Chapter Text
The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.
It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege. They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year.
It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name.
There are two things you need to attend this school:
One, you have to already be attending high school.
Two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself.
And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students… was me.
…
I… guess I should probably introduce myself, huh?
My name is Ayano Hoshi, and I’m the Ultimate Strategist.
…I guess.
I’ve never really thought that I’m all that great at what I do. To be honest, my talent is something a lot of people could pull off if they just spent a little more time. And mostly I’ve only ever used it for logic games or strategy games, because when it comes to real scenarios I hesitate too much. Anyway the point is, my talent isn't really the greatest thing in the world…
And yet, Hope’s Peak still picked me.
Before, when I first got the acceptance letter, there was no way I could just say “No” and not show up. It’s Hope’s Peak Academy. You graduate from here, and you’re set for life. So they say.
But now that I’m standing here, at the gate itself… I don’t know. It all feels too… big. Grand. I feel like if I go any further they’ll realize they made a mistake and send me right back.
I take a deep breath.
That’s just one possible future. There is an infinite number of possibilities ahead of me… all I have to do is figure out how to make the best one happen.
That is, after all, the basis of my “talent”.
I looked down to the acceptance letter clutched in my hands. According to what’s written, there’s supposed to be a meeting with all the incoming students in the main hall at 8:00 a.m.
It’s still only 7:30 but… maybe arriving early will make a good impression? Being prompt and on time is a good quality.
Right now, my only other choices are to leave, or to sit here for another thirty or so minutes. Of those choices, going in is probably the best decision.
Holding on to the belief that it’s the right course of action, I step into Hope’s Peak Academy for the very first time.
…
I arrive at the main hall, but no one else has arrived yet. For a second, I doubt the deduction I made before. Being the first one here is… nerve wracking. It would be almost impossible for everyone to show up at the same time, so that means the next person who shows up would probably have to wait here for a while with me and…
Just thinking about it makes me nervous.
I bite my lip. I could leave and come back when it’s closer to 8:00…
…Yeah. That seems like the best decision.
I turned back towards the entrance to leave. But as soon as my foot touched the ground my entire world was swallowed in a deep murky blackness.
…
…
…Ngh?
Consciousness slowly returned to me. It was a peaceful sort of waking up, the kind where you could almost lull back in to sleep…
Except now that I’m starting to wake up, I notice that my head is resting on something hard. Uncomfortable.
Where am I?
Groggily, I lift my head up to find… I’m sitting in a classroom.
A bolt of panic strikes through me.
What?! I’ve never fallen asleep in class before! What’s going on-
What I notice second, though, is that I’ve never seen this classroom before.
I search through my thoughts, trying to remember what exactly I had been doing before I had fallen asleep.
That’s right. I was at Hope’s Peak Academy for the entrance ceremony and I… blacked out?
That seems like an answer that makes sense, except for the life of me I can’t figure out why I would have blacked out.
So… does that mean this is a classroom at Hope’s Peak?
Slowly I stood up from the desk.
No one else was here, still, which was making me more and more nervous. If I passed out, then how did I get here?
And the more I look at the classroom, the more anxious the air around me grows.
There’s a rather obviously placed surveillance camera coming down from the ceiling, the windows are barred with some kind of big metal plating…
My eyes reach the clock, and my heart almost leaps out of my chest.
“It’s already almost eight o'clock?!” I exclaim. Oh god, I’m gonna be late!
For now, whatever is up with this weird classroom can wait- whether or not me being here at Hope's Peak was really the best choice, I am here now, and so I need to make the best first impression that I can.
I leave the classroom and step out into the hallway.
As I try and make my way back to the main hall, I can’t help but notice the strange lighting and… more surveillance cameras.
So weird…
And in the end, despite how earlier I had worried because I was the first to arrive…
When I get to the main hall, it appears as though I’m the last one there.
“Aaand, that makes sixteen.” “Another one?!” “Is that the last of us…?”
“I think that’s all of us now,” One of the students says.
“And how do you know that?” Another one challenges.
“Cause,” They answer simply, “The list of incoming students had sixteen names.”
“Oooh, that makes sense.”
There was a moment where I just stared, trying to take everything in. So… this is what the other Ultimates are like…
…Do I really deserve to be here among them?
“Well, if that’s all of us, we should introduce ourselves!” Someone announces loudly. They then point to me. “You go first since you arrived last! And then we’ll go around in a circle from there!”
Before, everyone had been giving me their attention as soon as I walked in, and that was already bad, but now having to talk while everyone was focused on me… God this is nerve wracking.
“Um,” I swallowed, making sure that my voice would even be able to speak, “I’m… Ayano Hoshi.”
“Ultimate…?” The other student coaxes.
“U-Ultimate Strategist,” I quickly add. It feels like there’s a blank space, so I mumble an extra, “It’s, um, good to meet you all?”
“Good!” The loud one shouts, then points to the person to my left. “Now you!”
Everyone turns their attention to him, and in return he lets out a breathy laugh. And then… he holds up his arms. I’m not quite sure what exactly he says, but it looks like he’s using sign language.
Another person in the group (the one to his left) hesitantly responds. The two exchange another bit of signs, and the other says, “He’s mute. Can’t talk. I’ll translate.”
A bit more signing.
“…He’s Kyou Yuki. The… what was that?”
Kyou repeats the sign.
“The Ultimate Information Gatherer.”
I glance at him. That’s… an interesting talent. And looking at his laid-back stance and overall aura, it’s a bit unexpected.
“Kyou would also like to add that um… he goes by he/him or she/her pronouns, whichever you’d like to use.”
“He/him or she/her?” One of the other students echoes, eyebrow quirked. “Wait, are you a guy or a girl?”
Kyou gives a mischievous smile, and signs something very quick- probably a single word.
“Yes,” The other translates.
Before anyone else can break in, the loud student says, “Good enough! And you are?”
The student that had translated glances out at everyone else. He doesn’t answer right away, but he doesn’t seem nervous like I was. “Michi Hideki. Ultimate Linguist.”
There’s a pause.
“Is that all?”
“Yep.”
“I guess it’s my turn then?” The girl to his left says. “I’m Akemi Kokoro, the Ultimate Actress. I can’t wait to get to know you all! I hope we can get along.”
The next person in line is the loud student themselves. “I’m Hana Minato!” They introduce enthusiastically, “The Ultimate Inventor! Yeah, I like tinkering with stuff!”
I look to the next girl in line, and for a second, I’m a little intimidated- based on her looks, she seems like a total punk. But the next second she gives a beaming smile. “Hiya!” She shouts, energetic like Hana. “I’m Kotone Suzu, and I’m the Ultimate Violinist!”
“Violinist?” I can’t help but echo, surprised. Everyone turns to me again and I immediately wish that I hadn’t said anything.
“Yep!” Kotone confirms, not at all hostile despite my questioning. “Yeah, you probably expected some stuffy classical-y person, huh? Nah! I like all kinds of music in general, and I just really like rock! It’s fun to play and stuff. Oh! Also I go by they/them pronouns sometimes- And if you want you can all call me Koto-chan. I hope we can all be friends!”
She turns to the next person in line who… looks just about as nervous as I did, if not more so.
“Uh,” They stutter, “I’m… Tsubasa Emi. The… um… the Ultimate… Lucky Student.”
The Ultimate Lucky Student is someone chosen each year by a lottery, someone who would be deemed as “normal”. They get picked by pure “luck”.
If I was thinking about how nervous I was when I even have an actual talent, I can hardly imagine how bad it must be for them.
“I… no, it’s probably nothing. Never mind,” They mumble.
“What? What is it?” From next to them, Kotone nudges them.
“It’s just… I guess I have luck it’s just usually it’s… bad luck,” Tsubasa admits quietly. “…Sorry, that’s probably not important. Like I said, don’t worry about it, it’s probably nothing.”
Bad… luck…? For a second I can’t help thinking about the metal plated windows in the classroom.
Before I can get too wrapped up in it, the next person introduces himself.
“I’m Daichi Itsuki, the Ultimate Survivalist.” He doesn’t add anything else.
“Oooh, is it my turn then?” The next in line hums. “I’m Nobu Mami!” They introduce, smiling brightly, but the mood is cut when they continue, “The Ultimate Liar.”
“Ultimate… Liar…?” A few voices echo.
“Yeah, yeah, certainly inspires trust, doesn’t it?” Nobu laughs. “I’d say I look forward getting to know you all but… coming from me you probably wouldn’t believe it, hm?”
Before the mood can drop, the next person speaks.
“Ran Kurou… Ultimate Acrobat…” She yawns, stretching as she does. She speaks slowly, but more likely because she’s tired than because of any kind of nervousness or anxiety. Seemingly noticing that we’re waiting for more, Ran slowly adds, “…I’m sleepy.”
The next person in line flicks her on the arm.
“Ow!” Ran protests, rubbing the spot the other flicked.
“Are you more awake now?” They ask.
“…No.”
“Oh well, it can’t be helped I guess,” They shrug theatrically, “Anyways! I’m Ryou Chiyo, the Ultimate Hacker! Nice to meetcha!”
“Nice to meet you too,” Says the next person in line, smiling. They continue, addressing the full group, “I’m Jurou Haru, Ultimate Lawyer. And, ah, I’m a guy but I prefer she/her pronouns, please and thank you.”
She’s interesting…
“Hell yeah, dude,” The next girl in line says. “Oh right, it’s my turn now- I’m Fuyuko Kanon! I’m the Ultimate Swordwoman. And I go by he/him pronouns.”
“Solidarity,” Jurou mutters.
“Solidarity,” Fuyuko nods solemnly.
With that, everyone turns to the next person in line, but he’s fiddling with something in his hands, looking down.
“Uh,” The person to his left starts to say something-
“Shh,” Fuyuko interrupts, “He’s concentrating.”
“We’re in the middle of introductions!” Hana the Ultimate Inventor protests.
Finally, he looks up. “Oh. Is it my turn?”
“Yes,” A few people echo.
“My bad,” He says, “I’m Etsuko Kazuki, Ultimate Ninja. Use whatever pronouns you want.” With that, he goes back to messing with the object in his hands.
The person to his left sighs, and I also realize that now, besides him, there’s only one person left to my right. “I’m Nori Rio,” He introduces, trying to be upbeat but not quite getting there, “I’m the Ultimate Escape Artist. Nice to meet you all. …That’s it.”
Everyone turns to the final person. “Hi!” They wave to everyone as they talk, seeming a bit nervous but in a jittery kind of way, “I’m Saki Takashi! And I’m the Ultimate Writer!” They really must be nervous, because they don’t add anything besides that.
“And, that’s everyone,” Hana, the Ultimate Inventor, claps their hands together happily. “Nice! Now we all know each other!”
“That’s if you can remember sixteen different names,” Nobu the Ultimate Liar points out.
“Hush.”
Introducing myself had been nerve wracking, but honestly, getting introduced to everyone lowered my anxiety a little. After all, even if they have Ultimate talents, they’re all just students like me, here for the very first time.
And then… it happens.
A bell rings, but it doesn’t quite sound like what you would expect from a normal school bell. Next, the monitor that had been hanging from the ceiling flickers on, but the screen is mostly covered in static; that being said, a very vague outline of… something appears.
“Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then…!”
I don’t know why, but instantly the voice fills me with dread. Why? The first thing that comes to mind is how cheery and playful it is, but plenty of the other students had a similar playful or cheery tone, so why…?
Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. ...That's all. I'll be waiting!
My mind starts to move. The entrance ceremony? I thought that was what we were gathering here for… unless if it was just for us to meet? But, then why wouldn’t they have just asked us to gather at the gym in the first place?
Seemingly unconcerned, Kotone the Ultimate Violinist says, “Oh hey! Now we can probably get an explanation for what’s going on!” She skips to the door first, then waves everyone else over, “Come on let’s go!”
A few other students filter out, but I can’t get rid of the feeling building up inside that tells me something isn’t right.
Someone prods my shoulder. “Poke,” They say playfully.
Startled, I jump and turn to see Saki the Ultimate Writer, one of the last people who hasn’t left.
“You seemed nervous!” Saki beams, “So I thought I’d check to make sure you’re okay.”
“Ah… yeah…” I mumble. “Something just… seems off.”
“Oh, definitely,” Saki laughs nervously. “But standing around here won’t get anything done. We should follow the others before we get left behind.”
The other option is waiting here, but… I don’t like that any better.
“All right. Yeah, let’s go.”
Saki beams at me again.
The last of us filter out of the main hall and head down towards the gym to find out what truly awaits us.
As we walk down the halls the cameras catch my eye again. Another thought that occurs to me is that, besides the other fifteen students, I haven’t seen a single other person.
Why is that…?
We reach the gym, with a bit of idle chit chat on the way. All the while, I can’t get rid of the horrible anxiety that has started growing within me again.
The gym… looks fairly normal, when we get there. It looks like any entrance ceremony might. The sudden change from weird and outlandish to somewhat normal… it’s weird. And it does nothing to fill the pit in my stomach.
“Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!”
It’s the same voice from the earlier announcement, and it hasn’t gotten any less chilling.
And from behind the podium shoots up…
…What.
Is… is that a teddy bear?
“A teddy bear?” Ran the Ultimate Acrobat yawns, echoing my own thoughts. “That’s cute.”
“I’m not a teddy bear!” It counters cheerfully, “I… am Monokuma! And I am this school’s headmaster!”
What? That doesn’t make any sense. If so, we would have heard about it. What is this…?
“Nice to meet you all!” Monokuma cheers, but something about his tone… for whatever reason, it’s slowly making my anxiety worse and worse.
“Oh, I see!” Nobu the Ultimate Liar nods. “Well, you heard him! He’s the headmaster.”
“We have no proof of that,” Jurou the Ultimate Lawyer frowns.
“Hey you can’t question him, he’s the headmaster,” Nobu responds with a fake gasp.
Well Nobu is taking this as a joke… they don’t seem to believe Monokuma either.
“I doubt a teddy bear is actually the headmaster,” Etsuko the Ultimate Ninja mutters.
“I told you!” Monokuma snaps, “I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!”
“But wouldn’t Monokuma be your name?” Jurou the Ultimate Lawyer questions, “You can be a teddy bear and be Monokuma. Unless you’re a specific breed of teddy bear classified as Monokuma.”
Monokuma is silent for a moment. “…You’re annoying.”
“What an amazing machine!” Hana the Ultimate Inventor cries next. “It moves and talks all by itself! Unless if something else is controlling it of course- but either way, it’s coding must be magnificent-”
“Or it’s just a magic teddy bear,” Fuyuko the Ultimate Swordswoman shrugs.
“Quit comparing me to some child’s plaything!” Monokuma snaps again, furious, “My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it! Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR that!”
…Was that a pun?
“Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started…”
“But how do we prove you’re really-” Saki the Ultimate Writer starts to ask, but Monokuma continues right on speaking, ignoring them.
“Everyone stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!”
“Good morning,” Ran the Ultimate Acrobat mumbles back sleepily.
I… don’t think you have to say it back…
“Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake--you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope…”
His next words, I almost couldn’t comprehend.
“…you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.”
Solely within the confines of this school… My mind flashes back to the metal plated windows. Are we trapped here? Is that what this means?
“Ah, now then… regarding the end date for this communal life…”
Oh. There is an end. I guess I was getting ahead of myself. There’s no way we’re really just trapped here-
“There isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned.”
Or, maybe I was right, I think, a chill running down my spine as the anxiety returns. No, not anxiety- fear. This time it’s straight up fear.
“What do you mean until the day we die?!” Tsubasa the Ultimate Lucky Student exclaims. After everyone looks at them shocked, they stammer, “You, uh, you can’t actually mean that, right? That’s a joke, right?!”
“Oh, but fear not!” Monokuma continues, “We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences.”
He’s really serious, I realize, numbly.
Kyou the Ultimate Information Gatherer signs something furiously, and once he’s done Michi the Ultimate Linguist translates, “We can’t stay here forever. We have other commitments.”
“What about our extracurricular careers?!” Akemi the Ultimate Actress demands, frantic.
“You don’t have to worry about all that!” Monokuma says, with an eerie smile, “You’re completely cut off from the outside world now, so none of that means anything anymore. You don’t have to worry about that dirty, dirty land beyond our walls ever again!”
Ever… again…? My mind can’t help but wander to my family, to my best friend, to… everything. I didn’t even get to say goodbye- I can’t just never see them again…!
“That’s what the metal plates are supposed to be for, then?” Nori the Ultimate Escape Artist asks. “To keep us in here?”
“That's exactly what they're there for. No matter how much you may yell and scream for help...help will not come. So with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!”
“Okay, okay, the joke’s not funny anymore,” Daichi the Ultimate Survivalist says. “We get it, you got us, and it was very amusing.”
Monokuma sighs. “You keep saying this is all a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you. But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor… Well you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth.”
“Yeah, uh…” Ryou the Ultimate Hacker hums, “Living here, ah, forever is more of a problem than you’re making it out to be, buddy.”
“Come, now. What's the matter with all of you?” Monokuma questions, innocently. “You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?”
I was already having second thoughts. Yes I want to leave. The thought crosses my mind, but I don’t dare say it out loud. Talking back to the “headmaster” doesn’t seem… ideal.
“Well…” Monokuma continues in a sing song voice, “I suppose that if you really want to leave that badly… there is one way to get out. As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it… the Graduation Clause!”
Something about the way Monokuma is talking about it makes me instantly distrust whatever it is.
“Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!”
“Disrupt the harmony?” Jurou the Ultimate Lawyer echoes. “That’s not very specific. What exactly counts as disrupting that harmony?”
“Puhuhuhu…” Monokuma laughs, a chilling sound that sounds much too cheerful, much too playful, and yet so sinister at the same time. “Well, you know… if one person were to murder another.”
...
“You’re… you’re kidding right? You don’t mean murder for real, right?” Kotone the Ultimate Violinist asks, nervously.
“Oh, but I do,” Monokuma smiles. “Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible.”
If before I was afraid, now I’m terrified. It almost feels as though I can’t breathe. Wh… what the hell kind of a rule is that?
“Puhuhu. I bet that got your brain juices flowing! Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know… Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I just find that so… darn… exciting!”
Saying all this with the same cheery upbeat voice… whatever he is, he’s seriously demented.
“You can’t actually expect us to kill each other,” Michi the Ultimate Linguist says coldly. “It’s not gonna happen. Just let us go home already.”
“You guys just don't get it do you?” Monokuma laughs. In a mimicking voice, he cries, "Let us go, let us go! …You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over…! But I just told you how to get out. There’s only one exit, and if you want out, that’s the route you have to take.”
He gestures around grandly. “Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you want to! Go ahead! Go on a-”
“Shut up,” Kotone the Ultimate Violinist snaps, but her voice is trembling.
“…What was that?” Monokuma asks, his cheery voice carrying a threatening undertone.
Instead of backing down, Kotone takes a deep breath, and repeats, “I said shut up. We’re not going to do any of this crap you keep telling us. How the hell do you expect us to believe all this?!”
“What?” Monokuma asks innocently. “Do you think you actually have a choice?”
Kotone runs forward.
“Wait!” Saki the Ultimate Writer yells, “Koto-chan, don’t-!”
Kotone grabs Monokuma by the shoulders and lifts him up into the air. “Start talking! Where do we find the real exits?! They have to be around here somewhere!”
“Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited-”
“I don’t care! Now give us the truth, dammit!”
Monokuma doesn’t respond. Instead, a beeping sound starts emanating from him.
Kotone shakes the unresponsive bear. “I said, start talking!” She barks.
Kyou the Ultimate Information Gatherer signs something to Michi the Ultimate Linguist quickly, and in response Michi shouts to Kotone, “Drop him! Drop him and back away, fast!”
Kotone turns in surprise, and Monokuma slips from her fingers. She stumbles back a few steps-
An instant later, right where Kotone had been standing previously, Monokuma self destructs. The explosion is loud ringing through the entire gym, and several students cover their ears.
A deep chill settles through me. If she had been standing right there, what would have happened… would… would she have really…?
“Does… does that mean the teddy bear’s gone for good?” Tsubasa the Lucky Student asks hopefully.
“I told you!” The same sing songy voice replies, and Monokuma appears from behind the podium once again. “I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!”
“Another one!” Hana the Ultimate Inventor screeches, startled.
Kyou signs something, but Michi doesn’t translate so it must have been the equivalent of muttering something to himself. I can’t help but wonder what it was…
At the sight of Monokuma, Kotone snaps out of her previously paralyzed state. “Hey! Did you just try to kill me a minute ago?!” She demands.
“Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you,” Monokuma says it as though it’s not a big deal at all. “You did violate one of the school regulations, after all. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt.”
Does that mean we’re not allowed to fight back…? We just have to accept things as they are?
“How many of you are there?” Daichi the Ultimate Survivalist demands.
“Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school. Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you're caught breaking any rules, well… you all just saw what happened, right?”
Breaking any rules… does that mean that no matter what the rule is, it has that same punishment? Is it really that severe?
“This is all just… wrong,” Akemi the Ultimate Actress murmurs to herself.
“I’m dreaming…” Ran the Ultimate Acrobat mumbles miserably. “I must be dreaming. This is a nightmare… I just need to wake back up…”
Ignoring the students speaking around the room, Monokuma continues, “Now then, lastly… To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…”
From out of nowhere, he pulls out several items- they look like individual tablets or something. “This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it… The e-Handbook! This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one!”
Monokuma hands them out, one at a time. Though, he doesn’t look at the name display- for a second, I wonder if he really knows that he’s giving them to the right students. Then, if he does, how does he know he’s giving them to the right students…?
As Monokuma passes out the e-Handbook, he continues explaining, “Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Firstly, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly! You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated.”
Monokuma finishes passing out the e-Handbook, and returns to the podium. “Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws!”
“Protect”… right… as if you give a single damn about our actual safety, I think bitterly.
“Okay, well...that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...see ya!”
As suddenly as he had appeared, Monokuma disappears. The sixteen of us left stand around the room, still in a state of shock.
“Well.” Nobu the Ultimate Liar is the one to break the silence, flatly, before laughing, “That was certainly an exciting entrance ceremony!”
“Exciting?” Kotone the Ultimate Violinist demands, “I almost died!”
“I mean, I did try to tell you not to attack him…” Saki the Ultimate Writer winces.
“What about that rule, though?” Hana the Ultimate Inventor asks, adjusting her glasses.
“Which one?”
“The one that says we have to kill someone to be able to leave, of course.”
Right on cue, a shiver shoots down my spine once again. I had tried to push it from my mind, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it won’t be so easy.
“C-come on,” Tsubasa the Ultimate Lucky Student stutters. “None of us would… actually do that, right?”
“On the contrary,” Etsuko the Ultimate Ninja hums, “We know nothing about each other. Sure, you might think that you could never kill someone. How do we know the truth is the same of each and every one of us?”
My mind plays through a gruesome number of future scenarios. Each of them, all equally as likely. Most of them, out of my control. I start to feel as though I can’t breathe again.
It’s not just that we’re trapped, unable to leave. It’s that we never know which of us might try the method Monokuma had suggested. Whether or not we want it, a seed of doubt has been planted deep inside of each and every one of us. That paranoia only leads to more bad outcomes.
While I would never admit it out loud, there’s one thing that Monokuma was right about:
Nothing could create more despair than this.