Chapter Text
…
‘Ugh…’
I felt myself waking up.
‘Uuuuuugh…’
My head still ached, and my body still felt heavy, but all things considered, I felt a lot better than I did earlier. Slowly, I started to open my eyes, hoping that - despite being in the entrance hall - no one saw me pass out. The last thing I needed was for someone to see me collapse on my first day at a new school!
I wasn’t that lucky.
“Heeeey, sleepin’ mikan,” Kanan whispered, deeply concerned about me. “Easy, now. Take it slowly. We found you down there when we got here.” Slowly getting up, I recognised the diver and Riko by my side - as well as an unfamiliar ginger. “Oh, Chika! This,” she pointed to the new girl, “is Honoka Kousaka, the Ultimate Friend. She’s the one who found you here.”
“Heeeey!” She greeted herself with plenty of vigour, hugging me as soon as I could stand up straight. “It’s suuuper nice to meet you!”
“Err… same.” I tried to muster the same energy she had. “I’m Chika Takami, and… well, I… I don’t know what my talent is.”
I failed horribly.
*ding, dong, ding, dong*
… was that the school bell?
Before I could think of an answer, Honoka pointed towards a monitor on the wall behind us which had lit up with the school emblem. It seemed as though there was going to be an announcement of sorts, so I tried to pay attention to it.
“Attention, attention. Testing, testing, one, two, one, two. Can you hear me? This is a test of the school’s broadcasting system.”
The voice to the announcement was certainly… disturbing. The tone and manner of speaking were inviting and relaxed, but the words always ended with a hint of terror - and it sent a chill down my spine.
“On behalf of everyone here at Hope’s Peak Academy, I would like to welcome our new students to the school! The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting veeeery shortly, so please make your way to the Gym as soon as you can! Upupupu, I’ll see you sooooon!~”
The screen went dark again.
“Hey, we should probably get going.” Riko said before we could begin to panic. “Everyone else is probably at the Gym by now.” We all agreed and started to head out. I was still a little woozy, so Kanan took me under her arm as we made it to the Welcoming Ceremony - just as a video started to play.
“Hope’s Peak Academy can certainly be called the most prestigious school in all of Japan.” The mysterious voice talked over the video, which showed pictures of the school and its facilities. “Its founder, the great Izuru Kamukura, had a vision - bring together the ultimate students from all walks of life. Together, they would form the next great hope of our country. It is a vision that he, and every Headmaster after, has never strayed from.”
The video once again changed and began to show portraits of what looked to be Izuru Kamukura and previous students of the school.
“Some of them have become leaders in industries, making breakthroughs that have improved the lives of everyone. Some have become legendary detectives and historians, with great strides towards understanding our past and futures being made. And while some of those may not have made history, they have made successes of themselves, and that success fuels the hope that comes from this school.”
The video changed once more and showed portraits of the incoming students - us.
“The past may be behind us, but it has led us here, to you. You, the next great hope of our country. You may be young now, but at the end of your time here it is my great belief that you will become as successful and as legendary as the other graduates here. I believe that you will help fulfil Izuru Kamukura’s vision, and spread a new, great hope.”
The video ended with the Hope’s Peak emblem shining once more on the screen, and we all burst into applause.
“Harasho,” a voice spoke from my left.
“Amazing!” Another from my right.
“We’re gonna be famous!” Honoka proclaimed, a little too loudly.
I couldn’t help but smile. All the tension I felt a few minutes ago had gone. There was no room for doubt, or concern, or fear. Only excitement, joy, and hope. Hope for a great life here.
We all settled again, and the voice took this as a cue to begin speaking again.
“I do that speech every year, and it still brings a tear to my eye…” it said, “but! That’s all in the past! We live here, in the now, and now it’s time for me to introduce myself!”
The stage lights - and our attention - focused fully on the podium now, when the most unexpected thing happened.
A small bolt of black and white erupted from the stage floor and a bear with a pudgy belly landed right on the podium. Before anyone could even react to this, it got back up and did a small bow - as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do.
'Was this bear the voice that’s been speaking to us?’ That thought allowed the worry that I had buried before the ceremony to creep back up again.
“Well, my name is Monokuma, and I…” the voice - the bear - spoke, “am this school’s Headmaster. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you all.”
‘Monokuma…’
That voice, that chilling, terrifying voice…
That was our Headmaster.
That worry I felt creep back in exploded into a full-on fear. A fear of this bear, this… Monokuma, a fear of what it could do, will do. And with more of my focus on this new threat, my fear grew even more. The white side looked cute and innocent enough, but the black side sported a sinister smile and a deep, red eye which spread malice where it gazed.
Honoka, however, was not as worried as I was. In fact, she seemed quite excited. ‘She always seems to be excited,’ I thought.
“Whoa, our Headmaster’s a teddy bear?! That’s awesome!”
“It looks really cute, but…” Someone else muttered, just loud enough for me to hear, “it's really scary as well.”
“But why’s a teddy bear our Headmaster?” A third student asked.
“Maybe it’s some kind of toy robot, nya~” A fourth added.
“Firstly, I am not a teddy bear,” Monokuma replied. “I am Monokuma. And I am the Headmaster because I was the most… koalified... candidate.”
Small bursts of laughter rung, albeit nervously.
“And to answer that last question… you’re right! I am a robot. But not one of those cheap toys you can get from the high street! My AI and control systems put even NASA to shame!”
At this comment, a small, hazel-haired student gave a sound that almost sounded like amazement. To be honest, I couldn’t blame them.
“Now, any more questions about me?” No one spoke up. “Excellent! Then, let’s move forward with the Welcoming Ceremony. We’re behind already and if we get pushed back any further it’s gonna cause big problems for today’s schedule!
“So, let’s begin with…” Monokuma suddenly caught himself. “Upupu. Upupupupu…” That laugh was… unsettling. “I guess we could do this instead.”
“Do… what?” Fear and curiosity drove me to ask.
“Well, I was going to make you take part in a Killing Game - but I’ve just thought of something far worse for you! Something to make you feel true despair!”
…what?
A… Killing, Game…? Like… actually, kill each other?
And, if he thought of something worse… I dreaded to think.
What could be worse… than that?!
“I’m going to make you become School Idols! Whether you want to or not! Ghaaaa-hahahahahaha!”
… Huh?
“We have to become… School Idols?”
“That’s right! I’ve trapped you here, in the prestigious Hope’s Peak Academy, to train you up into all-singing, all-dancing superstars - for my own personal entertainment!”
… What? School Idols? I mean, Nico’s probably one, and Kanan and her friends made a group, but… I still had no idea what they were, really. Or if I really could be one myself. And now, we all had to take part in this?
That was this, Monokuma’s plan? To make us despair? All it did was leave us baffled.
“That. Sounds. Awesome!” At least Honoka saw the bright side of it. “I’ve seen Nico and A-Rise perform online last night, and they were absolutely incredible! They made it look soooo easy! I bet we could do it as well if we want!”
“Yeah, but I don’t think we’d want to be forced into it, Honoka.” One of the taller blondes remarked.
“But if we don’t have a choice, then we might as well give it a go, right?” There was some truth in the ginger’s words.
If this day wasn’t bizarre enough already, then the winged bunny in a frilly dress floating down from the ceiling capped it for us.
“STOP RIGHT THERE, MONOKUMA! I won’t let you carry out your Killing Game!” The rabbit growled at the bear with a fit of fierce anger, but with a squeaky voice which took the edge off it. I think I heard one of us start giggling. “I may be much weaker than before, but I can still-”
“Hmm? Killing Game? But I’m not hosting a Killing Game this time, Usami.” Monokuma rebuked it rather casually.
“… huh?”
“I’m making them School Idols, or weren’t you listening?”
“Oh… um… okay… I’ll, just… ohh, what do I dooooo…?” The rabbit - Usami - started to shuffle awkwardly out of the Gym, and pretending whatever the hell that was didn’t happen, Monokuma carried on.
“So, I hope everyone gives it their best shot over the next few days! Please, enjoy and make use of the facilities we have available and become the stars I know you can be! Upupu, I’ll see you soooooon!~” And with a spin and a flourish, he vanished behind the podium.
All we could do is just stare at the space the bear once took. The bizarre task he set us - become a School Idol - was emblazoned in our heads. But none of us had no idea where to start, or what role we’d play in this. But this would be our life now, at least for the foreseeable future.
And so, my time at Hope’s Peak Academy… had begun.