Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

It is my sad duty to document this tale and I will do so, but not before warning you straight away that there is no room for any lingering feelings of happiness in anything relating to these children. This is an account of hope and despair. Of truth and lies. And nothing can change those facts. As I uncovered these events, I prayed to myself that things would be alright for the poor children caught up in it, but as I progressed in my findings, it became apparent to me that nothing would be 'alright' as you will also come to find. If you do not take my warning, then prepare yourself for what is to come. I will warn you, though, this is a documentation. Not a story.

A girl with chestnut brown hair stirred slightly, the slight rise and fall of her chest quickening as her eyes fluttered open. Slowly rising to her knees, she looked around her. She didn't recognise the unfamiliar scenery and she felt her heart skip a beat. She opened her mouth for a second, before taking a breath and finally speaking, "What the... Where am I?" She ran her fingers through her hair, a stubborn lock springing back up as she did and her eyes fell on something peculiar. Just as she had been a few moments prior, a boy with bright orange hair was unconscious on the floor. His arms were wrapped around something large. The girl would have sworn it was an instrument case, specifically a stringed instrument, but she couldn't remember which one was which. Regardless, she couldn't just leave him there, so she crawled over to him and began to shake him.

"H-Hey!" She stuttered before regaining her composure. "Hey! Wake up!"

The boy began to stir at her voice and she took a moment to notice his attire. While she was in her school uniform, a blue and white sailor fuku, he was in a rather heavy-looking shirt with a sweater tied to his waist. It certainly wasn't a school uniform.

The boy groaned, lifting his head, "Why am I on... the floor? Where..." His words tumbled out of his mouth in a way that reminded the girl of a tangled ball of yarn.

Something about him was familiar now that the girl got a better look at him, "Hey... Wait. I know you..." and with those words, a light bulb lit up in her head, "Do you go to Hope's Peak Academy?"

Hope's Peak Academy, a prestigious school where students are scouted depending on a talent they are exceedingly skilled at. Only the best are enrolled there and it just so happened that the girl attended the selective school. If she was right in her assumptions, so, too, did the boy.

He frowned as if his memory was distant and he was trying to catch the right ones.

"Nngh? I... huh?" After a moment of silence, he got up to his feet and the girl followed suit. After another awkward pause, he finally answered the question, "Yeah... I do, actually. My name is Haru Tanioto."

Haru. A common name, but somehow it seemed to perfectly fit the boy. The girl then realised it was her turn and gave a quick bow. "Kouki Maekawa!" She smiled before frowning once more. If Haru went to Hope's Peak, it was only fair that she shared with him the talent that got her accepted into the school, "Uh, they call me the Super High School Level Abstract Artist."

I'm going to stop here and explain a little about Hope's Peak Academy's students. Each one is referred to as an Ultimate and their talent is presented as either 'Super High School Level' or 'Ultimate'. In Kouki's case, either the Super High School Level Abstract Artist or the Ultimate Abstract Artist. As Hope's Peak Academy has grown, it has gained interest from both easterners and westerners alike. Westerners prefer the shorter 'Ultimate' to the eastern 'Chou koukou kyuu no' or 'Super High School Level'.

"Oh, yeah... It might be obvious, but I'm the Super High School Level Cellist..." Haru looked at the ground for a bit before picking up his instrument case and looking up at Kouki again. The artist wouldn't ever admit to him that she forgot what a cello was, so she simply looked back at him with a vacant stare as he continued, "Hey, uh, Kouki... Do you know where we are?"

Kouki took a moment to process that before looking down at the ground and grabbing her arm. "Oh, I thought you might know." Of course, this meant that Kouki, nor Haru, knew just what their situation entailed. Without hesitation, I know it would've been much better if they were never aware. Unfortunately, the best I can do is reassure you that it would be a little bit longer before they knew 'Why'. They could live in ignorant bliss for another short moment.

A voice, loud and clear, rang out from behind the two. "Nobody here seems to know where or why. It's likely that the same can be said for the rest of the unconscious people." Both Kouki and Haru turned to see a large woman in a tank top. A lot of her skin was bare, revealing rippling muscles. She was imposing, to say the least.

Haru, frozen in shock by the sudden intrusion, couldn't find the right words. Fortunately, though, Kouki managed to get something out, "H-Huh? Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She was frightened by this woman who had managed to sneak up on them despite being heavily built.

The woman, who looked rather mature, seemed to pick up on the fact that both Haru and Kouki were stunned by her sudden appearance and took the obvious course of action: an introduction, "Apologies for eavesdropping. Amari Hoshino. I'm the Super High School Level Bodyguard." Her face reflected one emotion, a quiet determination. What her determination was about was unknown to the two other students. The only thing they could surmise was that she was a high school student and an Ultimate at that and, thus, someone to look out for.

"Bodyguard? I have a few questions about that..." Haru frowned, off-put by Amari's talent. He clutched his cello case closer to him as if it would protect him should the bodyguard make a move against him.

Amari, however, didn't move aside from a turn of her head to look off to the side. "Shoot."

Haru took a deep breath before asking his questions, "If you're a bodyguard... Do you have any weapons? Also, how long have you been watching us? Who do you work for?" After the initial question, the rest smoothly fell out as he regained his composure.

"Aha. Well, firstly, no. I don't have any weapons on me at the moment. It seems they went missing after the initial attack." Amari adjusted her somewhat evenly cut bangs that fell just above her left eye as she chuckled over Haru's sudden energy. The rest of her hair was tied into a low ponytail that was so uneven that he didn't half wonder if she'd taken her hair by the fistful and chopped it all off herself. "Secondly, I have been watching you two from before you woke up, just after I saw someone eyeing you... How odd, she seems to have gone missing. Either way, I felt the need to make sure she didn't mess with you."

"Mess with..." Kouki muttered under her breath, but said nothing more.

Amari looked around again as if this mysterious person she spoke of would show up, but then merely sighed and continued onto Haru's third question, "Finally, my services have gone to many people. At the moment, I am serving a prestigious family of a higher class, though it was a short job that I am unable to perform at the moment for obvious reasons."

It seemed to Haru that Amari was in a similar boat as the other two, though she seemed cooler than an ice cube about it all. Perhaps it was because the bodyguard was used to tight situations. At least, that was the only justification he could think of. Still... a kidnapping?

"Wait, now I have questions too. What attack? And who was this person looking at us?" In a different spin, Kouki was more rattled than before. She followed suit and looked around as if the meaning of Amari's words finally sank in. As she did, she noticed that there were many others in the room, some unconscious while others were making conversation. She couldn't help but wonder: Were they really all in the dark about this like Amari had said?

"It took me a little bit to remember after I woke up too, so I'm sure in time it will come to you, but I, personally, was knocked out by a figure before waking up here," Amari explained. At the very least, she was being helpful enough. Despite looking intimidating, it seemed Amari had good intentions. "As for the person, I don't see her anywhere in this room, but you can't miss her. She's ginger with a big red bow in her hair."

Once again, Kouki scanned the room, looking for anything that could fit what Amari just described. And, of course, once again, she was met with disappointment. However, a smudge of green at the bottom of her vision caught her eye and she looked down. As her gaze travelled lower, it was met by a red-eyed stare of a small, strange-looking girl crouched on the ground. As their eyes met, she raised a hand in greeting, "Kero."

Haru's head snapped down to look at the source of the strange croaking noise. It was a girl... pretending to be a frog? He was confused... More confused than he should have been, he decided. But perhaps, in retrospect, he should have been more confused about the girl. "Uh, miss?"

She cocked her head as if to show that she was listening to him. In contrast to Haru's ginger hair, her's was a forest green. It looked rather unnatural, too, as if it didn't have the normal texture of hair. No... to Haru, it looked rather coarse. She croaked again, "Ko?"

He had no reason to, or so he believed, but Haru was getting frustrated at her lack of words. Thanks to said frustration, the wording of his question came out much harsher than he would have normally meant it, even through the hesitation, "Can you speak like a normal... person?"

Kouki then prodded Haru's arm, prompting him to turn. Her brown eyes were fixed on the girl's face, "Hold on, Haru. Look at her skin!"

He blinked and scanned her face, immediately catching what Kouki meant. The girl's skin had a strange, almost greenish tint and a stranger texture than her hair. It looked smoother, he'd even go as far as to say slicker, than a normal person's skin.

The girl seemed rather oblivious to what Kouki was getting at, "Ro...?" She raised her hand to look at it but frowned as she seemed to recall that it was covered in a thin, dark green glove. Shaking her head, she twisted her neck to look at her freckled shoulder. After a moment, she gave an awkward smile. It was normal to her, but she understood now why Kouki was confused.

"It's almost like it's- But... Isn't that impossible?" Kouki looked closer at the girl's face. Her freckles were looking more like straight-up spots to her at this point. Her eyes looked large and her hairstyle was starting to resemble a certain animal’s more and more... Kouki crouched, leaning forward, "Hey, little girl... Are you part... frog?"

And as if it were a perfectly normal thing, the girl grinned innocently and nodded, "Kero!" It wasn't possible. It simply wasn't. Haru couldn't believe it. Humans couldn't be part frog. That didn't work. How would it even remotely happen? He shuddered, indecent thoughts creeping into his mind about the frog girl's possible origins.

"'Kero' is all you can say?" He shook his head, grasping at straws for anything to distract him. 'Kero', or translated, 'Ribbit', was the sound a frog made. None of it made sense to him.

Regardless, the girl nodded with another 'Kero', confirming his suspicions. If that were true, it meant that she would be hard to communicate with.

Amari, who had been quietly watching, seemed to be more amazed instead of weirded out or just plain shocked like the other two. "A girl who is part frog. I have never heard of such a thing."

"Like I said, impossible! But... Here she is..." Kouki blinked as she repeated her earlier sentiment. She brought a finger to her lips, as if in thought and bit her tongue, apparently thinking hard. Then she looked back at the girl, "Do you have a name?"

"Keroko..." She croaked, but stopped and turned her head as she heard footsteps.

A small, thin girl with hair redder than Haru's had stepped toward the four. Her hair was tied into pigtails that reached her thighs and she looked fairly young, like the frog girl. Like someone in primary school. When she spoke, her voice came out as a bark, harsh and demanding, "Her name is Keroko. A herpetologist. And she attends Hope's Peak just like you losers."

The last two statements rocked Kouki as she looked between Keroko and the new girl, "Hold on... What!?"

"You're kidding!" Haru seemed equally as bewildered. Based on those statements, Keroko was the Super High School Level Herpetologist. That seemed wrong to him somehow. She looked so young and, yet, she was a scientist? Not only that. A good enough scientist to be considered an Ultimate.

The ginger girl snorted in annoyance, placing her tiny hand on her cheek. Though it was small, Kouki noted her long fingers before looking at her lanky body. Side by side, she made Keroko look even more unnatural. Like a normal person, the ginger's body mass was equally distributed. Keroko's arms, however, were very thin, but long, as if they contained little muscle. Her legs, in contrast, while mostly covered by her skirt, looked much more muscular. Like a frog, Kouki realised. The new girl snapped Kouki out of her thoughts, with a demanding retort to Haru's statement, "Do I look like I'm kidding to you, music boy? For your information... I'm also a high schooler, which you should already know."

"Students these days are getting smaller and smaller..." Amari grunted, though a smile was playing on her lips. It was true enough for the large bodyguard to say. She dwarfed both Keroko and the new girl.

Ginger girl, who reminded Kouki of Halloween due to her orange and black clothes, didn't seem to take Amari's comment well, screeching in anger, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, loser!?"

"Hey, hey. I'm sure she didn't mean it like that." Kouki raised her arms and she stepped in between Amari and Halloween-girl. She wouldn't admit it, but she was worried about Amari squashing the tiny girl flat. "I'm Kouki. Kouki Maekawa. What about you, what's your name?"

The girl closed her mouth, seeming to relax a bit before rolling her neck, "I'm Marise Kita, the Super High School Level Mystery Novelist--"

"Kita? Like the Marise Kita? The one who wrote all those books about Koriko!?" Kouki couldn't help but cut in. The Fukui Chronicles was acclaimed across Japan for its suspenseful plots and intricate characters. Each sentence was written with so much care, it was like you were whisked away to a different universe each time you opened one of the books. Kouki, of course, finding talent in art forms of all types, was certainly familiar with them.

"H-Huh? Yeah, that's me..." Marise seemed caught off-guard by the fact that Kouki recognised her name. Her books were tailored to adults, not high schoolers. She would never have guessed that a student would appreciate them. In fact, had she not written them herself, she wouldn't have given stories like that a chance. After her almost meek response, she frowned, "What about it!?"

Kouki blinked and then sporadically bowed several times, "A-Ah. Miss Kita, I apologise for the rudeness."

Smirking and swelling with pride at the sudden respect, Marise spoke again, "Hmph. That's more like it. But there's no need for that 'miss' business. It just makes you sound like a dignified loser." She would never stand for something like that. She just, simply put, wasn't a fan. Too professional.

"I've seen you around Hope's Peak too, I think... In the library." Haru furrowed his brow. He often spent his time there. It was calming to him and also...

"That's right. Finally, you remembered. You're Haru Tanioto. The kid that was always told to shut up because he wouldn't stop playing his damn cello in the library." As Marise's words met his ears, Haru couldn't help but recall the events. It had gotten to the point where the librarian wouldn't even let him bring his cello into the library. When he brought it up to administration, a compromise was formed. He could play soft music as long as it wasn't disrupting so that he could further his talent. That was fine with him, as any sort of playing eased him. His eyes met with Marise's bright green eyes and he felt his face go hot under her scolding face, In an attempt to deflect, he turned his attention to his cello case, brushing at it with his hand. "Er... Yeah..."

Apparently having tired of Haru, the mystery novelist turned to Amari. The height difference was rather comical, but both students looked threatening in their own right. There was no doubt in Amari's mind that this little girl could hurt someone if she wanted. Marise placed a hand on her hip, "But I don't remember seeing you ever."

Amari dipped her head before smiling rather warmly, "I am Amari Hoshino, the bodyguard. I was only around school for classes. Otherwise, I was out doing work."

Their conversation continued with Marise giving her usual sarcastic retorts, but Keroko didn't stay to listen. She already knew who Marise was and, rather, she was curious as to the others in the room. Hopping like a frog, she headed away from the small group of people, looking back at them. Then she turned to look forward again and let out a startled croak. "K-Kero!" Standing just mere inches from Keroko was... a doll?

Then, defying everything the herpetologist thought possible, the doll turned her head. How was it moving? Keroko studied the area around the doll, but there were no strings or humans. Was it remote-controlled maybe? Then, it spoke, much to Keroko's dismay, "Hm? Oh! You're pretty cute!"

"Ro..." Keroko shook her head in disbelief and shrunk lower to the floor in fear, she was thoroughly frightened. She had never liked dolls and it suddenly hit her as to what this meant. And even if she were wrong, the way her glassy eyes bore into her... And moving on her own? It was a perfect set-up for a horror movie. But that wasn't why Keroko was scared. Not in the slightest.

"I remember you! You were in my class at Hope's Peak! Keroko, right?" The doll smiled and put her hands together. That confirmed it. Keroko knew who this was. Even her individual fingers moved with precision. It seemed impossible, but Keroko knew that this doll's creator was more than capable.

"K-Kero..." She didn't want to answer, but she did anyway. It wasn't like she'd done anything wrong... yet.

"I'm Niseko!" The doll beamed, before looking down as she thought for a second. Keroko probably wouldn't recognise that name, so she elaborated, "But you may have known me better as Setsuka. That's because Setsuka is my master. After all, I'm just a doll created and controlled by her, the Super High School Level Doll Maker!"

There it was. The name 'Setsuka'. There was a girl in her class who had dressed similarly to Niseko. That was Setsuka. Keroko didn't like the doll maker very much as the doll maker was, well, creepy. She didn't talk very often, merely laughing. And she seemed to have no care for people around her, especially Keroko. The only solace was that Setsuka had only been in class about half the time. She was mysterious. No one really knew who she was other than her title of 'doll maker'. No one even knew her true name. There were rumors that even on the school roster she was merely Setsuka.

As if by a miracle, a tall boy stepped toward the group, making both of them turn. He had deep purple hair with two locks that stood up like horns, though they reminded Keroko of a stag beetle. He spoke, his voice smooth and melodic, " So it is the frog and the doll... How interesting."

Keroko recognised him, too. The boy was also in her class. As if to confirm, she tilted her head, "Kero?"

Niseko, or Setsuka, for now, I'll call her Niseko to make it easier, smiled and put her hands together again. It seemed almost like a staple gesture for the doll, "Ah, Yudai Shimizu! The Super High School Level Mask Maker, right?"

"Yes, that's precisely it. Though, as I overheard, you are merely Setsuka, correct? So you are already familiar with me. Regardless, I am Yudai Shimizu just as you remember." He watched Niseko with a careful eye and she watched him back. Yudai had been a transfer student and was only scouted halfway through the year. His arrival had been a strange one to be sure. He had shown up to class one day and acted like he had been there since the beginning, never disclosing why he integrated into the class so naturally.

"Isn't this wonderful? It's like a big reunion!" Niseko looked up. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but her left hand seemed to twitch slightly as if undergoing a small glitch. Keroko frowned at the spasm, small as it was, and wondered. What worried her was Niseko's behavior. In class, Setsuka had never been this... peppy. She was reclusive. The type of person who never associated with others. If Niseko was really controlled by Setsuka, was the doll maker putting on an act? For what reason?

"Somehow I feel something more sinister will be at play here. But, alas. That is just the feeling I get..." Yudai murmured. He wasn't worried about Setsuka but was rather focused on something else that seemed off. The more practical, in-the-moment thing. He looked around. There were two doors, but both were locked. He had checked previously. If this was a kidnapping, it was a flawless one with at least fifteen victims. He rose his head when his gaze caught someone else approaching them.

One could have noticed his bright yellow outfit or perhaps his build, just visible under the thick fabric... That is if they weren't immediately distracted by the mask covering his face. It was a full-on welding mask, strapped to his head. His entire face was covered, leaving his identity a mystery. Keroko noticed him after both Yudai and Niseko had and couldn't hide her surprise, "K-Ko!"

Niseko, on the other hand, tilted her head, "Hm. I'm not sure we've met, but judging by your mask I can only assume--"

"Honda." She didn't get too far before she was interrupted by the large man, "Rikuto Honda. The Super High School Level Welder."

"Right. A Welder!" Niseko continued motioning toward his mask. Despite everything, she could hear him just fine and, even stranger, it seemed he could see just fine out of it. Niseko, or rather, Setsuka had never worn a welding mask, but she knew that its purpose was to protect the wearer from the heat and light while welding. It was dark to ensure one's eyesight was safe.

Yudai spoke up, "Introductions roll off the tongue like the waves of the sea, flowing off Poseidon's trident... Yet is Rikuto not still unfamiliar with me and the two of you... Doll and Frog?"

As Yudai said, Rikuto was, indeed, unfamiliar. He hadn't ever seen the three at all, instead choosing to spend his time at Hope's Peak Academy in his dorm, practicing his craft. Niseko clapped her hands with glee, "I'm Niseko... My master is the doll maker, Setsuka. And this is Keroko, a herpetologist!"

"Optimistic." Rikuto grunted. He was never one for long-winded speeches. Instead, he liked to stay on the point. In his experience, it was what people expected from him, too. The man who never showed his face and barely spoke. The strong, silent type. It was what they wanted.

Niseko frowned, bringing a finger to her chin, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"There is a heavy feeling in the air." Rikuto looked toward the ceiling. One may not expect it from a shut-in, but Rikuto was very in tune with his surroundings. His instinct was almost always right on the money. Niseko waited for him to explain what he meant, but Rikuto made no other sound.

"It is as I said before... You seem to think these waters as calm when, in actuality, a storm is brewing." Thankfully, Yudai elaborated as, clearly, Rikuto had no interest in answering. Though his words and analogies made little sense to Rikuto, the welder looked up.

He got the gist of what Yudai was saying and he responded accordingly, "A storm. Even if there were a storm, the water would not reach us down here."

He blinked under his mask and his gaze reached someone sitting in a flamboyant pink shirt behind Yudai. His next destination was set.

"Perhaps... But if the heavens willed it, would rain not touch anywhere?" Rikuto barely heard Yudai, though he was aware of the mask maker watching him walk off. Even so, Rikuto walked until he stood just in front of the pink boy.

He looked up as Rikuto towered over him. Standing up straight and without any hesitation, the boy began to poke and prod all over the mask on Rikuto's face, making strange humming noises, "Mm... Mm... Mmmmmm..."

"What?" Rikuto folded his arms. This boy was also unfamiliar to him, but he wore a nametag. It said 'ラクシャリー' or 'Luxury'. Rikuto had a distinct feeling that this wasn't the obviously Japanese boy's real name.

"Ah, this mask is no good." 'Luxury' finally said, again poking at Rikuto's mask.

Batting the boy's finger away, Rikuto frowned, something unseen to everyone but himself, "I don't understand. Why?"

"Well, I can't figure out what to do for you if you don't show me your face!" He raised his arms as if surrendering to something. His golden eyes sparkled with mischief.

"The mask stays on," Rikuto had no idea what he was referring to, but it hardly mattered to him. His response would've stayed the same regardless, As he looked, Rikuto could form an idea of what the boy meant. 'Luxury's face was pristinely coated with makeup and if Rikuto had to guess, his talent had to do with it.

The boy winked, raising a makeup brush and lightly fiddling with it, "What a shame! What a shame! Perhaps in time, then."

"Who are you?" Rikuto finally decided to cut to the chase. While most people had introduced themselves straight away, he didn't. Surely the boy didn't really want to be known as 'Luxury' his entire life, right?

"Ah, don't worry! Don't worry! I have credentials." He seemed to take the question as one of skepticism rather than simple curiosity. Rikuto supposed that his blunt nature didn't help, nor did his appearance. "I'm Shigeru Fujioka, the Super High School Level Cosmetologist."

It seemed Shigeru wouldn't be making this unnecessarily hard after all. Perhaps he was sharper than he looked and acted. ...But Rikuto had to admit to himself. He didn't know what a cosmetologist was. "Hm."

Shigeru seemed to pick up on his subtle clues. His question was soft, but it was as if he could see straight through the mask. "Whatever seems to be the matter?"

Rikuto liked people who got him. People he didn't have to explain his every feeling to. A little bit awkwardly, Rikuto asked his question, "Do you study... stars?"

It made perfect sense to the welder. Cosmetologist, cosmos... Didn't the Soviet Union also name their astronauts 'cosmonauts'? Unfortunately for Rikuto, cosmetologists were different from cosmologists.

"...What?" Shigeru frowned briefly before realising where Rikuto's blunder had come from, "No, no! I'm a makeup artist!"

It was a simple enough error, but Shigeru liked to liken 'cosmetologist' to 'cosmetics'. They did come from the same root word after all. 'Cosmétologie' coming from 'kosmetos'. Had Shigeru taken the time to explain that, Rikuto's next answer might have been different. But as it was, he simply said "I see."

"Er, do you?" Rikuto stiffened as Shigeru tilted his head questioningly. Had the cosmetologist seen right through him with those scrutinising yellow eyes of his? Shigeru then shrugged and dropped it for another topic, "Well, never mind all that! What's your name?"

"Rikuto Honda." Rikuto nodded. It was simple and to the point. His talent was obvious at one glance as well.

"Aha. A welder, I'd presume. So you don't mind if I just call you Riku, right?" Shigeru nodded, glancing at his welding mask again. If the conversation had revealed anything to Rikuto, it was that Shigeru was very easygoing.

"Does it matter?" No one had ever tried to give Rikuto a nickname before so his answer was quite blunt, He didn't mean it to come off as rude in any way, though, and, if it did, he was ready to apologise.

Thankfully, Shigeru didn't seem to take it that way. However, he also didn't derive an answer from it, "Hmhm! Of course! If you are not comfortable, I shall-"

"I do not have a preference." Rikuto cut him off. He wasn't used to social interactions and didn't know how to handle Shigeru. And Shigeru, with his killer looks and great attention to other people's opinions toward him, was usually good at adapting to people, but even he was having trouble with the reclusive welder.

"I-I see, I see..." A moment passed before Shigeru was rescued from the awkward interaction between him and Rikuto as someone else darted toward them.

His running had come to a stop so quickly, it was like he defied gravity. The way his cape and ponytail fluttered behind him was like some sort of majestic hero and his confident smile didn't give any insight as to how he was truly feeling. When he spoke, though, his voice did betray a slight bit of nervousness, "Ah, you won't believe what I saw! Boy... I'm a lucky duck, for sure!"

The boy who had just arrived smoothed his crimson hair and then looked at Shigeru. Then Rikuto. Suddenly, his gaze snapped back to Shigeru with a bewildered look as if he'd just realised who he had run into. Shigeru grinned, his snaggletooth giving his smile a lopsided look, "Oh, hello, Kanna!"

"Shigeru? I didn't know you were here, too." Kanna admitted before turning to Rikuto once more. He, of course, remembered everyone he met. It was just basic courtesy, right? The big guy in yellow, though, was unfamiliar to even him, however. As Kanna's silver eyes scanned Rikuto, he couldn't find anything to latch onto to betray who he was. As far as Kanna knew, there was no welder at Hope's Peak.

It made sense since Rikuto barely left his room and whenever he did, it was under the cover of night. Since Kanna always got a perfect amount of sleep, it was unlikely the two would ever cross paths. Shigeru nodded at Kanna's comment, "I could say the same to you. I'd never have expected to see you in such a dull place as this. I was kidnapped as I assumed we all were but... How did you manage to get overtaken? With your talent, I'd have assumed that you could take on anyone, no?"

"Super High School Level Perfection... It's hard to match." Rikuto frowned under his mask when Kanna mentioned his talent. Was an 'Ultimate Perfection' really possible? "Welp, I suppose I will have to work on my anti-kidnapping skills. I see you've found a friend. Good sir, I am Kanna Kanichi."

"Perfection." Rikuto repeated. Perhaps it was just Kanna trying to chalk himself up to be more than he really was... But then, his movements earlier couldn't have just been a fluke. He seemed so natural. Almost... perfect.

"That's right. I'm called the Super High School Level Perfection. It's a stressful title for sure, but, at the very least, I can use it to help out everyone here, be it getting out or unlocking one's true potential!" Kanna seemed to share the sentiment that escape would not be as straightforward as just walking out. Rikuto had known that he wasn't the only one who thought that; Yudai had said as much. But here was more agreement, coming from one who called himself perfection.

Shigeru must've picked up on the fact that Rikuto wasn't quite sure how introductions worked from their own interaction as he then motioned toward the welder, "This is Rikuto Honda. He doesn't seem to talk much."

"I could figure. Many men like you seem to be that way." Rikuto narrowed his eyes in thought as Kanna spoke. Was that not his own reasoning for it? He acted the way he did because others before him had. Kanna seemed to understand, and yet... "It's almost a trope by now! But I wonder... Do you fit it to perfection yet? And are you flawless at your talent? Or is there that which I could help you work on?"

"Perfection is fleeting. It is a standard we've set that we shall never reach." Rikuto had made up his mind. Ultimate Perfection was impossible. It was, ironically enough, an imperfection by Hope's Peak Academy, assigning such a title to a student.

Silence pervaded the trio for a bit before Shigeru broke the silence, bringing attention back to Kanna's earlier actions, "A-Anyway, Kanna. What did you see?"

The prodigy placed a hand to his head as if remembering such an event was strenuous. "There was this person, dunno if you ever met him... If you had, you might know him for his eyes. They can be frightening at first glance" Kanna frowned, looking across the room until his gaze set upon the person in question, "Let's just say I spoke with him a few times at Hope's Peak Academy. He wasn't very fond of my... nature."

"...Eyes?" Shigeru wondered aloud. How could eyes be scary? Perhaps if one saw him in a dark alley, they would be startled at first by his bright yellow eyes, but they weren't scary per se.

"Who was this person?" Asking the relevant question, Rikuto stared down Kanna and, though the prodigy couldn't see it, he still felt as though Rikuto were watching him closely.

"Yes..." Adding the suspense first, Kanna slowly turned his head to see him again. He blinked his silver eyes, focused on the boy with dark brown hair and eyes wearing an apron. Said boy didn't seem to notice Kanna, to his relief and, after a quick second, Kanna raised his arm to point, "That one over there!"

Rikuto grunted. He recognised the boy who still didn't seem to notice the small group even as all three of them looked in his direction. He was too fixated on the girl in front of him. She had deep blue hair that covered her eyes, long and pulled back into a ponytail. I will state that this girl, out of everyone currently trapped there, is the one that would frighten me the most if I saw her at first glance. Perhaps it is the way she carries herself, or how her emotions are always obscured, but much unlike Rikuto's. From my findings at this point, I could not tell you, though the reason might become more clear in the future.

The boy, however, was already familiar with her as the girl had been in his class at Hope's Peak Academy. He knew what she was like already and he also knew what she was capable of, so when someone new and foreign to him approached the girl from behind, it was no surprise to him when she said without turning, "Ah, someone new has joined us."

The girl, small in stature, but quite threatening-looking in stance, narrowed her red eyes. Strapped to her back was a katana. On her hip, a wakizashi. The boy wondered if they were real. Surely not, right? Her voice seemed strange when it met the boy's ears. It was quiet, with the slightest hint of a dialect, "How... interesting. You did not even turn to look at me."

The newer girl folded her arms and shut her eyes, almost giving her a meditative look. It seemed that she was a person of calm demeanor which made the fact that she possibly carried weapons slightly less scary. The first girl answered her quietly, "Yes, I'm aware. I heard you."

With that, the girl with the swords opened her eyes. It was such a simple action, yet paired with her harsh voice, it made the boy jump, "Is that so?"

Kanna had pointed out his eyes. They were wider than they should've been at any given point in time, but the boy was not a threat to anybody. He wasn't a fan of confrontation and, of course, his stuttering caused by his constant, violent trembling didn't help anything. Regardless, he smoothed out his apron, feeling the need to cover his blunder. "S-so, who are you anyway, Miss, uh, s-sword girl...?"

"You're very jumpy." Miss sword girl noted. He sighed. It wasn't as though he couldn't expect anyone not to notice. It was painfully obvious that he was shakier than a leaf in a windstorm. The girl then moved to introduce herself. With a bow that showed deep respect, she spoke, "My name is Mei Meiyo. I am called the Super High School Level Ninja."

Had her talent not been said and her appearance not been so frightening, the boy might have commented on her name. It was quite silly sounding, being alliterative and all, but alas, he remained silent. After a brief moment of silence, the blue-haired girl responded with an introduction of her own, though she didn't return the bow, "I am Ami Yumekuu... The Super High School Level Hypnotist."

"I see..." Mei brought a finger to her chin, eyeing Ami. She brought her hand to her chest and then stopped. It was gone. But gone where? Had someone taken it? At the very least, they had left her with that which she must never let go... Regardless, Mei would have to go about this the old-fashioned way, "What is a hypnotist?"

Ami didn't seem to understand Mei's question even though there was no doubt she heard it perfectly. She raised her hands defensively, dipping her head, "Oh, please pay no heed. I would not like my talent getting in the way of your opinion of me."

Mei would not leave without an answer, though, and she placed her hand on the hilt of her wakizashi. Perhaps the boy was wrong. Perhaps she was more quick to cut than he had originally imagined. "H-Hey, Ami... She's got her hand on that sword there... You sure this is alright?"

"I am aware. Calm yourself." Ami's voice didn't waver. She knew the threat of what she was dealing with. Someone called the Ultimate Ninja must be proficient enough with a blade that they could easily strike down any foe. But she still didn't realise that Mei's question was genuine.

And this was precisely why Mei didn't like to rely on others. It was difficult to get anything out of them. Sometimes they were scared of her, other times just noncompliant. Her hand still steady, the swordswoman repeated herself, though a hint of desperation edged her voice, "But what is a hypnotist?"

Steadily realising that Mei was actually asking her a real question, Ami started slow. She needed to know just how in the dark Mei really was. Instinctively, she reached toward her pocket, where her pocket watch was stored, "Someone who... hypnotises?"

"I do not understand." Mei said, her grip tightening around the handle of the sword. At this point, the desperation within her was growing strong. She needed to know the answer.

Deciding that a simple answer would be best, Ami shook her head, " It's like falling asleep, but being controlled."

"I... see." In one fluid motion, Mei drew her wakizashi, a white and gold blade, and spun around to point it at the boy, "And who are you?"

He jumped as the blade got close and yelped in surprise. It was true that the boy had yet to utter his name, but, like Shigeru, he wore a name tag. Unlike Shigeru's, his read what must be his family name. Mei recognised the kanji. The first had to read 'Taka' as that was almost always the reading used in names. The second... was it 'Nichi' or 'Jitsu' or perhaps even 'Hi'? Mei knew a great amount of kanji and ways to read them. Perhaps that was the issue. Someone who wasn't as knowledgeable as her might be able to read the boy's name without a second thought.

"Answer." Mei demanded, pushing her sword closer to the boy. Takabi? Takaga? She simply didn't know. She did, however, know that the meaning was akin to 'High Sun'. Mei's own surname meant 'Honor', an honor she would protect.

"Sh-Shohei! Takanichi! B-Barista!" His words came out jumbled and choppy, but they still got the point across. Shohei Takanichi the Super High School Level... Barista? To Ami, it made perfect sense. Shohei was always shaky and jumpy due to caffeine. Yet to someone who had never even heard the term, Mei just ended up more confused than before.

She shook her head, still keeping Shohei at swordpoint, "Barista?"

"Y-Yes. I serve... coffee..." Who was this person, Shohei wondered, to not know what a hypnotist or a barista was? She must surely know the meaning of...

"Coffee?" And a bust. Mei had no clue what 'coffee' was. In fact, the honorable swordswoman was unfamiliar with any drink that wasn't water. The pure substance was all she ever had to drink.

Regardless, Shohei had to elaborate, his neck still in danger from Mei's sword, "It's a... d-drink."

"You must familiarise me with it later." And finally, with that, Mei sheathed the white blade back into its crimson sheath. Then she turned toward Ami again, eyeing up the hypnotist.

Shohei took this opportunity to back away from the dangerous woman. He got as far as he could before bumping into someone. He turned to look at a small boy with messy, forest green hair that was pulled into pigtails; a quite feminine fashion. He grinned when he locked eyes with Shohei, "Oh, hey there! When we get out of here, vote for me please."

Shohei had to blink in surprise. The kid had said it so nonchalantly that it seemed perfectly natural for him to ask such a random question in such a random place. When the boy kept staring at him expectantly, he opened his mouth to speak, his words coming out in jumbled bunches. "I... uh... wh-what?"

He reached behind him and pulled out some sort of poster. It looked like a... campaigning poster? "Nori Sasaki's the name, politics is my game! So a vote for Sasaki won't just change your life, but the future!"

Oh great, the kid was a stereotypical politician. That must've been his talent, the Super High School Level Politician.

Should Shohei introduce himself? Would the politician even care? Might as well go for it, "Um, I'm Sh-Shohei Takanichi. I'm the Super High School Level B-Barista..."

Nori grinned even wider, raising a finger to signal Shohei to wait. He darted off and almost immediately came back with someone in tow. "Aha, I think you'd work well with my good friend Raya here!"

"Friend? Ugh, Nori... I don't know this guy." For a brief moment, the new guy didn't look too thrilled. He held onto the top hat atop his head to prevent it from falling off and his other hand was clutched onto a big, round, silver hoop. He glared at Nori, but when he seemed to notice that Shohei was watching, his obviously strained smirk was replaced with a large smile, "I mean. Yes! I can welcome everyone and anyone! I am Yamato Yukimura, the Super High School Level Ringmaster!"

Was that what the hoop was for? To accentuate his status as ringmaster by carrying an actual ring? Shohei didn't think ringmasters usually carried rings, but he decided against pointing that out, "N-Nice to meet you..."

"Hopefully the act begins soon, so that we may know what dangers lie ahead!" Yamato beamed, despite what he had just said.

"D-Dangers?" It seemed that unlike Yudai, Rikuto, and Kanna, the thought of this being a bad thing never crossed the barista's mind. In fact, he frowned, beginning to feel sweat form on his forehead.

"We're in no danger. Yet." A different voice answered him. The 'yet' had been so seamlessly placed on the end that Shohei almost didn't notice it. He turned to see the orange-haired cellist, whom he had not been introduced to yet. He'd seen him a couple of times at school, but they had never properly met.

"Huh? Did you just inter-" At the sight of Haru, Yamato narrowed his purple eyes, But he cut himself off like before, filling the void with another smile, which was becoming increasingly more fake, "I mean, who are you, young man?"

"Don't be a jerk, Yamato." Haru responded. Of course, Yamato knew who he was. They were in the same class. But Yamato also knew that Haru was easy to tease and seemed to derive pleasure from it. As Haru glared at Yamato, Kouki wandered toward them, surprised at Haru's sudden change in tone. It wasn't at all like the slightly awkward, timid boy she had woken up. How many people here had a darker, underlying personality? Haru then continued, "And drop the act. It's a bit sad looking."

Yamato had to forcibly stop himself from audibly growling at Haru not taking the bait. Thankfully, Nori broke the tension, "Never mind that... What did you mean, 'We're in no danger'?"

"Yet." Haru corrected. What was the boy hiding? How could he have regained his composure so quickly? And then, more defensively, more like before, he added "I've felt danger many times, okay? This isn't it. Yet."

"Ugh, what would you know about danger, Haru?" Yamato shook his head, "Class nerd."

"Yamato--"

"Y-You kept saying 'Y-Yet'..." He'd been staring at Kouki, but when it sounded like Yamato and Haru were about to get into an argument, Shohei clasped his hands together nervously and stared straight at the cellist. He didn't want to admit that he might be in danger. If he did, his mind might start racing even faster than it already was. As he talked, Kouki's head snapped up. She hadn't noticed Shohei until he spoke and opened her mouth to say something to him, but wasn't quick enough as Haru continued.

"Because it could shape up to be dangerous, something Yamato here clearly doesn't..." He trailed off as his attention was diverted. He'd made eye contact with a girl who had long, ombre ginger hair and a large red bow standing at the head of the room, a ways away. A large bow? Hadn't Amari mentioned something like that? "Huh?"

Grabbing Kouki's arm and pulling her out of her stunned stare at Shohei, Haru began to walk toward the woman. Kouki turned to see why Haru was suddenly on the move and quickly picked up on it, exclaiming to the ginger, "You're that girl! The one who was watching us!"

"Hm?" The girl looked at Kouki with wide, icy blue eyes and a small, somehow mischievous-looking smile. When she spoke, her speech was edged with a dramatic tone. "Ohhh... And you were that girl who was... sleeping, yes? Oh, but I was only worried. You hadn't woken up yet and neither had your friend, here."

"Huh? Just who are you?" Caught off-guard by her response which hadn't sounded very genuine, Kouki frowned. She scanned the girl up and down. She was wearing a red and white dress covered by a sweater, but there was nothing about it that told Kouki anything as to who this strange person might be. She wasn't familiar in the slightest, nor was her talent immediately obvious.

"Kyahahaha! I didn't know you were that desperate, love." The girl laughed like a witch and suddenly, Kouki didn't feel nearly as comfortable. Desperate? What did she mean? The girl didn't give Kouki much time to think about it though as she launched into her introduction, "Yukari Nagakage. Psychoanalyst, at your beck and call."

"Beck and call?" Haru couldn't help but recoil. Did she think she was a maid? Because she clearly just said... Psychoanalyst. Suddenly, that sunk into Haru's head. She was a psychoanalyst which meant... She was probably trying to lower his and Kouki's guards. But for what?

"Hm? Ah-- Never mind..." Yukari looked at Haru and her face tensed up for just the slightest of moments. She then cleared her throat and spoke in a voice loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Hello? Hello. It's so nice to meet all of you in this damp... gross... smelly... add more adjectives of your choice... room! Isn't that right, loves?"

People had turned to look at Yukari, now, but Kouki wasn't paying them any mind. Instead, she was focused on how quickly Yukari changed her voice from over-exaggerated to deadpan in a mere moment. "I'm sure you all are wondering why we're here, yes? Simple, simple! Because someone really loves Hope's Peak Students! And really wants to see them do something... Right? Am I right? Kyahahaha!"

Haru had no idea what Yukari was blabbing about, but clearly, she knew something he didn't, and the fact that she was withholding information annoyed him. She finished her speech with a hand raised in the air as if summoning something, "Oh, bear! Where are you, love...!?"

"You're crazy! And you were the one stalking us!" He snarled at Yukari. That was it. Haru had had enough of the psychoanalyst's delusional rambling. Despite his harsh tone, she merely looked back with an innocent and playful smile.

"Stalking might be a bit much, but I can confirm that you were watching them rather strangely," Amari stepped forward and when she did, Haru turned to look at the people who had gathered. Everyone had joined Haru, Kouki, and Yukari. There were sixteen people in all. Sixteen.

"Crazy... Crazy, hm?" The ginger didn't seem the least bit fazed by the accusations as she mumbled under her breath. Then her gaze, which seemed considerably more icy than before, snapped back to Haru, "Oh, but I guarantee that the bear is somewhere! I guarantee it. Besides what's a game without-"

"Upupupupu..."

"Quite right." Yukari grinned. Haru frowned. It had seemed like her previous facade had been broken... Or was it? She went straight back to her cutesy demeanor so quickly, he had to wonder if he had imagined it. No, that must have been what this Yukari girl wanted. Psychoanalysts deal with the subconscious. So by manipulating Haru's, she was effectively fulfilling her role as a psychoanalyst, right?

Kouki wasn't paying attention to Yukari anymore, though. Unlike Haru, she was more concerned with the noise that had interrupted Yukari. That strange, laughter-like noise. It didn't come from any of the students. At least, not that she could tell. When it rang out again, Kouki covered her head and whimpered, "What is that noise?"

"Noise. Noise?!" The voice rang out again, and this time, it was clear to her that it wasn't coming from anyone she could see... Probably. Kouki couldn't help but sneak a peek back at Yukari who looked like she was having the time of her life. But as the voice continued, the abstract artist didn't see a single muscle of Yukari's mouth move. It was just frozen in her cheerful smile. "How dare you call my, no, the, signature laugh 'noise'!!"

"Noise, noise indeed. You cannot claim that it is not," Shigeru raised a single finger to make a point, then moved to smooth out his hair.

"Please don't tell me you're actually engaging with this invisible loser! It's probably the creepy bow bitch talking to herself," Marise snorted. She was pointing to Yukari with a thin finger. It seemed long for her hands, but still, Kouki couldn't help but notice how small her hand as a whole was.

"Hey now. I might be powerful..." Yukari's voice was light but carried an undertone of fake emotion to it. As he listened to the many voices, Haru wondered what Yukari meant by powerful. Surely not her knowledge of the subconscious. Did that equate to power? As he pondered, her voice shifted again, becoming lower and more blatantly threatening, "But I'm no voice artist."

"That's going against your point!" Niseko, who had jumped up onto Rikuto's back to get a better angle, was, of course, referring to Yukari's constant tone and voice shifts, but Yukari paid her no mind.

Keroko rubbed her hand against one of her round, green buns her hair was styled in and croaked, "Kero ko koko."

No one would understand her, even though it was as dismissive as it sounded. Except, to the herpetologist's surprise, "Yes, I agree! This is foolish. Come now, everyone just listen to me."

"Ro!" Keroko croaked in surprise, but Yukari held her gaze. How had she known what Keroko meant? That was impossible, right? Or perhaps, it was simply that the subconscious dealer dealt with the subconscious and could pick up on Keroko's intentions through her voice.

"Bear, it was a clever trick hiding under the floorboards, but you can come out now. I found you." Yukari waved out her hands in a grandiose fashion, motioning toward the floor.

"She's crazy!" Kouki finally admitted. But even her supposed realisation would be short-lived.

"Aw, I guess the jig is up then. How did you find me so-- Ah, actually I'd rather not know." The floorboard in front of Yukari spun as something black and white popped out. It was just as she claimed. "Besides, my name is not 'bear'."

"K-Kero!!" The frog girl yelped as what did, in fact, look to be a bear passed by her, looking straight into Keroko's eyes, before walking on. Though he was mostly monochrome, he had one slitted red eye which seemed to pierce through whomever he looked at.

Niseko still clinging to his neck, Rikuto grunted, "Impossible. A walking teddy bear?"

As he said that, Mei suddenly perked up and looked between Rikuto and the bear. The ninja's eyes were narrowed in thought, but she said nothing.

"But then that means our ribbon lady may not be as crazy as she seems." Kanna sighed, folding his arms. True to his word, Yukari looked rather pleased with herself, but Kanna's gaze didn't linger on her long and he turned back to the bear. His eyes narrowed and his face was a bit tight, but there was no hesitation in his voice, "What is your name anyway if you don't mind my asking?"

"Of course I don't mind. It's... Monokuma!!" The bear raised his arms, possibly for dramatic effect. Though it was lost in the sea of confused students.

"Monokuma..." Ami echoed, her voice soft and distant. She placed a hand on her bangs before directing her attention toward him again. It was worth a shot, right? "Can we not call you 'bear' for short?"

"Of course not!" Monokuma yelped, glaring at Ami and completely avoiding her attempt at rushed hypnotism. What kind of a cute, loving mascot would he be if mere students could dispatch him so easily? No, in truth, something like him could never be hypnotised.

Shohei was lost in his own world. The name Monokuma... It was short for Monokuro and Kuma. Monochrome Bear. Yet... still. It was a simple word pun, but it felt so ominous... "Wh-Why does the name sound familiar... I-I-I can't remember..."

The chatter slowly began to die down as students were left to their own thoughts. Of course, it only seemed obvious that Monokuma would break it again-- "What is a teddy bear? How does it differ from a bear?"

Mei was the one who had spoken, her body in a neutral position as she stared down Monokuma with eyes that could make anyone regret crossing her. But it wasn't only Monokuma who was unfazed as Marise snorted, "Excuse me?"

The ninja turned toward the small girl, wondering if she would be the one to answer her inquiry. Scanning her freckled face, Mei decided that her attitude suggested otherwise. Did Marise require more pressing? Mei was willing to push further with her line of questioning, "Was I not clear with my question? What is a teddy bear?"

"How do you not know that!?" Marise shot back, clearly unaware of Mei's lack of basic knowledge. She then swallowed as, once again, that white wakizashi found itself pointed to another throat.

"Answer me," Mei demanded, glaring at the ginger girl.

"Gah! Put your stupid sword away, loser." Marise turned instinctively, her hand pressed on her left rib as if Mei had already stabbed her there. She looked like a hurt doe now, completely different from her earlier demeanor, "I-It's not like I know either. Ask someone else, I'm just a little girl after all!"

Kouki frowned, pointing at Marise, remembering the novelist's earlier boasting. "Hey, you played the opposite card earlier!"

"Tch. Loser." Marise's face formed a perfectly stereotypical puffed-cheek face as she turned away from Mei quite nonchalantly and moved to a new location, far away from the ninja.

Yudai sighed, shaking his head. His hair tufts waved around as he did so, " I feel as though we are swimming in place. You have yet to tell us where we are, bear."

"I told you my name is Monokuma! Not 'Bear'!" He screeched in response, his face quite literally glowing red with anger. Then, from out of his plush paw, three sharp claws extended, looking more like blades. Just as it seemed like he was about to slash Yudai, who seemed indifferent, across the face, he jarringly moved into a relaxed position, inspecting his claws as if nothing had happened. "And before Miss Meiyo blows herself up, a teddy bear is a fluffy, loving, tiny bear made of soft materials that helps you sleep at night! I can't believe you all were too rude to explain that... Upupupupu..."

His laugh was somehow creepy despite being so strange and some of the students felt a chill run down their spine. Mei, however, bowed toward the bear, "I give you my thanks."

"No need to look so down while you do!" Monokuma turned back to Yudai, "Anyway, 'stag beetle', you are in a wondrous place. The Subterranean Rescue Shelter, or the 'SRS'! But, the name doesn't matter, nor really the location, because you're not getting out anytime soon."

Marise gritted her teeth. There were so many things wrong with that. Subterranean? Like, underground subterranean? And then... That last part, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Monokuma shrugged, unperturbed by Marise's forceful speaking, "It's simple, really. You're not getting out! Duh-doy!"

Kanna knew he couldn't show his discomfort in front of the other students. That would be a disgrace to his talent. But, he could question the bear, right? "But then--"

"You already had your turn, Mr. Perfect. Let the others ask questions too." Monokuma growled, barely letting any sound pass Kanna's lips.

"Oh, of course..." Kanna frowned. His mind was on a different path, anyway. Monokuma had known Kanna's talent as well as Mei's surname. Just what was his role in all of this? Surely the stuffed teddy bear couldn't be their kidnapper alone. He had to be controlled by someone. But... who? Someone in this room or someone else...? As he looked around, his gaze landed on Shigeru who was eyeing him very curiously, as if he were privy to Kanna's thoughts of distrust. No, of course. He couldn't let suspicion cloud his judgment. After all, he was fairly certain he'd seen most of the others at some point at Hope's Peak Academy.

"Kero? Kero ro, kero?" Keroko raised an arm, but after she spoke, she lowered her head, realising that no one could understand her still.

And to Keroko's surprise, she was proven wrong for the second time. This time by Monokuma, "I mean, that counts as your question, frog girl, but yes, I can understand you."

"K-Kero!" Keroko responded in surprise again, just as she had with Yukari. Haru blinked as a feeling of loneliness from Keroko passed by. Somehow, the cellist had a feeling the Monokuma wasn't her best bet at a friend.

"If we're not getting out, are there basic necessities? Food, water, hygiene..." Niseko had climbed onto Rikuto's head now, though the welder didn't seem to mind very much. As she spoke, some of the others mumbled their appreciation for someone asking that question, even if it did suggest what they all didn't want to believe.

"Glad you asked. You'll be fine! For example, we have enough food stored down here for three hundred years for ten thousand people! It's great!" Monokuma grinned and as if out of nowhere, pulled a tray of sushi from behind him. Rikuto narrowed his unseen eyes at the thought of such perishable food being in an underground shelter for three hundred years. Through big mouthfuls, Monokuma muttered, "Want some? Too bad, get your own."

Choosing to ignore his last statement, the doll breathed a sigh of relief or, at least, what one could perceive as that. The doll couldn't actually breathe, so it was more of a sound than anything else. "Phew, that's a lot of food!"

Most people had just taken the answer as if it were normal and that annoyed Rikuto ever so slightly. Did they have no desire of their own? Did they follow as blindly as an army of ants? He turned to look at the bear and asked a question of his own, "But how do we get out?"

"Ah, I'd like to keep the suspense on that one a bit longer, you know?"

And in what was probably the biggest act of hypocrisy, Rikuto nodded, "I see."

"You see? No, no. You must be more forward than that." Shigeru also picked up on Rikuto's backward thinking and apparently had regained his fire, fiercely pointing at Monokuma, "How do we get out?"

"Ugh, you persistent little pests," Monokuma growled. He did not seem happy to oblige as he placed his now empty tray underneath him and sat down defiantly.

Kouki had also regained her senses. She wasn't about to take no answer as an answer. "Clearly you're here for something, right? So just tell us, weird bear thing!"

One by one, the other students joined in, pressuring Monokuma until the only one not actively doing anything was Yukari, who simply stood behind him, watching everything unfold. Perhaps if someone were to notice her, they might start to suspect the psychoanalyst even more. But for now, she waited. Perhaps she was wondering if someone would soon make a fool of themselves. Surely the psychoanalyst wound find some fun in that.

"Fine! Fine, fine, fine! The only way to get out is-- Ah!" Monokuma conceded but suddenly cut himself off to point a sharp claw behind him at Yukari. "Don't steal my thunder, 'Ribbon Girl'. You have your own."

"I wouldn't dare."

Students exchanged glances, but Yukari simply stood with a soft smile. Monokuma then continued, "Anyway, the only way to get out is... Killing someone! Stab, pelt, bludgeon, electrocute, smash, burn, poison, explode, stab again, smash again... and again! fry, slam, impale, hang, slice, drug, drop, run over, poison and impale, smash yet again... Oh, there are so many methods."

"Some of those were really specific." Haru grimaced. He was specifically referring to the four different smashings. The 'again's meant it was intentional, but why?

"Well, I've seen them all before." Monokuma shrugged.

There was a beat of silence, before what Monokuma said finally sunk in. Haru grit his teeth, "Hang on, you're serious?"

"Of course!" With that simple statement, conversations broke out between the students, each one providing their own unique explanation for what any of that could possibly mean - or be.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" The entire room was silenced by maniacal laughing. Instinctively, Kouki turned to look at Yukari, but the ginger girl was just quietly watching everything unfold with the same small smile. It wasn't her that had laughed. No... Instead, it was... Marise? "Ahaha... Ha... C'mon, this is a ruse. Like a prank show."

"Kagome, Kagome, eh?" Finally, Yukari made her move, walking forward as she commented on the shoddy circle forming around her. The psychoanalyst smirked as she turned to Marise, speaking in a bright, bubbly voice, "Nope. It's genuine. The bear, Monokuma, wants us to kill each other."

Silence fell, each student watching Yukari very closely, unsure of what she would do.

As no one dared to speak, Yukari swivelled around to face Monokuma and she glared, her voice suddenly low, "How pathetic. You should try just killing us outright."

The bear returned her gaze, "But what fun is that?"

"It's not, you're right." Yukari flipped back to her bubbly persona and then closed her eyes and started to spin, "Eenie meenie miney... moe!"

Yukari stopped and extended an arm, pointing at Shigeru. The cosmetologist raised his arms, taking an instinctive step back. His smile became increasingly more nervous as Yukari took long strides to meet him face to face, "Woah, woah. What's up?"

She narrowed her icy eyes and grinned maliciously. With a sleight of hand that even a professional magician would be jealous of, Yukari flicked something into her hand, "I'm going to start, naturally."

Once it became clear to Shigeru what Yukari was holding and what she’d meant, he froze, feeling nothing but his heartbeat. As still as a statue, he spoke, his voice quiet, "Where'd you get the knife from?"

Yukari raised the knife so that it was perpendicular to Shigeru's neck and the tension in the air seemed to increase dramatically. One move and Shigeru would be no more. With a voice as sickly sweet as nightshade, Yukari answered him, "Doesn't matter. Now, now... Stay still."

"No!" Shigeru suddenly yelped and attempted to jump backwards, but he didn't get far before Yukari grabbed him by the collar. She grinned at him some more, relishing in the dark, shared mood of the room.

Shigeru's breath caught in his throat and he stared into her icy eyes. He winced as he felt the cold steel tap his neck.

Then Yukari exhaled her breath into a sigh, "Ah, okay. I'll quit the act. I'm not killing anyone. That'd be foolish, especially-- ESPECIALLY since we don't know the rules, right?" She turned her head slightly to eye Monokuma.

"There are rules to this?" Kouki gasped. The girl had been trembling with fright the entire time Yukari had been near Shigeru and now, hearing this, she was nearly at her limit.

"Of course... What a twisted sense of mind." Ami added, though it wasn't clear if she was referring to Monokuma or Yukari or, perhaps, both. Everyone turned to look at Monokuma for the answer.

"Yes! I'll supply you with the--" A flash of silver darted across the room and as it connected with Monokuma, a flash of light filled the room with a sound quite deafening. When the small cloud of smoke had cleared, the bear was gone, a gunpowder stain marking where he once stood. Fifteen pairs of eyes trailed to where the object had come from and landed on Yukari.

The ginger girl was no longer holding her knife and she smirked, "Oops."

It was clear what she had done and the action had been so simple that it was hard to believe it even happened. Did Monokuma really disappear just like that?

"Is the nightmare over?" Niseko said in a small voice, finally scaling down Rikuto to stand on her own two legs.

It was Yudai who gave voice to the uneasy feeling that everyone shared, "Like a coming storm, I sense this is just the eye..."

"Nagakage, you said? Nagakage Ma’am," Rikuto grunted, peering at the girl from behind his mask. In fact, he could see her just fine. It was probably as well that he had the mask on because if he took it off now, he would likely go blind from the light. Possibly. "Whose agenda are you running? First, you threaten Shigeru, then you kill the bear."

"He's not dead, unfortunately. I just wanted to get that out of my system before it became a rule." Yukari muttered, inspecting her nails. She didn't seem the least bit bothered and while that ease would normally cast suspicion on her, the very fact that she had attacked Monokuma, who seemed to be their captor, threw a wrench into it. Was this a staged act to change their assumptions?

The floorboards next to Yukari flipped as something jumped out again, but Yukari didn't even flinch and when the black and white blur landed, it was clear that it was Monokuma making his return. "Thanks, ribbon bitch. That wasn't fun."

"No, I don't imagine it was." Quietly, Yukari murmured in response, her outward emotions having completely changed once again. This time she seemed more thoughtful and her voice was little more than a whisper, her thoughts made aloud.

Amari folded her arms, fixing her eyes on the bear. Of course, she didn't understand what had just happened, but the facts she saw were the facts, "So... It seems the bear has returned."

"K-Kero..." Keroko lowered herself to the ground, trembling in fear. She had been in high hopes that the bear would not return, but, of course, she had also known deep in her mind that escape wouldn’t be so easy.

”Such bullshit...” Yamato grumbled under his breath. That smile of his looked like it could turn into a gaping snarl at any moment, but for now, it held, “Logically, something that dies should stay dead. Everyone knows that. But your smoke and mirrors trick is just replacing the dead thing with a copy!”

If you were to be kidnapped, what would your reaction be? Each student seemed to have a different one, with some being terrified like Keroko, some being angry like Yamato, and others still being mildly curious like Amari. But when it came down to it, the only one not affected by any negative emotion was Yukari. Instead, she seemed to be having the time of her life. Her earlier reverie had broken and she was once again grinning.

Monokuma growled at Yukari, not approving of her attitude toward the whole thing. Instead of being filled with despair, she laughed in his face? "Now I get to punish you. You'll make a fine example of what happens when you defy me! Spears of--"

"Ah, ah, ah," Yukari waved a finger in front of Monokuma, cutting him off. "There are no rules yet! You can't do a thing. Besides, this old thing?" Again with a strange sleight of hand, she pulled a long spear out of midair. When he glimpsed it, Monokuma jumped up and looked around, "Why reuse such an old prop?"

"H-Hey! Stop that!" Monokuma huffed and then, apparently deciding that Yukari was right, pulled out some very thin electronic devices and began to shove one in each of the student's hands. "Now, no more rule-breaking because all of them can be read there!"

Haru turned it over in his hands, unsure of what to make of it. With a quick tap on the device, it lit up and for a brief moment, the words 'HARU TANIOTO, CELLIST' flashed on the screen before a rather pretty GUI replaced the words. Looking back up at Monokuma, he asked, "What is this?"

"Rikuto Honda, yes. Welder, yes." Rikuto said aloud, confirming that his device held the correct information. Niseko looked up at him as he spoke. It seemed odd that the normally silent welder chose that moment to speak, but Rikuto had his reasons and it didn't go unnoticed.

"This is your Monopad. It's very important. Don't lose or break it or you're outta luck. In fact, I think there's a rule in there about it which means... Upupupu... I getta do something to you if some misfortune DOES befall your Monopad." Monokuma's laugh was sinister and his words hung in the air like a weight. It wasn't quite clear what he meant, but the delivery was threatening enough to get the point across.

"So then... Rules, rules, I see. It's one of the options." Shigeru spoke, trying to convey some semblance of confidence through his voice, but even he was struggling to keep a positive attitude.

What wasn't expected, however, was that the breeze of fresh air would come from Mei as she waved the Monopad around like she was a newsboy handing out the daily paper, "I don't understand. Why won't this do anything?" Frowning she looked around before striding toward Ami, "Fix it. It's broken."

"Broken? I doubt that. What did you do to it?" Ami tilted her head, unfazed by Mei's lack of personal space as the ninja stuck the tablet in her face. She extended an arm to grab the Monopad and then paused, "Yours is different from mine..."

"Different? Different, how?" Mei practically snarled in desperation, "Answer, please."

"I don't know yet, now do I? I have to find out first," Ami tapped the front of Mei's Monopad and it lit up, "How's that, better?"

"How did you do that?" Mei said, scratching her head, "I couldn't get it to do anything."

"PCAP. Projective capacitive touch screen. It registers the electrical currents in your body to sense when it is being touched. You didn't tap the screen, did you?" Ami said, "But then... I wonder... Yudai. Did yours have any trouble turning on?"

"No, it did not," Yudai responded, "If you are referring to my gloves, I don't quite understand either. This whole thing is a sea of mystery, is it not?"

"Electrical currents?" Mei murmured. "Hm, I will speak with you later. I believe we have a matter to attend to."

"Yes, yes. The rules, as I was saying," Shigeru said, pointing at the option on his Monopad. Even he was getting a bit impatient, perhaps because of the threats standing in the room in the form of both Monokuma and Yukari.

"Of course! We shall read them all together!" Yamato's booming voice cut through the low buzz. He had a large smile plastered on his face and this time, he’d spoken with much more energy, but with the current situation, it wasn't hard to tell that he was hiding impatience of his own.

Kanna had the initiative to take charge as he scoured his Monopad, "Number one, hmm... 'Without express permission, students may not leave the SRS while Monokuma is still active.'" He took a moment to let it sink in before turning his head slightly to look at Monokuma, "I see. So that means we don't just have to find an exit, but a way to deactivate you."

"Rule two, 'Nighttime is from 10PM to 7AM. You may not go to the Meeting Room during this time.'" Haru looked up from his Monopad to add, "Where's that?"

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Shigeru answered. When there was a bit of silence, he looked down at his own Monopad, "Ah, number three, number three... 'Sleeping in a place other than the dorms is prohibited.' So, along with the schedule, this would point to a long-term affair."

As Shigeru's comment hung in the air, no one spoke. No one wanted to believe it and, certainly, no one wanted to reveal any more bombshells by reading the rest. That is, until Rikuto spoke, "Four. 'You are free to explore the SRS with little restrictions.'" With that, uncomfortable shuffling gave away the fact that people were looking at the regulations once again.

"My turn! Rule number five, 'Violence against Monokuma is forbidden.'" Nori spoke with such enthusiasm that it seemed strange that he hadn't spoken earlier. In fact, his sudden outburst now made it all too apparent that he hadn’t actually spoken at all since Monokuma had appeared. The green-haired boy then frowned and shook his head, "It should actually be, 'Nori is the best, vote for Sasaki.'"

"If you would quiet down," Amari sighed, then proceeded with the next rule, "Six, 'Someone who kills a fellow student will become the Blackened and graduate unless caught.' I don't... I don’t understand this... No, well, I know we are being told to kill, as terrible as that is, but what does ‘Blackened’ mean? And ‘graduate’?"

Kill. There was that word again. The one that made people uneasy. Kouki glanced at Yukari, then Amari, "I don’t know either, but, look, rule seven doesn't make much sense either. 'Once there is a Blackened, a class trial will take place. Attendance is mandatory.'"

"Mandatory?" Yamato gritted his teeth, but almost immediately rebounded with booming laughter. "Hahaha! Well then, number eight! 'If the Blackened is exposed, they will be executed!' Wait, executed?” His eyes grew wide under his spectacles and he pursed his lips, taking in what he had just read, “Haha... Well, Miss Lady... I believe the answer to your first question is, quite simply, ‘Blackened’ means ‘Guilty’. That’s... probably all there is to it."

Shohei, just as off-put, took a deep breath. "F-Following that... nine says 'If the Blackened is not exposed, the remaining students will be executed in their place and the Blackened will be free to leave.'" No one could guess what execution meant exactly in a place like this, but there was a general unspoken consensus. It wasn't good.

"This is worrying... However, rule ten might stir up even more worry: 'One Blackened may kill as many students as they'd like.'" Yudai let out a disappointed breath before lowering his device, frowning, "Whoever would wish to kill even one person? If someone were to be so desperate for escape, one victim would do just fine."

Of course, most glances went toward Yukari, who simply shrugged. Ami rubbed a finger on her Monopad screen as if wiping something off and then read, "'The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time.' That doesn't sound good... Is that exactly what it says on the tin or...?"

"No fucking idea. You guys all squawk about stuff that really doesn’t matter. Or might even get answered if you just kept on moving. Ever think about that? No? Twelve, 'The Killing Game will continue until two students remain.'" After shooting down Ami’s question, Marise placed a curled-up fist at her waist, "Pretty sure that assumes we’re all willing to participate in this bullshit and, looking around? I really don’t see it."

"Uh oh..." A high pitched squeak came from the ground as Niseko spoke up, "Thirteen, 'In the event that only one person remains, they will be executed.'"

Seeing that the person who she related to the most had spoken, Keroko decided to try her hand, "Kero, kerokero. 'Kero kekeroko... Kerokero.'" Of course, her croaking was met by confused stares.

"Lemme translate that. 'Monokuma will never directly commit a murder.'" Monokuma grinned and, had the rule itself not been on the screen of each Monopad, most would've been inclined to not believe him. But there it was. Of course, most still didn't believe it, but it wasn’t as if they had any means to prove it, nor did they want any.

"'Your Monopads are important, don't lose or damage them.'" Mei said, rather hastily. Then she looked up, around the room and narrowed her red eyes, "Erm, excuse me... That's number fifteen."

"Kyahahaha!" But even more jarring than Mei's sudden reading was Yukari's unprompted cackling as she grinned, "And finally sixteen! 'Additional rules may be added at any time by an authority!'"

"Now, I know you guys have read and even heard all of the rules and regulations out loud, so no more bending or breaking of them because I will punish you if you do. Including you, Miss Nagakage." Monokuma said, taking time to look at each student.

"These rules make no sense!" Marise shot toward Monokuma, malice dripping from her voice, and stopped just shy of his snout. Apparently, she seemed unfazed by the possibility of death hovering over her as she stared the two-toned bear in the eyes.

Yet, despite everything Marise brought forth, Monokuma simply turned away from her green gaze. "Of course they do. Kill somebody and you go to a trial. If you survive the trial, you leave. Simple! If not, you die."

"This is troubling. If someone were to go through with this..." Ami shook her head, her thick bangs shifting oddly around her nose as she did. Then she looked up as if she were suddenly realizing what her own implication was, "We could wind up in a terrible situation."

"Don't worry so much! They will!" Monokuma put on his cheerful, but frightening smile. "Ooh, but, I really need to get going. There are preparations to be made, y'know!"

"Preparations--"

"Toodle-oo!" With complete disregard for Haru, Monokuma leapt straight up and his weight carried him down, flipping a floorboard in the process. After a few moments of complete silence, it seemed clear that he wasn't coming back, but the uneasy atmosphere only darkened.

"Right, let's take this a step at a time. First off, let's go through and state our names and talents really quick... If you would also, just for the sake of protection, list any weapons we may be carrying, that would help. Of course, we don't need to take them unless anyone is behaving irrationally, but just so that we are aware." Kanna broke the silence as he glanced around and his gaze landed on Mei for a bit before he continued, "Is that alright with everyone?"

"Right-o. Speak now or forever hold your peace." Shigeru smiled and, when no one else spoke up, he resumed speaking, "Yes, yes. I think you are good, Kanna."

"Ah, you want me to start? Alrighty, then." He paused and then bowed. "I am Kanna Kanichi, Super High School Level Perfection. My talent is being perfect, myself, to help others achieve perfection as well and I do not currently have any weapons on me."

"I do not see the possibility in this," Rikuto met Kanna's introduction. He was still struggling to grasp the concept of something that could be 'perfect'. After all, humanity was a flawed, imperfect species. Perhaps that, itself, was how Kanna could hold the title as Rikuto had surmised earlier, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

"Perfection is relative, like distance and time." Yudai responded but said no more.

"Right, then I'll go. I'm Haru Tanioto, the Super High School Level Cellist. As you can see, I have my cello and that's it. Harmless, really... Unless you think I can hypnotise you through a song. But that's Ami's forte, not mine." Haru blinked as the hypnotist scoffed a bit, though she said nothing.

"So, I've realized something. Kanna went first, Haru went second... If you recall, reading the rules went much the same way. I propose we follow that order, which means I'll be next." Shigeru smiled, flashing his perfectly white teeth. It was hard not to notice his top right canine which stood out like a sore thumb, sharp compared to the rest of his teeth. Even with his mouth closed, it rested atop his bottom lip. "I am Shigeru Fujioka and I am the Super High School Level Cosmetologist, or, in other words, make-up artist. Uh... Right, right. I don't have any weapons on me, per se, just a make-up set. A rather luxurious one, at that."

"The order in which we read the rules?" Nori tapped his chin, "So then... Next would be--"

"Me." Rikuto interrupted Nori. "Get it over with. Rikuto Honda, Ultimate Welder. I have, on my person, a welding torch which can be dangerous in many ways, though I do not intend to use it unless absolutely necessary."

"I am not familiar with welding. How is it dangerous? It is called a torch, so does it burn you?" Mei shot out her questions as before, though this time she didn't make any threatening gestures along with it.

"It can burn you, yes. Also, however, welding is the craft of conjoining two pieces of metal and the flames from the torch are incredibly bright. If you do not wear a mask, like mine, it can permanently damage your eyesight." Rikuto explained, "That is all. Go, Nori Sasaki Sir."

"Classy, Dari! I like it. I'm Nori Sasaki, the Super High School Level Politician. Can’t get better than that!" Nori beamed and then lifted a campaigning poster from the ground, "No weapons except for my dashingly handsome looks!"

"How... formally you address people, Rikuto, and how informally you address people, Nori. I am Amari Hoshino, Amari will suffice," Amari glanced back at Rikuto, her eyes narrowed as if she knew the welder would not follow that bit of advice. "I am the Super High School Level Bodyguard which is as the title says. I am sure that by now, even you know what a bodyguard is, don't you?"

"Yes, I am familiar. I have also killed quite a few bodyguards as part of my job," Mei dipped her head in respect as Amari directed her attention toward her. Silence followed the black-haired girl's statement. Had she truly just said that out loud?

"Mei... I believe we need to have a talk. Later, of course," Amari responded before resuming her introduction, "I would've liked to keep this under wraps, but if it benefits the group, I will oblige. Surprising as it may be, I do not have any weapons on me."

"I guess we have no choice but to trust you. You did mention earlier that they had gone missing, so I wonder if they're somewhere in this building," Kouki looked around nervously before realising-- "Oh! It's my turn. I'm so sorry! I'm Kouki Maekawa, the Super High School Level Abstract Artist. No weapons here!"

"Right... I read rule eight, so I suppose it's time for me to shine! Hahaha!" The energy Yamato was putting out increased significantly through that sentence and with a deep breath, he continued, "Yamato Yukimura! I am the Ultimate... Ringmaster! I have experience with several different circus troupes and all of them have seen success at some point. Namely, while I was there! Before you ask, no, I am not taking questions and, no, I do not have a weapon."

"That last bit almost sounded... Hmm..." Shigeru began to speak but when he noticed Haru shooting Yamato a death glare, he thought better of it, "Alright, alright. Shohei, right? I believe it's your turn."

"R-Right... I'm Sh-Shohei Takanichi... I'm a... a barista... Ultimate Barista... Y-Yeah, um... Nnnn... No weapons," Shohei kept it as concise as he could, but he still got many stares.

Marise, in particular, was rather irked by his introduction as she folded her arms, "Are you braindead? Why do you stutter so much?"

"I-I-I... Uh, well..." Shohei gulped. Looking closely, one could see that he was shaking, tremors went up and down his body and they only worsened as he was called out for his stutter, “I-Isn’t that a little... Y’know... Rude? Rude to say? What if I had a t-terrible condition? You could call it--”

”Not now, Shohei,” Kouki sighed, cutting him off, and Marise just gave a disgruntled huff.

"Let's move on from that ripple, shall we? I suppose I should go now... Yes, I am Yudai Shimizu, the Super High School Level Mask Maker... I make masks, perhaps both literally and figuratively. There are no weapons on my person... Unless you count the horn on my mask." The Mask Maker removed a mask strapped to his waist which had a long, golden horn protruding from the forehead, presented it for a bit, and then replaced it.

"I-It does look s-sorta dangerous..." Shohei muttered, his eyes glued to the mask. He stared for quite a bit, unsure of what to make of it. Images of blood exploded in his mind and he reeled a bit before a tap on his shoulder made him jump, his heart skipping a beat.

The barista turned to see Ami who was slowly exhaling. "I am Ami Yumekuu. I do not have any weapons. However, as Haru pointed out, I am, indeed, a hypnotist. Please do not act as if this puts some sort of wall between us, though. I mean no more harm than, say, Amari."

The bodyguard cracked a bit of a smile in a friendly gesture before going back to the stoic face that so many of the students shared.

A moment passed... Then two... Before Marise realised that she was being stared at and she turned to glare at Ami, "Ugh, right. I'm after the edge wannabe girl. Marise Kita, Ultimate Mystery Novelist. Obviously, I have no weapons. Besides, I couldn't use them if I tried. I'm too small."

"No, no! I'm the one who's too small. I don't think I could hold even a kitchen knife properly." Niseko raised a hand and then paused, examining it and wiggling a stubby finger, "My name is Niseko, by the way! But I've never met any of you before today. But you may have met my master, Setsuka, the Ultimate Doll Maker. Kuku, well, I know that Keroko, Marise, and Yudai have. And, um, maybe I could wrap my arms around the knife? But that would be... Well... Inefficient? "

"Inefficient indeed." Yudai echoed. Being familiar with crafting things, albeit not moving dolls, Yudai couldn't imagine such a thing being dextrous enough to utilise a weapon properly. Therefore, the doll, Niseko, would certainly not find any advantage in this situation.

"Keroko," The frog girl put a hand to her chest and then hopped over next to Niseko, her tongue lolling out a bit, "Kero...?"

"Um..." Confused, Niseko brought a hand to her chin, but before she could get much more out, Keroko shrugged and her tongue lashed out, almost too quick to catch, and Niseko found herself trapped in the sticky amphibian tongue. "Eek!"

As soon as Niseko started wiggling frantically, Keroko drew back, looking sheepish. She then looked at the others, her head low. Even if she could, she would never admit it, but part of that demonstration had been to test Setsuka’s reactions. The other part of it was what everyone had picked up on. The most dangerous thing Keroko had was her own tongue.

Well, almost everyone. Unaware that the herpetologist had taken her turn, Mei said nothing, allowing the choking silence and tension to creep back in. Marise grit her teeth, "The one who obviously has the capability of killing us is being silent. Let's lynch her!"

"...What?" Mei responded, tilting her head. "I see... You wish for me to lay bear my swords. These are very important to me. You cannot take them."

"Well, I'm sure that we can all see those..." Yamato hesitated a bit, "Any... other weapons on you besides the katana and wakizashi?"

"No. I do not carry any other weapons. However..." Mei placed a hand to her chest and frowned. Biting her lip, she made her way over to Haru and pointed at his case. "What is this. You called it a... a cello."

"It's... a cello. An instrument." Haru answered, slowly. He frowned, just as clueless as Ami was. Mei, who had been called to introduce herself and then move along, had interrupted the conversation to seemingly ask her own questions.

"This is also an instrument." Mei drew her wakizashi and held it out for Haru to look at, blinking, "What does it do? Does it kill people?"

"It- I... That's not... It makes music," Haru took a step back, unsure of what to make of Mei's questioning. As hard as he tried, her genuine curiosity drowned out anything else, "Sounds? It produces sound. I can show you later."

Satisfied, Mei nodded, "Yes. Please do."

"Alright, alright, bow girl. You had a knife earlier, threw it at the bear... Then you pulled a spear from out of nowhere," Shigeru raised a finger, "Anything else we should know about?"

"Oh... Well... See, I'm in a bit of a predicament." Yukari pouted, "There's just too much, you see!"

"Too much?" Amari folded her arms.

"Why yes! Too much. But at the same time, nothing." She narrowed her icy eyes, her voice going deadpan, "We can go with the latter if you don't feel like wasting everyone's time."

"I think knowing about weapons is important, even if it takes us all day!" Kouki responded.

"All day? Oh, you misunderstand, love. It would take all of eternity." Yukari smiled. Then her smile grew into a mischievous grin, "But by all means. What do you count as a weapon? For instance..."

Yukari swiped her hand and for a moment, it seemed like reality stopped working as she was suddenly holding a baseball bat, "This is not typically a weapon, but I could kill someone with it."

"What the-" Yamato growled, "How are you doing that?"

"You tell me, ringmaster," Yukari snorted, tossing the bat aside. Stranger still, when the tip touched the ground, the entire bat shattered like glass, shards falling to the ground. "My point is, I could do this all day, but no one wants that. So we'll just have to go on the honor system. I promise not to hurt anyone."

"Who would believe you?!" Marise spat, "But if that first bit's the truth, then I'm out. I'd be more excited coming up with another tired, boring mystery to write than to watch you play with toys and explain how they're dangerous."

"But... I wanna know how you did that!" Nori interjected, pointing at the shards of baseball bat. "That's not an everyday thing!"

"Just like every politician, I, too, have my secrets. Now, wouldn't it be more useful to explore this shelter and look for a way out?" Yukari blinked, "Doesn't that make more sense?"

"Surely, that does seem like the best course of action... But I'll be watching you, Yukari. I'll be watching you like a hawk," Kanna locked his eyes with Yukari's.

"If you really find it necessary," The psychoanalyst shrugged.

"We really should begin to sail on. The breeze of curiosity won't blow forward our ship of determination forever," Yudai turned away, scanning the room. There were two doors out, "Shall we split up or remain together?"

”W-Wasn’t that door locked?” Shohei tilted his head.

”It isn’t anymore,” Yukari answered with a smile. When everyone just seemed to stare at her in silence, she shook her head, “What? You don’t believe me? Then go try it out yourselves. A waste of time, really, but I do understand not trusting me.”

”It’s fine. Let’s just get on with it,” Haru muttered and, beside him, Nori nodded.

"I-I... I'm a little uncomfortable around... Well, Yukari." Niseko's smile seemed nervous, but surely, it was just Yudai's imagination. He was around fake faces very often and very rarely did they change. Examining the doll in more detail crossed his mind, but it would have to wait.

"We can split up into groups of two," Kouki said, raising her finger, "We'd get done quicker and people can... choose who they'd prefer to avoid."

"More like, choose who's comfortable around Yukari. Actually, I imagine that's no one." Haru frowned, glancing toward Yukari. Strangely enough, she was watching him back with a curious gaze.

"I'll go, of course. I did just say I'd be watching her," Kanna shrugged, placing his arms on his hips.

"I wanna see what else she can do. I mean, you saw that baseball bat, right? That was crazy!" Nori shook his head before awkwardly looking around and then moving next to Kanna, "You don't mind, do you, Chika?"

"Chika is a fairly feminine name, isn't it, Nori?" Amari tilted her head with curiosity.

"Yeah, I guess. But I think it's good to treat people on a personal level and nicknames are a perfect way for that. You... Noa. Yeah," Nori grinned, "Just 'cause I'm a politician doesn't mean I need to be all rough and callous like that image some people have."

"How predictable. I imagine I'm Tama?" Marise smirked, "What kinda name is Tama?"

"Yes! Tama," Nori nodded a satisfied nod, "You could call me Kino if you wanted."

"Hard pass. And I don't like you either. I associate politicians with slimy sleazeballs and nicknames just scream that, so I'll be in the other group," Marise folded her arms, shutting her eyes as if in defiance.

"I imagine it will just be easier to move to where you want to go instead of this pointless 'going-through-everyone-one-by-one' dance, yes?" Yukari's voice was a bit distant, but it returned to its clear tone as she blinked and turned around, "Who is brave and/or curious and who would rather keep their distance..? How fascinating this will be, hehe..."

After quite a bit of shuffling around, the crowd eventually split into two clear cut groups. On one side, Yukari, Kanna, Nori, Amari, Mei, Ami, Yudai, and Yamato. On the other, Haru, Kouki, Niseko, Marise, Rikuto, Shigeru, Keroko, and Shohei. Yukari grinned at the ginger boy, "Alright then, Haru. Door One, to the left, or Door Two, to the right? Do us a favor and pick."

"Two. Simple enough," Haru met her gaze. For a moment, it seemed like time stopped as Haru locked eyes with the icy gaze. For a moment he saw something, some emotion that betrayed something further hidden. A deep, buried feeling. Haru had seen that emotion before, but he couldn't place it which was unusual. Haru could see-- No, feel. Haru could feel many emotions coming from the people around him, but this one was different and yet... Still familiar. Where had he seen it and why Yukari?

“We should go then, Haru, who was apparently appointed team leader by the bow bitch," The moment broke as Marise spoke, her harsh tongue like a whip as she brushed by with a glare. The people in the second group shuffled behind her and Marise turned, continuing to walk backwards, "And yet, what’s this? People are following me. Look, it's not like I want to be the leader, but I wouldn't let Haru do it."

"Why not? Do you... not trust me to be in charge?" Haru frowned, catching up to Marise.

She looked up at him and paused her stride, "Well, let's see. From what I know about you, you're a distraction. Clearly, your playing is good, else you wouldn't be the Ultimate Cellist but guess what, music boy? I don't like classical. And besides, a cellist like you? Doomed to be accompaniment for eternity. Followers can't be leaders."

Unable to come up with a retort to that, Haru lowered his head in defeat. Kouki, who had caught up, frowned at Marise, "Why does there need to be a leader anyway? We're exploring as a team. I can tell you don't do well on teams, but still. You're an author, you can pretend."

"Tch. Author, not actor. And I don't write about goody-goody slices of life," Marise snorted, but as she opened her mouth to say more, Rikuto's large shape passed her, pushing open the door, Shigeru closely following behind.

"Yeah, you write about murder mysteries, so one could say you're in your element," Haru glared as he followed after Shigeru. Marise watched as he disappeared, anger burning in her green eyes. One by one, the others entered the room until Marise was left with no choice. She felt a tug at her leg and looked down to see Keroko. With a heavy sigh, the novelist entered the next room.

"My, my. Certainly, the thought that the bear was lying crossed my mind, but this does seem to be a canteen or dining hall... of sorts," Shigeru brought a finger to his chin as he entered.

The room held four different tables, each with four seats. Perfectly sixteen, Shigeru noted. There didn't seem to be any sort of assignment within the seats, which was probably for the better. Had it been so, would anyone have followed that rule? Well, it's quite impossible to judge what cannot be, I think you would find, should you ever try. Thus, Shigeru put his mind away from the logical impossibility fallacy.

"I-Is there's a k-kitchen, I wonder... I-If so..." Shohei curiously stepped forward, his voice warbling as it trailed off.

"Kero!" The frog girl hopped in front of the barista, pointing a finger at the other end of the room, where a door lay ajar. Tugging on Shohei's pant leg, much as she had done with Marise's leg, she pulled. Shohei, however, felt very little tug and as a low croak began to emit from Keroko's throat, Shohei saw beads of sweat form on her brow.

"A-Ah. It's okay, I-I see it. Let's go," Worried for the herpetologist, Shohei began to walk off toward the door, Keroko hopping behind him and panting.

"O-Oh! Hey, I wanna come, too!" Niseko called out, chasing after the other two with precision quite unlike a doll. Over and over, Niseko had proved to be almost more human than doll and that idea worried Haru.

The cellist frowned as Niseko's form disappeared through the door until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, expecting Kouki, but instead, he met Shigeru's gaze. "Now, now... Are you worried about the doll? I was speaking with Yudai and he told me that maybe it might be unnecessary to worry about her for now."

"For now?" Haru frowned, glancing back toward the door, "What does that mean?"

Shigeru brought a finger to his chin, his expression one of careful thought, "Well, he told me that the real one to watch out for is Setsuka, but she doesn't seem to be here. It crossed my mind that maybe Setsuka is hiding or even the one behind all of this, but if you watch that doll carefully... Well, doesn't it seem like she's the slightest bit distressed?"

Haru thought back, but then shook his head. There was no way he could get a read on an emotionless doll, right? He didn’t want to. If it turned out that he could feel Niseko’s emotions just like he could with a normal person... "No, I don't... Maybe you can explain what you mean. After all, learning about Setsuka could be very beneficial."

"Yes, yes. I thought the same, which is precisely why I spoke to Yudai. They were in the same class. Unfortunately, Yudai seems to know very little about Setsuka, which is, perhaps, a fair trade. After all, I doubt anyone knows much about Yudai," Shigeru began to walk, "Come, come. Let's at least pretend like we're investigating. Some people... Hint hint... might get a little angry if we don't."

Shigeru's eyes swept the room until they landed on Marise. She seemed preoccupied with staring at a table. Occasionally knocking on it, checking under the tablecloth... "Well, anyway, what Yudai has noticed is that Niseko, the doll, seems to be a complete act and, well, what have I noticed? Every so often, she gets these little twitches in her hand, oftentimes right before she speaks. If Niseko is controlled by Setsuka as she claims, I have a strong feeling that Setsuka does not enjoy playing the role of Niseko."

"And if what we're told about Setsuka is true, that makes a lot of sense. Creepy, a recluse... The kind of personality that entails seems to be the complete opposite of Niseko. But at the same time, she's right. I can't see her being able to pose a threat due to her size and the dexterity of her joints," Haru added, once again glancing toward the door. "But, I guess we can't forget that Setsuka is the Ultimate Doll Maker. If anyone can make a murderous doll, it's her."

"That is the truth, like it or not. We don't know what she's capable of. To be completely honest... We should survey everyone's talents, whether they seem dangerous or not," Shigeru furrowed his brow, "You never know... Ah! Riku!"

"What is it?" The welder, who had been inspecting a sheet of metal affixed to the wall, turned his head. Other than that, he was completely still. Under his suit, Haru couldn't pinpoint his breathing and, of course, there were no visible eyes to see blink.

"Mhm, mhm. Tell me, what do you make of Yudai?" Haru blinked in surprise as Shigeru said it. He had expected Shigeru to ask about Setsuka, not Yudai.

"Nothing," Rikuto turned his full body toward the two others. Instead of responding, Shigeru simply looked on and Rikuto felt as if the cosmetologist was somehow locking eyes with him. Haru, of course, was silent. Shigeru must have wanted him to elaborate... "I know nothing of Yudai; thus, I have no opinion."

"Aha. Yes, there we are. You know nothing about Yudai. However, you probably wouldn't, right? You weren't in Yudai's class and you rarely left your room... Right?" Shigeru raised a finger, "No, no... This won't do. Instead... Marise?"

"What do you want, weirdo?" The ginger turned as she heard her name. Her emerald eyes were narrowed in her usual annoyed expression, "As you can see, I'm kind of busy."

"Oh? I didn't notice. You seemed to be so intently poking at the tablecloth, I just thought you zoned out from boredom. How silly of me," Shigeru's smirk was accented by the tensing of muscles as Marise marched straight to him. "Now, now. I just wanted to ask you about Yudai. You were in the same class, no?"

"I guess so. He was a transfer student, though. Appeared from nowhere one day and fit right into the group of losers. Dunno what he ever did, though. Always writing. Even I don't feel like writing all day. Such a weird loser," Marise folded her arms, her weight on one leg. "Why? It's not like there's anything special about him."

"On the contrary. It seems no one knows a thing about Yudai other than him being a transfer student and a mask maker. Though... I don't think it's all that odd," Shigeru shrugged, "Now, Haru, do you understand? Through these questions, I am evaluating Yudai. I have learned that Yudai is not just a mask maker in trade, but also a metaphorical mask maker, just as he claimed he might be earlier. His mask is so great, no one knows who he truly is, despite hiding in plain sight. Truly an Ultimate."

"I had no idea... I guess I can learn something from you," Haru looked at Shigeru, "You're a lot more... calculated than I originally expected."

Immediately, Haru regretted saying it, but Shigeru laughed, "I get that a lot. Flamboyant pink boy? No one really takes him seriously! ...So, Riku. You inspected that sheet of iron. What did you learn, if I may ask?"

"It's covering something. But it cannot be a window. If the bear is to be trusted, we are underground," Rikuto lowered his head but jerked it back up as a familiar voice met his ears.

"Well, what can I say? You are underground! But how can I prove it to my dear, dear, uhhh... Hmm. Well, I can't really call you my students, now can I?" Rikuto turned to see the monochromatic bear sitting on the ground, "Perhaps if I told you that plate of iron is blocking an elevator? Puhuhu! It leads further down into the SRS. But I can't let you down there. Besides... Do you really want to go further down...? Upupupupu..."

"Ew. I don't want to go down. I want to get out of here!" Marise spat, "Isn't that obvious, you two-toned, idiotic toy?"

"Well, I'm not a toy... My pride has been wounded. But it's fiiiine. There is a way to open this elevator, but that's a surprise! I hope you look forward to it. Now that's all from Captain Monokuma!" Before anyone else could respond, Monokuma did a twist as he jumped before he went spinning through the floorboards. Rikuto, grunting, tapped it with his steel-toed boot, but it held firm. How odd.

"Do you think he's bouncing between us and the other group?" Kouki said, approaching the small cluster from her personal investigation, "Either way, I wonder how we open it. There could be clues down there."

"Nothing good." Rikuto shook his head as he spoke confidently. Though the moment lasted in silence, the four others certainly agreed with him. After Monokuma's cruel method of escape, there could be nothing better lying in wait.

"Well, erm... Hm. I would ask you what you found, Marise, but that seems like it may be a complete waste of time," Shigeru said, frowning. Once, he might've bitten his lip. As a child, certainly. But his snaggletooth would easily pierce the soft skin and blood running down his chin simply would not do.

The novelist snorted, "If you want to know what I found, go over there and look for yourself. I am in no way indebted to you to share my findings."

"That sounds like code for 'I actually didn't investigate much of anything,'" Kouki sighed. "It's fine, though. I also looked around the tables and, honestly, I didn't discover much of anything. They're all just tables and tablecloths."

"Well, Shohei and his little group haven't come back yet, so... Ah, Marise, Marise... maybe you should pay them a visit," Shigeru nodded, his repetition of Marise's name sounding almost condescending. Well, Shigeru meant it more in a scolding tone, but that would do, too. He'd met people like Marise before and handling them certainly proved a challenge, but he was more than willing to face it.

"Why me? Can't you see I'm much too scared to be alone with a... a weirdo coffee addict, a moving doll, and a frog girl!?" Marise lowered her head, pressing her fingertips together as if nervous.

"My, my, best to face your fear then, no?" Shigeru smiled, "Though I find it odd you would be nervous around Keroko, considering your preexisting relationship, don't you?"

"Ugh. Fine. Whatever," In her standard heel-face-turn, Marise gritted her teeth and stomped off toward the door near the back. Of course, she had heard Shohei's ramblings about a kitchen, but she really didn't care too much. It's not like she would be cooking, right?

Marise opened the door with quite a considerable amount of force. So much so that she saw the aftereffects of Shohei jumping, startled by the occurrence. Blinking her large eyes at him, Marise then scanned the room. Of course, Keroko and Niseko were there, the former staring up at her with what Marise could only describe as a dopey expression.

The room was, as expected, the kitchen. On one wall, knives and pans. On the other, a fridge, stove, microwave, and other basic kitchen appliances. In the center of the room was a table for cooking space and on the wall opposite the door was a cupboard that served as the pantry.

"W-What are you d-doing here? I-I would've thought that you'd, u-uh... Been too repulsed b-by the idea of exploring with others..." Shohei muttered, his teeth chattering.

"Well, I would've thought it would be the idea of exploring in the first place!" Niseko exclaimed, clambering to the top of the table in the center of the kitchen. "But I mean, to each their own."

"Shut up, loser doll. Stop hiding like a coward behind your plastic dummy and face the situation like the rest of us," Marise growled, pointing a finger at the doll.

"H-Hey, it's not like I... I'm not..." Niseko's voice trailed off as she put a hand on her cheek.

With a mighty leap, Keroko hopped onto the table next to Niseko with an angry croak, pointing back. Quickly, Niseko placed a cold hand on Keroko's shoulder. "It's okay! It's okay. It's hard for me too, y'know... I didn't choose to participate like this."

"Participate!? You know, I wouldn't feel bad about smashing a doll. Especially not one whose ‘Master’ went around spitting out death threats every day," Marise glared, "If that gets me out of this place, so be it."

"N-No! Don't do that! I have a lot of sentimental value!" Niseko cried out, thrusting her stubby arms forward.

"Ha! Is it the ramen cup on your head that raises your net worth?" Marise smirked, watching with glee as the doll stared at her with an almost sorrowful look. Keroko, who had dropped her arm, was watching sympathetically. She knew what it was like to have trouble explaining her circumstance and while she had never liked Setsuka in the past, she knew that something had to have happened to the doll maker for Niseko to be in her place like this.

Having both been in her class, Keroko and Niseko were familiar with Marise's demeanor and work ethic. Or rather, the lack of such. There was no way the novelist was going to do any real investigating, so, with a quick glance at Keroko, Niseko began to speak. "So... At first, we doubted what Monokuma said about the food because, well, this space looks pretty small. But, hey! He came and he demonstrated that there really is a stockpile somewhere."

The doll clasped her hands together as Keroko let out a happy, "Kero!"

"Do you really think we'll be here long enough to worry about stuff like that?" Marise frowned. It was strange, though. Her voice carried more defeat than fire.

"Well, I hope not... But even if we found a way out tomorrow, it's still good to know. We have sixteen people and it takes quite a bit of food to feed sixteen. Well, fifteen, I guess. I don't really eat..."

"Referring to yourself like that, are you really controlled by Setsuka? I wouldn't be surprised if you had some semblance of free will," Marise folded her arms before hopping up on the counter to sit next to the doll. Keroko frowned, but her expression softened as Marise only blankly stared ahead. "Must be nice, huh?"

"What..? No, I am Setsuka, but I'm not physically Setsuka, which is why you can call me Niseko. I call myself Niseko, anyway," The doll looked down at her feet, "I don't like any of this. I really don't. But I'm making do with what I have. You should do that, too. I can make death threats toward you if that’ll make you feel better."

"Ew, what the hell? Do I look like that lush to you?" Marise spat, “No thanks. If I wanted to talk to Setsuka, I’d ask you to do that rambly thing way before I ask you to kill me.”

”Kukukuku!” Niseko giggled, “You’re silly. But yeah, it really was only that one girl. She started it, though, not me! You were there when she tried to kill me with that ceiling panel!”

”I-I... I feel like I’m missing some i-important context by, uh, not being one of your classmates. Was... Were people with murderous intent common in your, er, class?” Shohei tilted his head. He had been rifling through drawers and cabinets, but the odd conversation that almost sounded like normal friends sharing a joke drew his attention.

”Hell no,” Marise shook her head, “It was just Setsuka, the loser. That other girl that Setsuka waged war against, or whatever, was just playing around.”

”Playing around...?” Niseko looked off to the side, “No way. Master could’ve died!”

”You wish.”

"Kero?" After some moments of silence, Keroko pointed toward the door. "Keroroko."

"I guess you're saying we should go, huh?" Marise dropped back down to the floor as Keroko nodded, "Yeah, whatever. Let's see what those losers are up to."

----

The group had split into two and as Haru's group had gone right, the others, naturally, went left. Leading them was Amari. Kanna would normally be in front, of course, but he lagged behind, sure to keep his eyes on Yukari. It seemed that he really meant what he said, more than I would ever expect from any student. But perhaps the Super High School Level Perfection is inclined toward that nature.

Amari looked back at the others before slowly opening the door, the breeze from the change in air pressure washing over her. She pressed forward, the expanse of the room opening to her.

Though it was more furnished than the previous room, it still felt cold. What else could one expect from an underground shelter? The center of the room housed a large circular table and dotted around it were sixteen chairs. Though it was much smaller than the room the other group explored, it shared a commonality in having another room to the back.

"So, it would seem as though the intricacy of this plot may be deeper than we imagined," Yudai narrowed his eyes, stepping past Amari. He walked toward the table, aware of Ami following closely behind. They both made their way around the table, though Ami lightly tapped each chair as she did, as if counting.

"Yeah. That's the feeling I get, too. Whatever we've been caught up in, none of us are here by accident," Ami turned to look at Yudai, though just what she could see through her bangs was questionable.

"Well, I say. This does seem to be a good space to hold meetings, don't you think? In fact, I'd say that's its intended purpose," Yamato said, his voice reverberating and bouncing off the stone walls, “Almost like we’ve been informed already of a supposed ‘Meeting Room’."

"Man, oh man. I can't wait to get set up here!" Excitement edged Nori's voice as he set a large poster on the table. Curious, Mei craned her neck to see what it was, but confusion shone in her red eyes as she realised that she had no idea what any of it was for.

"Now, I know you said you were going to watch me, Kanna, and I know I said the equivalent of 'Do what you'd like' but, ah, hm," Yukari brought a finger to her chin, "Isn't this a bit excessive? Surely you wish to do an examination of your own. There are six others here. If you all were to lose track of me..."

"I get what you're saying, but... Well, you aren't trustworthy in the slightest," Kanna shook his head, "No normal person can procure a bat from thin air. Not even me."

"Well, of course not. Who'd think that? What a foolish thought!" Yukari chuckled, "Procuring a bat from thin air... Hoho..."

"It's a waste of time to talk to her," Ami cut through Yukari's soft laughter, "And it's likely a waste of time to keep tabs on her. I don't doubt that she has the means to kill, but I also don't think she has the motive to kill."

"That's true..." Kanna lowered his head, "Even if she were the one behind this... That'd go against the purpose of having us do the work."

"Ah, so am I finally in the clear? Wonderful!" Yukari clapped her hands together. "Your vigilance makes me wonder how far I can press your talent, love. You do seem to be the very embodiment of it, don't you think?"

"Is that a compliment? From you, I can't tell," He sighed, realising that the question was futile as, surely, Yukari had no intention of clearing anything up, no matter how small. The psychoanalyst lived for the confusion that sprang from the seeds she sowed.

"If this whole thing is so perfectly planned, what need do we have of this room?" Amari placed a hand on the table, "Are we meant to hold regular meetings? And for what?"

"I am unsure as to the function of such a room as a 'meeting room'," Mei folded her arms, "Do you meet new people in it?"

"No, it's... Hm. The purpose is to meet with people you probably already know to talk together, usually about work," Ami chose her words carefully, but even as she did, she wasn't sure just how much Mei would understand.

"I... see," She didn't, but she was used to not understanding. Mei hoped that she would be able to replace that which she had lost soon. At least to prevent this very thing from occurring so often. Books didn't get impatient. Words on a page weren't passive-aggressive. They weren't like people. Mei didn't get people.

Yudai exhaled through his nose as he addressed Yukari, "What about your talent, Yukari?"

"Psy-cho-ana-lyst," She smiled, "At your beck and call."

"An odd appendage to your title. I don't imagine it has much to do with it at all," Yudai looked down at Yukari. He stood a good half-foot taller than her, but it didn't seem to bother her at all as she continued to grin. "Does it?"

"Kyahahahaha!" Yukari began cackling before wiping a tear off her face, "Ha... Oh, love, I would be extra careful with this subject if I were you. You never know what secrets might accidentally be uncovered, right?"

"Secrets. You must have a lot more than you claim," Yudai continued, ignoring her subtle threat, "Yes, I have my own. As does everyone. But does withholding yours not harm the group?"

"Oho, I'd say your secrets are greater yet, Yudai. Yudai, Yudai, Yudai," She repeated his name as if it sounded funny to her, "Yudai Shimizu. My, what a fascinating name, don't you think?"

"I suppose it might be unusual compared to a name such as Yukari," Yudai answered, level-headed. The collective attention of the room had been drawn to this exchange by this point, "I don't imagine you write it normally, however, do you? The spelling, is it not unfamiliar water?"

"Yukari, hm? Yes, I suppose. Some people use mere hiragana. But, that is, in fact, not my name. Many people also write Yukari with multiple kanji. Not my name. Connection, edge, fate. These are all meanings of my name written with one character. Is that what you find odd?" Yukari bowed her head as she said it. "Names are very powerful. Yukari and Yudai... They start with the same sound... Maybe you are fated to understand me. Kyahaha!"

"Well, isn't this just a fascinating conversation? Personally, I think you both have secrets worth sharing. But then, don't we all?" Yudai turned to see Yamato, leaning on his oversized hoop. A grin was plastered onto his face, but it was easily forced. Perhaps the only one in the room who did not catch on was Mei, blissfully unaware. He continued, "But working together is our goal and that requires a fair balance of spoken and unspoken secrets."

Nobody felt the need to call Yamato out on his blatant face because what he had chosen to go with was the best option. It just meant that they'd need to keep an eye on him to see how well he kept up his own proposal. Even Yukari didn't seem to have any counters to it. Amari kept her gaze fixed on the psychoanalyst's face, scanning for any hints as to her true thoughts. Of course, she found none.

"I really like the idea of working together. I know it sounds obvious, but it's not as easy as you'd think," Nori was now sitting in one of the chairs, "I mean, I work with people all the time and more than half of that time is arguing."

"With how things have been going so far, I'd be surprised if all were to go swimmingly well," Yudai murmured. He folded his arms, his eyes closed, with a relaxed expression. "We have orders to kill. Unification will not come easily, especially when there are those who do not trust others."

"We could all find ways to distrust each other. But we can also find ways to trust. I think it's possible. And I also think that if we do work together, a way out will eventually reveal itself. One that ideally does not go down the path of murder," Ami lowered her head. "Nobody wants that. I doubt even Yukari does."

"Yet we find ourselves among murderers, don't we? Mei Meiyo, an assassin, Amari Hoshino, a bodyguard... Ami, have you ever killed someone?" Yukari's cold gaze seemed to pierce through Ami's bangs.

"You first, Yukari. Have you killed anyone?" Ami responded evenly.

"Hmhm... What a curious way to dodge the question. I guess you could say I have. But you could also say I haven't," Yukari looked up at the ceiling, "It's a surprisingly subjective subject when you think about it. Purposefully, I think not. Indirectly, perhaps. Metaphorically... Most certainly."

"Metaphorical killing. I guess some would say your vague answer is bull, but... No, I share the pleasure of having such conflicted experiences. As a hypnotist... I always wonder. But you already knew that, didn't you?" Ami rubbed the side of her head, "And you think there are others. Maybe you already know, but you do suspect the others to some extent, don't you?"

"You are quite intelligent, love," Yukari grinned, "I suppose you'll just have to figure it out for yourself. But, my, with a display like that, it should pose you no problem."

"I figured you would say as much," Ami sighed. Brushing herself off, she too sat in one of the chairs, across from Nori. "I got a sense that everyone here is intuitive in their own right. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that we are the ones here... Perhaps the man behind the curtain has been watching us for longer than we thought..."

"Longer than we thought? What do you mean? I- Hm. Well," Yamato furrowed his brow. He seemed at a loss or, rather, as if he meant to say something and decided against it. Clearing his throat, Yamato tried again, "As a ringmaster, I, of course, know a thing or two about organising things, so, please! I implore you to share your thinking so that I may add to it."

"We were not selected at random. We've already established the amount of preparation that had to go into this. For the participants to be completely and utterly random would be... It wouldn't fit even if this were some sort of experiment," Amari brought a finger to her chin, "It makes more sense that all of this was designed around one concept and that we were part of the initial concept. Earlier, Ami, you stated none of us were here by accident."

"Yes, that's right. Either there's some single connecting thread or we all have a part to play. I shudder to think of the implications of either," Ami put her head on her arm, propping it up, "But with the limited knowledge we have... Well..."

"If we all play a part, doesn't that mean that the future is pretty much predicted? Like, uh, if we follow the rules of the game and murder someone, right? That means that the mastermind already knows who's gonna murder who! But how is that possible at all?" Nori's eyes went wide as he stared at Ami. "Everyone seems sensible enough, except maybe Yukari. Even Mei... Mei, you wouldn't kill anyone, would you?"

The ninja tilted her head, giving a short response, "Do you want me to?"

"What? No, no! What makes you say that?" Nori flinched at the thought. The way Mei had said it, so nonchalantly... It bothered Nori. It made his hair stand on end and his skin crawl. Mei had already proved that she was ignorant of social norms and common sense. Just what did that make her?

”Calm down, pup. No one can see the future. Ridiculous. Anyone can predict, though,” Yamato shook his head with a smirk directed at Nori.

"I'm thinking back to what you said earlier, Mei. What exactly is your job? As the Ultimate Ninja... I feel that I must not be seeing eye to eye with you," Kanna placed a hand on his hip and glanced toward Amari and then back at Mei.

"My job... People ask me to kill and so I do it. I am quiet. I ask no questions. For the honor of my code, I must not refuse," Mei stared Kanna in the eye, unsettling him ever so slightly.

”...Sounds more like a hitman to me,” Yamato muttered under his breath and Mei turned her head to look at him.

"Have you crafted your own code? Perhaps it can be revised. After all, such a code will not end for your, or anyone's, good," Yudai’s voice brought her attention back. The mask maker shut his eyes and sighed, "I wonder what makes you the Ultimate Ninja... However, if you truly cannot refuse, consider me your current employer. Until I give you any further instruction, you are not to kill."

"Understood," Mei bowed and placed her hand on the sheath of her wakizashi, "Takeo and I will lend ourselves to your cause."

"That easy, huh?" Yamato scratched his head, "You sure what you said earlier about intuition, Ami? This girl seems to have no will of her own."

"I can admit that I'm not the smartest thinker, either. But I don't want to believe the other option you posed," Nori stared into the table and then glared at Yamato, "No way anyone can ‘predict’ the future, either. So then... Will they try to influence us somehow?"

As the green-haired boy looked up, the frustration melting away into even more concern and fear, chills ran down Ami's spine, "Wait a moment. I just want to clear something up before we go any further. I'm just as in the dark as you guys. I'm not going to hypnotise anyone here to kill, that's ridiculous!"

"I... wasn't implicating you," Nori shook his head, but his words held no fire. It was as if he'd already given up, "I honestly don't know what to think, but I stand by what I said. We should work together."

"Don't sound so hopeless, Nori!" The politician jumped and turned his head to be face-to-face with Yukari, "If you've given up already, that just makes you a bigger target, don't you think?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you were just talking about how it's impossible to predict the future and how you don't want to believe that everything is premeditated, yes? But being all depressed like this... Maybe they want that. What if on their little list is 'Nori Sasaki: Victim'? I would hate to see you fulfill that premeditation, wouldn't you, love?" Yukari's grin seemed innocent, but Nori felt as though he were staring into the face of a demon. A temptation that was laced with malice. Yukari turned and pointed at Mei, "And you. Hm, yes, yes. I think that you and I should have a therapy session. Isn't it such good fortune that they happen to be a specialty of mine?"

"Therapy...?" Mei blinked, "I do not understand. Please explain."

"Oh, of course, love. 'Therapy; Noun; A type of treatment that helps someone grow stronger or recover from an illness; disorder; trauma.'" Yukari's expression didn't change as she continued, "'Treatment; Noun: A method of improving the condition of an ill person.' Methods within methods. Of course, you learn more from practice, I think you'll find."

"It doesn't seem wise to leave Yukari alone with Mei..." Kanna cut in, rubbing the side of his head. From the time he’d spent with Mei in class, he knew that she had a better head on her shoulders than it initially appeared, but he also didn’t doubt Yukari’s talent in the slightest, "How do we know that you aren't going to plant seeds of doubt in her mind?"

"Normally, client sessions are a hundred percent confidential by law, but given the circumstances, if you have Mei's consent, I see no reason why you can't stand in," Yukari's smile vanished into more of a slight curiosity, "Perhaps you can act as her guardian, hehe!"

Though he kept an ear toward the conversation, Yamato made his way to the door as, to him, it seemed that the others had either forgotten or were too distracted to bother with it. As he pushed open the heavy metal door, he noticed a couple of heads turn to look at him. Yudai even made his way over to join him as Yamato poked his head in. A light switch on the wall turned on a single bulb that illuminated what seemed to be a storage room, albeit quite bare. A few chairs and a lot of cobwebs littered the room and Yamato let out a heavy sigh.

"Though the contents are scarce, it would still do us good to take inventory. In the tides of confusion, may we forget. Then so we'd find ourselves in a precarious situation," Yudai walked past Yamato into the storage room and turned around to look at the wall the door was set in.

"Sometimes the way you speak is so unnatural, I honestly wonder how you keep it up," Yamato commented as he followed Yudai in. Without asking for permission, Yudai shut the door, leaving the two alone in the small room, "Uh, Yudai?"

Bound by his personal code of optimism, as shaky as it was, Yamato had no choice but to keep up his smile, though nerves were cracking through. Yudai took a deep breath, "Relax, Yamato. I'm just checking how the door fits on the wall and how the room as a whole functions."

"Functions?" Yamato adjusted his hat, "Ah, you mean like... the ins and outs of it. Lots of rooms hold secrets. I would know."

"Yes. Buried in deep trenches are the little intricacies that, unsolved, may lead to our demise. Yamato... Why did the Titanic sink?" Yudai turned toward the ringmaster, his expression unreadable. Perhaps you may read what Yudai said here and think, hm, this reminds me of a different series. Talking about something so seemingly unrelated in a small enclosed room... Especially the Titanic... But I will assure you, such connections are easily formed with little basis.

"Well, it hit an iceberg, of course!" Yamato answered without hesitation, "But why does that matter here? We're just looking for a way out of an apparently underground shelter."

"The Titanic did hit an iceberg, but why? The event has long passed into history, but there are several educated assumptions on this tragedy. Above all was a lack of preparation and foresight, as well as overconfidence. Warnings were ignored, and the ship passed into the icy sea without hesitation," Yudai began to trace the doorframe with his finger, testing for the solidity, "But perhaps the most curious thing was the fact that the seas were calm. Would you think the silence of the vast ocean to be a deadly phenomenon?"

"Sailors are usually singing praises of stormless seas, aren't they? But hm, I guess thinking about it, if it's dark and the ocean is still, it might be difficult to see icebergs before it's too late," Yamato frowned, or as well as he could while keeping up his smile, thinking about the words as he said them. This, Yudai thought, must be a peek at one of Yamato's true faces. A person free from the burden of wearing a mask. A burden the mask maker knew all too well and judging by Yamato’s comment that he had chosen not to respond to, Yudai had a feeling that the ringmaster had already picked up on it. As Ami had said, everyone here seemed intuitive in their own right. Yamato shook his head, "But still, why is this important? How does this relate?"

"We must not put faith in the calm seas. If we become lax and underestimate this situation... Well, the moment we let our guard down is the prime moment for a predator to strike," Yudai took his finger off the door, "Do not let your guard down, Yamato. Do not break your outer face easily, no matter how tempting it may become."

Yamato narrowed his eyes as Yudai opened the door again, taking some offense from the cryptic words. The brighter light from the Meeting Room filtered in and he took off his glasses to rub his adjusting eyes. What could he possibly take from Yudai's "advice"? How could he trust someone like that after such confounding comments? He didn't know and he felt like he wouldn't for a while yet which was... a frustrating thought.

Yudai and Yamato exited the small room together to find that only a few remained. Amari sat in a chair, turned away from the table, and Mei and Ami were talking about something, though both girls had quiet voices, so Yamato couldn't make their conversation out. Perhaps most surprising was that sitting on the edge of the table, staring at a door that led out of the room, though not to the room they had woken in, was Yukari.

The enigmatic psychoanalyst smiled a slight smile when Yudai approached her, "Ohoho... Do you need something, Yudai?"

"Quite. I would like to speak on the matter of earlier," Yudai folded his arms, "Tell me, Miss Nagakage. Is your name truly Yukari? Or is that a name you chose for yourself?"

"Straight to the point with your sword of distrust, hm? I suppose that must be the only way you can look at me and justify yourself..." Yukari blinked, "Ah, never mind that, though. Is my name truly Yukari? Well, I like to think so, but I suppose that no one can prove that it is, not even myself. But, Yudai, what is a name but the manner in which you are addressed?"

"Names are very powerful, you said. I did not take you for one to change your mind so quickly," Yudai pursed his lips, "In roman characters, Our names do indeed start with a 'Y' and a 'U', and end in an 'I'. I do not believe you would bring up such a similarity without purpose. So tell me your purpose."

"I fear you would despise me more than you already do if I really answered that, truly and honestly. In fact, it's quite brave of you to come to me with the questions you have," Yukari smiled, despite what she had just said, "However, in regards to said question, well, let's see... There is one person here who is going by a pseudonym, someone who will not share their full name, and one whose name has been lost."

"Lost? I am unsure what you mean by that," Yudai murmured. "Swallowed by which current?"

"Surely you don't believe the girl's name to really be Keroko, do you? Wouldn't that be a bit convenient? But for a girl who can only speak in croaks, Keroko would be a name quite fitting," Yukari grinned her more malicious grin, "With this... Yes, aren't you smart, Yudai? I'm sure you can determine whether my name is true or not."

"You seem to know a lot. How did you come by this knowledge?" The mask maker ran his fingers up the horn of his mask, "Or is that, too, a secret of yours?"

"My, my... You really are more curious than I expected you to be," Yukari sighed, shaking her head, "But I suppose you can't help it, can you? Very well, take this."

The ginger girl waved her hand toward the ground as if beckoning, and when it rose back up, she held in her hand a letter adorned with a red seal. Slowly and carefully, she handed it to Yudai, "But don't open it until you are in a private location. I guarantee you, it will only harm you to be in the presence of others. But, still, it is up to you. It won't affect me if you open it with company."

As Yukari did this, Amari turned her head, having noticed the strange appearance of the letter. Perhaps it slipped out of the psychoanalyst's sleeve, but then... That wouldn't account for the spear and the bat. The bodyguard grit her teeth, but said nothing, and returned to the rather boring fixed point she was staring at.

"So, just where did everyone else get to?" Yamato scratched his head, "And why didn't you guys follow?"

"Ah, they went through there," Ami pointed toward the door that Yukari had been observing, "Mei had a few questions for me and, I'm sure you remember, Amari wanted to talk with her, too. So, they talked a bit and then Amari wanted to wait for you two. Mei and I are still mid-discussion, though, so if you want to go on ahead, don't worry about us."

Mei glanced over with a single, deep nod. Amari stood up, a smile on her face, "It's only natural that I wait for you. I must apologise, though. I was lost in thought. If you are ready to go, then go we will."

"Alright then! No way to go but forward," Yamato beamed and headed toward the door, Amari following closely behind.

"Will you not join us, Yukari?" Yudai questioned as he noticed Yukari remaining in her sitting position.

"I have, ah, stuff to think about. Yes, you could say that," She smoothed her skirt and smirked, "Besides, I already know what's through that door anyway. All in due time."

"Hm. Quite suspicious, but if you insist," Yudai shook his head and followed the other two.

Through the door was a hallway. Peering down, one could see three more doors, two on the opposite wall of the one they had come. Lining the near wall was what looked to be lockers of some sort. Kanna was already there, inspecting each locker in what was likely excruciating detail. Certainly, some of the students had already moved into the other room, whether it be out of curiosity or out of a sense of duty.

In the hallway were several students. Kanna, of course, as well as Nori, who was hovering around the former. Oddly enough, so were Shigeru and Rikuto, despite having been in the other group. Having seen this, Amari quickly strode down the hall to one of the doors. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she eyed Shigeru, "You came from here, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes. That would seem to be a canteen or something similar," Shigeru nodded, "It would seem these rooms form a circle. Alas, Kanna already informed us that you guys investigated a meeting room with no sign of an exit."

"That would be true. What of those doors?" Amari motioned toward the two doors. They were identical in all accounts except the doorframes. One was red, the other was blue. "I assume the other students are either there or in the cafeteria?"

"I guess neither 'cafeteria' nor ‘canteen’ describes it very well... It looked like it was more dressed up than that. But anyway, yes. Some people moved on, some stayed... Hmhm..." Shigeru hummed to himself for a moment, "Those doors... I only got a glance, but they seemed to lead to more hallway to me."

"A dead end and many doors," Rikuto walked over, his thick arms folded. He'd been watching people go in and out and he knew a little of what to expect should he go that way. What he'd been doing, before overhearing the conversation between Shigeru and Amari, was testing the walls for any weak points in the infrastructure. It was for naught, of course, and Rikuto had expected little else.

"Perhaps it would benefit us to figure out just what's in there," Amari murmured and narrowed her eyes, "No one's come out yet?"

"Not yet, not yet," Shigeru answered, running his fingers through his hair, "But they haven't been there for the longest of times yet. Perhaps it's a good thing, you think, hm? After all, if they don't return soon, they likely found something."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly," Amari nodded and began to head for the red door. Just what could be beyond? Monokuma's thoughts ringing in her mind, she had a strong feeling that it wasn't an exit of any sort. At worst, it would be a trap, but the way the bear spoke... No, he wanted them to harm each other. If not, they wouldn't be here, alive, to continue spinning their tale.

Of course, I feel I am obligated to pause here in case I have raised your hopes. There is certainly death in this documentation. When I say 'alive', I mean at this point in the documentation. I knew as I uncovered this that only a fool could be so optimistic and so I implore you to also not be so misguided.

Amari slowly turned the knob, aware of Shigeru behind her, and opened the door with a sense of purpose. As it opened to a hallway, Amari realised that she didn't have any real expectations. Lined on either side of the walls were eight doors and staring at one of them, the one closest to Amari no less, was Keroko.

"Are you coming, Riku?" Shigeru turned his head. He hadn't expected the welder to follow him, so when he saw him hanging back by the lockers, he wasn't surprised.

"No," As simple as most of his answers, Rikuto stared on, no emotion escaping past the dark mask covering his face. He had been watching the whole time, so he knew who had gone into which hall. It didn't matter in the long run, of course, but they were capable enough people, so Rikuto felt no need to clutter the hall.

"Alright, alright," Shigeru turned back to see that Amari had already gone on. Keroko tilted her head to look as the bodyguard walked past her. Amari looked as if she were going to say something, but apparently changed her mind as her expression shifted to one of more bewilderment, "Is everything alright?"

What surprised Amari was that on one of the doors was her old school emblem. Instinctively, she looked at her armband, where the same symbol was embroidered on. After staring for what must have been longer than necessary, Amari finally looked back at Keroko, "Does that symbol mean something to you?"

The frog girl shook her head and then gestured to the door behind her. Of course, Amari knew that Keroko meant that was likely her school symbol, but then whose was the one she was looking at?

Shigeru spoke up, his finger pointed at some sort of panel on the wall next to one of the doors, "Interesting, interesting... Looks like some kind of scanner, doesn't it? I caught you looking at that door over there. Want to try scanning something?"

"Like what?" Amari frowned and a croak from Keroko drew her attention down to the herpetologist. Keroko was holding a thin device that seemed large in contrast to her tiny, gloved hands. Her Monopad. In understanding, Amari walked back to the door that had emblazoned on it the symbol of Akamine High School. She pressed her Monopad to the panel and heard a steady, but quick, beep and a click as the locking mechanism released itself. She placed her hand on the L-shaped handle and turned it, but not before looking back.

In her confusion over the door, Amari had failed to notice the biggest abnormality. The door opposite hers held no symbol. Instead, it looked as if it were covered in red spray-paint. She didn't stick around to ponder, though; she could leave that to someone else for this moment. With a breath, she opened the door, unsure of what to expect. What was waiting for her, beyond the door, was a room much like a dorm room. Yet it contained things one would not normally find within such a room. Training equipment, guns that Amari could only imagine were fake, dummies for combat training... All things related to her talent.

Amari was drawn to a desk, of all things, upon which rested a picture, framed in oak wood. Her door ajar, she was barely aware of Shigeru asking to come in and slowly nodding as her mind was consumed by what the picture showed. It was, simply put, her current client. After a bit, she snarled, "Damn it. Why must this be here? To remind me that as long as I am trapped, I can't fulfill my duty as a bodyguard?"

"Whatever is the matter, Amari? I didn't expect you would snap like this so easily," Shigeru walked over and peered around Amari to get a glimpse of what set her off. Of course, being more than half a foot shorter than Amari made it difficult. "Ah. I understand... Why not simply get rid of it? It's only here to mock you, nothing more."

"I know," Amari sighed heavily, setting it down, "But... I feel as though I'm obligated to keep it here. Even if it pains me, I can't forget that I am duty-bound. It will be the fuel driving me to move forward, no matter what."

"My, my... I do hope you won't resort to violence," Shigeru brought a finger to his chin. "Ah, my apologies. In this situation... Er... Ignore what I said, please. It was... stupid of me to say that,"

"No, I know you were merely joking, Shigeru. But still, isn't that the natural response? We've been thrown into a scary, impossible situation. What else can we do but watch our backs and hope that no one snaps before we find a way out?" Amari turned to look Shigeru in the eye, "But I confess. I'm already starting to lose hope. If you guys found something in the cafeteria, you would've said so. And there are only eight rooms in this hall, so it stands to reason that the blue door is just more dorms."

"Yes, I thought the same. This Monokuma is really pushing the murder thing hard, isn't he? But we can still hold on to hope. Alcatraz was known to be an inescapable prison, right? But three men escaped. There was even a movie about it," Shigeru reached into his belt and pulled out a brush and began to spin it between his fingers, "If Alcatraz was escapable, this place, the Subterranean Rescue Shelter or whatever, you know, something we've never heard of. Well, it's bound to be."

"I suppose that's a fair enough assumption. If we really are underground, though, it will prove difficult," Amari frowned, looking down.

"Yes, and while there is apparently an elevator in the dining hall, albeit blocked off at the moment, we were told it goes down, not up. Who puts an elevator in a dining hall anyway?" Shigeru chuckled and stuck the brush back, "On a lighter note, I want to find my room. If yours looks like this... I'm excited to see mine."

"We have to make our own light in a place like this," Amari smiled, her hand curled into a fist, "If you didn't find it here, it must be in the other hall. I have a strong feeling they're gender-separated."

"My thoughts exactly. We think alike, don't we? Or at least, we're both smart enough to put together the clues we are given. If you weren't so... distracted in class all the time, you would've made a good study partner," Shigeru headed for the door, Amari trailing behind, slower.

"'Everyone here is intuitive in their own right.' Ami said that and I'm beginning to agree with her. Me, you. And we both know how Kanna is," Amari nodded. "Even if one is to initially raise an eyebrow at people like Mei and Nori... I see something more calculated in Nori's eyes and Mei... Well, she's certainly surprised both of us."

"Very observant. Mei is held back by the limitations brought on by what I can only assume is her upbringing and book smart has very little to do with intuition. Ah yes, to think of any fight as a duel... She is also quite the mood-setter, is she not? And to be a politician, especially one of Nori's nature, he must be quite resourceful," Shigeru walked past the doorframe back into the hall. Keroko still remained, but now Niseko was with her. It stood to reason, then, that perhaps the room Keroko had been staring at was Setsuka's. But without Setsuka, what purpose would it serve? A doll didn't need sleep, nor did the doll fit the role of doll maker.

"I'll admit. Your way of thinking always fascinated me. So calculative... So watchful..." Amari lowered her head a bit, "And good at telling people's feelings... Knowing the right things to say. You really are something."

"May I invite you to join me, Amari?" Shigeru said, spinning on his feet, "Perhaps we can convince Riku to come, as well."

"Of course. I'd be happy to work with you. And I'm also curious to see what other dorms hold. For all we know, one could hold the key to escape," Amari nodded and led the way back out the red door.