Chapter Text
Kyoko Kirigiri had been taught from a very young age to trust her instinct. Believe in where her perfect deductions led her, and as long as she didn’t end up like her father, she would be a fine heir to the Kirigiri family legacy.
And as a young girl, impressionable and willing to do anything for her grandfather’s affection, she had bought into it with all her heart.
But as she stepped over the threshold of Hope’s Peak Academy, she suddenly became overcome with an overwhelming sense of dread and fear - something she was very much not used to feeling.
The hallway spun, like a cheap ride at a fair. The checkered floor was suddenly a lot closer than it had been only moments ago, and —
--
Kyoko Kirigiri woke up inside a classroom. The last thing she remembered was walking into what was supposed to be her high school. Had she passed out? No, it was unlikely. Kirigiri’s didn’t pass out.
Drugged, then. Or something similar to that. Either way, it was a concerning thought. There was someone here that wanted to harm her.
The iron bars where the windows should be only served to add to the confusion of the situation. Was this truly the Hope’s Peak that her father ran? The clock hanging above the large chalkboard said 7:50, but it could’ve been a fake time. It seemed almost too convenient that she’d woken up just before the entrance ceremony was to take place.
Nevertheless, Kyoko made her way to the gym, the only sound that of her boots clacking against the tiles. Until sudden heavy thumping footsteps brought her out of the slight trance she’d found herself in (side effects of the drugs? too many produced side effects of lingering sleepiness). She turned around, and was met with a frazzled looking man quickly catching up to her. From the bewildered look on his face and the glass ball in his hand, Kyoko figured he wasn’t a threat.
Sure enough, the man slowed to a stop just before reaching her, his panting so loud that it was almost comical. He bent over, resting his hands on his knees, clearly trying to regain his breath. Kyoko waited for him to be done. The man stood back up, and gave her a lopsided smile almost bursting with relief.
“Hey! Are you going to the gym for the induction? Heh, I feel like I’ve been running around for ages trying to find it,” he said, Induction? So they were both first-years? (was she a first-year? something felt different…)
“Yes. I believe it is this way.” Kyoko responded, turning back around to continue where she had been going. It was silent for a moment as the two walked.
“Huh? How do you know where we’re going?” he asked, scratching his head.
“It’s a hunch.”
“A hunch!? Aw, we’re gonna be stuck here forever!” he groaned. Kyoko stopped in front of a set of large double doors. Without turning to her companion, she opened them.
And there, standing in the gym, were six people all looking as confused as she felt.
“Ah, other students!” a boy with startling bright red eyes and a hall monitor band exclaimed, pointing at them.
“Yeah, man, we can see ‘em.” another boy with…interesting…hair and a long black coat said, narrowing his eyes at the two of them.
“That takes our total up to eight…still not enough for an entire class…perhaps the talent scouts fell short this year, hm?” a girl with drills and an intricate black outfit tittered, her hands placed delicately in her lap. Her dark red eyes met Kyoko’s lilac ones, and she gave Kyoko a small small. It looked fake.
“Well, you’re almost late — and to the induction as well! If this is how you want to start the new school year then —,” the first boy shouted, getting closer to the two of them. Kyoko forced herself to not step back.
“Dude, leave ‘em alone. They’re not even late - god, are ya always like this?” the second boy said, before turning to Kyoko. “Did ya also just wake up in some random fuckin’ classroom with no clue how you got there?” he directed the question at her, clearly deeming her the more reliable of the two.
“I did. I’m assuming that’s the same for all of you?” Kyoko replied, looking back at them. They all gave varying degrees of affirmations. “Hm,”
“Well, I suppose it would be wise to introduce ourselves once more. I am Celestia Ludenberg, and I am the ultimate gambler,” the lolita said, stepping forward to Kyoko and offering out a dainty, almost impossibly pale, hand. Kyoko shook it. Her grip was firm. “but please call me Celeste~”
“I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the ultimate moral compass! I believe in bold simplicity -,” the boy dressed in white said, clenching his hands into fists.
“No, goddamnit, I’ve heard this fuckin’ speech like 20 goddamn times.” the other boy who had spoken said. “I’m Mondo Owada, ultimate biker…or bike gang leader…some shit like that, I ‘unno,” he interrupted, grunting out his introduction. Kiyotaka looked extremely put-off. There were three remaining students left: a short girl who looked like she wanted to melt into the wall, a taller girl who also looked like she wanted to melt into the wall, and finally a tall boy who looked like he thought he was better than everyone else.
“I’m Chihiro Fujisaki, the, uh, ultimate programmer,” the first girl said, giving them a timid wave.
“T-Toko Fukawa…the ult-ultimate writing prodigy…ugh…” the second girl mumbled, before her mumblings became in-cohesive. Kyoko thought her name sounded familiar, but if she was a writing prodigy then it was entirely possible she’d read her books before.
“My name is Byakuya Togami, and I am the ultimate affluent progeny.” Kyoko could practically feel the arrogance exuding off him in waves, but if his ultimate talent was the truth, then perhaps it was justified. It was true that he was extremely attractive and gave off an air of supremacy.
“And as for you two?” Celeste (was that a fake name?) asked, tilting her head slightly. Her drills moved almost mechanically, and Kyoko thought they were either extremely damaged hair, or fake.
“Oh, I’m Yasuhiro Hagakure! I’ve been held back, uh, like a lot of times, and I’m the ultimate clairvoyant.” her companion greeted cheerfully. Interesting. So that was why he looked so much older than her. All seven pairs of eyes turned to her, and Kyoko suddenly felt like someone had shocked her with electricity. What was her ultimate? Why…couldn’t she remember?
She remembered the letter sitting on her desk, and her grandfather’s disapproving look — he’d refused to talk to her for days afterwards. She remembered that she wanted to attend solely to find her father (and definitely not to escape her grandfather’s suffocating clutches). But when she tried to recall what the letter had said, or what her grandfather did, it was like being met with a brick wall.
Someone cleared their throat.
“I am Kyoko Kirigiri.” she said, clutching onto her composure like a lifeline.
“…and your talent?” someone prompted. She didn’t see who.
“I’m not required to tell you that.” Kyoko responded, and already she could see the beginnings of an argument. Mondo looked like he was about to punch her, and Kiyotaka looked ready to intercept it. Celeste’s unnerving gaze had sparked with interest. But before anything could happen, the doors flung open, and two more people entered.
—
Over the next ten minutes, up to 8am exactly, six more new students arrived. They all gave their introductions, and Kyoko kept herself out of the way. Only Celeste, who had moved purposefully to stand next to her, gave her any notice.
Then, at 8:07, while Kiyotaka was beginning to get restless about inductions starting on time (had it not occurred to him that something was wrong with this past it not starting on time?), the doors opened again.
More accurately, they flung open, and someone quite literally fell through them and onto the floor. There were a few sympathetic noises as the person groaned before standing up. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.
Almost immediately without giving the boy a chance to recover, Kiyotaka went on a tardiness rant, much to the chagrin of Mondo. Kyoko watched on impassively as the new boy tried his best to look apologetic, while Celeste giggled next to her. The boy looked…dishevelled, to say the least. His hair was sticking up everywhere, and one of his shoes was untied (probably the reason for his fall).
Eventually Aoi stepped in, forcibly dragging the moral compass away from the boy. He gave his introduction, and once more everyone went around stating their names and talents. Once more, Kyoko refused to give her talent. The boy blinked in surprise, but didn’t press any further than that, instead moving on to talk to the pop idol. If the stars in his eyes were anything to go by, he already had a clear infatuation with her. Kyoko was just beginning to relax slightly, thinking that maybe her thoughts of danger had been wrong (why would they be right, anyway?), when it happened.
A sinister laugh. One that sent chills down her, and everyone else’s if their reactions were anything to go by, spines. Despite the chatter that had broken out among the class, the laugh had cut through it like a knife, turning it into an absolute silence.
“W-where did that come from!?” Toko cried, looking around her frantically.
“Over on the podium, I think,” Chihiro responded, pointing to the stage. And sure enough, just as everyone turned to look, a bear appeared. Half white, half black, with a sinister smile covering the black side of its face.
“Gooooood morning, everyone!” it called, raising a its white arm in salute. “And welcome to your killing school life!”
—
Kyoko had been preparing for a lot of things. And while being trapped inside the school was definitely one that was higher on her mental list (the bars on the windows, the lack of any other students), she had to admit that killing someone to escape hadn’t even crossed her mind.
“Huh? Whaddya mean we’re stuck here?” Junko asked, putting air quotes around the words ‘stuck here’.
“What the fuck do you think you’re saying you ugly fuck!?” Mondo yelled, his aggression clear in his body language (wide stance, fists clenched, a vein threatening to burst in his reddening face). Monokuma only laughed in response, which then in turn only angered Mondo more. Even Kiyotaka was looking troubled, as if he wanted to stop Mondo from threatening their supposed ‘headmaster’, but also agreed with what he was saying.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Mondo shouted, practically flying at the bear before holding him in a tight grip raised above his head.
“Uh oh! It seems I’ve got myself into quite a pickle! Violence against your headmaster is prohibited, so don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Monokuma said in a sing-song tone, before going completely silent. Kyoko could see from where she was standing close by that it had stiffened up. What did it have planned? Some self-defence mechanism?
As if in response to her thoughts, Monokuma started ticking. Slowly at first, but then speeding up.
“Uh…” Mondo’s confidence had wavered, and he looked around for help.
“Throw it!” Kyoko called, the sudden realisation hitting her like a truck. Mondo looked at her, confusion on his face. The ticking increased in speed once more. “Throw it!” she yelled at him with more urgency, even her practised impassivity not a match for the fear of being next to a live bomb. Mondo obeyed, and no sooner than it left his hands, it exploded.
Kyoko and Mondo had been the closest to it, and both were thrown back. A heavy ringing settled in her ears, as she watched the debris of fur flutter to the ground. She felt immobilised, as panicked chatter broke out.
A hand surrounded by lace appeared in front of her, and Kyoko looked up to see Celeste. Her slightly smug smile had disappeared, replaced by a slight frown in her forehead. Kyoko accepted her hand to be helped up.
“Um…does that mean that it’s gone?” Chihiro asked, looking around.
“Nnnnope!” and, of course, Monokuma popped back up again out of seemingly nowhere. It turned to Mondo, who was still sitting on the floor, dazed. “Think of that as a warning. Next time, whoever attacks me won’t be so lucky.” the wording suggested that it knew someone would attempt to attack or kill it again, Kyoko thought. With that, it disappeared, having seemingly been satisfied with its warning.
“Are you alright?” Celeste asked, turning back to Kyoko, who could only nod in response. Celeste moved Kyoko’s head to the side, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Had the gym suddenly become hotter? “There is no sign of blood, so any ringing you may feel should soon subside…although I must admit, my medical knowledge is quite limited,” Celeste gave Kyoko a smile, but before Kyoko could thank her (or even remember how to breathe), a large thud resounded through the gym. The two girls turned around.
Makoto was lying on the floor, completely still. Above him, Mondo was standing guiltily, his raised fist slightly away from his body.
“You killed him! You monster!” Aoi cried, running over to Makoto.
“If one punch can kill ‘im then I’m surprised he survived this long,” Mondo said, nudging Makoto with his toe. Kyoko walked over to Makoto, leant down, and felt his pulse with two fingers. Sure enough, a normal heartbeat was beating against her fingers.
“He’s fine, just unconscious,” which she’d known just from looking at him - did these people have no common sense?
“Oh! Well sorry for calling you a monster, Mondo!” Aoi said, resting her hand on the collar of her jacket.
“……s’alright.” he replied gruffly. And that seemed to be the extent of his emotional capacity.
“Well? Are we just gonna leave him here?” the redhead - Leon? - asked, looking annoyed. Kyoko stood up.
“If we are truly to be expected to live here, then there must be a place for us to sleep, yes?” Celeste asked. “With the size of this school, I do wonder how long it would take us to find such a place though,” she looked away, twirling a piece of her hair. Her finger cuff caught the light and Kyoko found herself entranced by it.
“Yeah, you’d think a headmaster would give us like, a tour, or something,” Leon complained. Sayaka was still kneeling by Makoto’s head, looking down at him forlornly. Although, that gave Kyoko an idea…
“Monokuma?” she asked.
“Eh? What’re ya —,” Mondo began, but was interrupted by said bear popping up in front of Kyoko.
“Upupupuh! You called, my dear student?” it cried. Kyoko nodded curtly.
“Yes. We would like to know where the dorms are.” she said. A part of her (a large part) was expecting another bomb to go off, just for calling on him, but she remained impassive.
“Ah, of course! Follow me, follow me,” he said, before disappearing again, to confused mutters.
“I will carry him,” Sakura said, walking over to Makoto and Sayaka. Sayaka looked apprehensive. “Do not worry, I will be very careful. I have dealt with many injured people before,”
“Thank you, Sakura.” the pop idol said, giving her a smile, “I just hope he’s going to be okay…” Sakura gently picked Makoto up, as if he weighed nothing more than a baby bird.
The fifteen students walked out of the gym, led by Sakura holding Makoto bridal style.
And so, their killing school life had begun.
—
Behind the cameras, a girl gave a cheshire grin from behind her pot noodles as she watched her playthings file out of the gym. She could see the looks on their faces, the hope that - while diminished - was still there, in their belief that someone would save them.
She giggled.
Oh, how blissfully wrong they were.
And who would do such a cruel thing to her classmates? Her beloved friends, who had accepted her as one of their own, and had treated her like family?
Well, none other than the —