails asks.

Sayori raised her hand, “I can answer that too! They were trying to find something to help make carrying all those tanks much more simple. Maybe like a cart or something.”

Dimitri nods slowly, “I see, we shall await their results soon enough, for now well done on finding a fuel source! Tails, is everything complete?”

“Yup! Just gotta add in the fuel and—”

…

…

Oh no…

This is not good, the power’s gone out. 

Why now of all times? We were so close but…

FWOOSH!

“You guys need a light?” Kazuma asks as his palm has a flame burning atop it.

A light?.... Oh yeah!

I take out my lighter and turn it on, creating a small light that illuminates my surroundings. It doesn’t spread that far, plus it pales in comparison to Kazuma’s magic, but if it works it works.

“Good thinking, you two! Now I’ve just gotta… liiiiiffftttt the fuel tank…” Tails struggled as he used his flight to carry the container.

I shined my lighter over where the propane would be inserted into the generator, a pipe with a funnel shaped opening on the top of it.

“You can do it, Tails!” I heard Sayori cheer from wherever she was.

“Don’t give up just yet kid!” Finn encouraged him.

I held my arm up to light his way, “It’s so close, pour it all in!”

“Hm? That smell…” I think I heard someone say while we were yelling. Was it the smell of the propane?

“AGH!” Tails let out as he held the container over the fuel pipe.

We heard the generator glug down the propane like it was a bottle of sake until it was completely empty. Exhausted, Tails dropped the propane tank, thankfully not close enough to crush anyone’s feet.

“Hah… hah… now someone please push the button!”

I held up my lighter to the control panel to see the button he was talking about. Which of course would have been a lot simpler if it weren’t PITCH BLACK and the button to push was made a lot more obvious.

“Um, ah…” I just stared at the panel wondering which one to press.

The red button, the blue button, the yellow button, the pink button…

“Come on, Hachiken! Just press one!” Kazuma was annoyed that I was taking a while.

“Don’t rush me! It’s a very stressful decision right now, so let me just think for a second!” I told him.

“Don’t worry your head off Hachiken, it’s not like we’ll be stuck without electricity if you get it wrong…” Konata teased me.

“NOT HELPING!” I shouted out.

“I-I’ll do it then Hachiken!” Sayori volunteers.

Oh no, she’ll have even more trouble than I’m having if she’s turning it on.

I try to reassure her, “No no, Sayori, I’ll just do it, so—”

“EYAH!” Sayori yelled out as she tripped over something.

She landed on me and as I was about to fall to the ground, “ACK!”

*click*

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

Agh, my eyes felt like they had been affected by a camera flash, making me take off my glasses and rubbing them. By the time I opened them however…

“I-It worked!” Minori said with shock as she put her own glasses back on.

“Oh thank Eris, we’ve got power again…” Kazuma collapsed to his knees.

Tsuyu smiled, “Wow Sayori, you really managed to solve Hachiken’s dilemma, ribbit.”

Yeah, surprisingly her clumsiness managed to help choose for me. And it managed to be the right choice too!

I picked myself off the ground and dusted myself off, “T-Thanks, Sayori.”

“No, it’s nothing really ehehe~. Sorry about knocking you over, Hachiken.” She apologized.

“Well, if you hadn’t done that, then I would have been at the controls for a lot longer or made the wrong choice. Seriously, you helped me out… in your own way I guess, ha.”

I held my hand out to her and she grabbed it to pull herself off the ground, after that we shook hands as a sign of respect.

Tails clutched his cramping shoulder, “Hoo boy, I really need to talk to Knuckles about arm strength when I get back home… good job everyone. Although, I wish I explained that none of those other buttons worked until you pressed the ON button, so you could have taken your time more Hachiken. Ha ha…”

“EXCUSE ME?!” I blurted out.

I was getting anxiety over pushing one button when I could have just pressed them all and have no problem? I think my face was turning a bit red there with how angry I felt right there. On the bright side though, my outburst made everyone laugh…

Well, almost everyone.

Ray was sniffing the air.

“Is something the matter?” Dimitri walked up to him.

“There’s that smell again… (gasps)”

Ray ran off all of a sudden, with wide eyes on his face.

So that was him mentioning a smell earlier, but what is he talking about?

“Dimitri, what do you think— huh?!”

He had an intense expression on his face, filled with dread, and he was trembling. He then broke out into a run, following Ray down the path he took.

“Whoa! What’s gotten into them?” Sayori tilts her head with confusion.

“(coughing) What the hell?” Kazuma says after inhaling something.

“Guys…” Tsuyu points over to where Ray and Dimitri went…

…. And a cloud of smoke was over our heads.

“ Wha-Wha-Whaaaaaaaaat ?!” I thought in my head as I saw the smoke rising.

We have to go, NOW.

________________________

We got to the source of the smoke, and the recreation center was engulfed in flames. I saw Teruhashi being carried out of the doors by Reyn as he handed her to Pietro. She’s covered in smoke and coughing, but at least she’s alive.

“Get her to the infirmary, alright? I gotta see if I can force my way into that gym to get the other girls.” Reyn tells the speedster who nods before rushing off with Teruhashi in his arms.

“Allow me to come with you!” Dimitri joins him.

“And me.” Finn enters along with them.

“Wait up, I’m coming too!” Tsuyu does the same.

I am in a state of panic, but we can rely on those four to rescue the other girls, can’t we? Sora, Sakaki, please just hold on! 

“Tch… I could smell the smoke since the blackout occurred, just how could this happen?” Ray shook his head in disbelief.

“M-Maybe it was an accident?” Sayori suggests.

“Or maybe it was intentional.”

All of us turn to see Bede walking into the scene, with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“The blackout was a key moment for a murderer to make their move. I wonder why they would go for something like a fire, which would draw plenty of attention…”

“M-M-Murder?” That word fumbled in my mouth because I didn’t want to even think about something like that.

I know I wouldn’t have the strength, motivation, or dedication to planning in order to make me want to kill someone. Since Tails was building the generator, Monokuma’s motive was pretty much moot. There’s no way that killing would help someone at this point and time…

But could it?

Eventually I saw through the windows that the fires were being put out by the suppression system in the building. It probably took a while to activate when the generator reached it. It’s over, isn’t it?

*Ding dong dong ding*

A ringing notification went off on all our e-Handbooks, and I immediately got chills as I turned on the screen and Monokuma was laughing to himself.

“A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the city trial will begin!”

…. Body?

No.

No, I can’t accept this.

No, the bear is just messing with us.

Reyn and Finn exit the recreation center with their heads hanging down, clenching their fists with frustration. Dimitri and Tsuyu usher the rest of us to come in, the latter’s eyes were welling up with tears and the former had a sullen look on his face.

We entered the gym on the left, the one Sayori, Tails, and I had searched before. The floor was blackened, covered in ash and wet from all the water from the suppression system. At its center however…

Was a dark gray body, burnt beyond recognition.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 6 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Students: 17(?)

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

“HRGH!”

I could feel my dinner rising from the bottom of my stomach as I leaned over the nearest garbage bin. After what we just saw, I’m surprised everyone else isn’t throwing up either.

Who even is that?

The more I looked at that body, all dark and withered, the more it made me want to cry. All I could tell was that it was a girl, either Sakaki or Sora.

“Ugh, horrible…” Bede grimaced as he stared at the corpse.

“No no no no, it can’t be…” Sayori trembled as she tried to avert her sky blue eyes.

Dimitri marched towards the front of the body, his face filled with rage.

“Who is responsible for this?! Step forward and admit your guilt, you lowly beast!” He yells with a voice that echoes throughout the gym.

Unfortunately, no one is giving themselves up.

I wiped the vomit that managed to drip down my mouth with my sleeve. Disgusting, I know, but not as bad as murdering someone.

Reyn sighed heavily and his head hung low, “Now what do we do?”.

“Isn’t it obvious?”, Saki gritted her teeth with anger, “We find the murderer and kick their ass!”

“Well she has the right attitude, but you need to approach this situation with less anger and more thought.” Bede rolled his eyes at her.

“Of course I’d be mad, you pompous ass! A friend of ours just got burnt to a crisp!” Saki tells him.

Bede scoffed, “First of all, I’m no friend to them and to you. Secondly, even if I (somehow) was, we have to focus on another important factor; the class trial.”

Right, we need to find evidence and discuss amongst ourselves on who the killer could be. Monokuma mentioned that when we first got here. If we don’t find out who really killed whoever this is….

We all get executed.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, he’s right. If we don’t investigate thoroughly and find the true culprit, we all die.” Ray reluctantly agreed.

“Aw man, I can’t be much help here! This is all egghead stuff!” Reyn groaned.

“We all can help in other ways, even if not all of us are investigating. I’m going off to check on Teruhashi, since she was in the gym with Sakaki and Sora she might know what caused the fire.” Tsuyu hops off to the infirmary.

Teruhashi was out cold due to the smoke, so it might be a bit until she wakes up. I do hope she has something for us to make things easier.

“I… I want to be helpful right now too, but…” Sayori looked at the body once more and fell to her knees.

“There will be time to mourn later, we’re on a time limit so you all better be helping in some way. Our lives are all on the line.” Bede told her as he began to look around the gym for evidence.

Dimitri, still shaken up from his outburst earlier, takes a deep breath, “We have one task, find whatever information you can and bring them to light in the class trial. Leave no stone unturned, for our sake…”, he turns his head to the corpse,”... and for the sake of the dead.”

“Yes sir!” A handful of us replied.

I REALLY don’t want to do this. I’m way out of my element here, but in a place like this it doesn’t matter. Find the blackened or be killed, only one choice here that makes sense.

Here we go…

Investigation

“Long time, no see!”

“WAGH!” I jumped out of fear when Monokuma showed up from out of nowhere.

“WAGH! To you too! I’m here to give you all a special delivery before you begin investigating!” He gleefully says.

“That took a few years off my life…” Minori stated, spooked at Monokuma’s appearance as well.

“Just ask someone else for their years if you want them back! I’m sure someone would be willing to give them up if they had to spend the rest of their lives in college!” Monokuma jokes.

“We have no time for this, what are you here to give us?” Ray thankfully gets us back on track.

“This of course! It’s the Monokuma File Issue #1! And just for you a special variant cover to go along with it!” The robot bear cheers as we take out our e-Handbooks and receive the file.

That “variant cover” of his had Monokuma laying down in front of a fireplace, unsurprisingly insensitive (and disgusting as well) based on our current case. The victim's name was unlisted, making it up to us to figure out who was killed. Fun.

Victim: ???

“The time of death was around 11:00 pm. Victim died from shock after suffering sixth degree burns all over. The body is located in the center of the Gym 001 in the Recreation Center.”

I had to keep myself from throwing up again after reading that, how do murder investigators do this?

Anyways, 11:00 pm? That was forty minutes ago. It took a while before the smoke managed to reach us to the point where we could smell it and for us to make it to the Recreation Center, so the victim really spent all that time burning…

Ugh, I need to focus here! Sixth degree burns, 11:00 pm, center of the gym, time to move on.

“Monokuma File #1” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

I’m gonna avoid looking at the body for now, for my sake, so I'll see if there’s anything around the gym that I could find. Well, anything that wasn’t burned to a crisp anyway.

I spotted Sayori in the corner, and I could hear her sobbing as well. I don’t blame her one bit for reacting like this, especially since we know about how emotionally vulnerable she is.

“Sayori?” I tap her on the shoulder lightly.

“Hey Hachiken…” She sniffs as she turns to face me, her face filled with tears.

I decided not to be too rough on her with what I’m about to ask, “You were one of the last people close to this place before it went up in flames, is there anything you know that could help?”

Sayori wipes her eyes with her sleeve before answering, “All I know is that my group needed more help to transfer the propane tanks, so they told me to carry only one back so the generator could work. We went our separate ways afterwards and that’s all I know, sorry…”

“Don’t apologize Sayori, that gives you a good alibi in case you're suspected. I’m definitely sure that you didn’t do it though, so no worries.”

“Sayori’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Sayori gives me a pained smile, “Thanks, I appreciate that… I did notice something else though, right over there by the bleachers.”

She points over to a tipped-over utility cart and we both walk towards it. This must be what they were planning on using to transport the propane tanks! It looks sturdy enough to carry a person on it, but…

“It doesn’t have much traction. The wheels are very slippery, no wonder it’s been knocked over.” I shook my head.

It has to be tied to this case in some way, can’t just ignore it.

“Utility Cart” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Sayori, do you want to keep investigating with me? Or do you need more time to rest?” I ask her.

She hesitates for a moment, “I, um…. Okay. I don’t want to be useless when one of our friends just got killed, and the other is missing. We need to do something about it!”

Sayori’s a little fired-up now, though she is still reeling from the shock. I’m questioning how I’m still holding it together right now, but we just gotta keep going for now. Like Bede says, we can be miserable after all this is over.

“Excuse me, Hachiken, Sayori. We’ve found some things.”

Minori urges us towards the back closet, and right as we look in we see Bede and Ray inside.

“Ugh, too crowded. I’ve already found enough evidence here, it’s on to the body now.” Bede says as he exits and walks towards the corpse.

At the very least he’s investigating and not being completely antisocial. Bede may not like us, but this trial is something that affects ALL of us, so he has to work alongside us. However, his attitude needs a lot of adjustment until we can even consider calling him an ally. Also can’t deny that he’s a possible candidate for the blackened too. I don’t know if he’s being genuine, despite him being correct about focusing on investigation, so we need to keep an eye on him—

“Hachiken, eyes up.” Ray interrupts my deep thoughts.

“S-Sorry.” I sheepishly apologized.

“So what did you guys find in HEEEEREEE?!!”

Sayori walks in without watching her step and slips on a large mess of baseballs, landing on her butt clumsily.

“Ow… huh? What are all these baseballs doing here?”

“Yeah, last time we were in here these weren’t all scattered. They were all in… that!” 

I pointed at the pitching machine, which was turned on!

“It seems like someone hit its switch and it automatically opened fire, completely emptying its ammo.” Minori observes it.

Ray nods his head, “And anyone in its direct path can be knocked back for a short distance, based on its firing rate.”

Huh, I have to wonder how fast and powerful it could be. Pitching machines can shoot pretty quickly, so you have to assume that—

*Bonk*

“Gah!”

Before I even realized I was in the range of the machine, I took a baseball to the forehead and lost my footing.

“Whoops. Just grabbed a ball off the ground and it just shot it out.” Ray apologized, but I swear I saw him smirk a bit.

Karma will definitely come for him soon, I swear it.

Anyways, the firing rate is quick and its strength… hurts. It probably would be able to knock someone backwards, not to mention the amount of baseballs you could slip on. Definitely a factor in the victim's death. But wait a minute, how could the pitching machine be active when the blackout occurred? Need to look into the timing of that too and when the generator activated.

“Pitching Machine” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Blackout” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Generator Activation” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

After recovering from that embarrassing event, though that seemed to make Sayori giggle so it was a tiny bit worth it, I moved on to something more important. Like that open window right above the pitching machine.

It wasn’t very big and not too high up, but someone could manage to squeeze their way through if they could. Thus making it a perfect escape route for a murderer as well. But how to reach it… I’ve got it!

“Minori, could you see if you can reach that window up there?” I asked my fellow glasses wearer for a quick favor.

She looks at the window and tries to find a way up to it, she finds that the quickest way is to use the pitching machine as a boost. I noticed that the machine shut off when Minori stepped on the switch too, so maybe it got turned on during the blackened’s escape?

“Pitching Machine” has been updated in the Truth Bullet Section of your handbook.

Minori reached the window and inspected it from the inside and outside.

“The blackened could definitely have used this window as an escape route, and from what was left here it seems as though they did.”

She carefully came down from the window and showed us a burnt piece of cloth. Hard for me to tell what kind of clothing it was on first inspection, but it was pink.

“Open Window” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Burnt Cloth” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

It seems as though we’re done with the closet and now we turn our attention to… the body. Ack, it sent shivers down my spine, knowing that this was once a person that we knew.

“I’ll take a look at it if you all can’t handle it.” Ray states as me and Sayori both breathe a sigh of relief.

Ray inspected the body, but even he couldn’t tell us who this was. Their skin was mostly gone, and you could see a bit of their muscles and bone and— I’m just gonna shut up now. And I thought seeing farm animals die made me squeamish…

“I’ve got something on them, maybe this will tell us who it is.” Ray whips out their e-Handbook.

That’s when I remember that our names pop up whenever we turn them on, perfect! Just knowing who the victim is would be helpful to the case, even if we feel terrible for their death.

I click on the screen of the handbook and… eh?

I tap the screen a few more times and it just refuses to turn on.

“Is it broken?” Sayori pokes at the pad herself.

“Agh, just when it seemed like we were getting somewhere.” Ray shook his head in annoyance.

Minori adjusted her glasses, “It looks like finding out who the victim is will be just as difficult as determining the blackened.”

I’d hate for her to be right about that.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 7 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Students: 17(?)

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

Insert Song: Box 15 (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

“Well, this just seems useless then.. Damn, this could have been important!”

Ray shakes his head at the broken handbook we had discovered. Sayori is still pressing the side buttons and tapping the screen to make it work, although I think that would make things worse…

“I guess we will have to move on until we find a way to switch it back on again.” Minori says as she ponders to herself.

Yeah, a broken handbook doesn’t really get us anywhere. Although… I would say that’s still a clue worth keeping a record of.

“Broken e-Handbook” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

I inspect the floor to see if we’re missing anything and I see some kind of liquid on the floor, and it looks like someone slipped on it too…

“What is this…?” I place my finger on its surface to check.

“Candle wax? It has to be from the candles we were given by Monokuma, but how could it have melted that quickly?”

Sayori takes out her candle and looks at it until she spots something, “Look at the label!”

Minori reads it aloud, “‘Wick-ed Melting Candles, please candle with care…’, These are quick melting candles. To think that we were lent these when the power was about to go out…”

“Ugh, that would have been a disaster if we didn’t build a generator. Freaking Monokuma, wanting to leave us in the dark… In any case, it melted pretty fast and someone slipped on it. The fire could have spread because of the flame landing on a wood floor, though I doubt that’s the only reason.”

“Good deduction, Hachiken. Let’s carry on now.

“Candle Wax” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Ray looks over by the exit door to find a couple more pieces of evidence, and they are definitely not worth missing.

“Here’s a lighter and multiple empty fuel canisters, looks like we’ve found the cause of the fire. Though the fact that they’re so close to the body has me thinking up a few scenarios…” Ray explains.

I walk over to the items and unsurprisingly the canister is a lot less heavy compared to what I saw Sayori try to lift earlier on tonight. No wonder they tried to get something to carry all of them, although I doubt that the cart wouldn’t be heavy to push as well.

“I still can’t believe someone here would want to kill someone, not just that, kill someone by burning them alive…” Sayori’s head slumped down as she thought about it.

Minori addresses her concerns, “Agreed, it really is haunting. Even if the killer has their own reasons for doing so…”

“...Or even if it’s an accident. Whoever that is is still burned alive, and there’s no changing that.” Ray brings up.

All true. No matter what happened, one of us is dead and all we can do is find out who did it to them. I don’t even know if I could forgive the murderer for this, just looking at the corpse is making me disgusted and horrified. Most importantly though, we have to win and survive.

“Lighter” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Empty Fuel Canisters” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

It looks like that’s all there is in the gym, at least I hope that is. Missing just one thing could cause this trial to go sour for us, so I pray that we found all we could here. I think we have to talk to a few people before we head to the trial room though.

First one up, Tails. He could help us figure out the timing on both the blackout and when the generator powered on.

I raised up my hand to let him know that we’re here, he was busy unplugging the generator cords since the power had already returned.

“Hey, guys… did you see who it was? That died I mean…”

The four of us shook our heads at him before we explained the situation.

“I can’t believe I was too late… if I worked harder on the generator then maybe—”

“No!”, I interrupted him, “It’s not your fault, it’s whoever killed them.”

Ray stepped forward, “He’s right, blaming yourself isn’t going to help us get far. What we need to do now is figure out how this happened so that we can live.”

Tails struggled to let the words out, “But I…”

“Tails, we have to work together. So can you tell us more about the timing of both the blackout and the generator’s activation?” Ray asks him.

Tails took a moment to collect his thoughts and recall when exactly everything took place.

“The Monokuma File mentions that the victim died at 11:00 pm, correct?” He poses a question to us.

Sayori nods her head, “Yeah. That’s… almost an hour ago.”

Tails looks at his handbook as he talks, “Now when did you all find the… body?”

He shuddered as he mentioned that word.

“It was around 11:30. We had to wait outside for a bit until the sprinklers came on to douse the fire and for the people inside to get into the gym. About ten minutes for us to get to the recreation center, twenty more to wait for the fires to die down, and a few extra minutes for the shock to end.” Ray answered.

I’m surprised he managed to keep track of the time. I hadn’t even checked the time all that much, and I couldn’t memorize all of that without forgetting something at least. He’s definitely got a strong mind.

“Wait, um… huh?” Sayori tried memorizing all the times herself and got confused.

“I see… so I remember that it was around 10:48pm when the blackout happened, but I lost track when we were fumbling around in the dark for a few minutes.” Tails’s eyebrows lowered.

“Yeah, Hachiken really took his sweet time figuring out how to turn this thing on.” Ray joked as I grumbled.

“You try figuring out which button to press with barely any light! Plus there were four of them!” I yelled.

“Calm down…” Minori spoke up as I began to cool my head.

“Ha ha, anyways back to the matter at hand. I think the generator activated at 10:56pm, so only four minutes before the victim was… killed, ugh sorry everyone. I can’t stand these types of words in this kind of context.” Tails apologized.

“No worries, I can’t either ehehe~...” Sayori unenthusiastically chuckled as she looked to the side depressingly.

Glad that we’ve managed to get more information, this will definitely be useful during the trial.

“Blackout” has been updated in the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Generator Activation” has been updated in the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“I really do wish that I could be of more help, yet I’ve exerted all my energy on building this thing and it turns out it was pointless…” Tails sighed as he patted the generator.

“It wasn’t! I’m sure this generator will be useful for something else, don’t sell yourself short, Tails!” Sayori encouraged him.

“Y-You really think so?” His eyes widened.

“I know so!” She replied with a smile.

Tails’s head slowly began to rise up“... Ok, I’ll see what else I can do with this generator once we’re done. I could use some help with unplugging it though…”

“Then I’ll help you then! I wouldn’t want you to do all of this yourself, and I don’t think I could help much more with the investigation.” Sayori volunteered.

Minori adjusted her glasses before joining them, “I’ll assist too, there are a lot of cords to unplug so disconnecting all of them will need more hands.”

“Thank you, you two! I’ll try to pull my own weight as well!” Tails thanked them as the began getting to work.

Sayori really knows how to make a person feel better, even if she can’t manage to do the same for herself. I sure do hope that the rest of us can help her as much as she’s been trying to do for us.

“Good luck, we’ll be sure to share more information at the trial.” Ray tells them.

I nodded in agreement, “Yeah, don’t strain yourselves. We’ll need you to help us out later on!”

Ray and I waved farewell to them as we went to the infirmary to go see some more people. We need some more alibis in order to figure out who was where at the time of the murder.

As we open the door we’re greeted to a loud back and forth argument between Reyn and Pietro.

Insert Song: Riki the Legendary Heropon (Xenoblade Chronicles)

“I’m telling you man, I didn’t do it!” Reyn shouted.

“A likely story, big man…” Pietro scowled at him.

“You serious?! I wasn’t anywhere near that gym when the fire went off!” Reyn bit back.

Pietro continued to not believe him, “Bullshit, you were inside the recreation center around the time the fire started and the power went out! You were doing something in there that you said was ‘business’, aka burning two girls alive!”

Reyn meanwhile was getting too heated at this, “Them’s fightin’ words, don’t call me a murderer ya joka!”

“Then where were you?!” Pietro demanded an answer.

Reyn couldn’t answer clearly, “I..um…I was…”

Ray had finally had enough, “Can you two can it?! We’re trying to solve a murder case here.”

“Tch, big man is just jealous that he lost the eating contest so he’s pissed off at me. He’s too proud to admit he killed them.” Pietro scoffed.

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that contest…” Reyn groaned.

“Can we just focus here, today preferably?” I asked them.

“What do you kids want anyway?” Pietro asks us.

“We just wanted to know the alibis of you two so we can narrow down suspects.” Ray crossed his arms.

“Hmph, is that all? I was outside of the recreation center, waiting for this clown to finish with whatever ‘business’ he claims he had.” Pietro gave his side.

I asked him a different question then, “Remind me, who else was inside the recreation center when you were there?”

“The orange-haired girl, the long-haired tall girl, the girl with the bow, and the glowing blue-haired girl.” He listed them out for us.

I memorized the descriptions and figured out who he was referring to, “Sora, Sakaki, Sayori, and Teruhashi. That’s all? No one else?”

“During the wait, I went for a jog around the building. No sign of the boy with the pink jacket or girl with the ponytail in red.”

He must be referring to Kale and Bede, with them being so distant from us that’s not surprising. Makes me wonder what they were up to, but that would mean having to put up with Bede’s attitude when he’s investigating too. But wait…

“If you’re able to run around the recreation center in seconds, how come you didn’t rush into the gym when it was on fire?” Ray asks him a question I had on my mind.

“The door was blocked by something heavy, took forever to open it and the smoke made it hard to find the body. Found blue haired-girl passed out because of it.” Pietro explained.

“I see… that’s all Pietro. Please don’t pick fights again when we have no clue who’s 100% suspicious.” I warned him.

He just sighed before running off on his own again. He really just wants to get this over with quickly. I do too, but rushing through this won’t help us in the long run… pun not intended.

“Pietro’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Now Reyn, we’re not gonna get mad. Just tell us where you were at the time of the murder.” Ray said to ease his worries.

“Well…” Reyn still hesitated for some reason.

“You don’t have to explain it in detail if you don’t want to either. Keep it short if you prefer.” I told him.

“I know! I know! Let me just… fine, I’ll tell you.”

Reyn walked forward to us and whispered in both of our ears. His alibi was… baffling to say the least.

“Do you have proof?” Ray asked with an exasperated expression on his face.

“Uh… no. It’s what happened though…” Reyn stated.

“We can’t rely on only your word for it, you could be lying just to—”

“Ray, he's telling the truth.” I interrupted the kid.

“Eh?” He let out in response.

I nonchalantly pointed at Reyn’s boot, “Look right there. That’s your proof.”

He looks at where I’m pointing at before he places the palm of his hand onto his face in disbelief. It was a piece of toilet paper stuck to his boot.

Ray shakes his head at the sight, “You’re kidding me…”

“Wait, you saw that? I thought I got rid of… damn it.”

Reyn groans as he peels it off to our disgust and places it in a nearby trash bin.

“Thanks for your cooperation Reyn… let’s just try to forget that and move on.” 

Ray pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he approaches Teruhashi’s room in the infirmary.

“Wait for me.” I told him.

No wonder he didn’t want to talk about the food eating contest they had…

“Reyn’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Toilet Paper” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Hold on a minute, you two. She’s still knocked out after the smoke got to her. Don’t try to wake her up for too long, alright?” Reyn warned us.

“We’ll keep that in mind. Won’t try to do anything that’ll make her condition worse.” I nodded in response.

When we opened the door she was out cold on the bed. She still looked quite beautiful, but that warm golden glow that seemed to radiate off of her has disappeared. Her face is blackened a bit, yet not burned, though I would assume all the damage is all internal.

“Teruhashi-san? It’s Ray and Hachiken. Can you hear us?” I greet her softly so that she wouldn’t be disturbed by the noise.

She coughs before I see her eyes beginning to open up slightly, “Hi…”.

Ray walks up to the right side of the bed, “We just wanted to see if you remembered things about the fire. It would really help out in the trial so… anything helps.”

She looked like she was having trouble even speaking a single word, I felt bad.

“T-Take your time.” I said quietly.

She finally manages to let out something, “We had… a lot of trouble carrying the gas containers… we got a cart but it was too heavy… we ended up dropping a lot of them… And right when we picked the cart back up, the blackout happened and I bumped into someone.”

“It was just the three of you there, right? You, Sakaki, and Sora?” Ray brings up another question.

She slowly nods, “I smelt something burning and I saw a big wall of fire blocking the door…. And that’s all I can remember.”

So when the blackout happened, the three of them fumbled about and that’s when the fire started. With the lights out you couldn’t see who could have caused it either…

“I guess that’s all we need. Thank you Teruhashi, we’ll win the trial for your sake and everyone else’s.” I thanked her as Ray and I got up from our chairs.

“Wait…” She suddenly stopped us.

“What?” We both asked.

Insert Song: Because I’m a Perfect Girl (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

“Am I… still perfect?” Her golden glow briefly returned as she asked that.

“Oh wow… I mean y-yeah of course!” I reassured her.

“Oh brother…” Ray sighed as we closed the door.

*Ding dong bing bong*

“Uh oh, it looks like we are out of time! It’s time for the first class trial at Kuma-versity, and don’t think you could skip it, even if I don’t show up after fifteen minutes! Head over to the fountain in the plaza NOW students!”

Crap, do we really have enough evidence to handle everything? This is our first trial so it’s already difficult without knowing how everything works. If it all goes sour… it could also be our last trial too. And I don’t mean that in a positive way.

“Hachiken, we need to focus. Don’t let your mind wander too much, or you’ll end up forgetting the information we just got.” Ray scolded me.

“Yeah, I know… I’ll try not to hold you guys back.” I replied.

I messaged Sayori and she told me that they finished unplugging the generator. By the time Ray and I reached the fountain in the plaza, everyone who could be here was here. That excludes both Sakaki and Sora since neither are confirmed as alive and Teruhashi who is still recovering in the infirmary.

“Are you… ready for this, Hachiken?” Sayori asked me, fidgeting back and forth.

I answered as honestly as possible, “Nope, not at all. My heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest.”

“Y-Yeah, me too… I hate that we have to do this, even if we have to…”

I nodded my head to agree with her as I looked at everyone else to see how they felt about it. 

Tails and Konata were visibly sweating and their fists were clenched tightly, definitely nervous like we are.

Bede was just as serious as usual, and he was eyeing everyone in the crowd as if we’re all hostile, Ray stared right back at him with suspicion of his own.

Saki and Pietro were impatient, the former gritting her teeth and crossing her arms and the latter was tapping his foot and waiting for things to get started.

Dimitri had a conflicted look on his face, clearly mad but trying to keep himself calm.

Kale was completely silent, looking around at us in clear distress.

Reyn, Finn, and Kazuma were looking at the evidence collected on their e-Handbooks, trying to figure out how everything fits together and from the look of things, failing.

Minori and Tsuyu looked the most calm out of all of us, but even they looked like they had some doubts in their heads.

“What the hell?!” Kazuma shouted in surprise as a tremor shook the plaza.

“Stay strong everyone…” Dimitri stood his ground despite said ground shaking like crazy.

The stone walkway beneath the fountain began to shift and to our surprise an elevator rose up from underground!

“Just who could have created this kind of machinery…?” Tails questioned.

Bede just stepped on first and sighed as he waited for everyone else to join him. He really doesn’t want to be here right now, feeling’s mutual pal.

The fifteen of us managed to fit inside of it, where we descended towards the bottom of the entire campus. For a moment I thought it was a trick and we’re all just being sent on a field trip to the lowest circle of hell, since at this point I expected to go through in a school like this.

* Ding*

When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, I took one look at the “courtroom” and thought to myself…

“Man, I thought hell would look a lot nicer than this.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Early Graduation or Early Grave? Part 8 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Students: 17(?)

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose(Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Sora Takenouchi (Digimon Adventure Original): Ultimate Love
17. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???
18. Sakaki (Azumanga Daioh): Ultimate Animal Lover

< Hachiken’s POV >

TRIAL

ALL RISE!

“Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out "whodunnit" then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one... Then I'll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!”

Monokuma is addressing us all from the very back of the room on a throne. 

The “courtroom” is definitely not what one would imagine when they think of one. Checkerboard carpet, the aforementioned throne, stained glass windows featuring Monokuma in teachers’ outfits, and at its center eighteen podiums for each of us. In the spots where Teruhashi, Sora and Sakaki would be, there’s screens with pictures of them with big question marks over the latter two’s faces.

Bede turned to Monokuma from his podium, “Before we start looking into the murder, I would like to ask a few questions. Number one, is it true that the murder was commited by one of us? There’s the possibility that you or that Sird woman could have killed the victim.”

“Puhuhuhu~, of course! We would never harm any of you unless you decide to… poke the bear!” Monokuma guffawed.

Kazuma rolled his eyes, “Well that was lame. Also that does not sound anywhere close to trustworthy.”

“It’s all true though! I saw the whole thing happen myself on the cameras, so I know who it is… and it sure as hell wasn’t me!” Monokuma told the thief.

“I assume it’s pointless to ask you who the killer is too, since you want this trial to happen for some reason. I’ll just move on to my second question, where is Sird?” Bede asked.

That’s an honestly good question. We know she’s behind all of this, but she’s just letting Monokuma sit here and do all the work for her.

“Oh? Are you enamored by her looks, Mr. Bede? I knew you were hanging out with an older lady, but I didn’t think you’d be into them…” Monokuma teases him.

Bede was far from amused, “Arceus no… I am just wondering what the point is to hide from us after revealing herself at the start of the game? Wouldn’t she want to overlook her captives and make sure everything is going to plan?”

“Well… we’re in a trial aren’t we? And a murder happened too! No one has broken the rules yet either, so YES! EVERYTHING ACTUALLY IS GOING TO PLAN! I am dedicated to keeping this game under control by myself, so she doesn’t have to get her hands dirty. She will only step in to en-FORCE the rules of the killing game, through FORCE. Ya dig?”

 Monokuma’s answer makes some sense. Though I’d hate to find out what she’d do if she was here, though this isn’t much better.

Bede nods his head as he takes in the new information,“Only have one more question, Monokuma…”

“ANOTHER ONE?! I’m starting to get bored, and when I get VERY bored I might just give you less time to find the blackened!” Monokuma warns him.

“L-Less time?!” Tails’s eyes go wide at that statement.

Konata leans over to the left of Bede’s podium, “Uh… can you make this one quick? I’d rather not have our lives be on a time limit, those things suck.”

“Of course I will, I’m not stupid. Now then, what is the point of these digital portraits?”

Bede points to the pictures of Sakaki, Teruhashi, and Sora on their podiums.

“Oh! Those are there to represent them in case they aren’t able to attend due to… unfortunate circumstances. I’m excusing Teruhashi’s absence for now, but she’ll be punished if she doesn’t attend the next trial! So yup, just for representation!” Monokuma leaned back on his throne.

Huh… that’s very odd. I looked at Sakaki and Sora’s pictures and squinted at them, trying to think of how the burned victim looked, but alas I still couldn’t figure it out. Even when comparing it to the picture of the corpse (which I unfortunately had to take, ech), it is still impossible to tell right now.

“Very well. Let us begin discussing the murder.” Bede stated, not entirely satisfied with the answers, yet deciding that was enough.

“Finally! I thought you were gonna keep blabbing on ‘til we all got done in!” Reyn groaned.

“I thought you all would be more appreciative that you got more information, but I should have expected that you’d be ungrateful.” Bede scoffed.

“You’re really pissing me off, Curly…” Saki cracked her knuckles.

Thankfully Dimitri interrupted before a fight could happen.

“Can we all just move forward now, please? Ahem, our first order of business is to figure out the order of events. Once that is all set and done, we will commence the matter of locating the suspects in this case.”

Pietro questioned this, “Would it not be easier to find the killer, then see how they did it?”

Tsuyu responded to his statement, “If we skip right ahead to the who, instead of the why, then it would be way more difficult to determine who it is ribbit. It’s like waiting until a big reveal in a movie, you have to build it up and then you’ll start to see who it could be.”

“Yeah, was gonna say something similar to that, but you nailed it so… good job.” Finn complimented her.

“Indeed, thank you Ms. Asui.” Dimitri smiled.

“Please call me Tsuyu, Your Highness.” She told him.

She’s really insistent on that name preference.

Dimitri bowed his head for mistake, “My apologies. So I assume we all know how the victim died, correct?”

Truth Bullet Selected: Monokuma File #1

An easy answer.

“They, ugh, died to shock after suffering sixth degree burns in Gym 001 in the Recreation Center. At 11:00 pm.” I said to my fellow classmates.

“Obviously.” Bede shook his head at my answer.

I didn’t ask for his opinion…

Minori looked through the Monokuma File in her Handbook, “The victim at the moment is currently unknown, so along with finding out the killer we must also determine their identity.”

“Aw man, my head’s gonna explode if I have to figure all of that out!” Reyn complained.

“Then just leave the thinking to the professionals, Big Guy.” Ray snarked to the redhead’s dismay, “Anyways, in order for us to correctly figure out the correct order of events, we might need to know the alibis of everyone here. It will also help us with determining suspects later on…”

“A brilliant suggestion on your part, Ray. Recalling the groups we had formed during the building of the generator, I was gathering parts alongside Finn, Hachiken, and Sora. The last of whom went off on her own to assist the group of Sayori, Sakaki, and Teruhashi with the search for a fuel source.” Dimitri turned to me to confirm his story.

I nodded my head, “That was the case, yes. The rest of the groups included those in the student store: Saki, Tsuyu, Kazuma, and Konata, the other scrap collectors: Reyn & Pietro, the three working on building the generator: Minori, Ray, and Tails, and finally the two that we have no intel on: Bede and Kale.”

“Hmph. Does that make us prime suspects in your eyes?” Bede asks.

“...” Kale stays silent as she just stares down at her shoes.

“As much as I would love to mark you down as one, just to see how you react, no. Until more evidence is given, we shouldn’t assume you two are involved just because of your absence.” Ray snickers, to Bede’s chagrin.

Kazuma then spoke up, “Yeah, could you imagine accusing someone of a crime just because of only one miniscule thing? That would be ridiculous…”

Sayori is the next to say something, “I’m not sure about accusing someone in general… when we vote for them we’re just choosing them to die…”

“It is what it is though, nothing else we can do, since our lives are on the line too ribbit. Now Bede, Kale, where were you?”

Kale gave a meek reply, “I was… in my room sleeping until I saw the Body Discovery Announcement. I haven’t left my room since dinner.”

“I was busy looking for… important items taken from me.” Bede sighed as he revealed his reasoning.

“And we’re supposed to believe all that?” Saki looked at Bede with suspicion.

I agreed, “If that’s all you’re gonna tell us, we can’t rule you out as suspects right now. The evidence will decide whether you’re innocent or guilty as we go on.”

“If you say so. I’m not the killer, but the rest of you can assume all you want.” Bede shook his head.

I may not believe him, but I’m not sure he’s the murderer either. I guess we’ll see, but now we should really get into who was actually around the location of the murder.

Non-Stop Debate

“What about those of you in the student store, did anyone leave for a while?” Dimitri asked.

Konata raised her hand to answer, “Nope, was mainly sitting back and talking to these two about games.” She pointed to Saki and Kazuma who nodded.

“Ribbit… I was the one mainly doing the work…” Tsuyu sighed.

Sayori was the next to ask a question, “Tails, were all three of you at the generator the whole time? Ah, sorry if I’m accusing you of something.”

“I-It’s okay! We took some breaks in between, but yeah we were together the entire time !” Tails reassured her.

“So… was there no one near the rec center during the murder?” Kazuma had his hands up in a shurgging motion.

“ That was not the case. ” I thought as I heard that last statement.

“ No, that’s wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Pietro’s Account

“There were certainly people INSIDE the recreation center, right Pietro?” I turned to him.

He nods as he explains, “Yes I did. I had to stop by while a certain someone had to go in for ‘business’, and saw four others go in afterwards. It was the group of girls looking for generator fuel.”

Finn puts his thumb and forefinger to his chin as he ponders, “I see… and they certainly managed to find it, albeit leading to said fuel causing the fire.”

“Hm… if you indeed saw those four girls enter, why was she outside with the rest of you when I got there?” Bede referred to Sayori.

“H-Huh? I-I was…” Sayori stumbled on her words.

I better stop this before Bede gets the idea to accuse her.

Truth Bullet Selected: Sayori’s Account

“She was around at the time the generator was about to be turned on. She was told to carry back one propane tank back so that it would be able to work until they could deliver the rest. Sayori was with us the whole time afterwards, we even saw her struggling to carry said tank back with her.” I explained to him.

Pietro joined in to say a few more words, “I saw her leaving while carrying the tank as well, someone like her is not strong enough to cause a big fire like that.”

Bede stays silent for a while before accepting it, “You’re right. Someone like her couldn’t have pulled this off…”

Sayori crossed her arms and pouted at him before mouthing the words, “Thank you”, at me. I gave her a smile and a quick thumbs up before the subject was changed quickly.

“No, not someone like her. Someone like him!”

Pietro once again accused Reyn, this time in front of all of us.

“W-What?! You think I killed ‘em?!” Reyn’s eyes go wide at the accusation.

“Nyohohoho! Finally some exciting trial escalation!” Monokuma cheered.

I hate how he’s treating this trial like it was a sports match.

Kazuma shrugged at this, “Wellll… saying you have ‘business’ in there kinda paints a big fat target on you back, dude.”

“Reyn, if you could explain your whereabouts inside the recreation center, we’ll be able to dismiss Pietro’s claim much easier. We’re only doing this for your own good, so please…” Dimitri calmly tells the redhead.

“Ah, well… it’s too embarrassing for me to say right now…” Reyn hid his face as he struggled to explain.

Sayori tilts her head in confusion, “Embarrassing? What could be embarrassing about—”

“This is going too slow!”

ARGUE

“You either tell us where you were, or I hit my vote button now! We do not have enough time for this!” Pietro raises his voice at Reyn.

Sheesh, no need to rush things! Although I shouldn’t be surprised that someone who moves so fast wouldn’t want a trial like this to take its time.

I guess I’ll have to step in for him.

Rebuttal Showdown

“He was in the Recreation Center for about half an hour, plenty of time to set fire to the gym!” Pietro assumed.

“Didn’t you see his face earlier? Something was clearly wrong.” I brought up how pained he looked after the food eating contest.

“Ha! He was just feeling guilty about having to commit his crime, Reyn is the one who killed the victim!

What did we say earlier about assuming someone did it only because of one factor? Ugh, sorry Reyn, but you have to be honest, even if it’s unbearable.

“Your claim has been cut down!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Blade Used: Reyn’s Account

“.... Reyn had a stomach ache and he got stuck in the Recreation Center restroom for a while, he had only finished washing his hands before the fire started.” I bluntly reveal it to everyone.

“Yup… that’s what happened.” Ray groaned.

“Bullshit, do you have any proof?” Pietro stated.

“This was stuck on his shoe if you looked closely earlier, is this enough?” Ray showed the picture of the piece of toilet paper to everyone’s disgust.

Truth Bullet Selected: Toilet Paper

“Ew.” Konata said before giggling to herself.

Bede rolled his eyes at this, “What… a waste of time.”

Sayori tried to hold in her own giggles, “R-Reyn, were you really in there for that long?”

“Remember the food eating contest and that’ll explain everything, now quit it.” Reyn continues to hide his face in his hands.

“Ohhhh, I get it now. I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t win then, never thought I’d see the day. Say sorry to him now, you Speedy Bastard!” Saki said with a smug grin on her face.

Pietro, still baffled that he was wrong, bowed his head in failure.

“Sorry Big Man, I was too quick to accuse you.”

Reyn scratches the back of his head, “Just don’t do that again and I’ll call us even, pal. Can we please not talk about this more?”

Everyone agreed and we focused on the next topic.

“Now that that’s settled, let us figure out how the fire started in the first place. Time for another debate!” Dimitri took out his e-Handbook and started scouring through the evidence.

Non-Stop Debate

(Insert Song: Danganronpa - Discussion -HEAT UP-)

“Was it a damaged circuit ?” Konata asked.

“There weren't any electrical appliances in the gym that looked unsafe, plus the blackout would have shut it off anyways.” Tails shoots that idea down.

“Maybe an oil spill? ” Finn suggested.

“Hm… does anyone smoke here?” Saki questions.

“Only thing I like smoking is meat!” Reyn responds defensively.

Only one of those is correct, and it sure as hell isn’t smoked meat… although it does sound kinda good right now. 

“I agree with that!”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Empty Fuel Canisters

I bring up the image as I make my statement, “You were correct, Finn, there were some fuel canisters that were left completely empty by the entrance doors to the gym.”

Finn hits the palm of his hand with his fist, “Alright, that explains where the fire came from, but how were they spilled and lit?”

Ray answered that one, “Smple, it was ignited by one of the lighters we were carrying around with us to light the candles Monokuma gave us.”

Truth Bullet Selected: Lighter

“And as for the spill—”

“Oh! I can answer this one, Hachiken!” Sayori interrupted me, “There was this utility cart that was tipped over, and the wheels weren’t exactly stable on it.”

Truth Bullet Selected: Utility Cart

“R-Right…” I let out.

I mean I shouldn’t feel too bad, everyone should have a chance to speak, but still that was a little rude.

“You mentioned earlier that they needed something to help transport the propane tanks, right? If you put that many tanks on a cart of that size, which also has bad wheels… then that’s going to end very badly.” Tails frowned.

Saki’s eyebrows furrowed, “Ugh… this could have been avoided if they asked me, Dimitri, or Reyn for help. We could’ve been able to carry at least two tanks back each.”

“Indeed, and I would have been happy to lend my assistance… But continuing on, you said that you found the lighter inside the gym?” Dimitri asked.

I addressed his question, “Yes we did, you figure something out, Dimitri?”

“Perhaps, although I could be wrong on this. Would you all care to listen to what I have to offer in this trial?” Dimitri says as he awaits our approval.

“I feel like at this point, I could care less as long as we don’t die in the end. Go ahead.” Kazuma told him.

Bede grunted, “As long as it's useful to the trial.”

“Ribbit, feel free, Dimitri.” Tsuyu nodded.

“...” Haven’t heard a thing out of Kale since she revealed her alibi, and from the looks of things that won’t change. 

Dimitri cleared his throat, “Thank you all. This may be a bit… unnerving to think about, but I’m currently assuming that the perpetrator was inside the gym at the time of the fire.”

A few gasps were let out when he said that, mine included. I saw Bede raise his eyebrows in response as he pondered this and Sayori holding her head while trying to process it.

“E-EHHHHH?! Man, that’s both my actual reaction to and how a character in a visual novel would react to a twist!” Konata pointed out.

I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“A visu-what?” A confused Reyn says.

Tails slightly raised her hand to ask something, “How are you so sure? Pietro would have spotted someone else entering the gym, and there’s no other entrances besides the front.”

“I did manage to find another point of entry on the backside of the center. Though it isn’t one a person could easily go through.” Dimitri explained.

Hold on, is he talking about…

Truth Bullet Selected: Open Window

“You’re talking about that open window that leads to the closet in the back of the gym, right?” I spoke up.

Dimitri nods, “Correct. So here is my theory…”

Non-Stop Debate

“My theory is that someone must have used it to enter the gym , right before startling the three girls. Then using the lighter they were carrying, they ignited the spilled fuel before retreating out that same window.” Dimitri elaborates.

“ That does sound about right… ” Sayori listens intently.

“Does it really? Something seems off…” Tails doubts the story.

Finn replies to him, “Well, sometimes it’s not as complicated as it seems at first.”

“Ah, the ‘most simple answer is usually the most correct’ theory…” Minori brings up.

As I think about it more, I do agree with Tails, this whole thing seems fishy. Ugh, I feel like the only way to move this forward is if we had information about the fire itself… Wait a minute, I’ve got something!

“No, that’s wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Teruhashi’s Account

“Um, Your Highness. I’d like to present a counter argument if you don’t mind.” I politely bowed my head as I asked.

“Feel free, Hachiken. If you’ve figured something out, then please share it. There is no need for formalities, however.” Dimitri allows me to speak.

“Ok, so according to Teruhashi, there really was no one else in there besides her, Sora, and Sakaki.”

Ray recognized what I was saying, “Right, the information she gave us back when we visited her in the infirmary.”

“She would have mentioned if she heard or seen someone else in there with them, but there were also two things that prevented anyone else from getting in. A wall of fire blocking the front door that she mentioned, and the fact that the window in the gym can only be opened from the inside .”

“I-Is this true?” Dimitri’s eyes widened.

“I figured it out after just recalling how the window was opened, but your idea about it being used for escape was correct at least. Just not in the way you thought.”

“In addition, there’s also the fact that they would have been trapped in the building as well. A murder plan using a building fire, while being that close to it I might add, without an exit strategy would just go up in flames.” Minori stated.

Pietro noticed her slight pun, “Was that on purpose?”.

“N-No, of course not…” She cleared her throat as she realized what she just said.

“Maybe the killer is a dumbass who didn’t think about all that stuff, y’know?” Saki suggested.

No, I don’t think so. This whole thing just seems like it’s an… wait hold on, it could possibly mean… Ok, stop hesitating, Yūgo! This could be big! Say it, even if you’re wrong!

“Or… it was all just an accident.” I suddenly let out.

Kazuma blinked twice after hearing that, “I’m sorry, come again?”.

“Accident, then do you mean that…?” Sayori turned towards me with concern.

“T-That’s impossible, Hachiken, are you saying that the person responsible for this entire case was one of the three girls in the gym?” Dimitri was in disbelief.

“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s plausible. And I can prove it!” I told them all.

Monokuma then sat up and leaned in from his chair, “Oooooo, then show them! Show them all!”

Ugh, I’m not doing this for your enjoyment, bear, I’m doing this because I’m almost sure that it’s right. Key word almost, but it’s starting to add up. The lack of planning on the escape route, the details we got from Teruhashi, and also these pieces of evidence…

Non-Stop Debate

“If it was an accident, does this even qualify as a murder case?!” Tails asks aloud.

“In Monokuma’s case it still might be…” Bede sighed.

“ That’s true ! Murder is murder here, even if by accident!” Monokuma chimed in.

Reyn was unconvinced, “How are you so sure about this? There’s no way it was caused by an accident !”

“It’s not out of the question, Reyn, ribbit.” Tsuyu told him.

“No, that’s wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Blackout

“Something did happen to cause an accident, it was the blackout!”

“HUH?!” Reyn let out loudly.

Konata held her hands to her ears, “Ow, I’m right next to you, y’know.”

Ack… It hurt my ears too, but I’m not surprised it would hurt more if one was standing right next to him.

“The sudden power shutdowns throughout the day have been chaotic, right? So a full on blackout in a space like the gym would have been just as or maybe even more troubling. Teruhashi also mentioned that she actually bumped into someone in the dark, so maybe a lighter was dropped during it!” I hypothesized.

“That does sound like that could be the case, Hachiken, but even so you can’t just assume that they would automatically pull out their li—”

I stop Bede by pulling out another thing we found at the crime scene.

Truth Bullet Selected: Candle Wax

“If they weren’t using a lighter, then there wouldn’t be melted candle wax on the ground. Plus there’s some signs that someone had slipped on it, proving her story true and making the accident angle more likely.”

I look around and see a few people visibly impressed by how I’ve managed to steer this trial in the right direction. It’s honestly embarrassing and it’s making my forehead sweat a bit more than it already has. I better refocus.

“Hmph, don’t interrupt me like that again. This is all starting to make sense, I’ll give you that, but we still have a couple more important factors that we haven’t covered yet.” Bede mentions.

“Ah, kid’s right. We still don’t know the identities of the killer and the victim.” Finn remembers.

“There’s also the matter of how the killer managed to escape through the open window, while the victim did not.” Tails points out.

“Precisely, so don’t get ahead of yourself until we figure everything out, brainiac.” Bede insults me.

“Tch…” I clench my fists tightly.

“Don’t act like you know everything either, Bede. Collaboration is key to survival, so shut up.” Ray glares at him.

“Yeah! You shouldn’t say things like that if you want to get through this, you meanie!” Sayori raises her voice at him.

“Meanie?” Bede grits his teeth.

I appreciate the support guys, but he’s still right. Now let’s see, what could have allowed the killer to escape, but not the victim…? Think it through…

B A S E B A L L S

“I’ve solved it!”

“What if… they were overwhelmed by a mess of baseballs?”

“I… beg your pardon?” Dimitri did not know what I meant, neither did most of the people here.

“Are you talking about the mess of baseballs we saw in the closet of the gym?” Minori asks and I nod yes.

“Uh, last time I checked there weren't any baseballs that I could see in that gym.” Kazuma claims, “Where could they have been?”

“The pitching machine, of course!” Sayori mimicked a pitching motion as she said it.

Truth Bullet Selected: Pitching Machine

Minori whipped out the image of it in her e-Handbook, “We tested the machine and it can shoot baseballs with both power and speed.”

Yeah, tested it out on me. I saw Ray chuckling to himself, and it made me annoyed, but I shouldn’t hold that big of a grudge.

“Wait, it couldn’t have been working during that time.” Konata points out.

“Why not?” Dimitri questions her.

“The blackout was going on, remember? The pitching machine couldn’t even be turned on.” She answered.

“Yeah… that makes sense. That doesn’t explain the amount of baseballs there though.” Reyn shrugged.

“Oh, welp, I don’t have any idea about that.”  Konata admitted.

Is that really the case though? I really doubt it. I scrolled through the evidence once more and I saw what had been listed for each of the events. The blackout at 10:48pm, the victim dying at 11pm, and the generator activating at… 10:56pm!

“This is it!”

Truth Bullet Selected: Generator Activation

“The pitching machine could still have been used, the blackout lasted for eight minutes until the generator activated and the victim was still alive at that time!”

Tails smiled upon hearing that, “Ah-hah! I knew memorizing the time would be helpful. Of course the power coming back on would allow for that machine to function again.”

“Wow! I stand corrected.” Konata grins, happy to have been proven wrong.

“How do you turn it on anyways?” Pietro pondered.

Ray decided to explain, “It’s through a button on the top of it. And funny enough, it was right beneath the open window. Perfect for someone to use to get a boost upward.”

Saki was starting to piece it together, “So… the murderer steps on the switch and it knocks back the victim? That just seems like bad luck.”

“Regardless, it’s a scenario that is beginning to seem more and more clear to us. Good work everyone, we’re so close to the end.” Dimitri addressed us.

It really is starting to wind down, we can’t fail now or it would have all been for nothing. It’s time to discuss who the killer and the victim are. For the sake of the victim, let’s finish strong!

Non-Stop Debate

“Sakaki, Sora, and Teruhashi, which one of them could it be?” Ray lists off the three in the gym.

“It… couldn’t have been Teruhashi, right? She’s in the infirmary and she’s… so pretty.” Reyn slowly begins thinking of her radiance.

“Stay focused, Big Guy.” Konata pinched him to get him back to reality.

“We have a ⅔ chance of getting the answer wrong for both of these…” Tsuyu puts a finger to her chin as she thinks.

“I mean, I could vote right now and still beat those odds.” Kazuma says quite boldly.

“Even if you do get it right, the rest of us could still get it wrong, dumbass!” Saki growled at him.

“There should be something to help us make this final push…” Dimitri’s eyebrows lower.

Finn doesn’t seem to think so, “Would there even be anything left in that fire, though? I doubt it .”

I mean I have something, but it’s so hard to tell…

“That’s wrong!”

COUNTER

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet Used: Piece of Cloth

Wait, that wasn’t me.

I look over and see Sayori, trembling on her side of the podium.

“S-Sayori? Is there something wrong?” I ask with concern.

“.... I know who it is.” She reveals.

S-S-She does?!?!

“What did you just say? How did you find out?” Dimitri questions her.

“She’s bluffing, there’s no way she’d find out out of the blue.” Bede doubts her.

Tails holds his hand out to defend her, “Now now, we should listen to what she has to say.” 

“Yeah, Sayori, go ahead if you know something. Especially if it’s something like this, feel free.” I reassured her.

“T-Thank you… remember that burnt pink piece of cloth we found near the window in the closet?”

“Pink?! Then it’s Bede!” Reyn points at him in accusal.

“Does it look like my jacket is scorched in any way?” He rolled his eyes as he shows it off and not a sign of anything is on it.

“No… It… looks like a part of a school uniform.” Sayori says more about it.

“Uh… pink school uniform? (gasps) It’s me? I was the one who did it! I should have kept a better eye on myself!” Konata tries to act shocked.

“Well, it’s not really skirt-like, so it can’t be you.” Sayori told her.

Konata lowers her head in disappointment, “Aww… oh wait, that would mean I would get executed. No ‘aww’ then.”

Wait, the only other person with some pink in their school uniform is…

“So it’s you!”

“.... Sakaki, is that who you’re thinking of, Sayori?”

She doesn’t answer verbally, only responding with tears trickling down her face as she nods.

So it is her…

Saki's anger started to fill up once more, “Tch… this shouldn’t have freaking happened….”

Finn’s head hung low, “So that body we found in the gym, that was…”

“Sora, yeah.” Ray stated as he grimaced.

“I’m not convinced. That one piece of cloth should not automatically point to a killer.” Pietro expressed his opinion.

“Agreed, that piece of scrap could just be trash left there by Monokuma as a red herring.” Bede doubted it as well.

“Say whaaaa? I could never do that…” Monokuma held his arms behind his back and kicked at the ground.

“You got anything else, or is that it?” Kazuma asked as his hand was nearing his vote button.

Oh no, we have to have all of us in agreement in order to make a vote. C’mon, Yūgo!

Non-Stop Debate

“Hold on, we can’t just vote now!” Sayori warns them.

Dimitri began to raise his voice at them, “Are you two insane, you could kill us all if you don’t vote correctly!”

“Then give us something, other than just relying on trash.” Pietro is tapping his foot impatiently.

Bede was really getting annoyed, “Just give it up, it’s not like there’s something on you that can just tell you the identity of the corpse.”

“Aw man, are we screwed? Do we have nothing left?” Reyn clutches his head with frustration.

That’s it!

“I agree with that!”

CONSENT

BREAK!!

Truth Bullet used: Broken e-Handbook

“Thank you, Bede, for reminding me that we have something that could actually tell us the name of the corpse… well keyword could. This right here!”

I show off the broken e-Handbook to everyone.

Ray was confused, “Uh… isn’t that the Handbook that just couldn’t turn on? I know what you’re getting at but…”

“Are you really trying to use this useless piece of junk? Our lives are on the line here.” Bede groaned.

“To be fair, this Handbook was the victim’s, as it was on them while we… uh, checked out the body.” I defended my choice.

“Guh… glad I wasn’t investigating…” Kazuma retched in disgust.

“Same here, pal.” Reyn’s teeth clenched at the thought of it.

“It did belong to the victim, but how does that tell us if this is Sora or Sakaki?” Sayori asked.

I was gonna ask Monokuma to repair it, but then something else just popped back into my mind. What timing too.

“Remember when we were all in the cafeteria for dinner? Well, I had a conversation with someone during that time. They told me they accidentally left something back in their dorm. Their e-Handbook .”

There were a couple of gasps at that last part of my statement.

“That person was…”

“Me, it was me.”

A voice then came out of nowhere. I looked behind me and saw Sakaki stepping into the trial room, making her way to her podium.

“Sakaki…” Konata uttered with sadness in her voice.

“My actions are unforgivable, despite what you all may think. It’s why I took so much time getting here, so I can prepare myself for my punishment…”

“Tch…” Bede turned away from her with disdain.

“Now if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to hear how you managed to put it all together. That way I can confirm your story much easier.”

She’s… just admitting to it. Her face is just filled with remorse and I can see her eyes watering a little. I… really wish that everything could have gone differently. No one here deserves to die, but…

I agreed to do it.

“Ok… I’ll sum it all up.”

(Insert Song: Danganronpa - Climax Return)

“This all started when Tails brought up the idea of building a generator to power the campus, after we got our first motive: a complete shutdown of all electrical services. In order for the generator to work however, it needed a fuel source to keep it running. Originally it was a group of three until Sora decided to go help them out. Pietro saw the group go into the recreation center as he was waiting for Reyn to finish his “business”. They discovered a whole bunch of propane tanks, but unfortunately they were all too much to carry by hand. They dispatched Sayori to deliver one tank to help the generator turn on, while the rest of them tried to find an easier way to transport the tanks. They happened to find a utility cart, but it was unfortunately not up to the task. It tipped over and caused a huge mess on the gym floor, and right as that happened the power went out on campus. The three girls left in the dark stumbled around, one of them ended up tripping on candle wax and causing the leaked propane to catch fire. Teruhashi ended up fainting to the fumes, while the two left scrambled to find an exit. Eventually they reached the closet in the back of the gym and saw a window they could escape from. As soon as one of the girls attempted to climb up, the generator activated and the power returned. Unfortunately, the switch for the pitching machine was hit and a wave of baseballs hit their companion backwards. A piece of the culprit’s uniform was burned off, but they managed to escape. Sora was left behind as the flames engulfed her… and you, Sakaki, had caused this incident to occur.”

COMPLETE!!

“Okay people, it’s time to cast your votes! Will you make the right choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one…” Monokuma cheered as we all voted.

The votes were all tallied up on the large screen above us, and they were all for Sakaki. She even voted for herself…

TRIAL END

ALL RISE!

“Not a single flaw with that summary. My carelessness had caused the fire in the gym to occur and the pitching machine to activate. There’s… nothing left for me to say except that I’m deeply sorry. To Sora, and to the rest of you.” Sakaki spoke softly, accepting her fate.

“No… it’s not your fault…” Sayori sniffed as she cried and hugged Sakaki.

“It isn’t her fault, yet it all happened anyway. This game is unforgiving to anyone, no matter what intentions you have. It’ll just throw you into a situation where you make mistakes that lead to your downfall.” Bede stated.

It’s true, but he shouldn’t have said it in that way.

Sora and Sakaki were both people who I didn’t ever see killing someone. Sora was almost like a mother or big sister to us and Sakaki was quite calm and cool, yet she seemed to hide a softer side. The fact that the motive had eventually led to an unfortunate incident like this…. Like Bede said, it’s unforgiving. This game, this campus… it’s all the handiwork of Monokuma, Sird, and whoever the hell else is behind it all. They are the most cruel, most disgusting people to have done this to us or maybe even anyone else. It enrages me to no end that I can’t do anything about it, except watch.

“D-Don’t go… please.” Konata hugged Sakaki as well from the side.

“I have no choice…” She told them before turning to me, “Thank you for being able to reveal the truth about everything. Once again, I’m sorry for putting you through this.”

I then began to get choked up too, “I… I… I’m sorry Sakaki….”

I really wish I got to spend more time with her, even if it would have made saying goodbye hurt a lot more…

“Enough with the waterworks people! Actually, never mind, keep crying! I’ll be able to bottle up those tears and sell them for profit!” Monokuma jokes, and nobody was laughing.

“It looks like time is up…” Sakaki told us as Konata and Sayori walked back to their podiums.

Monokuma’s laughter began to rise in volume, “Now then, I’ve prepared a VERY special punishment for Sakaki, the Ultimate Animal Lover!”

“Farewell, everyone… good luck.” That cool image she had originally presented was broken, just like the hearts of a few of us having to watch this.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!” Monokuma cried out as he hit his button with a gavel.

GAME OVER

SAKAKI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

A chain with a shackle on it shoots out and attaches to Sakaki’s neck, dragging her to a cage right before releasing it. Monokuma, dressed like a zookeeper, locks the cage door before she could escape and the other students are behind a guard rail looking on.

Execution: Goodbye Kitty

A large pen is dropped through an opening from the top of the cage and is lowered down to the ground. It slowly opens to reveal… a small gray cat. Sakaki walks over to the cat, squats down, and holds her right hand out to it. The cat then proceeded to bite it. Sakaki tried to shake it off, but it just wouldn’t let go.

Another cat, an orange one, quickly dashes over and bites Sakaki’s left hand. Both cats bit down hard and blood dripped down onto the cage floor. It was then that two more cats made their way out of the pen. Two big cats. A lion and a tiger.

Sakaki tried to run around to escape, but the pain from the two smaller cats biting her hands was slowing her down. Eventually she fell to her knees as she continued to bleed from her hands. The lion and the tiger cornered their meal, and the poor girl was then torn apart before her companions’ eyes. Blood even splashing out onto the guard rails, lightly covering the hands of those that are the closest to the action. The four cats return to their pen, after finishing their fast food. 

…

…

I looked at my hands and stared at the blood that had covered the tips of my fingers. I couldn’t stop trembling as I continued to stare at them. I… I did this to her.

“AGHHH!” Sayori cried out in anguish as she held her own bloody hands close to her chest.

“You monster… putting a young woman like her through suffering like that…” Dimitri seethed with rage.

You… freaking… BASTARRRRRRRD!!” Saki yelled at Monokuma as she punched the floor hard enough to break it.

“Hey now! You’re lucky this place gets changed up in between trials! That would have been instant punishment if we were back on school grounds!” Monokuma warns her.

“Silence you beast… Tell your master, that wicked woman… that she will pray for a mercy that will never come. When I get my hands on her, I will break her skull with my bare hands and she will regret ever having placed us in this twisted game!” Dimitri threatened.

I would be more concerned about his choice of words, if I wasn’t feeling numb from the execution we just witnessed.

Monokuma just laughed, “Puhuhu… BEAR hands? You really know how to make me laugh, Your Princeliness. Anyways, I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the night. Rewatching your faces of despair via replay on my cameras! Sweet nightmares!”

He disappeared as he usually does, and the rest of us went back to our dorms (now back to having electricity). Everyone’s faces were a mix of anger, fear, and utter depression. To put it in Monokuma’s terms, our expressions were filled with despair. We all returned to our rooms and I went over to the bathroom to wash my hands.

Despite the blood flowing down the drain, I could still see traces of it left behind. It seems like I won’t be rid of it right now. Perhaps… the blood on my hands will stain them forever.

Remaining Students: 16

To Be Continued… (When Fictional Guardians Ends)

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 1 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 16

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???

< Third-Person POV >

“Hel…o? Can anyone… ear… e? We….still…ive…”

“...ra…. I don’t….nk… they…n hear us…”

“AH!” Sayori jolted awake and found herself breathing heavily.

Insert Song: Dusk (Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!)

She looked around her dorm room, wondering what she heard a moment ago. Turning on her e-Handbook, the current time was 5am, no normal person could be awake at this hour. Well, if you consider most of the other students to be “normal” anyways.

Were those voices just some weird dream then?

Placing her bare feet on the soft carpet, she sat up from her bed and went towards the window to open up the curtains. The artificial sky was pitch black, the streetlamps on the path towards the plaza being the only thing illuminating the very early morning. Tears then began to well up in Sayori’s eyes as she reflected on what occurred the previous night, being thankful that the rooms were soundproofed so that no one could hear her sobbing.

“It’s… gonna happen again, isn’t it? I… can’t take it…”

Her voice was shaky, not ready to face everyone after the trial. Wiping her tears, she closed the curtains and walked to her bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Thinking about how she almost took her own life.

“If they didn’t manage to find me, they would have felt guilty and blamed themselves… I can’t do that to them again, but… what am I supposed to do now?”

She trembled as she asked herself that question, knowing that no one would be able to answer it.

< Hachiken’s POV >

Insert Song: Uneasy (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

“Blah…”

I didn’t want to wake up this morning, and I doubt everyone else would want to either. And who could blame us? 

Two people died last night in an accident. One had gotten trapped inside the burning gym, while the other had been sacrificed at our hand. The part that stings the most is that this could have been prevented if we had just been a bit faster. And yet we failed, now it feels like we’ve got blood on our hands.

Well, some of us literally do after the execution last night, so I’m just going to take a shower and hopefully it’ll finally wash those stains away.

…

…

…

Five minutes after I got in something scary just popped into my head.

“That was only the beginning, wasn’t it? Someone could wind up dead soon if we’re not careful. ” I thought as the water droplets pounded on my head.

It would be foolish to say it won’t ever happen again, but we just witnessed it happening before our eyes. Sure it wasn’t done on purpose, still though… ugh, I hate how I can’t just choose to believe it. I dry my hair with a towel as I grab my glasses and stare into the mirror.

“Ok, Yūgo, even if it keeps happening you have to promise yourself this.” 

I start to talk to my reflection, grateful that our rooms are soundproofed since I want to be sure that only I can hear this.

“You will find a way out of here without killing anyone, if you do nobody back home will look at you the same way. Your friends, your mom, Mikage… even you will be disgusted at yourself if you go down that path. Promise me and them that you won’t do it, even if you see an opportunity or when your own life is at stake. It would not be worth it, whether you win a trial or get executed.”

I finished that vow and I truly hope that I don’t betray it. Surely I didn’t even need to tell myself that, since I would obviously know the reasons against it. In this place however, it can’t hurt to be more careful. Even if you don’t intend to kill, something could cause you to do it anyway. Just makes me wish I was home all the more.

Stepping out of the bathroom fully clothed, I heard my e-Handbook’s ringtone go off and I saw a message from Monokuma. Great, as if I needed any more things to worry about...

“ Good morning students, we’ve opened up more of the campus for you to explore! Take in the sights of the new areas and see what resources you can utilize to make the killing game more interesting! Speaking of, there will be a meeting in the plaza at 6:00pm to discuss the next motive, I can’t wait to see your smiling faces again! Puhuhuhuhuhu!”

I swear I could hear his voice as I read through the whole thing. Damn it, can’t even get a single day to mourn over who we lost! 

I gritted my teeth in frustration before I made my way to the dorm’s living room.

“Ah, mornin’ Hachiken.” Reyn greeted me as he looked up from his bowl of cereal.

Surprisingly, everyone was here eating breakfast. Well, everyone except Konata, maybe she took Sakaki’s death hard? The two of them did spend some time together, hell I met them both at the same time.

Tails was on the couch explaining something to Sayori (who I was surprised was awake) and Saki, “So the device harnesses the power of Red Star Rings to overclock systems and could erase deadly viruses! It’s still just a prototype, but once I get back to my lab… oh! How’d you sleep last night, Hachiken?”

“Well… I honestly can’t believe I managed to sleep. I was out like a light though, exhaustion probably.” I answered as I plopped down on a chair.

“Mm…” Sayori grunted as she munched on a piece of toast with an egg on it.

I could see some bags under her eyes, guess I was right about me and almost everyone else not wanting to wake up this morning. Maybe I should go and have a talk with her later, to make sure she’s okay.

“Urgh! I couldn’t sleep a wink after all that crap! Just so pissed about all of it, we need to find some way to kick that Sird-bitch’s ass!” Saki growled with anger.

I objected to this, of course.

“H-Hey! You know that attacking her or Monokuma will likely not end well, just like the first time you tried it.”

“He’s right! With the way things are now, we can’t possibly face them in a fight! It would just get you hurt, or even worse…” Tails agreed and Sayori nodded along with his statement.

“Tch, I already died and even survived the thing that killed me the second time I tried it! I ain’t afraid to brawl with her one more time if it means we don’t see any more people dying!” Saki told us, not backing down, “C’mon, Reyn, back me up here! Reckless knuckleheads like us should stick together!”

Rubbing the back of his head, Reyn thought about his response, “You got me there, but I know that if we do this we could endanger the lives of everyone else. Sounds weird coming from me, but now’s not the time to be thinking with our fists.”

Saki didn’t react well to this, and the unfortunate victim was our coffee table.

SMASH!!

“SHEESH!” I stood back in a defensive position as we saw Saki storm out of the dorm.

We all collectively sigh as I went over to get myself some breakfast. Hopefully she’ll be able to calm down after a while, I’m pretty sure Monokuma’s cruel enough to charge us if more things end up broken. After swallowing the remaining pieces off my fried egg, all of our Handbooks go off at once: Another message, thankfully from Dimitri this time.

“ Good day to all of you. Let us all make our way to the new area posthaste in order to continue our investigations. Until we manage to find some way to escape our predicament, finding more information on the origins of Kumaversity is a must. Be sure to assist one another, especially during this time of mourning of our fallen comrades. I wish you all good luck, may we be successful in our discoveries! - Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

Man, I feel like I just read a letter to go on some big quest. It’s pretty motivating, so we better not keep him waiting then. Placing my plate into the dishwasher I wait outside for the others to join me. Sayori, Reyn, and Tails joined up with me, and right as we were about to leave…

“Gah! Sorry, I felt SUPER depressed after last night, so I thought I could make myself feel better by playing some games. I was going to play just one, until I found out I have a whole three shelves full of ones I haven’t even touched before, and I couldn’t just pick only one out of the bunch. That lead me to picking one JRPG up and a few other random ones, but hoo boy I shouldn’t have chose to play the RPG first because—”

I interrupted Konata by slightly raising one hand up before she could continue rambling.

“Let me guess, you pulled an all-nighter and that’s why you woke up late? Seriously, it’s not good to do that when we’re in the middle of a hostage situation.”

“I know, I know, Hachiken. But the demon known as temptation came to me in the form of an expansive world where you wield a laser sword that can help one see the future! So many hours exploring and slaying monsters in a way I’ve never done before, it was so awe-inspiring!” Konata’s eyes sparkled as she described whatever game she played.

“That sounds way too familiar and it’s weirding me out.” Reyn stated after hearing that.

Sayori on the other hand was curious, “Wow, can you show me later? I never played a game like that, so I wanna see what this one looks like!”

“Sure! I’ll even give ya a full summary of the first two chapters too so you can be caught up. So it starts with these two giants…”

I guess it was storytime on Konata’s agenda today, can’t say I’m too interested right now. I guess I am glad that she found some way to keep herself busy, can’t just wallow in our despair when you can just get a hobby instead as a coping mechanism. Wish that I can get one, though preferably not one that takes hours of sleep away from me. Can’t help but notice how Sayori was trying to be enthusiastic about it, I could tell she’s hiding how unhappy she truly was.

Of course, who could really blame her?

____________________________________________

Insert Song: A Gentle Breeze (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

“Ah, good to see you all have made it. Saki had arrived earlier, so I expected you all to arrive as well, although why weren’t you with her?”

Dimitri asked us as we made it to our 2nd “zone” as they were called. This was the R.A. Zone found on the map, and I still don’t understand what that name means. (Honestly I forgot myself since it’s been so long, same with the first area being called the Ex Zone. Forgive me if these zone names get even more confusing. - Renegade Braveheart)

“We kinda had a bit of a disagreement earlier and she went off on her own…” Tails answers as he fidgets awkwardly.

Dimitri sighed, “I see, it seems tension is on the rise after the deaths of our two companions... Perhaps she’ll be more relaxed later on, although whatever Monokuma has in store for us could worsen things. Regardless, you all should keep an eye on her for now, since you live in the same dorm after all.”

“Sure thing, Your Highness. So what’s the deal with this place? Just looks like more of the same buildings we had back there to me.” Reyn asked him.

Dimitri shook his head, “That’s only because you haven’t seen what is inside each one, Reyn. The external architecture may be similar, yet I guarantee you they aren’t the same internally. Go see for yourselves.”

Can’t turn down a prince, so the others split off to visit the surrounding buildings as he requested. I couldn’t help but notice something though: Dimitri had bags under his eyes, like Sayori, though he looked distracted by something else too. I’d hate to bother him about it, and yet I’m thinking that I should sometime. Even though he’s a reliable leader to us, we should back him up in some ways so that he won’t be overwhelmed.

Handling too much at a time can wear a guy out, I know that feeling…

First things first, Reyn and I entered what was called Sayaka Studio, a dance studio apparently. We saw the lights on in one of the rooms and immediately go in to see if someone was in there and lo and behold…

Insert Song: Because I'm a Perfect Girl (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

“Oh wow…” Both me and Reyn uttered at the same time.

Teruhashi was out and about, must have recovered from the incident and got cleared to leave, and was now moving gracefully. LIke a pure white swan, she glowed brightly as she glided across the floor like it was her pond. Her blue hair softly flowed with each of her movements, yet not getting in the way of her dazzling face that—

GAH! SNAP OUT OF IT!

I shook my head to refocus myself as she finally noticed us.

“Oh good morning Hachiken, same to you Reyn!”

Reyn cleared his throat as he looked away, “Y-Y-Yeah, a quite a swell day, isn’t it?”

“R-Right, you feeling better now, Teruhashi?” I asked her as I readjusted my glasses.

“Mm-hmm! For the most part anyways, I still have a bit of a cough. Though as you can see, I’m moving without any problems!” She twirls once again to demonstrate.

Agh, I can’t look away! How is she this charming? Is it some kind of supernatural ability? I mean I wouldn’t be surprised considering what crowd we’re in, but how does she do it?!

“Something wrong, Hachiken-kun?”

“Ack!”

She broke me out of my overthinking thankfully, should really not be doing that in the middle of a conversation. I should still get out of here though to not get distracted by her bewitching good looks.

“Sorry, I guess we’ll move on then. See you later!” I waved as I pushed open the two doors.

“O-Oh, okay. See you, Hachiken-kun, Reyn!” She waved back as she turned to look into the mirror.

“Sheesh, head over heels for her too, huh? Man, you act so serious, but you’re such a joker! Reyn laughed at my expense.

“Jeez, it’s not my fault she’s so pretty! Felt mesmerized and couldn’t help but stare… ugh! I’VE GOT A CUTE GIRLFRIEND. I’VE GOT A CUTE GIRLFRIEND. I’VE GOT A CUTE GIRLFRIEND. I’VE GOT A CUTE GIRLFRIEND.”

I repeated that to myself to hopefully drown any thoughts of Teruhashi out of my mind. Mikage would feel so hurt if I betrayed our relationship!

Reyn softly chuckled as he heard me, “Ha ha ha, don’t worry Hachiken, I have a girl back home too and I ended up looking at her like you did. Pretty weird how head-turning she is, right?”

At least someone else also finds it strange.

______________________________________________

Other than a dance studio there was a faculty office, it seemed like nothing significant except that it smelled of old coffee. 

In the corner of one desk, a bunch of crumpled up papers surrounding a trash bin, not a single one inside of it. I opened up one document to see a list of rejected killing game motives.

“ Despair Disease 2.0? (REJECTED, would not age well as of 2020 - MKA)”.

I’d hate to see what kind of sickness that would be. Although, how would they even create it?

“ Wrist bracelets that inject poison into a student's body if specific action is made. (REJECTED, been there, done that. Also it’s already hard to come up with these motives, it would be even harder to come up with these conditions! - MKA)”

Whew, dodged a bullet there. I would constantly be worried on any action I take and I would likely get myself or someone else killed quickly. Also, this is another one that has been used before. Were there other killing games like this one?

“Get rid of all students' clothing? (REJECTED,  for some people that would motivate them NOT to kill and we’re also airing this killing game. Would not be appropriate for the children watching. - MKA)”

… I tore up the paper and walked out of the office.

Reyn was waiting outside for me, “You find anything in there, Hachiken?”.

“Nothing important, let’s go.”

Quickly getting my mind away from that last rejected motive… it seems like these were recently made, so it looks like Monokuma or Sird had taken up a lot of their time on this next one. Now it’s got me dreading what they actually chose, and I’m thinking if it’s anything like the power going out…

“ … Someone will end up dying, whether intentional or not. ”

“Guh!”

“Agh!”

That last thought echoed through my head enough to distract me, which made me fail to notice a certain curly-haired grump walking right in front of me.

“Watch where you’re going, moron.” Bede said with spite.

I REALLY don’t want to deal with his attitude right now, so I better split.

“Okay okay, sorry. I’ll just get out of your way then.”

Bede rubbed his forehead, annoyed, “Hmph, good decision. Hey, you big buffoon, are you going to follow his example?”

Reyn was riled up immediately, “What?! You pompous little… I can punt your ass right now, you stupid muppet!”

“No no no, we’re not having this today. C’mon, Reyn. See you, Bede.” I told the big lug as I grabbed his ear and pulled him away.

Reyn winced in pain, “Ouch! C’mon, that’s not fair! I can’t let him get away with that!”

Before we could get very far though, Bede had one last thing to tell me.

 “By the way, while it pains me to admit this… your efforts to solve the truth during that trial were quite remarkable. Now that you have managed to gain some praise, do try not to screw up in the next one. Farewell.”

Huh, did… he just compliment me? That feels so off-putting after seeing him be such a jerk to almost everyone since we’ve met him. Maybe he’ll warm up to us with enough time, but that’s kind of wishful thinking. It’s ultimately his decision on whether or not to do so.

I assumed the rest of our exploring would take no time at all, thanks to Pietro scouting the place out with his speed, however that wasn’t the case. We had to be thorough in our investigation, so unfortunately we had little time to rest. The last places we visited were right next to each other: a music room, full of normal instruments and thankfully not any instruments of torture (unless somebody decides to be morbidly creative), and a theater used to host many different plays (hoping it won’t be the final curtain for anyone else yet). 

Reyn and I bid farewell when he felt hungry enough to head to the diner for lunch. Wasn’t too peckish just yet, so I decided to go take a walk instead. That’s when I spotted a certain two-tailed fox, looking all around right in front of the library.

“Uh, Tails? What are you…”

“Hachiken! Good timing, come with me to see the others, I just found something interesting.” He told me as he gestured towards the library with his thumb.

Insert Song: Intangible Tails (Sonic Frontiers)

I would normally be skeptical of being led somewhere, being in a killing game does that to you, but I couldn’t turn away from the fox boy. I mean, does he really look like someone who can kill a person? Well… he certainly does have that big brain of his, while I’m not listening to any of the thoughts coming from mine so… NO! Be cautious, but don’t be overly skeptical.

We go right up the stairs to enter a computer room and find Dimitri, Ray, Tsuyu and Sayori by one desktop computer.

“Is this everyone? If this is so important, Tails, why are we keeping the others in the dark about it?” Ray questioned him.

Tails hopped into the rolling chair in front of the computer and began typing away.

“I just think that less people would be better for now. We don’t want Monokuma overhearing what we’re doing, so… It’s best to stick to a few of us at a time…”

Tsuyu shook her head,  “This will just sow more seeds of distrust among all of us. Are you really willing to take that risk after we just had one trial, ribbit?”

“Hm… depending on what this new information is, having more people know it would likely lead to our own destruction as well. I vote to examine this discovery before discussing sharing it with our companions.” Dimitri gives his input as our leader.

I guess it does just depend on what we’re being shown here. No arguments needed on my end.

“Agreed, let’s see what we’re getting ourselves into.” I stated.

“Guess if we don’t shake the tree, we won’t know what falls out.” Ray shrugged.

Sayori swayed side to side as she thought hard about it, “I really don’t want to keep secrets from my friends, but… I vote yes too.”

Tsuyu sighed, “Looks like I’ve been outvoted, ribbit. Go ahead, Tails.”

“Okay! So after the trial, I couldn’t sleep at all. Went for a walk to clear my mind and think about what else I haven't tried to do to help escape. The library was full of plenty of books I could scour through to keep myself busy, but then I entered the computer room and saw… them.”

Tails brings up what appears to be a small chatroom, with yellow, pink, and purple text typed out all over the screen.

“The yellow text is me, if you’re wondering, but the other two… from what I can tell they are physically not on campus.”

Not on campus…? Does that mean they’re on the outside of the wall? If so… who are they?

Sayori was probably thinking the same questions as I was, “R-Really?! That’s great, we can ask them to come help us!”

Tails rubbed the back of his head, “Well… not really. Strangely enough, they don’t know where they themselves are, yet they’re somehow communicating with me through this computer. See?”

Tails: It’s me again, are you there?

A few seconds later the pink text answers.

ki: Jeez, not even a “good morning”? Stay classy, Prower.

“H-Huh? I just got here, what did I do?” He stuttered as he typed out that last question as a response.

Kind of a rude reply from whoever this is. Immediately afterwards the purple text chastises them.

Yu: Apologies, Tails. Do not be so rude to him, ki. He has not shown us any kind of disrespect since we have met, yet here you are showing some towards him.

This one on the other hand is much calmer, using a more polite way of typing out their thoughts.

ki: Wow, Yu. I’m just teasing him! This is a chatroom, not a classroom, so stop trying to be Ms. Mature here!

Yu: Excuse me?!

In no time, the two of them began bickering back and forth with their argument taking up most of the screen. Tails put a hand to his forehead as he saw the chatroom continue to scroll up with their messages.

“Sorry, guys. This is not how I wanted this to go but… this is Yu and ki, or Yu-ki collectively. Those aren’t their full names, but for some reason those were the only comprehensible letters I could make out so I told them to go by them.”

Yu: Really, it’s cute how you think that acting so abrasive will get you anywhere.

ki: How many times do I have to tell you, I AM NOT CUTE!

I looked at the others and they were just as confused as I was; a few raised eyebrows, sweat drops from our heads, and in Sayori’s case widened eyes. And all Tails could do was awkwardly laugh.

“Ha ha… So does anyone want to talk to them?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 2 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 16

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???

< Hachiken’s POV >

Insert Song: Cool Morning (Danganronpa V3)

“Yu-ki? Um… hello there, I’m Hachiken.”

I type down my introduction into the chat carefully, since the two of them finally managed to stop arguing.

Yu: Oh, it’s nice to meet you, Hachiken.

ki: What’s up?

Okay, so far so good. I’m not really one to try striking up conversations with complete strangers, much less via the internet and I’m unable to see their faces. This could take some getting used to…

“So… we know you’re not on campus, but where do you think you are right now?”

ki: No clue. All I’m seeing are some ones and zeroes, freaky.

Yu: Quite unsettling indeed. And the only sound I can hear is strange beeping all around me.

I think about what that could possibly mean before typing my last response.

“Hm… okay? Thanks for the answer, I’ll let you guys know if we have any more questions. See you later.”

Yu: Feel free to contact us another time! My apologies for that embarrassing scene of us arguing, we’ll try not to make that mistake again.

ki: No prob. Later, dude. I need to see if I can get any manga scans here…

The chat room then closed and the computer automatically shut down… Was that using a lot of power? I guess all that back and forth from earlier really cost us precious minutes.

Tsuyu’s eyes widened, “Huh, ribbit, it sounds like they’re trapped in some kind of digital domain. Or at least that’s what it sounds like.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too!” Tails exclaims.

“Digital… domain?” Dimitri asked with an eyebrow raised.

Right, a prince from a medieval-like world would not be able to figure out any of this advanced technology. Heck, I’m from the modern day and I still struggle to get a hold of how certain gadgets work, so I can somewhat understand his confusion.

“Oh, like they’re trapped inside the internet?” Sayori guesses.

Tails nods, “Exactly, although it could just be this one computer. Need to see if we can find some way to talk to them from another one, or even our e-Handbooks.”

“Okay, and how does that help us out exactly? I doubt these two could disable any technology keeping us in.” Ray makes an argument against this.

Tails puts his hand on his chin as he thinks of a way to answer that.

“Hm… If we somehow were to trace their exact signal, we could not only find out where they are… but why they were trapped and any other secrets this campus is holding! There has to be a reason they’re being kept here, and I think it’s one of the things that Sird and Monokuma don’t want us to know. For now, let’s call this meeting adjourned.”

Ray shrugged as he began to leave, “I guess what you say is possible, but don’t try to put all your eggs in one basket. There’s likely a lot more factors to consider beforehand, so while you’re focusing on this, I’ll be checking out the places we haven’t fully explored yet. Later.”

“Ribbit, good luck with this, Tails. If you’re really sure about this, I’ll trust you with figuring out these answers. You’re way smarter than all of us anyways, so it’s better we leave you to it for now.” Tsuyu walks out of the computer room right behind Ray.

“Agreed, I may not be knowledgeable about this subject, but you most certainly are. Let us know if any future developments occur, our communication devices will be active whenever we are needed. Farewell then, Tails!” Dimitri waved.

“Yeah you’ve got this, Tails!” Sayori cheers him on as me and her follow Dimitri out the door.

“Right, I won’t let you guys down!” Tails told us as he sat back down.

Man, now I’ve built up an appetite! Feel bad for turning down Reyn earlier, so I might as well grab a meal now before heading back to the dorms.

“You two want to head to the diner? Feeling pretty hungry…” I ask Sayori and Dimitri.

Sayori immediately answers, “Oooo! Yes, I saw that there was a special menu today and I want to try everything!”

Dimitri nods, “A special menu? That does sound promising, now I’ve got my hopes up. Lead the way then, Hachiken.”

Great, glad I’m not eating alone. It would have been awful being stuck by myself with only my thoughts like some kind of lonely loser. This could be a good opportunity to deepen my bond with both these two, instead of just one. And having Dimitri here will help me get away from believing I’m being unfaithful to Mikage by sharing a meal alone with Sayori.

Gonna have to apologize a thousand times to her when I get back, especially about the Teruhashi stuff.

Group Free Time Start

Insert Song: Daijoubu! (Doki Doki Literature Club!)

Black & White Bear Diner, I still find myself questioning who does the cooking in this place. Mostly because it’s legitimately good. Seriously, and I have eaten farm fresh meals at Yezo High daily, somehow it tastes just as fresh.

“Mmmm… this spaghetti is perfect! I just wanna keep slurping it without stopping!” Sayori smiles blissfully with marinara sauce covering her lips.

I thrust my fork onto the biggest meatball on my plate and shove it into my mouth.

“So gooooooooooood….” I let out as I chewed on it more.

The pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce had just the right consistency, and those meatballs were juicy with a great mix of beef and pork. I was so tempted to go for seconds, but I need to restrain myself here. Can’t go home having gained over twice my current body weight after all.

Sayori then noticed something off, “Yum… Huh? Dimitri, you’ve barely touched your food. Is something wrong?”

“Oh! My apologies, it is a delicious dish. A unique taste that I’ve never had before!” The prince then inserted pasta into his mouth quickly after she said that.

“Are you sure? You looked like you didn’t like it very much…” Sayori points out as he gulps.

I observed his plate of spaghetti to see if his was any different than ours, and there was one BIG difference that I opted to point out.

“Dimitri, I think it’s because you just piled on the parmesan cheese like it was snow on a mountaintop.”

Dimitri continued to eat like normal, “In my personal opinion that just improves its already impactful flavor and texture. It’s nothing to worry about, so let us carry on with our meal.”

Sayori and I continued to stare worryingly at the prince as he finished his plate of spaghetti. The two of us briefly looked at each other before eating what was left on ours. We placed our dishes on a dish rack leading to the kitchen and prepared to leave.

“Oh, you two stay right here, I’m gonna grab something to go!” Sayori told us as she rushed over to the bakery area.

“O-Okay!” I said to her as Dimitri and I stood there awkwardly.

“…”

“…”

… I feel like I should say something, but I don’t know if bringing up how he’s been behaving will make him uncomfortable. In addition to that, I still don’t know how to talk to royalty, even if he is fine with being casual!

“Hachiken? Is something the matter?” He asked, tapping me on the back.

I end up stuttering out a response, “No, nothing! Wait, I mean… Actually it is something… It’s just… are you feeling well? You’ve looked worn out since I first saw you this morning.”

Dimitri ponders for a bit before answering, “Hm… Honestly, I would be lying if I were to say I was. What I’m currently feeling at the moment however, it’s not something I would want you to bear in any way.”

“It’s about last night, isn’t it?” Sayori interrupted the conversation with her return.

 “Sorry, I managed to hear a bit of your conversation. Here, I got you guys some too!”

She approached us with some freshly-baked cinnamon buns. They smelled wonderful, and I was suddenly drooling despite me finishing lunch minutes earlier. 

I take mine and resist the urge to take a bite, “Thanks, Sayori. Maybe we should move somewhere else if we want to continue, right Dimitri?”

“Right. I know just the place, follow me.”

Insert Song: Calm Winds Over Gentle Waters (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Dimitri led us to the lobby, right in front of the fireplace with three lounge chairs. After sitting down, he spoke up first.

“Last night, that was your first time witnessing the deaths of several people, correct?”

Sayori and I both nodded slowly.

“I won’t go into much detail, but it wasn’t the same for me. In fact I’ve seen multiple people, both innocent and not, be slaughtered in front of my eyes. So much so that I’ve gotten used to it… and even killed countless foes myself.”

We gasped at his reveal, since I assume both of us expected someone so chivalrous to be merciful as well. Now that I think about it though, he had to have been using that strength of his for something.

“Of course, I refuse to even lay a finger on anyone here, don’t worry. Playing this game that woman had placed us in will only result in the loss of more innocent lives taken. All for the promise of escape, which I’m unsure she’ll even grant.”

Sayori looked downward at the floor, “Yeah, I don’t think she’d let anyone go either even if they win a trial. It would probably disappoint her if this game got cut short.”

Dimitri continues, “It likely would, which is unfortunate that it has to continue on eventually. With two students already laid to rest, things are bound to get more uneasy. I’ve been staying on guard most of today, losing sleep as well, which is why I looked fatigued earlier.”

“Makes sense. You’re right about things getting uneasy, we haven’t seen much of everyone walking around lately. That’s not a good sign…” I say in a somber tone.

“Agreed, but we cannot force them into pretending things are alright. All we can do is try our best to move forward, make sure we’ll be ready in case someone does get killed.” Dimitri looks us both in the eyes as he states this.

Sayori’s lips trembled in response, “But… ugh, sorry, I just don’t think I can move on.”

“Sayori…” I softly let out.

Those “rain clouds” in her head must be getting worse, and the longer this killing game goes on then… Before I could say anything else, Dimitri had one last thing to say.

“It’s not easy continuing to live when others have to fall, makes you feel like you should have been the one to die instead. However, giving in to death so readily will only lead to further despair.”

“So… what should I do?” Sayori asks him with tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

He crossed his arms before answering, “If you find yourself feeling immense sadness such as right now, don’t try to hide that. There is no need to force yourself to smile while you’re suffering on the inside. Feel whatever you have to, but continue to carry on and live your precious life.”

“...” Sayori had paused as she took the time to think about what he said.

That was one hell of a motivational statement, I certainly wouldn’t have done any better.

Dimitri then sat up from his seat, “Thank you for taking the time to dine with me, Hachiken, Sayori. It’s time I take my leave, and I’ll be sure to eat this pastry you’ve given me as well. Good day!”

“R-Right, see you.” I told him as he walked out the automatic sliding doors.

The way he admitted he has killed before, it made me worried for a minute there. Thankfully it all went away after hearing that, well almost. I swear a caught a glimpse of a serious look on his face as he was exiting. Hope that was just my imagination…

“I, uh, gotta go too! See ya later! Hope ya like the cinnamon bun, Hachiken!” She then began to run outside too.

“W-Wait, Sayori!” I called out to her, but I was too late.

Damn it, should I have followed her? Maybe make sure she’s alright? Hm… I don’t want to leave her alone, since she could get hurt. But… maybe I should trust her for a bit. I can’t go off and try to be her knight in shining armor, if I do that then she’d probably feel worse.

Yeah, I need to give her some space for now. Time to head back to the dorms and rest.

______________________________________________

… About half an hour left until that meeting with Monokuma.

I already took a nap, and there’s nothing else to do here. I guess I can go out and see what everyone’s been doing since I was out.

Free Time Start

Insert Song: Become Friends (Danganronpa V3)

Now then, where should I go? Wait a second, huh?

Right when I step outside I feel a couple of rain drops fall atop my head. That… shouldn’t be possible since we’re inside a big metal dome. Where is that coming from? Is there a hole in the ceiling and it’s raining outside? Or is there a busted pipe above us?

Whatever, maybe it’ll be fine later. 

I think I’ll head on over to that theater in the R.A. Zone, didn’t get that good a look at it earlier so I’ll make up for it now. I tossed away the cinnamon bun wrapper into a nearby trash can, which was unsurprisingly very delicious, before heading straight there. I enter the theater and—

“Oh wow…”

Teruhashi’s on stage in front of a microphone, and she’s singing. Her voice rings out all over the empty theater as I’m drawn closer towards the front row. The lyrics are nothing to write home about, it’s basically about her being so pretty and perfect, but her voice… UGH! I was admittedly in tears during the whole thing.

“BRAVO! BRAVO!” I clapped for Teruhashi as she smiled brightly in response.

“Oh, thank you, Hachiken-kun! That was just my warm-up, but you can stay and listen to me practice more!”

She’s so nice… I wish I could spend time admiring her all day, but I’ll settle for hearing her sing until we have to go to the meeting. After five more minutes she’s finished with her song once more and I’m applauding again.

“That really was amazing! Your voice is so heavenly…”

She giggles at my compliment, “Hee hee hee, thanks! I know it is.”

Eh? Was she acting a bit smug there? Hm… maybe that was just my imagination. You know, a lot of us here have been admiring Teruhashi for her looks, so maybe I should try to see if there’s more to her than that.

Insert Song: Beautiful Girl Smile (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

“So… Teruhashi—”

“So Hachiken-kun, where do you come from?”

“W-Wha?!”

I did not expect her to ask me anything first.

“We all come from different worlds right? What’s yours like?” She asked.

I guess I better not be rude and answer her.

“W-Well, I go to an agricultural high school where I learned how to take care of livestock and other farmwork…”

“Wow! That sounds like a lot of hard work…” She says with a sympathetic tone.

“It was, yeah, I had to get up pretty early for a lot of my schoolwork. It wasn’t all bad though, I ended up joining the equestrian club and met my super cute girlfriend Mikage and—”

“I’m sorry, repeat that please?” She stopped me before I could continue.

“Um… I have a super cute girlfriend?”

“Oh, good for you! Ha ha…”

What’s that reaction she’s giving me? Did I say something wrong?

“Just to be sure, she’s just cute right? Not beautiful, or stunning, perfect or absolutely drop-dead gorgeous?”

“W-Well, personally I think that she’s…”

“She’s what?”

I noticed that Teruhashi wasn’t glowing as brightly as she usually is, so I think I should change the subject.

“S-S-Speaking of, Teruhashi, do you have someone you’re crushing on back home?”

“.... HUH?!” Her cheeks suddenly turned red.

That certainly changed her mood! I think I managed to find a weak spot.

“O-O-Oh, a crush? You see, um… ah…”

I shouldn’t tease her any further about this, but it is amusing to see her usual demeanor change.

“Ha ha ha, sorry for asking. It seems we’ve both got people back home that we really want to see when we get back, huh?”

Teruhashi turned away from me with her face still red, “Mm… I-I guess.”

“Then let’s do our best to survive so we can see them again, alright?”

“O-Okay.” She turned back to me and lightly nodded in agreement.

Glad I learned a few things about Teruhashi: she gets a little serious if one compares another girl’s looks to hers, and she has someone she’s in love with in her world. Seems there’s indeed a lot more to her than her beautiful… well, everything.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Damn it, looks like our free time is up.

“Alllllllrighty then students! Make your way over to the plaza for the reveal of your next motive! Be there, or be square! And by be square, I mean your body will be folded into a square if you don’t come. Buh-bye!”

Is he referring to those metal cubes that trash compactors crush cars into? Knowing him he might have one of those there. Teruhashi goes on ahead.

“We better hurry then! Oh, and Hachiken, my apologies for asking all those questions about your girlfriend. I’m sure she’s just as cute as you say she is.”

“No worries, and yes, she is. Ha…” I tell her as we walk out of the theater and…

“Eh?” The two of us let out at what we were seeing.

It was drizzling. Small drops of rain fell all around us, not much of it, but still surprising to see. This should be impossible… welp, we have to get to the plaza in this weird artificial weather.

I take off my sweater and hold it above my head, “Teruhashi, get under!”

“R-Right.” 

The two of us move as quickly as possible, but not too fast so we’d avoid slipping. Thankfully we made it to the plaza safely, however I’m just now noticing that we’re gonna have to stay out here during the entire meeting.

“Tch, I need to keep on wiping my glasses to even see a thing…” I say as I unsuccessfully attempt to dry my lenses with my shirt.

Minori sighed as she was doing the same, “You too, huh? The life of a four eyes…”

“Agh, my fur is all wet!” Tails complained.

“I’m the Rainy Season Hero, so this doesn’t bother me too much. How about you, ribbit?” Tsuyu asked Saki.

Saki put her hands behind her head and leaned back, “I’ve got a friend back home who hates this kind of weather, ‘specially thunder, but I’m all good here.”

Kazuma shivered as he held his cape, or mantle over his head, “I’m not! Why can’t we just have this meeting in that conference room like last time?”

“Oh, it’s just to give you all a sneak preview of what’s to come! Puhuhuhuhu!”

Insert Song: Monokuma Arrives (Danganronpa - All Games)

Monokuma’s high pitched chortling made us all groan as he popped up from the fountain once more.

“Let’s cut right to the chase, the next motive is already in effect right now! The longer someone goes without killing someone, the worse this storm gets!”

“Dare I ask, how worse?” Bede shook out the water drenching his curly hair.

“Let’s say you’ll BEAR witness to heavy rain, intense thunderbolts and lightning (very very frightening!), powerful gusts of wind, all leading to an all encompassing hurricane that includes all of the above!”

…

…

… Yeah, screw that. I’m staying indoors.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 3 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 16

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???

< Hachiken’s POV >

Insert Song: Weekly Despair Magazine (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

The rain continued to fall hard as Monokuma continued to ramble about our motive.

“Of course you can all feel free to stay inside if you so please, but I suspect that some of you won’t be able to stay in one place for too long puhuhuhu…”

Minori’s glasses fog up as she’s about to speak, “That is likely, if we run out of certain necessities like food then we’d be forced to either live without them or step outside to get more…”

Pietro doesn’t look too worried about this, “Heh, this won’t be a problem for me. Just wear slip resistant shoes and I’ll be a delivery boy, as for payment…”

“What good are those shoes gonna do you when it starts flooding, huh?” Finn asks him as the speedster puts his hands in his pockets.

“Um, run on top of the water? It really is that simple.” Pietro answered.

“There’s also wind and lightning to account for, and when it eventually becomes a hurricane… would it really be worth the risk?” Finn asks him again, but Pietro shrugs it off.

Kazuma looks pretty unconcerned as well, looking smug to be honest.

“I think I’m good with staying indoors too, I can just stay in my room and whenever I need something I can just steal it. Like right now, I can take Sayori’s bow off her head with just a wave of my hand.”

Sayori held her bow with both of her hands as she heard that, “R-Really? Is it just like when you stole those air hockey paddles in the arcade?”

Why do I get the feeling like something bad’s about to—

Kazuma smirked, “Yup! Lemme demonstrate, STEAL!”

Insert Song: Puzzle (Konosuba)

The rest of us looked on with surprise as his right hand glowed brightly… Then we all see Sayori, her bow still atop her head… and she now has her hands holding down her skirt.

“Huh? Wait, is this…? Oh…” Kazuma opened his closed hand and revealed… oh my god.

“P-P-Please, give those back.” Sayori told him, her face a mix of shock, embarrassment, and mild anger.

Bede scoffed, “Disgusting moron…”

Saki cracked her knuckles loud enough for all of us to hear, “So you’re one of those types of bastards, eh?”

“Kazuma… such a disgraceful misuse of your abilities.” Dimitri told him with both disappointment and disdain.

Konata turned and walked away from him as she gave her own comment, “Yup, knew he’d be a pervert. I’ll be standing over here if you’ll excuse me.”

Kazuma suddenly got defensive, as he held onto that piece of clothing that I will NOT be naming.

“Wait, it’s not what it looks like, I swear! I wasn’t trying to get these this time—I mean, um, I was just trying to get her bow! This was far from intentional!”

Even Monokuma was shocked at what he was seeing just like the rest of us.

“Wow, just wow. I guess for one of you, it’s already starting to get a little breezy… I guess I’m gonna have to write Mr. Satou Kazuma up for sexual harassment.”

The bear says as he takes out a notebook and starts writing. That’s the least messed-up thing he’s done and I honestly kinda commend him for that, what the hell?

Kazmuma folded up Sayori’s… piece of clothing and handed it back to her with his head down.

“I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, I assure you that it will not happen again.”

Sayori swiped it back and looked away with her face still bright red. The other girls (aside from Kale) all formed a wall around her as she put them back on, while the rest of us guys were all glaring at Kazuma. 

“Don’t go using that “steal” for anything else now, okay Kazuma?” I scolded him.

Reyn placed his large hand on his shoulder, “Yeah, pull that crud on any of the other ladies and you’ll get my boot in your arse, got it Kazuma?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m Kazuma.” He stated with guilt on his face.

Ugh, I hope that we don’t get any more incidents in the future…

Ray turned his attention back to Monokuma, “Ahem, thankfully moving on from… that, who’s to say that our dorms and the other buildings will be able to survive a hurricane? How strong are they?”

“Strong enough, after all… if you all were to perish due to a motive such as this, rather than the killing game itself then it wouldn’t be too exciting. It already started off so well with that first trial, it would be oh so disappointing if it were to end so quickly…”

That voice…

Insert Song: Old Chateau, Sendoff Spring & Turnback Cave (Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl)

“It’s her…” Tsuyu said.

Saki growled at her as she passed through us, being the only one with an umbrella, “Argh, you…”

“Sird… just what have you been planning, you vile snake?” Dimitri confronted her as she stepped before us all.

“Not much as of late, to be quite honest. Monokuma was the one who came up with this motive, while I was out assisting a colleague of mine. Said he had changed his mind about a killing game participant he had, so I went to get him a couple new ones… I do question why he needed more if he had planned his game to only have 16…”

Saki interrupted her while she was in deep thought.

“Can it, lady. Who the hell cares about that buddy of yours? All I know is that he’ll be going down the same way as you, getting your ass put six feet underground!”

“Such colorful vernacular, I knew I could count on these personalities of yours to make this game so interesting. I chose now to reappear in order to observe you all closer, show who I have some expectations for in the near future…”

Sird brushed past her and went on to walk around us all. I can feel a chill running down my spine as she stops right behind me.

“The way you presented the evidence and put together how the incident occurred was indeed impressive, yet… you should not let that victory or a possible second one get to your head, these class trials are not the only ones that you may face…”

I gasped as she finished that last part of her statement. My chest is starting to throb and my mind is just going haywire.

Bede is approached face to face, scowling at that woman and struggling to keep his normal composure.

“Continuing to be at odds with your peers is a likely outcome for you at the moment. Be warned however, that your actions… whether they are deliberate or not, may determine your ultimate fate.”

“Tch…” Bede turned away, not wanting to listen any longer.

Dimitri was the next one up and I saw the amount of hatred he had in those eyes towards her.

“Your Highness…”

“Spit it out already. I do not wish to stand here in the cold rain, hearing your pointless words.” Dimitri tells her, his voice full of venom.

She was not phased by the threatening aura he had been exerting, “Oh my… touchy, aren’t we? A lot of rage is stored up inside you, dear prince, take care when it all gets released. My expectations for you are the highest, just to let you know…”

Dimitri just looked downward after she finished, “... Begone.”

Sird then looked at Sayori, spooking the poor girl (again, thanks Kazuma). She says nothing to her, but she smiles sinisterly. Somehow that’s just as concerning as what she’s said to us so far. 

She does the exact opposite to Tails, looking at him with coldness in her eyes… almost like… she’s threatened by him. His response was a quick gulp before staring back at her with a brave face.

Seriously, why is she doing this? Give us more paranoia about what we do, or what could happen? I was already full of anxiety about all this!

“The rest of you, continue to play the roles you have already been playing. They may lead to salvation or they may not, perhaps some of you may surprise me. Whatever it may be, I look forward to it, but for now let us be off Monokuma.”

“Sure thing, Vampire Lady! This rain is only the beginning folks! The wind is coming up next, then lightning, flooding, and ending with the BIG BANG HURRICANE! Don’t worry students, it’ll all be over once one of you decides enough is enough and kills someone! For now, I suggest you get some raincoats and umbrellas… and remember to keep your panties on, folks!”

“Eep!” I heard Sayori let out as Monokuma prepared to depart.

Sird went over to join him, “One last warning to you all, once this storm has ceased the next motive will be prepared immediately after. This one I had a hand in crafting, and I believe it will change many things by its conclusion. Goodbye, for now…”

She softly laughed as she and the bear disappeared out of thin air. Thankfully we all went back inside to dry off near the fireplace in the Student Center lobby. Plenty of us are still shivering, both because of the rain and the chilling words that Sird had spoken.

The things she said, it’s almost like she’s giving us vague hints of what could happen to us. She doesn’t look like someone who could see into the future to me, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if she was. 

Thinking more about what she said to me specifically, that’s the second time I’ve been “complimented” about my role in the class trial. I feel like that’s not something I should be too proud of, all things considered. Sure I’m helping save everyone’s lives, but I still regret having to accuse someone of killing another person. And the way she told me there were more trials ahead too… fear, is too small a word to describe what I’m feeling right now.

Before I could finish thinking, Finn suddenly stood up from his chair, “Hey, what is with you guys? Why are you letting her get into your heads? Just wake up!”

“H-Huh?” I lifted my head up, as did everyone else as well.

“If we just sit here and let whatever Sird says get to us, then there’s only gonna be more bodies added to the count. She’s expecting one of us to snap under pressure with this storm, well I say why don’t we disappoint her? Show her what we’re made of, that what she says is pointless! We may not be able to fight back right now physically, not losing hope is another way to do that!” 

Finn looks around at everyone as Dimitri stands up and shakes his hand.

Insert Song: Enzono (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

“Well said, Finn. Here I was, your appointed leader, not being able to motivate you all. I’m thankful that you managed to say something inspiring, while I had failed to do so. ”

“Ha, all that garbage she was spitting back there just made me more pissed. I guess if I can’t knock her lights out right now, not giving up and pissing her off could be satisfying…” Saki gripped her right fist and smiled.

“Ribbit, I’m glad I’m not the only one still refusing to give up. But what are we going to do about that storm? Surely we’ll run out of necessities eventually…” Tsuyu asked our group.

Pietro raised his hand up, “Running on water, remember what I told you?”

“Sending only one person out there to get supplies, powers or not, sounds like a terrible idea that could get them hurt or killed.” Bede tells him.

Ray thought of a solution, “Perhaps two or three at a time? If this hurricane is as powerful as described, then having one other person around could help speed things up… at least until things go awry.”

Pietro rolled his eyes at this, “You’re saying I need more speed? I can grab whatever we all need in a minute or less.”

“And who’s gonna be around to tell you what we need so you’re not grabbing everything on the shelves at once? You can’t do this alone.” Ray shot back.

“Well… how about we check on what we have at the dorms and make some lists? Figure out what we don’t have or might need in the future?” I suggest.

Tails pumped his fists, “Good thinking, Hachiken! Hm… and maybe I can upgrade the umbrellas we have in the school store so that they’re more durable against what’s coming!”

“Looks like it’s all coming together, let’s not waste any time then!” Finn smiles as we begin planning.

Dimitri takes his now familiar position in front of our group, “Indeed, we must all work together once more to combat this viscous weather phenomenon. Work with your dorm mates since you all will be together the most for what’s likely the duration of this storm. We’ll get through this, now go forth everyone!”

“YEAH!” Most of us raised our fists into the air as he finished rallying us.

Agh, that trip back to the dorm is gonna be rough. Might need a hot shower after being out in the cold rain for so long…

“E-Excuse me, Dimitri, can we have a quick talk?” I saw Kale approach the prince, all fidgety.

“Of course, Kale was it? I’m happy to assist with anything you’re worried about.” He answers politely.

“Thank you… It’ll only be a moment...”

The two of them walked off somewhere in the direction of the diner. I guess it is dinner time, feeling a bit famished myself honestly, but what could they be discussing?

“Oi, Hachiken. C’mere, I’ve got something to say to you guys.” Saki tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around.

She also stopped Sayori, Konata, Reyn, and Tails as well, so she’s probably gonna talk about that disagreement we had earlier today.

“What’s buggin’ ya?” Reyn asked her as she suddenly dropped her head down and got on her knees in a dogeza position.

“I’M SORRY FOR GETTING ANGRY AT YOU GUYS!! ALSO FOR BREAKING THE COFFEE TABLE!!” She shouted an apology as we all looked at her with surprise.

“Oh… so that’s why I saw that thing broken this morning!” Konata realizes, since she wasn’t present during this.

Saki stood back up with her head still lowered, “Y’see, I had a lot of time to think about what I said… Let my temper get the better of me and took it out on y’all, ha… I thought more about going after Sird than the consequences of doing that, and back there I couldn’t even throw a single punch at her.”

“Saki…” I uttered as she lifted her head up to face us.

“I gotta be better about this, or else I could get someone else hurt because of my recklessness. So… yeah, my bad for getting pissed at you guys.”

She smiled as she rubbed the back of her head before holding out her fist, waiting for us to bump it.

“Ha, we all lose our heads sometimes, eh? Can’t stay mad at you!” Reyn was the first to take up her offer, next came Konata.

“Thanks, Big Guy.” Saki grinned as the two of them did a quick arm hug.

“Apology accepted, don’t know the context, but it’s fun to see a big bad biker zombie be so apologetic.” Konata softly chuckled.

Sayori laughed a bit at that comment, “Ehehehe… yeah it is kinda funny, but sure I forgive you. We’re all still going through some stuff ourselves, so we can’t blame you for that!”

I nod my head as I give Saki a genuine smile, “Right, you were frustrated about the killing game and it just so happened to boil over. Just be more careful… and try not to break anything else in the dorm, okay?”

Saki patted me on the back pretty hard, ouch.

“Ha ha! Got it, Hachiken! I really did spook ya when I split that table in half, huh?”

“You could say that…” I laughed half-heartedly in response.

“I’ll fix that in a jiffy, so nothing more to worry about! Glad you’re feeling better, Saki. I know we haven’t been here for too long, but I couldn’t have picked better people to have as dorm mates!” Tails grins brightly.

“Aww that’s so sweet! Glad to be living with you all too!” Sayori beams joyfully.

“Right back atcha, ya two-tailed shrimp!” Saki then gave Tails a noogie as we all enjoyed a good laugh.

It’s good to have these bright spots in an otherwise dismal situation, makes me look back at all the fun I shared with my roommates back at school. They may drive me nuts, but it could be way, way worse.

Reyn stretched his massive arms in the air and yawned, “Alright then, now that that’s over with, let’s get some grub! I need to fill my gut with something hot after getting stuck in the cold…”

“You don’t have to tell me twice…” I say as I head towards the diner with everyone else.

They had a nice selection of soups and stews and they were even serving some special hot chocolate in the sweets section. It says it’s made fresh using rich milk chocolate and cocoa powder from Mt. Zetsubou. It’s very delicious, but I’m getting a bad feeling about that mountain place.

“Mmm… so sweet. Oh, maybe once the storm is over we could see a rainbow appear!’ Sayori tells us as she sips her cocoa.

Tails chuckled awkwardly, “I… don’t think that’s possible, even though that does sound nice! Whatever’s creating this weather probably won’t end up making a rainbow the same way it does on the outside.”

“Aww…” Sayori continues sipping her drink disappointed.

Reyn then grinned as he thought of something, “Don’t sweat about the details, Sayori. After all, you can’t have a rainbow without Reyn, baby!”

“....”

Sayori whispered into my ear, “.... Psst, Hachiken, should we say something?”

“No, let’s just pretend that didn’t happen. Keep eating.” I whispered back.

Less than half an hour later we finished our meals and luckily made it back to our dorm less wet than we were earlier. We took the time to count our supplies and put down what we needed for later.  We need about two more rolls of toilet paper for each room, extra bars of soap, toothpaste, water bottles, a few snacks, and…

“Konata, what the hell is this?” I ask her as I read over her list of things.

“An ethernet cord and a new manga I want to start getting into.” She answered like it was something reasonable for her to get.

I blinked twice before asking her again, “... Why?”

She raises a finger up to emphasize her point, “Well if I use the ethernet cord to connect my consoles to the router, I can handle any online game with no lagging! Most of the time anyways. The new manga is about an office woman who quits her job and ends up becoming an assassin and—”

I crumpled up the paper and tossed it in the recycling bin before walking over to my room to check on my own stuff.

“Oh you wound me, Hachiken! Don’t think I’ll forget your misdeeds towards me!” She called me out, and I closed my door on her.

Man, I'm glad these rooms are soundproof.

I do a quick runthrough of how many things I need, not much to be honest. I don’t really use up too much of what I’ve got, though I can’t be too sure that I won’t run out of anything. 

After finishing up my list I decide to call it a night. I assume it won’t be a sound rest due to the rain and possible thunder, but I can feel my eyes getting heavy and we’ve got more stuff to do tomorrow. Oh well…

________________________________________

MONOKUMA THEATER

Insert Song: Mr. Monokuma’s Lesson (Danganronpa)

“Ugliness can easily be seen as a curse, but I think beautiful people have it rough, maybe even more!”

“They have to dedicate themselves to looking their best every day or those that adore them would get bored and leave!”

“Can you imagine how much pressure someone with that much beauty has to go through every day?”

“I don’t have to, because bears are already beautiful creatures! The astonishing girth, the round and furry ears, the way we tell people to stop causing forest fires…”

“Regardless, all we need is just that certain someone who thinks highly of you no matter what you look like!”

“Although it is easier to trust someone who likes you when you’re ugly though. Like an invisible man once said, beautiful people never know who to trust…”

________________________________________

I heard the raindrops falling down hard on my windowpane, just the same as it was yesterday. Will only get worse from here, so I might need to get used to it.

After changing into some warmer clothes, I grab the list I made and step out of my room. Konata, Saki, and Tails were there eating breakfast as I took my seat at the table.

“Morning.” I greeted everyone.

“Morning, dude.” Saki greeted me back.

“Good morning Hachik—AGH!”

BA-BOOM!

Lightning goes off and I find Tails clutching my right arm tightly.

“You okay?” I ask him as he slowly lets go.

He still looks a bit shaken up, “Y-Yeah, I’m good. Don’t worry about it.”

“Huh, just like in the OVA.” Konata makes a reference I’m unfamiliar with.

Saki put her arms behind her head as she looked out the window, “Scared of lightning, huh? Yeah, seen that before. I did mention a friend back home who’s the same way, right? I’ll be here if you need it, little buddy.”

The fox smiled gratefully, “Thanks, Saki… I think I’ll try to get by on my own for now. Can’t just let my phobia win without facing it head on!”

“That’s the spirit! We’ll take on this stinkin’ storm and win!” Saki grinned and pumped her fist into the air.

Yeah, let’s fight the weather. Sounds like a good idea.

After breakfast I decided to take our lists over to the student center and gather a few things that we need. It’s still not life-threatening to step outside just yet, unless I end up with a really bad cold, so it may be alright. My e-Handbook is telling me Ray’s over by the student store as well, might as well see what he’s up to.

Free Time

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 4 (Daily Life)

Remaining Students: 16

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Finn (Star Wars): Ultimate Rebel
10. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
11. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
12. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
13. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
14. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
15. Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
16. 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. My umbrella slips from my hands, preventing me from using that yellow button mode, which I would be happy to use this time.

“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! ”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: A Disastrous Storm Part 5 (Deadly Life)

Remaining Students: 15

1. Yūgo Hachiken (Silver Spoon): Ultimate Tutor
2. Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles): Ultimate Tank
3. Pietro Maximoff “Quicksilver” (Marvel Cinematic Universe): Ultimate Speedster
4. Miles “Tails” Prower (Sonic The Hedgehog): Ultimate Pilot
5. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): Ultimate Prince
6. Satou Kazuma (Konosuba) Ultimate Thief
7. Bede (Pokémon): Ultimate Gym Leader
8. Ray (The Promised Neverland): Ultimate Strategist
9. Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club): Ultimate Poet 
10. Konata Izumi (Lucky Star): Ultimate Otaku
11. Saki Nikaido (Zombie Land Saga): Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
12. Tsuyu Asui (My Hero Academia) Ultimate Amphibian
13. Kokomi Teruhashi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K): Ultimate Beauty
14. Minori Ichinose (Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure): Ultimate Bookworm
15. Kale (Dragon Ball Super): Ultimate ???

< Hachiken’s POV >

Everyone else showed up a minute after the Body Discovery Announcement went off. I tried my best to look away from his body, but Bede noticed and called me out on it.

“Idiot, don’t try to turn away from this! I know it’s a disgusting sight, but it’s reality and there’s no changing that.”

Ray shook his head as he grit his teeth, “Not the way I would have put it, but he’s right. Out of line, but he’s right. Finn died… and we couldn’t stop it. All we can do now…”

“... Is find out who killed him first and foremost, ribbit…. I should have been out here with you all, with my powers I could have…” Tsuyu frowned as she looked at Finn’s expression.

Insert Song: Beautiful Girl Smile (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

I then saw Teruhashi shake her head, “No, you shouldn’t blame you. We should blame him!”

Teruhashi had pointed at Pietro, who had a few eyes on him once she said that. He mouthed out a, “Who, me?”, as some people decided to confront the speedster.

Kazuma lowered his eyebrows at him, “She’s right… he could have been out here outrunning that storm! With his speed, he could have set this all up in a flash! Or… quickly, as I should probably be saying.”

“Ridiculous, I was busy reading American comics in the library. I was in the middle of this awful story where a man gave away his marriage to the devil, when the doors to the library were flooded and blocked by debris!" Pietro rolls his eyes at the accusation.

Konata spoke up next, “As much as I would love to critique a bad comic story like that, (and I would love that kind of speed by the way so I can breeze through manga.), but shouldn’t have you been out here helping everyone? We really could have used your help here, Quicksilver.”

“That’s right, this dirtbag could have been out here like he said he would be! Didn’t you say you’d be out helping deliver supplies to everyone’s dorms? Guilty or not, you’re an arsehole!” Reyn insulted him.

“Didn’t you get defensive when I accused you of murder? Why am I not allowed to defend myself here?” Pietro put his hands up in a shrugging motion.

Teruhashi crossed her arms as she replied back to him, “Because you didn’t use your powers responsibly, whether you killed Finn or not.”

“Well said, Teruhashi!” Kazuma told her.

“You tell him…” Reyn scowled at Pietro.

“Y-Yeah, good… good job.” I uttered out, very unsure about all of this.

“Aww, why thank you.” Teruhashi told us, “Now let’s get to investigating, right Dimitri?”

The prince didn’t answer as he started to tremble while staring at Finn’s lifeless body.

“Um… Your Highness? Dimitri?” I snap my fingers in front of his face, which now that I’m getting a closer look at it looks absolutely furious.

“.... Commence the investigation of this crime. We’ll see to it that the culprit is dealt with with a swift and well-deserved end to their pathetic life.” Dimitri uttered out coldly.

Sayori walked up to him, concerned with what he just said.

“W-Wait! Dimitri, what if this was all an accident, like last time? Or… what if they had been desperate and had a good reason to do this? You can’t just say something so mean…”

“Sayori, it’s foolish to not acknowledge that this was a murder. That the blackened had no ill-intent…. That this man we once knew had his life ended by a mere ‘accident’. Just look at his face…. When we discover who has done this… whether we like it or not, they will be executed. Commence the investigation, leave no stone unturned. That’s an order.”

Dimitri states as we all got to work as fast as we could, in order to avoid that scary glare he was giving us. I understand how he’s feeling… it doesn’t seem like this was an accident either, but he didn’t have to say that to Sayori of all people! What’s gotten into him…?

Ugh, I really wish we weren’t doing this, again … but we need to do this for Finn’s sake… and ours. 

Investigation

Insert Song: Re_ DISTRUST (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

“Ta dah! The newest issue of the Monokuma FIle is right here! Here’s both the standard version, and one of multiple variant covers based around a revival of a classic animated series!” 

Monokuma sprang up from the ground like some kind of gopher as he sent us the file on our handbooks. My copy had Monokuma with a white mohawk and a white outfit, with lightning bolts in the background.

“Thaaaanks…” I groaned as everyone else got theirs.

Pietro scoffed as his copy had a Monokuma with a weird helmet and a purple cape, pocketing his e-Handbook as he said one last thing.

“If you really think I’m the one who did this, fine then! Figure it out on your own, I won’t help you idiots as long as you see me as the killer.”

“W-Wait, Pietro—”

He dashed away before I could stop him. Gah, everyone’s gotten so hostile all of a sudden. I guess that’s another side effect of having more people dead, not being able to trust people.

I turn back to the file as I read off what was listed down.

Victim: FN-2187 aka Finn.

“The time of death was around 12:07 pm. Victim died via stabbing through the heart with a sharp object. The body has substantial blood loss and only one penetration wound. The body is located at a toolshed near the library.”

Okay, only one wound so Finn’s body must have been stabbed once right in an extremely vital organ. I have to imagine it must have been pretty deep, considering how he couldn’t pull it out of himself. Additionally he died about twelve minutes ago… wish we could have heard or seen that, but it was just so difficult in that hurricane…. 

Which reminds me that I need to get new glasses before the trial starts.

“Monokuma File #2” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Onto the body itself, the river of blood began to spread outside the shed and I really don’t want to step onto it. 

“Careful… careful…” I muttered with each step I took into the shed.

“R-Right behind you, Hachiken!” 

I heard a voice behind me and I turned to see Sayori, alongside Ray and Reyn.

“Can’t solve this on your own, even if you were pretty crafty during the trial. That’s why we’re here to lend a hand, pal!” Reyn grins, though upon glancing over at the body it didn’t last.

“I appreciate your help, guys. Knowing that I’m not the only one trying to investigate here is giving me hope that we’ll actually figure it out quicker.” I tell them gratefully.

“Well thanks to that little show back there with Teruhashi and the others pointing fingers, I’m not very optimistic about that…” Ray sighed as he went over to Finn’s body.

“C’mon man, you have to admit that Pietro is at least a little suspicious.” Reyn crosses his arms as he gets a close-up look at Finn’s face, “Sheesh… poor guy looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

Ray looks like he has a different idea, “A ghost? Or perhaps his killer? From how wide his eyes are and his positioning, it seems he was looking directly at them… Judging by his expression, he also did not expect to be killed like this. Signs of a betrayal?.”

Whoa, I can’t imagine looking right at the person who was planning to kill you and not feeling anything but scared. Whoever the killer is, they must have distracted him enough to catch him off guard…

“Finn’s Face” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“So we examined the body, but where’s the weapon?” I asked openly.

Sayori looks behind Finn and gasps, “Um… can someone please… move him forward a little bit?”

“Agh, guess I’ll have to. None of you could lift him up as easily… hup!” Reyn reluctantly pulls Finn’s arm and we see that a blade was stuck in his back.

“There! You see it?” Sayori points it out as we take out the large box Finn was leaning up against.

“A box cutter…” I looked inside to see it pierced through the box it was inside, not very visible at first.

Especially when you take into account that this all happened in the middle of a hurricane, where it was practically impossible to clearly see and hear anything. No wonder this thing went unnoticed.

Ray lifted up the box cuter and examined it further, “Huh, doesn’t have any visible fingerprints on the handle. Killer must have used something to get rid of them, either wearing gloves or by wiping the cutter clean.”

Good observation skills on his part, although fingerprints are honestly not very useful considering we neither have the knowledge or technology to determine whose prints were on the box cutter anyways. Still, the kid deserves some praise.

“Box Cutter” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Over to my left, it looked like there was more blood. Pretty close to drying up too, this can’t be Finn’s…

“I think the killer might have cut themselves while hiding the box cutter!” I deduced as I showed my discovery to the others.

Reyn picked up the box cutter and flipped it, “Ah, I see… looks like our murderer isn’t used to cutting people up if they can’t handle something like this— yowch!”

Reyn cut his finger on the cutter and it dropped to the floor, making me immediately back out of the way.

“Jeez! Be careful!”

Ray shook his head, “Idiot…”

Sayori patted Reyn on the back as he placed his finger in his mouth.

“Ehehe~, I’ll get you a band-aid for you later, Reyn…”

“Blackened’s Blood” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Okay, we all finished with the scene of the crime?” Ray asked and we all nodded our heads.

I have to assume that some other people got caught up in that hurricane like we did, it’s not impossible to say that others just got unlucky as well. Maybe we should keep the hurricane in mind while we’re talking to everyone and we’ll keep building information.

“Hurricane” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

I think the first person we’ll confront is the girl who’s carelessness caused her fellow dorm mates to go looking for her in that hell storm… no I’m not bitter about it, what do you mean?

“Konata, we have a few questions…” I started with her first.

She raised an eyebrow in response, “So I’m your first suspect, huh? To that I say… OBJECTION!”

Reyn went up next thankfully, since I don’t think I could think of a response to… that.

“Look, we came out in the middle of a stinking hurricane because we were worried about you, the least you could do is pay us back… Konata, we have a job to do.”

The two of them were in a brief staring contest before she answered, “.... Ugh, sorry. Thinking about this situation in a way only an otaku can is how I cope. What did you guys need?”

“Just want to know if you saw something, anything in that storm. Or if you saw something that happened before it.” Ray explained as he got closer.

“Okay… so I don’t have anything from before the storm. During it though, I think I saw two people ahead of me. Couldn’t hear what they were saying, but then I saw the second person being blown back by the wind! Like, WHOOSH! Like a Wind God Fist just hit ‘em!” Konata demonstrated by punching the air.

Sayori put her hand over her mouth in surprise, “What?! Did you see how far they went?!”

Konata shook her head, “Nope, and I couldn’t even tell who either of them was. Rain was getting in my eyes and ears.”

Same as the rest of us, it's going to be tough to piece together what exactly happened here… I guess that’s why the culprit decided to take the chance on doing it. The perfect cover for this crime…

I also have to wonder more about how this hurricane works, since I recall all the times the wind blew in my face just to inconvenience me earlier. Maybe it’s connected… or I’m just looking for an excuse to blame something else other than my rotten luck.

“Konata’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Hurricane” has been updated in the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Tch, it’s starting to get harder to see with one of my lenses out, I really need to go back to the dorm and get replacement glasses…

“Hachiken, we’re gonna drop by the library and see if what Pietro said was true about it being blocked. You coming?” Ray asked as I shook my head.

“I’ll meet you there soon, sick of having half of my eyesight blurry…”

Sayori walked up from behind me, “I’ll go with you, Hachiken!”

“Sayori, it’s not like I’ve gone blind. Surely I can make it back on my…”

*crack*

Great, there goes my other lens. Sayori giggled to my dismay as she took my arm in hers and we began to walk back to our dorm.

Insert Song: Silver Spoon Main Theme (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

As you could imagine, walking outside like this with my eyesight COMPLETELY blurry is as difficult as one can imagine.Especially after this storm, I would have slipped and fell if it wasn’t for Sayori being here to guide me.

“One step at a time, okay?” She told me with what I think was a smile on her face.

It’s… admirable that she’s willing to be so kind to others, when she herself can’t show the same thing towards herself. Returning that kindness should be a must sometime soon, even if it won’t make her depressing thoughts go away completely. Maybe me and the other folks in the dorm could throw a little party for her.

Well… maybe after we get past this trial of course. After that execution we might need a breather…

“Thank you, Sayori. You really didn’t have to do this, but I’m happy you did.”

“Ehehehe~, you’re welcome! Couldn’t just leave you blind as a bat out here, y’know!”

She used her handbook to open the door and I entered my room, locating where the glasses were and throwing away the broken ones. I blink multiple times to see if I can see clearly out of them before joining Sayori outside.

Okay, time to get back to work…

Insert Song: Escape (Silver Spoon/Gin no Saji)

As we were about to reach the library, Sayori spots something nearby sticking out of a tipped over garbage can.

“Hey hey, Hachiken! This must be what the culprit used to hide their fingerprints! Uh… don’t think we should pick it up though…”

She’s right about that, looks like a bunch of rotten food’s been dumped into this one. From what I could tell it looked like mostly a mixture of grape jelly and mustard, not a combination I would want to be anywhere near.

“Blech…”

I pinched my nose as I looked closer at the plastic glove. There’s a cut right through it, with what looked to be a little blood. Definitely what the killer used, if only they’d have known that the wind would have pushed this garbage can down. Unless one of us was planning on dumpster diving, we wouldn’t have been able to find it…

“Ripped Glove” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

Upon arriving, we see Reyn and Ray were already at the library doors. The former was tossing away damp benches that had been pressed up against them. Looks like Pietro was right, but how did he manage to get out of there?

“While you two were gone, we got some info outta someone else who was out here.” Ray informed us as we returned.

“Really? Who else was out during the hurricane?” Sayori asked, rightfully confused.

Ray answered quickly, “It was Kale. Was going to ask her how she was able to survive out here as well, but this dumbass scared her off.”

Reyn tosses a bench over his shoulder, and thankfully neither breaks it or hits anyone with it.

“Hey, that’s not fair! I just told her ‘Woah, you must have been really strong if you were able to stay out here so long! What’s your secret?’, that’s all!”

“I’m guessing that booming voice of yours is what did it then, hm?” I snarked as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ray sighed as he brought up his e-Handbook, “What I did manage to get from her was that before the hurricane got even worse, she saw someone with silver hair enter the library and someone with blue hair soon after. Didn’t see either of them leave.”

I placed my thumb and index finger on my chin as I thought about this.

“And how long did she say she was there?”

“She said five minutes, maybe longer.” Ray answered.

Hm… the fact that neither of them left might mean that both of them got trapped in there by the benches and flooding. But how did they escape and meet up outside with us? Everyone was there when we saw the body, how curious…

“Kale’s Account” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Blocked Off Library” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

“Maybe we should see if there’s any clues inside the library?” Sayori suggests and we all agreed.

There’s some signs that Pietro was in here, definitely the silver-haired person Kale described. Scattered comic books on the ground, books and papers placed incorrectly on the shelves, and a lot of wet footprints. 

Upon further inspection though, there was another set of footprints. One is from running shoes, while the other looked like they were from a pair of loafers. Just throwing out a guess for that last one, but what else could they be?

“Library Footprints” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

We decided to split up so we could find alternate exits for the two people who were in here. Reyn and I went to the right side, while Ray and Sayori went left.

“Huh? Oi, Hachiken, come look at this!” Reyn called me over.

There was a set of stairs leading down to the basement, and the lights were still on.

“Ha ha ha, just leave it to Reyn!” Reyn boasted with a goofy smile on his face.

“Good eye, Reyn, now to see where this leads…”

We move forward and it's longer than I thought it would be. A few more steps and… damn it, a dead end!

“Shoot, guess whoever built this tunnel was a real joker, eh?” Reyn groaned.

*drip, drop, drip, drop*

What the…

Something’s dripping from up above us… could the roof be leaky? It just rained after all so… hold on.

“It’s… blood?!” I exclaimed as I looked more closely at the liquid’s color.

“What?! Up there?” Reyn sees a little string above us where the blood was leaking and goes to pull it.

Wait, if there’s a trap door up there… and there’s blood pouring down here…

I gasped, “REYN, DON’T OPEN THAT!”

He stopped and looked at me confused, “What do you mean?”.

“Think about it, there’s a lot of blood dripping from up there. This is also a pathway from the library. So what do you think could be up there, hm?”

He takes a few seconds to answer my question, “Oh man… that’s… you’re telling me I almost…”

I nodded my head as he backed away from the trap door. Whew, could have had a different type of heavy rain there… with a chance of getting literally bodied. At least we found one way the two suspects could have escaped… a passageway to the toolshed.

“Trap Door” has been added to the Truth Bullet section of your handbook.

After that little adventure we met back up with Ray and Sayori to compare notes.

“A trap door leading to that toolshed… that makes this mystery a lot more interesting. On our end we only found an open window.”

“I guess that’s the second way one of them could have gotten out of the library… are there seriously no emergency exits around here? What am I saying, of course there aren’t…” I scoffed as our e-Handbooks then began to ring.

*Ding dong bing bong*

Monokuma showed up on our screens wearing a bald cap and sitting in some yellow robotic chair thing.

“To me, my Kumaversity students! It’s time for an X-tra-ordinary trial, so you better not be late! You’ve got 97 seconds to get to the fountain in the plaza, get movin’ bubs!”

He shows off his claws after he ended the message and the 97 second timer goes off. Crap… We all went sprinting to the fountain as fast as we could, he really had to make us go and run when it’s very likely we can slip from how wet it is out here… Luckily we made it with only seven seconds to spare.

“Took you all long enough, you better have been collecting evidence instead of wasting time since you’re so late…” Bede berated us as the four of us stopped to catch our breath.

“Good to see you too, pal…” Ray said with clenched teeth.

Kazuma tapped his foot impatiently before yawning, “Ahhh… man what is taking that elevator so long to get here? Really taking its sweet ass— GYAH!”

The stone walkway began to rumble underneath him, as he fell on top of the elevator as it rose from beneath the fountain. Monokuma really enjoys perfect timing.

We all step into the elevator and find myself looking at Dimitri, he seems a lot calmer than earlier… even if he is still looking quite serious.

He caught me looking at him and just said one thing.

“I’ll be fine. Let us make sure that for now, all of us will survive… and the blackened meets their end.”

Down we went… further underground as the elevator seemed to briefly shake. Surely the elevator cables won’t break if we’re all meant to make it to the trial.

Wouldn’t be as entertaining for the bear if all of us died so anticlimactically…

*Ding*

We reach the trial room and it’s just as unnerving as it was last time. I gulped as I took my podium, looking over everyone here.

“Thirteen… fourteen! Oh wait, I missed one! Silly me… although it might just be fourteen of you after this trial is over, so I’m not completely wrong! Puhuhuhuhuhu!”

The bear cackled as our 2nd class trial was preparing to start.

Sayori slapped her cheeks to get herself to focus. 

Dimitri clenched his fists as he tried to calm himself.

Kazuma was rubbing his back and wincing after falling onto the elevator.

Tsuyu’s eyes moved around the room carefully, likely trying to narrow down who the culprit was.

Saki did the same, but with a look that said “I’m going to kick their ass, whoever the hell they are…”

Reyn slammed his fist into the palm of his hand, like he was ready for a brawl. Konata decided to mimic him for fun.

Teruhashi took a deep breath in before her gleaming smile lit up the room.

Tails pumped his fists fist before looking through each piece of evidence in his handbook.

Minori checks hers as she adjusts her glasses.

Kale quivered as she looked at Bede, who just ignored her promptly. His focus was on Pietro, it looks like he suspected him too.

Ray nodded towards me, if there’s anyone who can help carry this trial… It’s him.

Finn, a rebellious man who I respected for his empathy and dedication to helping us out. One of the people before me had plunged a box cutter into him, literally backstabbing him in order to escape.

Whoever you are… I hope that both of us will be ready for what’s coming our way.