Chapter Text

DANGANRONPA: OCEAN’S DESIRED DEATH

Future’s Hope Academy

“Look, Aiko, we’re here!”

Yuka didn’t need to tell me: I saw the school right before my eyes. Imposing and tall, behind wrought iron gates, with students gathering in droves – I knew I was finally here. My stomach ached, twisting and twisting and twisting as all I could do was stare at the grand building. I couldn’t stand to look at the other students arriving. 

I had seen it in pictures, but it was more of a masterful show of architecture in person. Long walls decorated in silver and gold, grand pillars, and it was so, so, so massive. An entire campus, a town within a school. Multiple buildings, paths winding to each section, and lush gardens in between. The gates were opened– opening day, of course, first day of school for most, entry day for others and me. 

Standing inches in front of me, as she leaned slightly towards the greatest school in the country, Yuka adjusted her pink, butterfly shaped sunglasses. She had dressed as she always did: loud, bright, eye-catching and beautiful. Not even a future student at the school, and she still stood out compared to me. I didn’t even need to look to know that the other students would be looking at her, wondering if she was the latest addition to their roster of brilliance. Tall, beautiful, her long blonde hair flowing behind her, and a contagious smile on her lips.

“Can you believe you’re actually here?” Yuka’s feet danced across the floor as she spun to face me, her bright eyes peeking at me from above her sunglasses, “You! You’re an Ultimate! At Future’s Hope Academy!”

“I… Can’t believe it, no,” my fingers fumbled with the strap of my bag– I had designed it myself, a burgundy red with black trimmings and a small bow each of the buttons– as I nervously returned her gaze. I couldn’t help but think that I looked like nothing compared to her, small and frumpy, even if I had gone to great lengths to dress my best. Everything, designed by me: a dark red blazer pulled together by a thick ribbon, over a silk blouse and a lace decorated skirt. But even so, no matter how nice I dressed, my face, my appearance, it could never compare to Yuka.

I lingered outside the building, behind Yuka, making myself as small as possible to avoid the potential gaze of my future classmates. There was a pregnant pause of silence between us before I continued speaking, “Do you really think I belong here? I mean, I'm not exactly the friendliest person in the world, and everyone here– they’re an Ultimate. The best of the best, I’m…” 

"You're Aiko Inao, THE Ultimate Fashion Designer,” Yuka replied quickly with a roll of her eyes, turning back around to look at the school with admiration, “The school recruited you. So I guess that means you belong here. Besides, maybe you'll make some friends who can handle your... charm."

AIKO INAO – ULTIMATE FASHION DESIGNER

I looked towards my shoes, biting the inside of my cheek and muttering, “That's easy for you to say, Miss 'I-should-have-been-an-Ultimate-too.' And you’re right, you should–” 

“That was weeks ago, Aiko,” Yuka tugged me forward, pushing me in the direction of the school as I let out a quiet yelp, “I was being petty! You don’t need to throw that back at me.”

“Right– Right, I’m sorry.” 

“Who got recruited? You, not me. Doesn’t mean I don’t still have a chance, there’s always next year. For now, come on! You can’t keep hiding behind me. This is such a big opportunity for us– for you! Remember, Wisteria Bloom. We built that together, yeah? Without your designs, we could never have gotten as far in the industry as we have, and now– the people you’ll meet, our fashion is going to be another league!” Yuka said, her hand resting on my shoulder. Instead of looking back at the school, I focused on her nails– long, manicured, decorated with delicate flower patterns. How she could paint such beautiful patterns on her nails, I could never know– the steady hand of a seamstress, I suppose. 

“I… Yeah, you’re right. Still… I could never have gotten here without you,” I attempted to muster a smile. 

“Mm hmm, and you better remember it! And don’t forget, you better tell me ALL about your day– all the weird entry things, what your classmates are like. And you better introduce me to them when I help you move into the dorms next week, yeah?” Yuka began to push me further towards the school as she spoke. 

“O-Of course I will. Erm, can’t guarantee if I’ll actually… You know, befriend anyone, but erm… I’ll try.”

“You do that! Now come on! You’ll be late!” 

I nodded at Yuka, wincing as I finally pulled my eyes away from her. With each step I took towards the academy, I felt my legs grow more and more numb, and my chest grow unbearably tight. 

Future’s Hope Academy…

What was rebuilt in the ashes of the Tragedy that happened almost fifty years ago– the truest symbol of the world’s rebirth and resilience after that human made apocalypse. When there was once war all across the world, meaningless suffering, and pure destruction, Future’s Hope Academy stood as a testament that the world could move past that. That the world could move past despair, and towards a future of hope. 

A school for the best of the best. It was not the first of its kind– in fact, it was the reconstructed form of the historical Hope’s Peak Academy. Some would say Hope’s Peak was the source of the Tragedy, but most would agree it was also the cause for eventual hope to shine through. Students who went there were Ultimates, the best of the best in their field, and they went on to save the world when it was in its darkest moments. And thus, the school was built anew as Future’s Hope, with the aim of protecting our future from further despair, to keep hope in the world. 

And here I was… At the most legendary school in the country. Set up for greatness. To help work for humanity’s future. It felt wrong for me to be here, and yet I forced myself to continue walking. Down the path, through the gates, navigating myself through the crowds of students and towards the main entrance. The doors were opened, and when I headed inside–

–Everything felt unbearably dizzy. My eyes felt heavy. It seemed as if everything was spinning, whirling, all around me as I continued walking forward. My feet began to ache with each step, all as every limb began to feel numb. It was all blurring, everything I saw was just melting into each other until they were nothing but vague shapes and mixing colours. 

I could hear words, speeches…

“We welcome the new students of Class 42–”

Class 42, yes, that’s my class, Class 42A…

“–Founded by the Future Foundation, which will be watching all of you as potential figures of–” 

Founded in 2020, at the tail end of the Tragedy…

“Welcome to your first class here! Today we shall go through an introduction to your course. My name is–”

My first class isn’t supposed to start for another week…

“Congratulations to everyone on your exams this season! You all worked incredibly hard–”

… What…? 

It’s… Beginning to feel as if…

Life is speeding around me…

But I don’t even know what's going on…

“Aiko! Stop! Please stop! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I’m so sorry!” 

It’s all just so… Blurry…

I can hear talking, so much talking, but it’s all blending into each other…

What’s going on?

My head hurts.

My eyes shut.

Everything goes dark.

My life…

Where has it gone…?

Prologue

“Helloooooo? Pretty lass? Are ya ‘kay?”

The voice echoes in my hazy consciousness, distant, fragmented… It feels as if I am drifting through a fog. 

“Do you think she’s dead?”

“Nah, she’s breathin’!”

My eyelids feel heavy, so very, very heavy. I struggle to push them open. The world is a disorienting swirl of colours, and every nerve in my body is screaming in protest. Pain sears through my head like a surge of electricity, and my clothes feel wrong against my skin. 

“E-Eh…?” I croak, barely able to push my voice above a mere whisper as my bleary eyes finally tore themselves open. What is initially a blur in my vision fades into two boys standing above me. One is a brunette with eyes as yellow as the sun, squinting at me with concern etched across his face. And the other is a boy with a smile so wide I wonder if it might split his face in half. 

“Wouldya look at that,” the smiling boy ruffles the brunette’s already messy hair, “The little lady seems quite alright!”

“That’s… Phew! I was worried,” the boy laughs a little as his hair is ruffled, before looking back at me, offering a hand. I quickly grab it. 

Now on my feet, my drowsy eyes dart around the room I’ve woken up in. It appears to be… A lobby, of sorts. There’s an unoccupied desk in the centre of the room, a wide screen monitor standing behind it, and plush black and white seating in each corner. The ground is covered by a soft, white carpet, and the steel door leading outside is decorated with silver and gold.

I wrinkle my nose in confusion. This place is supposed to be a school? It feels more like a high-end hotel lobby. 

“... Who are you guys?” I manage to stammer after a few seconds of disoriented silence, turning to get a proper look of the only other people in the room.

The boy with the perpetual smile looks like he has never heard of any colour other than blue. A striped blue top hat sits atop his head, a cobalt blazer with a ruffled tail worn over his body, and his navy trousers reach down into further blue boots. Not only are his clothes dominated by blue, but everything about him appears to follow suit, from his thick hair holding streaks of dark and pale blue, to his cerulean eyes, and even his unbelievably pale skin seems to have a tint of blue. Dark blue, pale blue, and bright blue—it is all just... blue.

Standing beside this chromatic whirlwind is a far more normal looking individual. At least his skin has a shade of regular human colour: a soft, fleshy pink that contrasts starkly with the eyesore of blue beside him. Tousled brown hair is pushed to the side with a hair clip, and his large eyes gaze at me with an air of calm normality, almost unremarkable next to the mass of blue.

Then again, I can’t stand boys who dress boringly. 

The annoyingly tall boy in blue, still sporting that wide smile, is quick to respond, his deep voice echoing around the lobby, “Oh! We’re some of ya classmates! The rest left to look ‘round, but we stayed ‘cause ya were unconscious!”

Look around? What in the hell did he mean by that? I could feel my brow furrow in response to his words. 

“Oi, where are my manners? The name’s Sho Akiyama! Ultimate Ringmaster!” he announces, still with that eternal smile, as he suddenly drops to his knees, snatching up my hand and bringing it to his lips, “Tis an absolute pleasure to meetcha, Lil' Miss.”

SHO AKIYAMA – ULTIMATE RINGMASTER

“Ah!”  I snatch my hand away, jumping back two steps, “Don’t! Just… Touch me like that…”

Sho chuckles playfully and stands back up. I cringe, taking another step away from him. Something about the way his narrow blue eyes are fixed on me makes my skin crawl…

Though, I have heard of him, of course. Sho Akiyama, the famously young ringmaster from one of the most popular circus troupes in the country: Blue Dream Circus. It explains the colour theme, I suppose. I can almost appreciate the dedication to his persona and theme if it weren't for that clown-like grin that seems permanently etched on his face.

“Sho, I think you’re coming across a bit– Ah, nevermind!” the boy beside him comments, scratching his cheek and looking between Sho and I. His large, round eyes flicker up and down, observing me from head to toe, and he offers a friendly smile followed by a little wave.

Pulling my arms to my side, I awkwardly attempt to return his smile as I look back at him.  My eyes drift to the clothes he is wearing first and foremost. A large yellow and white shirt, matching trousers, and fluffy... slippers?

“Are you– Are you wearing pyjamas?” I blurt out, with all thoughts of this being a more regular boy in comparison to Sho vanishing from my mind. Who in their right mind wears pyjamas on their first day at school?

“Oh– I am!?” the boy looks down at his clothes, eyes widened in shock as he brings his hands to his mouth, “Oh this is so embarrassing… I must have been in such a rush to get to school, I forgot to change out of my pyjamas!” 

I immediately feel a pang of guilt for pointing it out, wincing as he hurriedly checks himself over– it doesn’t help that he looks so youthful, with a round face and doe-like eyes… I fiddle with my sleeve, “How do you… Forget to change out of your pyjamas?”

“I don’t know… Why didn’t anyone else point it out?” the boy looks at Sho with the expression of a kicked puppy.

“Oh, ah… Guess we didn’t wanna humiliate ya?” Sho replies, his constant grin unchanged, “Plus, it’s all about personality! Not clothes–” 

“You– Do you not know how clothes work?” I cut Sho off, my jaw dropping in shock, “That’s how you express yourself!”

“And I’ve expressed myself as an idiot who forgets to change out of his pyjamas for the first day of school…” the smaller boy mumbles with a tone of heartbreak, his head down as he stares at his slippers, rubbing his arm.

I clear my throat, trying to alleviate the awkward tension that I caused– this is why I shouldn’t let myself talk so much, “I mean– ” I begin, turning from Sho to look back at the boy, “You have, erm, very… nice pyjamas?”

I wouldn’t say I’m lying– the pyjamas are consistent, clearly a set. I continue speaking, “It’s better to have what you’re wearing than a random old shirt and bottoms. The colours aren’t clashing! And the set goes with your eyes.” 

“You seem to have an eye for fashion… Could it be, you’re the Ultimate Fashion Designer? I heard one was going to be in our class,” his eyes flicker back up to meet mine, tilting his head to the side. 

“Oh… Well. Yes,” I give a small, hesitant nod.

Yuka would kill me if I don’t mention this next bit…

“I’m the designer for Wisteria Bloom..! You can find us online, and we go by @Wisteria_Bloom on all of our socials…! As, erm, classmates, you may have 20% discounts on all our products!” I say through gritted teeth. 

The boy’s eyes light up, “Oh! What a sales pitch! Well, I’ll have to check that out when I get the chance! Maybe I need a wardrobe refresh… I need to work extra hard on my looks now! Need everyone to forget about seeing me in my pyjamas. Given you have an eye for this sort of thing– maybe you can help me?”

“Oh, erm… Yeah, sure. I could show you around our physical store at some point, if you like,” I offer. He is a classmate after all, and that could be a good way to befriend him…

“You would? That would be amazing! Thank you. A super cool fashion designer, and you seem really nice as well!” the boy exclaims cheerfully, and a faint warmth stirs in my stomach.

“Hmm… If I am ever in the market for new clothes, I’ll be sure to give ya stuff a look!” Sho chimes in, before nudging the shorter boy lightly, “Also, don’t forget to introduce ya-self to the Lil’ Miss over here.”

If he calls me “Lil’ Miss” one more time– Well, I won’t do anything, but I won’t like it. 

The boy laughs sheepishly, “Yes, introductions, sorry! Well, my name is Itsuki Takagi and– Oh, dear, I’m going to come across as real forgetful, huh? – I… Can’t remember my Ultimate talent.” 

ITSUKI TAKAGI – ULTIMATE ???

“You… Can’t remember?”

As I say that, I cannot help but think that his surname sounds familiar, but I can’t pin where I have heard it before.

He winces, looking back down, now with the appearance of a heartbroken kitten, “Please don’t think less of me for that. I’m not sure how I forgot…”

Who… In the world… Would forget something that important?

“So, Lil' Miss Fashion Designer! Are ya gonna tell us your name, or do ya wish to remain ‘Lil' Miss’?” Sho takes a step closer to me, craning down so that his face is right in front of mine.

I lean back, shivering, “O-Oh! Yeah. That. My name.”

Taking another step back.

“My name is Aiko Inao,” I say through a forced smile,

“What a lovely name, Lil’ Miss,” Sho says.

“Yeah… And I hope you use it,” I mutter with a slight frown. 

“Nice to meet you!” Itsuki just beams.  

I then realise something – my bag, it’s not with me anymore. I spin my head around, “Wait– I brought my bag with me, where did it…”

“Oh? Yeah… A lot of us had our belongings removed,” Itsuki says, “I had a backpack with me– gone now.”

“Seriously? Someone stole all of our stuff?”

“I’m sure all our belongings will be returned to us soon!” Sho interjects, laughing as if this were only a small inconvenience – not like we, you know, have had our stuff stolen after waking up in some mysterious place. He merely hums light heartedly, glancing towards the door of the lobby, “Well! Think it’s time we introduce the little lass to the others! C’mon–”

Sho extends his hand towards me, an inviting gesture, and I quickly pull my own hand back before he could make contact. He blinks but continues smiling, “What’s the matter, Lil’ Miss?”

I grab my own hand, still thinking about everything that was in my bag, “Oh, um… I just. Find it awkward holding someone-I-barely-know's hand. Sorry.”

Phone, purse, good luck charm of a little octopus– all gone with my hand made bag…

“Ah, ‘tis fine, Lil' Miss!” he gives a strained laugh.

“Please don’t call me that…”

“Ok, Lil' Miss!”

Did he even listen to me?

“What’s going on anyway?” I question, walking towards the door.

“Oh, well…” Itsuki trails off, tilting his head as he watches me.

As I push the door open, blinding sunlight blasts into my vision. My eyes slowly adjust to the light, and here I find myself, standing atop a large deck. In the centre is a swimming pool, surrounded by an array of sunbeds and parasols. On either side of the deck are tall, metal fences. However, it is when I look past the fences that I see the peculiar, unexpected sight.

The ocean. 

We’re on… 

A cruise ship?

“What the…” I frantically scan the surroundings, walking across the deck, and seeing no sign of any sort of academy on the horizon, “What the actual hell!?”

“We’re just as confused as you are,” Itsuki replies as he follows me closely, his gaze fixed on the ocean beyond, “One minute it’s the first day at the academy, then all of a sudden, we wake up on this ship.”

“... Eh?”

This can’t be real. How have we ended up here? Is this some sort of absurd prank?

“Super strange, I know. But stay positive! I’m sure we’re absolutely fine!” Sho proclaims, his smile faltering.

“...” 

I stand there in stunned silence, trying to make sense of the surreal situation. This can’t be real. This can’t be real. This can’t be real.

This is completely ridiculous! Of course it can’t be real.

I must be dreaming! That’s it! Of course!

Then why does it feel so real?

“I think she’s going to faint…” Itsuki says as he carefully approaches me.

“Lil' Miss! Don’t faint! I’ll hold ya!” Sho grabs my shoulders, which is enough to startle me back to reality, and I jump back. 

“I’m fine,” I insist, my voice wavering only slightly. I make sure to put a significant distance between us, “Just… Confused.”

“I get that. Shall we look for the others?” Itsuki suggests. Between him and Sho, I think I prefer him. 

How can they be talking so casually right now, though? We’ve somehow woken up on a cruise ship, in God knows where–

Nope. Let’s try not to panic. They’re right. I should meet the others and calmly resolve this issue. Ignore the palpitations in my chest and the numb feeling in my hands; maybe there will be an explanation soon! 

Yuka would handle this sort of situation with grace; I should try to act how she would.

I give a small nod in agreement, “Yeah… How many others are there?”

“Thirteen others, I believe. Sixteen of us as a whole,” Itsuki answers, spinning around and gesturing for us to follow him, “I’ll lead the way.”

He saunters to the other side of the deck, where there rests a bar, devoid of any drinks or food, with a few seats beside it. I notice two girls are in this area. One is leaning against the metal fence of the ship, staring absent-mindedly up at the sky, head swaying from side to side. The other girl is sitting at one of the bar stools, resting her chin against her hand. Neither appear to notice, or in the latter’s case, bother to acknowledge our arrivals. 

Itsuki’s eyes flicker between the two girls, before settling on the one at the bar. He shrugs, “Best to get the worst out of the way.”

He marches up to the girl at the bar, and I follow him closely, tapping my finger anxiously against my side. Itsuki coughs, causing her grey eyes to flicker up and meet mine. Her gaze makes me feel as if I’m shrinking. I stop tapping my side to clench and unclench my fist.

“Hm?” she lets out a long, stretched out hum, “Oh, so the sleepyhead finally decided to wake up. You took your time.”

Her words cut into me like a knife, and I flinch under her critical gaze. Just by looking at her, I can tell she was the type of person who takes pride in her appearance, with a flawless face, porcelain skin, long black lashes, and perfectly done makeup. She wears a thick grey cardigan over a cropped black wrap top, and a vest beneath it, leading into a high-waisted, flowing cross-over skirt. Grey leg warmers with black ribbon accents adorn her legs, one of the leg warmers pulled up to her thigh, and the other settling on her calf.

I like her style, despite her expression. She’s a dancer, right? Must be. If I weren’t feeling so nervous right now, I would ask her where she got her clothes from, who designed them– it feels so unique to her. 

She is tall, and she is not even wearing heeled shoes – only black pumps. And her figure is lithe; she could make for a wonderful runway model. She stands to look down at me, her feet delicately hopping off the barstool to settle on the deck's floor. As she leans against the bar, her black nails scratch against the wooden surface, while her other hand reaches up to tuck her raven plait behind her head.

Her black lips remain in a thin line. 

“Don’t be mean, Rina,” Sho says quickly, the harshness of his tone contrasting with his ever-present wide smile.

Rina responds with a cold, lacklustre chuckle, her perfect lips parting just enough to allow it to escape. Her eyes narrow ever so slightly in Sho's direction as she continues to scrutinise me, “I was simply pointing out what happened. I don’t see how that’s mean.”

“Well, I guess you guys should introduce yourselves?” Itsuki suggests. 

Rina’s icy gaze locks onto me, and she purses her lips, an air of judgement in her eyes. I feel light-headed, my ability to speak deserting me. My heart races, and my cheeks flush as I struggle to find my voice. Even more so, I notice how awful my clothes feel against my skin, itchy, stiff, unbreathable…

“Well?” Rina’s impatience slashes through the silence, “Introduce yourself to me, who are you?”

“My… My name is Aiko Inao… Ultimate-”

“Fashion Designer, right?” she tilts her head to the side, an almost smile forming on her lips, “I’ve heard quite a bit about you. Maybe one day I could ask you for your services, if I am in need of an interesting outfit for my next performance.”

“Performance…?”

“Aw, how precious, she doesn’t recognise me,” Rina’s tone takes a quick turn from threatening to light-hearted, and she lets out a bubbly giggle– though she swiftly returns back to her cold exterior. She leans down to my height, “I’m Rina Tsukada, Ultimate Ballerina. Given you are a fashion designer, I would have thought you of all people would have an interest in the arts. Ah, I suppose that assumption would have been tragically wrong. Regardless, I doubt we’ll get particularly close, so please don’t bother me.”

RINA TSUKADA – ULTIMATE BALLERINA

I gulp, offering a curt nod. Rina giggles even more, the giggle sounding almost lifeless, as she claps her hands together, “Good girl. Now go along and meet the others. I’m sure you have a bit of catching up to do.”

“No small talk, or other things to get to know each other?” Itsuki asks weakly.

She just raises an eyebrow at him, before silently rolling her eyes and sitting back down. Rude, I think to myself. I decide that going along with her request that I don’t bother her is for the best– She is most certainly not the sort of company I want to seek. 

A bit pathetically, I stumble away from her, Itsuki in tow. He lowers his voice, “She’s rather intimidating, don’t you think?”

I just nod in response. 

As we make our way to the other girl, I feel a wave of relief crash against me as I get a good look at her. In a stark contrast to Rina, this girl looks in no way threatening. Rather, she appears to be lost in a sort of daze, her mouth slightly parted as her purple eyes are fixed on the sky. Her dark blue hair is cropped messily, forming a loose frame around her head. Her outfit is certainly unique as well: pulled together by a corset is a large hooded jumper, with a lilac skirt peeking from beneath. The tights she wears have an astral like pattern on them, and completing the look are moon and star earrings. 

It’s clear she’s an astral fan from the look. Maybe into some sort of mysticism? I wonder if she’s the type of person who obsesses over zodiacs… It’s a cute look, if not a bit messy. With a bit of tweaks, the overall fit could be so much more coherent– I mean, the jumper and corset are a bit odd together, but I could edit it slightly so that it–

She blinks as she finally notices our presence, her head tilting to look at us, “... Hello?”

I’ll consider how I’d restyle her later. 

“Hey there,” Itsuki greets.

“... Have I introduced myself to you guys yet?” she asks in a wispy, dreamy voice.

“You’ve introduced yourself to Sho and I, but not Aiko here,” Itsuki points at me with his thumb.

“Oh…”  she faintly turns her head to look at me, her gaze somewhat distant, “Hello… I’m Tomo Genji… Ultimate Astronomer… I like stars. They’re pretty.”

TOMO GENJI – ULTIMATE ASTRONOMER

“Aiko Inao,” I reply, “Ultimate Fashion Designer.”

“Mmmm…”

“A girl of a few words!” Sho chimes in, catching up to us. 

I give him a look as if to say ‘No shit’, but the words don’t leave my mouth.

“You’re right! Stars are so pretty! What about stars do you like?” Itsuki asks her with a warm smile.

Tomo’s interest seems piqued as she looks at Itsuki, her eyes sparkling, “I like… That when stars are together in a nebula, it’s like they’re a big family. Planets too. And there are so many beautiful nebulae.” 

“Oh! I see!” Itsuki nods enthusiastically, “Do you have a favourite nebula?”

“Hm… That would be a hard choice to make… The Horsehead Nebula is a particularly striking one, I think. It looks like her,” she gestures at me and I frown slightly. She then looks at Sho, “Boomerang Nebula.”

“Boomerang Nebula?” Sho repeats.

Tomo nods, “Or Lemon Slice.”

“Lemon Slice Nebula?”  

Tomo ignores Sho to look back at Itsuki, and she hums softly for a few seconds, before putting a finger to her chin, “Ghost Head! No… Fried Egg.”

“What are you…” I stare at her in confusion.

“Oh, sweet, those are names of nebulae?” Itsuki clicks his tongue, “That’s so cool! Fried egg. Scientists really come up with fun names for these things! And Ghost Head sounds so sick! Astronomy must be super cool! You need to show us pictures someday! Hey, actually–”

Itsuki looks over at me and gestures at Tomo, “You’re a fashion designer, like… Nebulae are beautiful, right Tomo?”

“Yes! They are!” she says enthusiastically.

“I’m sure a keen artist's eye could spot inspiration in there,” Itsuki gently nudges me, “You and Tomo could totally work together on something!”

I pause at that. I know the night sky can be rather pretty, though I’ve never thought to go out of my way to look at– the plural for it is nebulae, right? Never thought of using that for inspiration, but if they are as beautiful as they say…

“That… Actually sounds like a really good idea,” I mutter.

Tomo’s lips turn up into a hopeful smile, “We can– We can work together to make an astral themed fashion?”

“I’d… Run it through my business partner, but– uh– she’s very keen to meet other Ultimates. I think she’d be happy to work on something like that,” I say, before quickly adding, “You-can-find-us-at-at-Wisteria-underscore-Bloom-on-social-media-and-as-classmates-you-get-20%-off-products.”

“I see! I… I will think about this! Thank you for considering the idea, I will show you pictures of my favourite nebulae as soon as I get the chance,” Tomo says, bowing graciously.

“Awh, would ya look at that, a blossomin’ friendship!” Sho’s comments with a grin.

“Yes, would you look at that,” Itsuki says with a pleased smile, “Anyway, as much as I hate to cut this short, we should get to introducing Aiko to the others. Great talking to you though! We should totally talk about nebulae some more sometime. And I hope to hear about any cool nebula inspired fashion plans.”

“I see. I will go back to cloud watching then,” Tomo says, her lips still pulled up into a small, soft smile as she looks back up. 

I offer her a small wave as I follow the boys away, and I can’t help but smile to myself. Despite her eccentricities, I think I actually like her…

Itsuki leans towards me, “You’re welcome.”

“H-Huh?”

“You weren’t just gonna talk to her on your own, weren’t you? Thought I’d give a little nudge,” he explains with a wink, “Now look at you two, talking stars and fashion.”

“O-Oh yeah… Thanks.”

I suppose I do need a push in order to get to know people…

As the three of us begin to walk away, I attempt to straighten out my bizarrely stiff feeling clothes, and Sho turns to look at me, “Well, wasn’t that lovely! Now let’s introduce you to the others!”

Before he can grab my hand again, I take a step to the side, pulling my hand away with me, glaring at him. He gives a piercing laugh, which causes my ears to twitch, shaking his head and ruffling my hair. 

We enter the door at the other side of the deck, leading into a wide, expensive looking corridor, decorated with paintings and vases. There are five doors in view at the start of the corridor, the two nearest to the entrance being particularly notable. One of the two doors has golden trimmings on the side and a sign saying ‘Upper-Class Suites’, and the other door is a dilapidated, mouldy thing with a sign saying ‘Lower-Class Suites’.

Two more doors stand on either side of the corridor, and a particularly large one rests directly opposite the entrance. The hallway continues down the left past the large door.

Itsuki presses his thumb to his lips, eyes glancing between the two doors on either side of the corridor. He hums.

“As ya can see, Itsuki and I ain’t been lookin’ ‘round yet. This is as much of an adventure for us as it is for you!” Sho explains, that smile of his somehow growing wider as he stares down at me. 

“Ah…” I just offer a slow nod.

I notice Itsuki is already standing outside the door to the Upper-Class Suites, hand on the knob, and I rush over to keep up with him. The moment the door is pushed open, the sound of an intense conversation blares out, and the three of us exchange glances. Itsuki is the first to head in, and I follow, with Sho only a few inches behind me.

There stands three people in the centre of this long, marble floored, pristine room. More classmates: two are a pair of relatively tall boys, standing in opposition to each other, whilst a rather exasperated looking girl stands in between them. 

“Remember this, Daiya, the only reason the school recruited you to come here is because of me,” one of the boys says with a biting tone. He’s skinnier than the other, and appears shorter– although that could just be the result of awful slouching posture. He doesn’t appear particularly fashionable either– a large white lab coat set atop a flannel shirt that is a tartan red on one side, and a chequered orange on the other. Beneath the flannel is a further display of tattered clothes, with a mushroom patterned red shirt, along with clumsily ripped trousers.

This man really seems to have just grabbed any hand-me-downs and trashed clothes he could find, and attempted to mash them together. He looks as if he’s climbed out of a dumpster. I can’t help but wonder if he has a messy personality to go with… 

At least he doesn’t look boring, but I still wouldn’t want to be caught so close to a fashion illiterate. 

His dark purple hair is short, brushed messily towards the front of his face, with an undercut going across the sides and back of his head. And his eyes, that focus on the boy opposite him, are a piercing red. I can’t see his mouth, it's obscured by a white face mask, and dangling from his neck are lab goggles.

“And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously,” the other boy, who stands far more dignified, simply replies with a rich and deep voice, his tone steady and calm.

His eyes are similar to the ones staring him down: Red, narrow and piercing. And his hair colour is the same as well, but in contrast to the short birdnest the scientist has, his hair is straight, neat, and goes down to just below his shoulders – a rather fancy barrette pulling it back into a partial ponytail. He looks more broad too, well-built, and his posture is perfectly aligned, letting him stand tall and confident. The boy is dressed in a black cassock, though his chest is partially covered with silver fabric, and he has a crucifix necklace falling over his chest.

For a religious looking boy, I must say his outfit is rather eye-catching and well put together. It’s clear his look must have taken some modicum of thought. As a contrast to the fashion disaster he is arguing with. 

“Don’t you fucking quote Peter 2:23 at me!” the sciency-looking boy retorts with a huff, “Speak your own words, not the words of some dead old fuckhead!”

He is met with a calm smile, “Kadashi, I am simply saying that I am not going to return your petty little insults. If that’s so difficult for your small mind to comprehend–”

“Oh look!” the girl who is standing in between the boys gestures towards us as we enter the hallway, “Other people. How ‘bout we move on from this little spat and just… Talk to them?” 

The boys’ argument comes to a halt as the two pull their eyes away from each other in order to regard us. Snarling, the one in the lab coat shoves both of his hands into his pockets and kicks the ground. The other boy, on the other hand, musters up a charming smile and offers a respectful nod, “Ah, I apologise, I did not notice your entrance.”

Itsuki leads Sho and I through the long corridor towards the group of students. We pass by four doors – two either side of the room – and I notice four more ahead of us as we stop in the middle of the hall, with vases and flowers in between each door. Golden plaques are hung up on each of them, all with separate names: ‘Hirata Misaki’, ‘Tsukada Rina’, ‘Yuhara Chinatsu’ and ‘Genji Tomo’ on one side of the corridor, and ‘Takagi Itsuki’, ‘Akiyama Sho’, ‘Anzai Kadashi’ and ‘Oshiro Ren’ on the other side.

“You see,” the priestly looking boy continues, “My brother has a habit of picking fights with me, and unfortunately I occasionally allow his jabbing to distract me.” 

“Tch…” his other boy rolls his wide eyes, gritting his teeth, “So she’s awake then. What, you want us to introduce ourselves?”

“If you don’t mind,” Itsuki says, looking at them with his large doe-eyes as he scratches the back of his head.

“Ah, not at all,” says the priestly one as he strides towards me. With a polite smile on his face, he elegantly bows, “My name is Daiya Anzai, and I am the Ultimate Priest. Please, perhaps we can sit together some time to discuss the Lord–”

DAIYA ANZAI – ULTIMATE PRIEST

“Oh. My. Fucking. God. Can you not go one second without preaching,” the other grumbles, rubbing his forehead.

“Kadashi, how many times must I say this, but swearing in front of a new company is rather rude.”

“Eat shit fucklord.” 

“Whoever belittles his neighbour lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent. Proverbs 11:12.”

I stare at Daiya some more – then I realise it: I’ve seen him on TV! Some televangelist program, the only reason I didn’t skip it was because Yuka said the priest on the TV was ‘hot’. And I guess I’m now talking to said priest. 

Honestly, I don’t get how she thinks he’s ‘hot’. He’s just a guy– though, the long hair and lashes definitely work in his favour, I will give him that. A pretty face. But he’s too tall and broad. 

Oh, I know she’s going to beg me to introduce her to him. 

“Speak with your own fucking words,” Kadashi hisses, pulling down his mask to stick his tongue out at Daiya, who simply sighs and shakes his head. He then tilts over to look back at me, “Kadashi Anzai. Ultimate Biophysicist. Whatever. Guess I’ve won a Nobel Prize, but it doesn’t really matter.” 

KADASHI ANZAI – ULTIMATE BIOPHYSICIST 

“Nobel Prize?” I gasp, my jaw falling open.

Kadashi shrugs as if that’s a casual thing, “Yeah. Won one half a year ago for my work in developing this medicine that’s drastically increased the chances of recovery from certain life threatening illnesses. Now, if I find a way to help get rid of those fuckers as a whole– that’s the next goal.”

“I always say that prayer is the best medicine,” Daiya comments.

“Ugh, yeah, I fucking know. And that’s fucking stupid and you know it,” Kadashi groans, “Much like how you touching some ‘ill’ person on TV to cure them is stupid– fraud.”

“Oh, you cannot deny what was shown on live TV. Do you not watch it? Did you not see me cure that woman of paralysis?” 

“She didn’t have paralysis in the first place! Just some nerve issues and chronic pain– and she probably was able to stand up so well due to a rush of endorphins briefly flushing away the pain! I doubt she was standing for long afterwards.” 

“Ah, you use science to explain what you cannot understand,” Daiya chuckles.

“I- You- Arghghhhh-!” Kadashi is at a loss for words as he buries his head in his hands.

I notice the differences in their eyes as they speak. While Daiya’s eyes remain lidded and almost tired looking, with heavy bags underneath them, Kadashi’s are wide open. 

“Still– that’s so impressive,” Itsuki speaks up, staring at Kadashi in amazement, “A Nobel Prize winner? Life saving medicine? Damn, that’s leagues above a regular Ultimate… And you too, Daiya– a miracle worker! That’s incredible.”

Kadashi grows slightly red as looks down at the ground, “It’s not really a big deal.”

“I simply wish to help people and spread the light of the Lord,” Daiya smiles at Itsuki.

“Again, all you’re doing is fraud,” Kadashi mutters grumpily.

“Well, I believe what you are doing is pure quackery–” 

“Alright, let’s not do this,” the girl speaks up. She then adds, “Kadashi and Daiya here haven’t spoken in, like, half a year, so they’ve, uh, had a lot to catch on…!”

“Yes, it’s been delightful to see Kadashi again,” Daiya nods.

“Oh, yeah, you’re a real fucking delight too…” 

The girl winces slightly. She is very pretty, with dark, smooth looking skin and a single rose coloured eye– the other is a whitish colour, odd looking, and it doesn’t move as fast as her left eye. When I look at her outfit, I can’t help but hum in appreciation. Though I am not the biggest fan of trousers, she suits them marvelously, and her rose patterned top looks lovely – topped by a leather bolero jacket.

It’s a look that combines the delicate and the tough, and it’s nothing extreme. Stylish enough– though I’m not sure what I can tell from it. She most certainly must be athletic, given the way her trousers look. Someone who must jump and climb a lot of things, I figure. 

“And I have been dealing with the delight of acting as these two children’s mediator as they catch up,” she says without much joy, shaking her head.

“You’ve done a wondrous job at keeping Kadashi at bay,” Daiya praises.

“As if I could do any fucking thing to you,” Kadashi scoffs at his brother.

“Well, you’re yelling less.”

“Oh, you want me to fucking yell at you?”

“Anyway, who are you?” the girl ignores the twins as she focuses on me, “When we left you were still unconscious. How are you feeling?”

“Well, uh– I’m feeling alright, I guess,” other than the fact that my clothes feel so bizarrely uncomfortable, “I’m Aiko Inao. Ultimate Fashion Designer.”

Time to plug the business, “I design the clothes for Wisteria Bloom. Social are @Wisteria_Bloom. 20% discount for classmates.” 

“20% discount for designer clothes? Yeah, I’ll check that out,” the girl nods with a thoughtful hum.

“Indeed. Fashion trends are a marvellous thing to study,” Daiya agrees, and I can’t help but be shocked by his statement – I never thought a priest would care about that sort of thing, “It is always good to stick with trends. I was excited when I heard there was a Fashion Designer in our class– though, it’s odd, does anyone else feel like the quality of their clo–”

“Fashion. Clothes. Wooooah. Really, who gives a shit?” Kadashi rolls his eyes.

The girl looks at him with a frown, “I do. And she does. How about not insulting people for their passions?”

“I-” he goes red, and shrugs, “Whatever.”

“I mean,” I quietly mutter, eyes briefly flickering over to the scientist, “You of all people need this discount…”

“Wha- What the fuck do you mean by that…!?”

I step back, and I overhear the girl chuckling as she steps in between Kadashi and myself. She leans towards me, “I’m Misaki Hirata, by the way. Ultimate Daredevil. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be interested in checking out some designer clothes.”

MISAKI HIRATA – ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL

“Basically,” Kadashi huffs, shaking his head, “Her talent involves being a suicidal maniac.”

“I could go on a deeper explanation on how things work, and how I make sure I’m safe, but you know what? Sure, let’s leave it at that,” Misaki replies, smiling and shaking her head, “Look at him, he’s trying his best to show off that he’s a big fat meanie. He’s trying.”

I can hear Itsuki snicker from beside me, and Kadashi grows even more red. He begins grumbling to himself, wondering towards the corner of the room. 

I’ve heard my old classmates talk about Misaki Hirata. A popular social media celebrity, ‘MisakiOnTheEdge’, travelling across the world to perform the most dangerous of stunts: from jumping off cliffs to riding a motorbike through flames, all while filming them. I always assumed she would be more hot-headed, rambunctious, but she seems to be a stark contrast to all that. Someone relaxed, and shrugging off any insult that comes her way– a far more calm person than me for sure. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my sanity if I were stuck around those twins.

“Hey, so as a daredevil, how do you have the confidence?” Itsuki speaks up, eyes lit up with interest, “I mean… I’ve seen some of your stunts online! I could never imagine having the bravery to do that! I mean, it’s incredible.”

She smiles, dimples forming in her cheeks as she puts her hands in her trouser pockets, “Well, it’s about really knowing what you’re doing. The stunts are far less unsafe than you think! It’s about making sure you have the right calculations, do things at the exact right times, and yeah, you have to be in the right headspace. See, if you panic, you put yourself in more danger. You have to keep a level head, and be prepared for anything. Also knowing exactly how to move your body in case something goes wrong.”

“Woah… That’s so coool!” Itsuki exclaims, and I notice Kadashi watching her with interest as well as she explains, “Damn, then I guess that makes regular life a breeze then. Learning to keep your head in extreme situations must be helpful in things like, keeping calm for exams.”

“Honestly, yeah. I’ve learned a lot of breathing techniques, psychological tricks, and perspective,” Misaki replies with an introspective hum, “Like, yeah, there will always be those things that get you, but ultimately I’ve learned how to think from an outside view of myself, how to regulate– oh, it’s all a lot of psychological, therapy stuff. Not the cool daredevil explosion sorta thing.”

“I think the smart bits are really interesting though,” Itsuki states, shaking his head, “I think Kadashi agrees with that.”

“What? No, I wasn’t listening in,” Kadashi returns to facing the wall.

Daiya, on the other hand, looks thoroughly disinterested, though his polite smile remains,  “Well, as said in Timothy 1:7–”

“Die.”

“No, Kadashi–”

“Shut up.”

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear–”

“– but of power and love and self-control. We fucking get it.”

Misaki watches the two brothers with a bemused look. She runs her fingers through her ponytail, “Thanks?” 

“You’re welcome,” says Daiya. 

“No, no, he’s making everyone about… Why does he always have to preach– Can you go for three seconds without talking about fucking scripture?” Kadashi groans.

“Can you go three seconds without feeling the need to spew obscenities?” Daiya retorts, staring at Kadashi.

“Yeah, you do swear a lot,” Misaki says, though maintaining her confused smile, “It comes across kind of try hard. No offence-”

“T-Try hard!?” 

Daiya’s mask of prestige briefly fades as he bursts into laughter. Kadashi retorts by flipping off his brother, weakly stuttering out, “St-Stop laughing at me!”

“Ok, yeah maybe we should not– Oh, I really shouldn’t have said that, I’m so sorry,” Misaki winces.

“Well, I think it’s about time we make our leave,” Itsuki pipes up with an awkward chuckle.

I nod on with agreement as I begin to follow him out. Sho, who had been mostly quiet throughout the exchange, simply offers Misaki a thumbs up as he says, “Good luck dealing with them!”

“Wait, please don’t tell me you’re already leaving–”

We ignore Misaki’s cry for help. 

Itsuki shuts the door to the Upper-Class Suites behind us, leaning against it as he smiles sheepishly at Sho and I, “Well, I feel bad for leaving her, but she seems to have a handle on the twins! Boy, do I not have a good read on those brothers.”

“They do seem… Odd,” I murmur.

“Ah, they’re just passionate! I’m sure they’re really nice people!” Sho speaks up in their defence.

“Yeah, I’m sure they are– I mean, Kadashi’s sure done some great things!” Itsuki nods, “And Daiya seems very polite.”

“He just seems a bit keen on quoting the bibles, I guess,” I’m not sure I’d be able to take that behaviour for long, no matter how polite he is. But perhaps it might grow on me? I don’t like twins.

I think I like Misaki though. Hopefully at some point I can talk to her away from those two. She’s really pretty, after all, and relaxed as well.

Itsuki picks up the pace once more, heading to the door opposite to the ‘Upper Class Suites’ – the ‘Lower Class Suites’. He presses his hand against the decrepit, dull brown door, and pushes it open with a loud creak, Sho and I standing behind him. I can see Sho’s hand once more moving closer to mine, and I swiftly put both my hands into the pockets of my jacket. 

In stark contrast to the pristine hallway of the Upper-Class Suites, with their marbled floors and stone decorations, the hallway of the Lower-Class suites has panelled wooden flooring that is covered in dust and cracks. The beige wallpaper is falling apart, and there are spiderwebs dangling from the ceiling. I can’t help but wrinkle my nose at the sight. 

I glance at the doors at either side of the room, my eyes scanning through the name plaques on each of them – unlike the gold plated ones in the Upper-Class Suites, these plaques are worn out pieces of wood. 

‘Anzai Daiya’, ‘Minami Eito’, ‘Kita Kai’, ‘Enomoto Yuki’ on one side, then on the other is ‘Myles Lillian’, ‘Bunya Naomi’, ‘Hanae Saki’ and… ‘Inao Aiko’.

My stomach drops, and once again my eyes dart around the ramshackled halls of the Lower-Class Suites. 

I’m… Staying in this dump?

Itsuki meets my horrified gaze with a sympathetic one, and I let out a quiet huff, averting my eyes. I don’t want to seem as if I cared that much about the situation. Sho then pats my shoulder, and I resist the urge to push him away. 

There are two other students standing in the hallway, both at the very end. One is sat on the floor, his legs crossed and boredly resting a hand under his chin. He has olive skin, with white hair that is partially held up in a small ponytail, though more noticeable are his clothes; they emulate designer brands, but each piece is mashed together with no sense of consistency. 

A statement for sure, I think to myself. His shirt in particular– left side a formal blazer, only to be cut off into a tank top on his right, and a sleeveless dress shirt peeking from underneath, all held together with a thick belt. 

I’d say it’s a rebellious look, but a rebel with enough money to afford designer clothes. Even more shocking is what dangles from his neck: a necklace with real diamond, tied together with silver and crystals. Most people would look at that and think it was merely a pretty necklace, but my mind reels– 

“Le Diadème Mystérieux,” I quietly breathe out, and the boy's pale purple eyes are drawn away from the person he was quietly talking to, now staring pointedly at me.

The other person in the room also looks over at me. He is leaning against the wall beside the boy, and his hands are holding onto a purple notebook and pen. He has tanned skin, with cheeks decorated in freckles, and sharp lavender eyes. Under a heather coloured beanie is pink hair, and he wears a consistent look of pinks and purples. Trendy, clearly the sort of guy to follow popular fashion trends.

Then again, most guys dress so absurdly boring these days. It’s why I often can’t stand them. So this boy must be the type of guy to hang around girls a lot, or at least have feminine inclinations. I can appreciate that. 

He uncaringly raises an eyebrow, spinning the pen between his fingers.

Neither of them hold particularly friendly expressions, but they aren’t antagonistic either.

“Le Dia-what?” Itsuki asks, looking between us all. 

“Le Diadème Mystérieux,” the pink haired boy says, glancing back at the boy sitting on the floor, before shrugging, “A pretty famous necklace made in Paris. Last seen worn by a visiting Princess, before a rather scandalous heist. Think: a dinner for all the rich and powerful, then suddenly everything is pitch black for exactly five minutes–”

“And when the lights are back on, the necklace has disappeared,” I whisper, my eyes still drawn to the beautiful piece of jewelry; there is no way that can be the real thing. 

“The princess even said she couldn’t feel a single thing. It was as if it had just magically vanished,” the pink haired boy finished, now tapping his pen against his notebook, “Quite the story, don’t you think?”

That’s when Sho speaks up, scratching his cheek, “And… Eito here for some reason has it?”

The white haired boy, Eito, just laughs, finally speaking, “Well, duh.”

“I mean,” Itsuki mutters, “He is the Ultimate Thief.”

My eyes widen. Does that mean the clothes he is wearing are also stolen? Each piece is from rare collections, sold for prices that would far exceed the price of my family’s house. Though– there is something off about the look of the material.

Then again, there has been something off about how my own clothes have been feeling against my skin ever since I woke up on this ship. 

“Yes, yes, Ultimate Thief, yadda, yadda,” Eito stands up, resting his back against the wall, “Crazy how only two people noticed the necklace though, then again, who cares about minor stuff like this other than superficial nobodies obsessed with the rich and famous.”

“Excuse me-!” I glare at him.

“Mm. Well, I can’t deny that,” the pink haired boy shrugs, before looking back at me, “Though, I wouldn’t say she’s a nobody. In fact, I think it’s more than fair that she’d know, right, Aiko Inao?”

“How do you know my-”

“Yuki Enomoto, Ultimate Journalist,” he says, pushing himself off the wall and sauntering towards me, “Well, Tabloid Journalist, if we’re being pedantic.”

YUKI ENOMOTO – ULTIMATE TABLOID JOURNALIST

“I made sure to research every single one of my new classmates. Incredible how fast your brand, Wisteria Bloom, has managed to expand over the last year,” he says, speaking swiftly but with a measured tone, “Though, I am sure that has something to do with your partner’s connections. I am shocked that you both weren’t scouted together, though. I imagine that must have caused some conflict, am I correct?”

“I–” I take a step back from him, my eyes blinking rapidly, before furrowing my brows into a frown. Whilst he is correct that Yuka and I did have a brief argument about the situation, we managed to make up and– I mean, what the hell does he care about what happened between us?

“She and I are fine,” I say curtly, “She even walked me to the school this morning.” 

“Mm,” he hums, as if he doesn’t believe me. 

“It’s a bit rude to be asking such invasive questions, dontcha think?” Sho says, and I find myself nodding along in agreement.

Yuki scoffs, his eyes narrowing as his attention is directed at Sho, “Pfft, says you, I have a long list of things I want to ask you, Sho Akiyama. For example, Blue Dream Circus’s scandal last year with your father. Some people believe that his death was more than just–” 

My stomach drops – although I am not personally a fan of Sho, who in their right mind just brings up a subject like that? I raise my voice before he can continue, “H-Hey, I don’t think you should ask things like that…”

For a moment, I notice the eternal smile that stains Sho’s face flickering away, but he is quick to strain it back into its usual wide and toothy form, though his eyes lack any light. He must be hurt, I think to myself – who wouldn’t be? 

“Hm?” Yuki just lets out a nonchalant hum, and Eito has the gall to laugh. 

“You don’t just-” I stutter. There is disgust and anger forming in my stomach, but directing it into words is difficult, “I-I don’t think that’s really– you don’t even know him, you shouldn’t bring up something like that so- so callously.”

I would tell him he’s being disgusting for asking something. Utterly cruel and rude– but I don’t want to come off too aggressively. Still, how horrible. I hope this conversation comes to a swift close, because I’m not too sure that I want to spend any more time near this guy.

“Well, it is kind of my job,” Yuki replies with a saccharine smile.

“Job or no,” Itsuki interjects, “I’m with Aiko. We’re classmates, not some stories for you to write about on your blog.”

“And why else would I accept an invite to Future’s Hope?” Yuki just rolls his eyes, and he writes something in his notebook.

“I- Let’s just… Move on, shall we? We’re going around introduce Aiko to everyone,” Sho says, voice briefly shaking. 

“Eito,” Eito then says, returning to sitting on the floor, “Eito Minami. You already know my talent, but whatever, Ultimate Thief and all.”

EITO MINAMI – ULTIMATE THIEF

“Well, thank you for properly introducing yourself,” Itsuki says, smiling politely and fiddling with his hair clip.

“Yeah. Nice… Nice to meet you both,” I say insincerely. I want to get away from these people. 

“Anyway, if you don’t mind me asking, what were you guys talking about before we entered? You both were being really quiet, whispering to each other,” Itsuki continues. 

– And I find myself holding back a groan. I keep my fake smile on, but why did Itsuki have to prompt them to talk more? Why couldn’t we just leave?

Yuki raises an eyebrow, “I do mind you asking–”

“Oh, so you dislike being asked invasive questions?” I can hear Sho murmur from behind me.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Eito waves his hand dismissively, “We were talking about the situation. That, and the two of us have met before, so I guess we’re already at ease with each other.”

Yuki just sighs, before rolling his eyes again. 

“You’ve already met?” Itsuki asks.

“Yeah, given we’re both in an interesting situation being invited to Future’s Hope, I mean, we’re both criminals,” Eito says casually, “It’s why Yuki here sought me out before school started. Gotta say, impressive how he tracked me down.”

“You’re both–” I get cut off by Yuki.

“It’s a grey area, for me at least,” he explains, tapping his pen against his forehead, “Media laws and all. Similar situation with another classmate– Saki. I spoke a little to her before coming here too. Laws worsened after the Tragedy all those years ago– the government doesn’t like it when information is exposed that can cause ‘Despair’ or whatever. That and laws against exposing things without people’s consent is a no-no. My journalism blog had to be run anonymously for a reason.”

“Journalism blog… Wait, are you–”

“‘Sincerely, Gonbei’, yes, that’s me,” he nods, lips curling up once more.

Yuka is addicted to reading that blog– and I can’t say I haven’t been drawn into the different posts myself. ‘Sincerely, Gonbei’ has exposed countless celebrity scandals, rumours on various politicians, and speculation on current affairs. Many see it as one of the few places to get news without things being covered up or softened. To be honest, I respected whoever ran the blog; someone who was willing to find and expose the truth no matter what–

– but, I suppose you have to be a blunt douchebag to be so ruthless in getting the information you want. 

“Great thing about going to Future’s Hope means you won’t have to be anonymous anymore,” Eito says with a grin, “I mean. We’re Ultimates now. Our crimes are now ‘legal’ so long as it fulfils our Ultimate Talent.”

My mouth falls open, “They– What?” 

“Being an Ultimate essentially gives us a ‘license’ to do these things, given our talents,” Yuki confirms casually, before muttering, “Still. It feels weird. So many of the rich and famous are alumni of Future’s Hope. I’ve even published things speculating on the system around Future’s Hope, it–”

Yuki then stops himself, eyes darting between myself, Sho and Itsuki, “Nevermind.”

“Eh, I’m gonna be taking advantage of my licence to steal so hard,” Eito grins, “Finally unlocked easy mode!” he then frowns, “Wait, but that would be boring.”

“Well,” Itsuki says, lips tugging into a polite smile, “Glad we got to introduce you guys to Aiko! We will… Leave you guys to it.”

“Yeah,” I say quietly, nodding my head in agreement as I follow Itsuki out, Sho sticking close behind me. When the door to the Lower-Class Suites closed, I let out a long breath.

“They… Are intense,” I then say. 

I can hear Sho let out a quiet hum of agreement. 

As we walk away, Itsuki runs a hand through his dark auburn hair saying, “Yeah, I don’t think I’m a fan of them. Eito especially…”

“Eito?” I ask as we begin to walk down a corridor, “Yuki was more aggressive, I think.”

Itsuki tilts his head from side to side, squinting his eyes a little as he looks down the hall, spotting a large red door, “Yeah, I guess but at least I know where I stand with Yuki. Eito– I just can’t get a good tell on the guy. He’s shady. I don’t trust him.”

“I suppose,” I nod my head, as the two of us inspect the red door. I press my weight against it, trying to push it open, but to no avail, “... Any idea where this leads to?”

“Not a clue,” Itsuki attempts to push the door open alongside me.

“Maybe– Ah, perhaps we should just leave it for now? I believe the cafeteria is in there,” Sho says, pointing down one of the sides of the corridor. Itsuki shrugs, leading us to a door nearby. As Sho said, a cafeteria, with one half of the room being pristine, with an elegant table surrounded by plush chairs and a buffet of delicious looking food set up atop it. The opposite side of the room is filthy, with a bleak, half-broken table, displaying the most pathetic, grimy looking food I have ever seen.  

The nice side has ‘Upper-Class Passengers Only’ written on a piece of paper on the table; the ghastly side has ‘Lower-Class Passengers Only’. My body shudders as my eyes once again focus on the disgusting looking sludge that barely passes as food. 

There are three people in the room, all engaged in a conversation – at least, the small girl with the blonde pigtails and sunglasses is. She appears to be hounding the other two, rambling on with a bright smile and holding a camera in her hands. The girl is short, and honestly her fashion taste leaves much to be desired: blue dungarees that are cut short, combined with an orange top and a large, bright pink hoodie. 

What. An. Utter. Eyesore. 

I can tell we’re not going to be friends. I could never be too close to someone so garish in their fashion tastes. I will have to think up polite excuses to keep my distance from her. 

“Oh– this is so exciting! These pictures will go for SO much money, and to think you guys are my classmates as well~!” the blonde girl exclaims with a cheerful shriek, all as she looks into her camera, “Especially you Kai! This is so perfect–”

Another girl, who stands between the blonde girl and a boy sitting at the Lower-Class table, just offers an uncomfortable smile and speaks softly, “Kai requested that he does not have any pictures taken of him, my dear, I think you should respect that.”

“Kai is like superstar famous, I don’t think that matters,” is what the girl happily replies with.

I can feel my body tense up, and I look past the other girl and at the boy sitting on the table. He needs no introduction. Handsome, tall, with platinum blonde hair and intense blue eyes, decked in a low cut blue shirt that I know I designed, alongside a pair of skinny jeans: the biggest heartthrob in Japan, the Kai Kita.

Although I had known I was going to be in the same class as him – the media talk about his acceptance to Future’s Hope was everywhere – seeing him so close in person is entirely different to just knowing I’d be in a class with him.

The material of that shirt looks cheaper than it should, though…

Kai just shuffles quietly in his seat as the girl takes another photo of him, all as he uses the glass of water he was drinking from in a weak attempt to obscure his face.

“Goodness me–” the girl in between them sighs, but still speaks in a friendly tone, as if talking to a little child, “You do not need to take any more photos, Saki!”

“Ahem,” Itsuki coughs to grab the group’s attention, before waving, “Hiiii, it’s Sho and me. Aiko here woke up, so we’re introducing her to everyone.”

Immediately, a flash, all as Saki takes a picture of us. I jump, a quiet squeak escaping my mouth.

“Eee!” the girl giggles, “Aiko Inao and Sho Akiyama, in a picture together! I mean, you guys aren’t the most famous of my classmates, but I’m sure this will still fetch a decent price! Oh, and the random pyjama boy is in this picture too…”

“‘Random pyjama boy’,” Itsuki repeats, sounding unimpressed. 

“How did I look in the picture?” Sho, meanwhile, asks, towering over Saki in an attempt to look into her camera.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Saki hides the camera behind her back, “My eyes only until I sell it!” 

“Awh, dang,” the ringmaster clicks his fingers. 

“Anyway! Nice to meetcha~!” Saki grins, grabbing my hand and enthusiastically shaking it, “Aiko Inao, huh? I’ve read all about you! Oh, I can tell we’re gonna be besties–” I highly doubt that, I think, and she continues talking, “I was SO excited when I found out one of the coolest rising fashion designers was gonna be one of my new classmates! And, like, I wonder– do classmates get a discount on Wisteria Bloom clothes? ‘Cuz I’ve already had a look at the threads I like!”

“E-Erm,” I blink a few times, all as she continues aggressively shaking my hand. If I’m honest, I am personally put off by the idea of giving her a discount, but I did promise Yuka, “Well, y-yes? Social are @Wisteria_Bloom. 20% discount for classmates…”

Her eyes widen, then she pouts “Only 20%, damn… Well! Either way, the names Saki Hanae! I am the Ultimate Paparazzi!”

SAKI HANAE – ULTIMATE PAPARAZZI

“Can I forgo the discount?” Kai asks from beside her, and my stomach twists as the famous celebrity acknowledges and looks at me, “I would rather support my classmates at full price… I can afford it too.”

My mouth opens, then closes, then opens again as I attempt to formulate a response.

He pauses, before wincing, “Was that impolite? I simply think I don’t need a discount. And Wisteria Bloom clothes are rather nice, I would rather just… Pay everything needed. Not that everyone would need to, nor do I want to come across as showing off my wealth, simply that–” he sighs, “Sorry if I come across as impolite.”

“No, no,” I say quickly, shaking my head, stunned, “That’s not impolite at all! I just, erm… I guess I will need to talk to my business partner, I suppose.”

Kai smiles softly, “Thank you. My younger brother has become a fan of your brand, and even recommended I wear this shirt given I was going to be in the same class as you.” 

I can feel my brain short-circuiting. The fact that someone as famous as Kai Kita has heard of me– and I think his younger brother is a lower tier celebrity too, a model or something, though I can’t remember his name.

“I should formally introduce myself,” he says finally, standing up and offering a polite bow, “My name is Kai Kita. I am the Ultimate Actor. I hope we can get along.”

KAI KITA – ULTIMATE ACTOR

As if he even needed to introduce himself, is all I can think as he tells me who he is. Everyone knows who Kai Kita is, especially after his blockbuster hit that came out six months ago. ‘Distrust’, a re-enactment of the famous killing game from over fifty years ago, where Kai portrayed one of the survivors, Byakuya Togami – it broke records for how much money it made in the box office, and Kai’s face has been everywhere ever since. 

“Aiko Inao…” I finally utter, despite the fact he already knows who I am, “Ultimate Fashion Designer…”

Kai nods, “Indeed you are. My brother did ask me to ask you: does your brand need any models or brand–”

Another flash, and I jump, before staring at Saki. The girl just smiles obliviously, giggling as she looks at her camera, “Oh, that’s a good one! Will totes get people speculating if Kai might be a new brand ambassador for Wisteria Bloom.”

“I…” Kai lets out a defeated sigh, before sitting back down and offering Saki a weak, tired smile, “Sure.”

I am shocked at how… Almost demure he is. He speaks with such a courteous tone, even to someone like Saki.

“Saki, dear…” the other girl mutters, looking disappointed. That look is soon replaced by a friendly, elegant smile as she turns around to look at me. She’s pretty, with thick green hair that is tied up into a wavy, classy ponytail, and wearing a yellow blazer and skirt that tightly hugs her form. The perfect look of prestige, and I can tell her clothes must have been tailored specifically for her given how well they fit. 

She is definitely the posh type, I think to myself. I hope she won’t be too insufferable about it.

The girl offers me a polite bow as she introduces herself, “My name is Chinatsu Yuhara.”

Straightening her back, now looking me in the eyes, “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the Ultimate…” she takes a deep breath, before belting out her talent, “OPEEEEERRRRA SIIIINGEEEER.”

CHINATSU YUHARA – ULTIMATE OPERA SINGER

Her voice is strong, melodic; truly that of the Ultimate Opera Singer, and I can only nod in awe. Though she is loud, this display is fortunately brief, and she laughs quietly to herself.

“Was that too much? I do try not to get too carried away,” she asks with an almost sheepish tone, though the bright smile remains.

“I mean– I think you got your point across,” I say, and I can hear Sho clapping from behind me. Still, I think it is a bit much to just… Sing your talent. 

“That was amazing, Chinatsu!” Itsuki exclaims, beaming, “Your voice can go so high, and the drama of it! I think that was the perfect way to introduce yourself!”

“You believe so?” 

“Definitely. Musical, powerful, I love it!” 

“You most certainly know how to put on a show,” Sho adds, still clapping. 

It was only brief, is all I think, but I don’t say that outloud. Chinatsu, meanwhile, blushes happily as she thanks the pair of boys.

“Speaking of talents, Itsuki,” Kai tilts his head to the side, “Have you had any luck in remembering your talent yet?” 

“Oh, yes, you did mention that you had forgotten…” Chinatsu says empathically as she focuses on the boy.

“No, sadly not… But it’s really kind of you guys to show concern!”

“Of course, we are classmates,” Kai points out with a soft look in his eyes.

“And if you desire any help figuring it out, please do not hesitate to ask, my dear,” Chinatsu says. 

Another bright flash.

“Yes! All five of you! It’s like a renaissance painting! The Ultimate Actor, Opera Singer, Ringmaster and Fashion Designer, all showing charity to a lowly nobody!” 

I bite my tongue to prevent myself from snapping at the girl, and I notice Itsuki frowning. 

Sho is less good at hiding his disdain towards the action, lets out a strained but harsh, “Saki–”

He then stops, takes a deep breath, and smiles at the shorter girl, “Please can ya stop? That was… Rude.”

“I- I believe you need to learn that there is a time and a place for these sorts of things,” Chinatsu agrees, returning to her ‘talking to a baby’ voice and smiling at the girl, “I am sure you do not mean to be rude, but perhaps learning to ask may be the right step for you!”

“Huh?” Saki looks up from her camera uncaringly, before shrugging, “Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever.”

“I saw that one of the Lower-Class Suites had my name on it, I think I’ll inspect it and see if I can enter,” Kai says, standing up.

“Can I join you?” Chinatsu asks, and Kai smiles at her.

“Of course.”

“Just as well, we’re gonna introduce Aiko to the others,” Itsuki says, looking at me, then back at the pair. 

“We can find the chance to speak more later, then!” Chinatsu swiftly returns to her cheery persona.

As the pair begin to walk away, Saki goes to follow after them, only for Sho to put his hand on her shoulder.

“Hm?” Saki pouts, looking up at the taller boy.

“I think they’d rather be alone, y’know?” Sho points out to her. 

“Even more reason to take pictures of them!” Saki replies, before gasping, “What if the reason they want to go to his room is to kiss or something–!”

“It really, probably isn’t,” Itsuki mutters.

“They just want to get away from you,” I say quietly. Before covering my mouth.

Saki glances over at me, “Huh? What was that?”

“N-Nothing.”

The girl looks over at the door, before shrugging and sitting down at one of the chairs, pulling her legs up as she scrolls through her camera, “Whatever, I probably got enough pictures of them anyway. I can get more later!”

Sho’s eye twitches, but he gives her a thumbs up and steps away. He looks at Itsuki and I, “The others then?”

I nod, and the three of us head out of the cafeteria. Itsuki once again takes the lead as he walks down the corridor opposite the cafeteria, and my mind briefly flickers to the way Sho almost snapped at Saki– not that I exactly blame him, it was just… Sudden. 

My eyes soon spot a tall person standing in the hallway. Although not as tall as Sho, this boy is more broad, and he has sharp features. His brownish blonde hair is cut short, brushed neatly, and he wears a deep green coat over a beige shirt – of which appears  to be a merge of a sabre lame and a plastron – that goes into white breeches. I can’t help but think that the outfit is most certainly designed specifically for him.

“Ultimate Fencer?” is the first thing I say as I look at him.

Probably wealthy enough to have outfits made for him, then. And fencing is a hobby I can only imagine someone fancy and wealthy doing. 

He looks back at me with dark green eyes, and he hums. His voice is deep, and his accent is high-class, “Indeed I am. You must be the sleeping girl.”

I give a small nod.

“I trust you have recovered? I must admit, I was rather concerned upon seeing that one of our classmates had yet to awaken,” he says.

“I… Think I am fine? I guess,” I shrug in response.

He narrows his eyes, humming, before shaking his head, “I cannot guess your talent. I suppose I do not have the same inquisitive eye as you.”

Your outfit literally emulates fencers– I don’t say that. I simply nod politely, “Ah– That’s fine. I just have an eye for these sorts of things. I am Aiko Inao, the Ultimate Fashion Designer.”

“Ah! Yes, your keen eye for clothing must have done it, I did have this outfit designed to look like one of my fencing uniforms, though it is not an actual fencing uniform,” the boy explains with a nod, “I had considered wearing one of my uniforms, yet I thought it improper for my first day at Future’s Hope. So I had this one tailored made.”

I hum, my eyes dancing down the make of his outfit – I do like the design, and it does show off what this boy does. Though– the material looks cheap. Like the material of Kai and Eito’s clothes, Chinatsu’s too, now that I think about it. Even my own clothes still feel odd against my skin… 

“Well,” I say, ignoring the pit in my stomach, “You need to tell me who designed it for you, some time. The design is great! Oh, erm… Guess I should mention– you can see my work at @Wisteria_Bloom on all socials. Erm. 20% discount for classmates.”

His eyes lighten at that, “Much appreciated. Perhaps I could commission you one day. Ah– I have been distracted by conversation, I should have introduced myself to you as my first action!” 

He bows, “Ren Oshiro. Ultimate Fencer. None of my enemies have felled me yet!” 

REN Oshiro – ULTIMATE FENCER

“So impressive…” Sho says in awe from behind me, “Did I mention before about how much I’ve heard about ya? How you defeat your every opponent with dignity and grace, and–”

Ren wrinkles his nose, avoiding Sho’s wonderstruck gaze, “Indeed, you did say all that, all as you overwhelmed me barely a few moments after I awoke on this dastardly vessel. Yet, I can still sense your pathetic nature.”

My mouth falls open, and I hear Itsuki let out a quiet whistle. 

“W-Well, that’s why I wanna learn a few nifty tricks from ya! Fencin’ and all that, I’ve always wanted to learn! Please?” there is a determined sparkle in his deep blue eyes as Sho speaks. 

“Again, I must deny your request. Prove yourself worthy of the time of the Ultimate Fencer, and perhaps I might reconsider.”

Harsh, I think to myself. Though, if Sho came across as strongly to Ren as he did to me, then I can hardly blame him. 

“Anywaaay,” Itsuki interjects after raising an eyebrow at Sho, “I assume you’ve been looking around the boat?”

Ren nods, crossing his arms, “Indeed. I cannot help but deem it highly suspicious of the circumstances in which we awoke here. I feel it is apparent to keep an eye out for threats, and Miss Bunya and I agree that investigating the ship is of most importance.”

Miss Bunya? 

“Have you found anything interesting?” Itsuki asks, before adding, “We spotted a red door not too far away from the suites that didn’t open. That was odd.”

“Mm. Indeed, we noticed that as well. I also noticed that in each room there is a TV monitor and a camera,” he points at the ones in the corridor that we are currently standing in, “The cameras move as if to follow the movements of the people inside the room. And the monitors… There naught appears to be anything that can turn them on or off, so one can only assume they are turned on and controlled within a specific location.” 

“That’s… Odd,” I mutter, my eyes fixated on the camera and monitor. Now that I think about it, he is right – there has been one within every room. 

He then adds, “Along with the red door– there are two others that won’t open, the ones over there.”

Ren points out a pair of identical doors, sitting opposite to each other on either side of the room, “There is no lock or knob on them either. It looks as if they could simply be pushed– yet, alas, no matter how hard I pushed, they would not yield.”

“Thanks for telling us that – you’re pretty perceptive!” Itsuki replies, eyes flickering between the monitor and Ren, “And no doubt that you are one of the people I should stick around if there is a threat, given you are a fencer and all.”

“Indeed. If you feel fearful, do not hesitate to hide behind my back. I may not know any of you well, but you are my classmates, and as a combatant, it is my duty to protect those who are weaker than me. Takagi and Inao, you are clearly in need of protection, as such I will lend my offer of protection to you,” Ren looks back at us.

“Oh… Thank- Thank you?” I reply. Was that his way of telling us we look weak? 

I frown to myself – he’s probably not wrong, I know I am definitely weak. So I probably should not take his comment as an insult. 

“I feel so much safer now, thank you!” Itsuki nods. 

“What- What about me?” Sho asks with a grin.

“You are taller than myself, not too badly built, and come from a circus– no doubt, that would take much physical labour. Although I do not intend to train you, I hardly believe that you of all people would be weak. If needed, I will fight side by side with you,” Ren scowls at him. 

“Ah– So if we fight side by side, I might be able to ‘prove’ myself to you?”

“... Indeed. Perhaps. I cannot deny this.”

“Exciting! I will hold you to that, Master Oshiro! And we can protect Itsuki and Lil' Miss together!”

“I told you not to call me that…” I mutter.

“I have already requested you not to call me ‘Master Oshiro’,” Ren sighs, clenching his jaw, “Regardless, if you have yet to introduce Miss Inao to everyone, I do believe Miss Bunya and Miss Myles are in the storage room, just further down.”

“Thank you, Ren!” Itsuki says as he begins to head further down the corridor. 

“Farewell,” Ren bows his head, all whilst Sho and I follow Itsuki. 

We head back through the corridor, facing the door opposite the cafeteria. The door is already ever-so-slightly ajar, and Itsuki tugs it fully open. He holds out the door for me, and I quietly thank him as I enter a small passage that leads to another door. Past that is a cramped area, filled with wooden crates, shelves, bags – as expected of a storage room. Inside are two girls, the taller of which appears to be inspecting each shelf and the contents of the different crates, all as the other watches. 

Her hair is wavy and ginger, contained by a green hairband, and a pair of glasses are set above her nose. Wearing a long, brown skirt and beige shirt under a light brown vest, she appears prudent, and her hazel eyes are hyper focused. 

With an outfit like that, this girl is definitely the smart type. She could not scream ‘I’m a bookworm’ any louder than that boring brown vest and green bow. The skirt, however, is rather pretty. 

The other girl notices our entry immediately, and she stands alert. I can tell that she is foreign, and the first thing I am drawn to are her eyes: soft eyes, yet they are an intense, pale grey, that I feel as if I can get lost in. She seems shorter than me – though, only due to my high heels. Her hair is a short ashen blonde that has been styled in dignified curls, decorated with a pretty, jeweled hair clip. The girl is dressed formally as well, wearing a fitted green blazer over a dark dress shirt and silk tie. Grey and green leggings go down into leather black field boots that start a little below her knees.

An athlete, I think – probably something to do with horse-riding given the boots. Leggings are definitely something I’m not a fan of, unless they’re under skirts or shorts. Athleisure has never been my thing, but the girl actually suits the look. She looks classy, pretty, and even with her short hair, I love how it’s styled. 

“Naomi,” she notifies the girl examining the crate, “Sho and Itsuki are here, along with the girl who was asleep.”

The other girl blinks, almost startled, before pulling her gaze towards us. She stands up, brushing down her skirt, “I’m glad you woke up. I was worried…”

“Ah– Yeah. Itsuki and, uh, Sho have been helping to introduce me to the others,” I tell her with a polite nod.

“Hopefully we haven’t done too bad of a job!” Itsuki adds.

“We’ve been great!” Sho assures the boy with a grin, and the pair high-five. 

“I would have stayed with you myself, but…” the girl runs a hand through her wavy hair as she glances around the storage room, “I wanted to look around the ship. I made sure that there would be someone to stay with you, and the two of them volunteered.”

“Oh- I see. Thank you.”

She smiles kindly at me, “You don’t need to thank me. I couldn’t just allow you to remain alone, especially given how suspicious this whole situation has been… Nevermind that. We should introduce ourselves before we get too drawn into a conversation.”

“Right. Yes. I’m Aiko Inao, the Ultimate Fashion Designer,” I tell her.

“It is lovely to meet you, Inao!” She says with a bow, “I am Naomi Bunya, the Ultimate Tutor. Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you need help with anything!”

NAOMI BUNYA – ULTIMATE TUTOR

“You were looking through those crates– have you found anything of note?” Itsuki asks, tilting his head to look at the crates in question.

She shakes her head and sighs, “They are filled with random knick-knacks. Plain books, toiletries…”

“She has been searching rather eagerly,” the other girl says, and I cannot pin her accent. 

“Oh–” Naomi looks at her, “You should probably introduce yourself too.”

The girl gives a small nod, looking down at her feet for a few seconds, before focusing on me, “Hello Aiko, my name is Lillian Myles. My Ultimate Talent is that of a Jockey.”

LILLIAN MYLES – ULTIMATE JOCKEY

“Please excuse me if I make any mistakes with your language, I am still learning,” she says.

“You sound pretty fluent to me,” I offer her a small smile, “But yeah, don’t worry about it.”

“It’s impressive that someone of your age can learn a second language!” Itsuki assures her with a bright smile, “And I can speak a bit of English if needed– I assume that’s your first language?”

“Ah– Yes,” she replies. 

“I know a little too, but only a little bit,” I say, before quickly adding, “I doubt I could be understandable, if I’m honest.”

“That is still nice to know,” Lillian replies.

“I don’t know any other languages,” Sho says awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“That is alright. Regardless, I do request we all stick to Japanese anyway. I hope that will make me more adept,” she says, her lips curling up into a tiny smile, though her eyes flicker back to the floor. 

“I’m glad to see you’re all so accommodating!” Naomi comments proudly, looking over at each of us, “Fortunately, aside from a few outliers, I believe we have a pretty welcoming class.”

Outliers, I think, she must be referring to Rina, Yuki and Eito. 

“I have no complaints for any of my new classmates,” Lillian nods in agreement. 

“I’m guessing you’ve been sticking with Naomi?” I ask Lillian – given Naomi’s Ultimate Talent, she is probably an ideal person to stick around if you’re feeling lost.

“Indeed, and I have been assisting her in investigating the ship. Ren too,” Lillian replies. 

I nod, looking back at the various items of storage, then back between Lillian and Naomi, “Probably a smart move. So… jockey, right? You ride horses?”

“Yes,” her eyes lighten up at the mention, “I have been riding them my entire life. I began competing in competitions as soon as I could. I do love horses, they are incredible and very intelligent creatures.”

“I think it is a wonderful talent to have. I’ve never been so good with animals myself, personally,” Naomi admits, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “I’ve always admired those who are.”

“I used to want to ride horses when I was a little girl. Though, my parents never let me,” I mention quietly

Lillian pulls her brows together, and offers a sympathetic nod, “They didn’t? Oh, well… Maybe some time I could teach you? Or at least, introduce you to my horse?.”

“That…” I ponder over her words, before replying, “I think I’d like that.”

“What about you, Naomi?” Itsuki looks over at the tutor.

She raises an eyebrow, “Hm? Would I also want to ride horses? Hmm…”

“No- No! I meant, what sort of things do you do? As a tutor?” Itsuki asks.

“Oh!” Naomi laughs quietly, “How silly of me. Well, I help tutor people, of course! From maths, to history, geography– or even cooking lessons! I’m just happy to help people learn.”

“Dang, you sound real dedicated,” Sho comments.

“Of course I am. If anyone needs help, I will always do my utmost to help them! And teaching people is incredibly rewarding. After all, knowledge is something that needs to be shared,” she explains eagerly. 

“Wooaah! That’s amazing!” Itsuki says with a grin, “Maybe you could teach me something one day, then!”

Naomi tilts her head to the side, “Is there anything you have in mind?” 

“Ermmmm… I will think of something!”

She just laughs a little more, shaking her head and looking around the room. Eventually, she sighs, “I don’t think there is anything particularly notable here. I wonder if anyone else has found anything…”

“Perhaps we should gather everyone somewhere?” Lillian suggests. 

“Good idea! If I still had my sticker sheet, I would have given you a gold star for that!”

I cringe, whilst Lillian stares at Naomi blankly. Naomi coughs, “Sorry. Silly joke.”

“Maybe the cafeteria?” Sho offers.

“Hey, Sho, do you want to see who can gather as many people the fastest?” Itsuki grins, looking up at the much taller boy. 

Sho doesn’t even reply, he just smiles back before darting out of the room. Itsuki chases after him. I roll my eyes, boys. 

“I’m going to… Try to keep an eye on them,” Naomi says after a brief pause of silence. She looks at Lillian and I as she walks to the storage room door, “I’ll see you both in the cafeteria!”

I feel my stomach twist as I realise that I forgot to mention: “Oh– Naomi, before you leave, and Lillian too, erm– As classmates, 20% discount on clothes from my business, socials are @Wisteria_Bloom…!

“Ah! Well, thank you!” Naomi calls out as the door closes behind her, and Lillian hums gently in gratitude. 

And then it was just Lillian and I. Lillian doesn’t say anything, she just makes her way out. I give the storage room one last look around before I follow after her. 

The cafeteria is nearly empty when we arrive. Only one person is in there, and it’s Rina Tsukada, sitting at the table marked for ‘Upper-Class’ passengers. She doesn’t acknowledge our presence, and we don’t acknowledge her’s. 

Yet, I still can’t help but stare at her, just a little bit. Her head is resting boredly against her hand, and she’s tapping her fingers against the wood of the table. The clanking of her black nails echoes throughout the room, and when her dark eyes spot mine, I quickly look away. 

There is a few more minutes of silence before the door to the cafeteria finally swings open.

“Hey guys,” Misaki Hirata tiredly smiles at us, offering a small wave as she walks in. The twins, Daiya and Kadashi Anzai, follow closely behind her.

“Just because I’m worried about this fucking situation, it doesn’t mean you need to quote Job 12:5– you don’t need a quote for everything!” 

“I am simply saying, we should remain at ease. Panic will do us no good.”

“I am not fucking panicking!”

I try to hold back a groan. Could those boys stop arguing for at least a minute? 

“Guys,” Misaki, as if hearing my thoughts, sighs and she looks back at the pair, “Please.”

Kadashi shuts his mouth, eyes darting between Misaki and then his brother. Finally, he focuses his gaze on her, and clicks his tongue, “... Sorry.”

Daiya merely lets out a quiet snort, resting his hand against his hips.

Misaki turns to look at the rest of us, “So, did Sho and Itsuki tell you guys to meet up here too?”

“Yes. Well, I did suggest we all meet up somewhere, then they ran off,” Lillian explains.

“Meeting?” Rina asks.

“Sho ran up to us and said everyone was gathering in the cafeteria,” Daiya replies.

“He was being chased by Itsuki, and Naomi too. Like headless chickens,” Kadashi adds, running a hand through his dark hair. 

“I guess it was urgent,” Misaki shrugs, making her way to the ‘Upper Class’ table and leaning against it. 

That’s when Naomi returns, quietly catching her breath and shaking her head, “Those two… Are really fast.”

“Oh, hey! You doing alright?” Misaki turns to look at her.

“Yes– Yes. I’ve decided to just leave the gathering to them, they… Seem to have it handled,” Naomi walks over to the Upper-Class table, reaching for the pitcher of water, when a loud, piercing beep blasts throughout the room.

I cover my ears – that felt painful to hear, and I mutter out, “What was…”

“That was…” Misaki frowns, she then looks at Naomi and the table, “Any idea what that was?”

She shakes head her in response, reaching out for the pitcher–

And the beep happens again. I wince, before my mind falls back to the names I saw in the Lower-Class suites. Naomi Bunya, her name was on a door near mine, in that vile corridor. I attempt to hold back my irritated tone, instead speaking in a stilted manner as I say, “I think– I think it’s because you’re a Lower-Class passenger.”

“Hm? I am?”

“Oh, erm…”

Misaki speaks up, “Oh right! Yeah, we checked out those– Upper Class and Lower Class suites. Couldn’t get into the rooms, but they all had names on the doors.”

“I am apparently one of the ‘Lower-class’ passengers,” Daiya says with a quiet scoff. 

“Y-Yeah, your name was there too, Naomi,” I say quietly.

“Ah… Then…” Naomi walks to the ‘Lower-Class’ table. She looks at the pitcher of water there – unlike the ‘Upper-Class’ table, which has a fancy looking glass vase with water, the ‘Lower-Class’ table has a decrepit looking glass bottle. When she reaches out for it, no alert is played, and she pours herself a glass.

Drinking the water, Naomi hums, “Well. It’s water. Not the best tasting water, but water. Still, that’s… Odd.”

“Guess this place takes your passenger status seriously,” Kadashi says uneasily. 

My gaze flickers to the ‘Upper-Class’ table, then back to the ‘Lower-Class’ one. I grimace as I look at the food on it, “... Great.”

“At least we won’t be alone in our suffering?” Lillian quietly attempts to calm the tension. She picks up one of the buns on the table, “I am sure the food cannot be that bad, perhaps just…” she takes a bite out of it, “Bland.”

“Give me back my camera, Eito, pleeeasseee! Or I’ll cry!” The shrill voice of Saki Hanae distracts us from our conversation. I take in a long breath– the way she talks feels as if it is attacking my ears. The girl stumbles in behind Eito Minami, who holds her camera high in the air, away from her reach.

“Let me think about that– No,” the thief retorts, smirking viciously down at her, only to be met by Saki obnoxiously sniffing. 

“Eito,” Naomi says with a measured tone, sitting at the Lower-Class table, “Give it back. I would rather we not have anyone crying right now.”

Eito’s lip twitches as his narrowed eyes dance towards Naomi. He lets out a harsh breath, before bouncing his shoulders and bowing down, holding out the camera, “Now, if the little girl takes another photo of me, just know her body won’t be found.”

“Hahaha… A joke, right?” Saki laughs nervously as she swiftly swipes the camera from his hands.

“Of course,” Eito replies, his tone dry and caustic, all as he stands up straight. 

Naomi keeps her gaze on Eito, frowning. 

“What?” the thief rolls his eyes, “I think it’s a perfectly reasonable punishment to take her camera away if she’s being a menace.”

Naomi pulls her eyes away from him, focusing on the monitor positioned centrally on one of the walls, “Saki, please avoid taking unnecessary photos.”

“Fine, fineee,” Saki grumbles, walking to the Upper-Class table. 

I recall seeing her name in the Lower-Class quarters as well, and I speak up, “Erm- Saki–”

The painfully loud beep blasts through the room again as she reaches out for a croissant, and I sigh. 

“W-What was that–!” Saki jumps.

“You’re Lower Class,” Rina then says, finally speaking and settling an icy glare in Saki’s direction, “You’re only allowed on the Lower Class table. Go over there, I don’t want to hear that awful beeping sound again.”

Saki gulps, nodding curtly as she awkwardly shuffles away. Eito frowns, “Wait, us ‘Lower Class’ passengers aren’t allowed the nice food?”

“It appears that way. I wonder if it goes the other way round,” Misaki hums thoughtfully, before walking to the ‘Lower-Class’ table, and I instinctively cover my ears. She reaches out for one of the stale looking buns, and before she can touch it–

BEEP.

Even with my ears covered, the sound is so grating. 

“Huh. Interesting,” Misaki mutters, taking a step back.

“Why do I keep hearing beeping from here–?” 

My gaze flickers to the cafeteria door, and I see Chinatsu walking in, a confused expression on her face. Kai and Itsuki aren’t too far behind her as the group gathers inside. 

“Lower Class passengers can’t touch Upper Class passenger’s food, and vice versa,” Misaki says, looking over at her, “If they try, the loud beep goes off.”

“I mean, you guys could just grab the food and ignore the beep,” Kadashi comments.

“I am not sure if we want to risk that just yet,” Misaki replies, shaking her head.

“Agreed. We don’t know who has us here, or if they will do something more drastic if we do ignore that sound,” Naomi looks at Misaki with a nod. 

“A warning sound, maybe?” Itsuki mutters as he walks to the Upper-Class table, “That’s… Weird.”

Kai hums quietly, sitting at the Lower-Class table, his eyes going across the food. He gives a faint shrug.

“Oh, right, yes–” Chinatsu brushes herself down and stands up straight, “Kai and I attempted to enter his room, however the door refused to open.”

“Yeah, we also tried to get in,” Misaki says, “But- Uh, let’s wait for everyone else to arrive, don’t want to repeat ourselves again and again.”

“Yes, of course!” she bows her head, and sits down next to Rina on the ‘Upper Class’ table. Rina’s sharp eyes briefly narrow at Chinatsu, but the opera singer pays her no mind. 

Tomo Genji then absentmindedly walks into the cafeteria, finding a spot on the floor to sit down on. Misaki purses her lips, before giving a shrug and sitting down next to her, “How’s your adventures on the ship been? Look around everywhere?”

“Oh?” Tomo is cut out of whatever daydream she was having and meets Misaki’s gaze, “Oh… I didn’t do much exploring. I was focused on cloud gazing.”

“Cloud gazing, huh?” Misaki raises an eyebrow, but smiles nevertheless.

“Yeah… So many pretty, flowy, streamy clouds…”

My ears pick up the sound of Kadashi humming beneath his breath, all as he mutters, “Yeah, cloud gazing can be nice, I guess.”

“Sounds like a waste of time,” Daiya comments, “Especially given our odd situation.”

When Ren Oshiro arrives, I spot Sho running in after him, having returned to accosting the poor boy. He is immediately pushed to the side as Ren scoffs, answering Sho before he even has the chance to talk, “You have not proven yourself yet.”

“I know– but like… Any suggestions on how I could prove myself?”

“You will know, when the time comes.”

“... Ha… What. What does that mean?”

Ren simply ignores Sho, his nose pointing up into the air. Sho then waves at me cheerfully, and it would be rude to just not wave back, so I offer a brief, tiny wave in return. 

“A colourful cast of people,” I hear Lillian murmur to herself from beside me. 

“You can say that again,” I mutter. 

“And what are you two talking about over here?” I hadn’t noticed that Yuki Enomoto had arrived until he is craning his neck between Lillian and I, his notebook in hand. 

“Ah!” Lillian jumps back. 

My head jolts to look at him, “Why are you– C-Can you n-” 

“Oh, being sassy are we?” the boy lets out a mocking laugh, twirling his pen in his hand and stepping back – I wasn’t even being sassy! He continues, “Busy talking about us behind our backs, and being rude too! Oh my.”

“Well, I–”

“‘Well I–’, ‘C-Can you not–’, jeez you’re so awkward and high strung. Whatever, can’t wait to find more about you, I’m sure you will make for a fascinating arti-ACK-!” Before he can finish his sentence, Lillian rams her foot against one of his shins, and the boy stumbles over, falling flat on his face.

Lillian’s eyes widen, and the pair of us stare down at him. She quietly speaks, “Ah… I didn’t realise you were so weak.”

“I’m not weak, you psycho!” Yuki shrieks as he struggles to his feet, wincing.

“What’s going on over here?!” Naomi rushes towards us.

Yuki inhales deeply, before smiling sardonically, “Nothing, nothing. Just… Getting an idea of what the quiet ones are really like.”

“I apologise, I just underestimate my own strength sometimes,” Lillian says with a surprisingly calm bow. 

“I do not care in the slightest. Actually, scratch that, thanks. Being assaulted by an Ultimate? That’ll be fun to write about,” Yuki chuckles maliciously, limping towards the Lower-Class and flopping back onto one of the rackety chairs, scribbling in his stupid notebook.

Lillian looks down with a sigh, her hands resting behind her back. 

“Hey, uh… He was being a prick, he kind of had it coming,” I assure the girl. 

Naomi offers a raised eyebrow, before shaking her head, “Just… Try to refrain from violence.”

“Yes, of course, I am deeply sorry,” Lillian says hastily.

“I understand, tensions are high right now,” she smiles gently. 

Slowly, I pat Lillian on the shoulder, and the girl glances back at me. She manages to muster up a small smile, and I find myself awkwardly returning it. 

Naomi’s head spins around, and she appears to be counting us on her fingers, “Is that all of us?”

Misaki does a quick head count, “Yep, all sixteen.”

“May I ask why everyone suddenly decided to come in here? A meeting?” Rina speaks up, “You know, I was enjoying some peace and quiet, and nice food.”

“Ah, well, Itsuki ran up to us and said it was prudent we speak together in the cafeteria,” Chinatsu replies, smiling warmly at the girl.

“Oh, of course,” Rina doesn’t sound particularly amused, “Thank you for answering my question, Cio-Cio-San.” 

The way she speaks sounds as if she is trying to insult the girl, but Chinatsu’s smile doesn’t waver, “You are very welcome, Odile.”

Rina raises an eyebrow, staring at Chinatsu, before her lips form into an almost smile. Probably some reference only those two understand– I suppose they are both in the world of theatre. 

“Now that everyone has gathered, has anyone found anything of note around the ship?” Naomi asks as she drinks from her glass of water. 

“Well, as we said earlier, the rooms with our names on won’t open,” Misaki says. 

“And that stupid beeping noise blasts out whenever someone tries to get food from the wrong table,” Eito lets out a long groan, “How will I survive? I had gotten used to eating good food…”

“Hm?” Ren looks at the tables.

“Yeah, whenever a Lower-Class Passenger or Upper Class Passenger tries to get food from the wrong table, a loud fucking beep comes out,” Kadashi confirms. 

“And we found out who the Upper and Lower Class Passengers were because they have assigned doors in the respective ‘Upper’ and ‘Lower’ suites. Be joyous, Ren, you and my brother are Upper Class,” Daiya says, sparing his brother a brief, unreadable glance. 

“That’s, like… Really weird, though,” Saki mutters, fiddling with one of her pigtails.

“Maybe it’s a… Social experiment? I wouldn’t put it past Future’s Hope Academy,” Yuki comments.

“You really don’t have a high opinion of the school, huh? Still… You could be right on the social experiment part,” Itsuki hums thoughtfully.

Eito goes over to pat Yuki on the shoulder, “See? My bestie here knows what’s going on!”

“I- Don’t? And I’m not your bestie,” Yuki scowls in return.

“Damn, break my heart more, will you?”

“Ugh.”

“Either way, we seem to be alone here,” Rina comments, her dark eyes flickering over us, “Alone with all of you. That… Ah. Please may no one talk to me, if possible.”

“You are really not the sociable type, hm?” Chinatsu tilts her head.

“Well, I am not sure I particularly like anyone here.”

Saki then snaps a picture of the two, grinning, “Hey, don’t judge us so soon! We’re all gonna totally be besties!” 

“‘Judge not, that you be not judged’,” Daiya… Agrees, I think? He continues, “Matthew 7:1.”

Kadashi’s eye twitches, “Daiya. Please. Shut. The. Fuck. Up…”

“I am merely offering my insight to our Sister in Christ, Kadashi.”

“As I said, Cio-Cio-San, I am not sure I particularly like anyone here,” Rina says, gaze darting between Saki, Daiya and Kadashi. I can’t say that I fully disagree with her– a lot of our classmates are admittedly overwhelming individuals, though I like some. Judging from the few dirty looks Rina receives, I will most certainly not voice such a rude opinion, anyone with common sense wouldn’t.

“May I add,” Ren says, ignoring the others, “I find it… Peculiar that we only have access to a small section of the ship. Judging from how high we are from the ocean, we must be on a large vessel, yet there are three other doors that do not open. No doubt at least one would lead to the rest of the ship.”

“Maybe Eito could open them? Thieves can pick locks… Right?” Tomo asks, and I’m surprised that she was even listening in on the conversation. 

“Eh? Stereotyping much!” Eito gasps, taking mock offense, before shaking his head, “Nah, I looked at the doors, they don’t have locks. The suite doors did have ID readers, though. Sadly I don’t have anything on me that could open those.” 

Naomi nods as she takes in this information, “Well, there would surely be a crew on this ship somewhere. Perhaps they would be in the areas of the ship we can’t access?”

“May I bring up how concerning it is that our belongings were taken? My phone and wallet are gone, so it’s impossible to call anyone for help,” Kai speaks up.

“Would we even have decent reception here anyway?” Misaki wonders, before nodding, “Either way – yeah. Somehow, we have ended up on a ship, most of our belongings gone, and we can only access a small part of the ship. That’s… I mean, not to scare anyone, but that is pretty concerning.”

“And there is this weird ‘Lower-Class’ and ‘Upper-Class’ thing going on, which means I cannot eat any half decent food, and I have expensive tastes y’know,” Eito huffs. 

“Ah, yes, your expensive tastes are certainly the most important thing for us to be worrying about,” Itsuki mutters quietly. 

“They are!” Eito, having heard him, replies.

“And clearly there has to be a level of surveillance if there is an alarm that goes off whenever someone tries to get food from the wrong table,” Yuki points out.

“There are cameras in every room,” Lillian adds. 

And then there is silence. Everyone remains still, exchanging glances, and I can feel my heart racing again. But what is there left to say? None of us know what’s going on or how we got here. Everything we have found has only served to make our situation even more confusing. 

The lights flicker off, and I jump. A monitor placed on one of the walls turns on, and words appear on screen:

“May all Passengers please return to the Lobby.”

“Oh, cheap scare tactics now. Fun,” Eito comments. 

“Would have worked better if it were actually night,” Yuki adds, and Eito chuckles in response. I cannot fathom how they are calm enough to joke about our situation – especially when the only light in the room now comes from the monitor. 

“It’s probably for the best that we do what the message says,” Misaki says, and a few of our classmates nod in agreement. 

I begin to follow the others out the cafeteria, and through the hallway. All the lights have been turned off other than a dim illumination exuding from two monitors on the hallway walls – both hold the same command written across them as the monitor in the cafeteria. I can feel as my heartbeat increases in pace, thudding faster and faster against my chest. The sky grows darker as we walk across the deck. 

I try to convince myself that we’re probably fine– after all, who in the world would want to do anything to us? Perhaps this is just some social experiment by Future’s Hope Academy, or an exam. It cannot be anything worse than that, right?

I can spot Lillian’s concerned gaze on me as we reach the lobby, but she soon turns her head away when she realises I noticed her. Some of the others sit on the black and white seating, though I remain standing despite my legs becoming increasingly shaky. 

As we stand there, waiting, I notice Itsuki glancing around, a thumb pressed to his lips as he hums thoughtfully. 

“Um, Itsuki?” I ask.

“Huh?”

“You look like you’re thinking of something… Erm, what is it?”

“It’s just… The last time a group of Ultimate Students were gathered, all alone with only access to a small amount of space–” he cuts himself off, shaking his head, “Uh. No. Nevermind. It can’t be anything like that.”

I raise my eyebrow, staring at him, “What… What were you thinking of?”

“Just, that–”

The lights flicker back on. A monitor, that is set behind a desk, flickers on, the words “Waiting, Waiting…” darting across it.

“Ok, can someone please come out and tell us what the fuck is going on here?” Kadashi calls out.

“If this is some sort of prank, it is not very funny,” Chinatsu adds. 

Once again, we are engulfed by silence. I put my hand against my chest, taking a deep breath as I vainly attempt to calm my heart down. There is a knot in my stomach, and it feels as if I could throw up at any minute. I hate this– not knowing what is going on, being stuck with a bunch of obnoxious eyesores… I don’t even know if we are safe, and what was Itsuki going on about?

From the other side of the door, leading on to the deck, there is a harsh clanking sound. Mechanical, sharp, and repetitive, getting louder and louder and louder. Whatever it is, it is getting closer to the door. Quickly, I back away from it, and as do the others. 

Saki is gripping her camera tightly as she stares at the door, whilst Yuki, who had previously been focused on his notebook, also looks up at it. Misaki stands up, Tomo and Kadashi sitting on the black and white sofa behind her, all whilst Daiya slides his finger against the cross dangling from his neck. Eito ducks behind the desk, Kai and Chinatsu move closer to the corners of the room, and Naomi straightens her back.

I can see Lillian tense up from beside me, biting her lip, and then there is something on my shoulder which causes me to jump– Of course it’s Sho. His hand is settled on my shoulder as he stares at the door, but I’m too frightened to tell him to back off. 

Itsuki is staring at the door cautiously, all as Ren moves in front of us, spreading out his arm in a protective manner. And leaning boredly against the wall is Rina, too busy looking at her nails to care about the loud noise coming from behind the door. How can she not be bothered?

The door is pushed open, followed by a high pitched cackle–

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Saki’s screaming causes me to flinch, before my gaze settles on the wretched thing that has crawled in. A decrepit teddy bear, with fur ripped off to show a single robotic leg, a clawed metal hand, and wires peaking out from where one of the ears should be. Its face has been partially ripped into, showing off a singular bright red eye that darts around wildly, and it looks like it hasn’t been washed in forever.

A black and white bear, worn down, mechanical, and for a moment, it feels like my heart has stopped. 

A black and white bear.

A black and white bear.

A black and white bear.

Even if it is falling apart, even if it is covered in poorly sewn stitches and filth, it is a black and white bear.

The symbol of her. The symbol of Junko Enoshima. 

Saki finally stops screaming when Naomi goes over to cover her mouth. 

“Gah!” The bear finally stops cackling, shaking its mangled, robotic leg up and down. Its voice is high pitched, but distorted, “It’s so hard getting used to not having fur on this leg!”

Everyone just stares at the bear. My body feels completely frozen, and in that moment, my mind becomes blank. 

“No one got anything to say? Oh! Are you just so starstruck by my presence? I suppose I am like a celebrity nowadays! Anyone want me to sign an autograph?” it looks around at us, all as it waddles to the centre of the room. 

No one replies. Finally, I’m able to pull my gaze away from that thing, glancing at Lillian and Sho as they stand beside me. Lillian is pale, her eyes unblinking. And Sho is smiling. His smile looks pained, yet it remains wide and stretched out.

The bear huffs, “Oh- Is it my appearance? I’m sensitive about that, you know! It’s hard to look good when you’ve been salvaged from almost fifty year old materials! But y’know, I think I make it work, upupupupu~!”

I shudder when I hear that laugh. The high pitch, the slight distortion- it is painful to listen to. 

It’s Itsuki who manages to break out of the stunned silence that the rest of us have found ourselves in. He takes a hesitant step towards the bear, “You’re… Monokuma. The symbol of the Mutual Killing Game. The symbol of Junko Enoshima’s Despair.”

This has to be some sort of twisted dream– this can’t be real.

“Well duh! What? Can’t half of ya’ll recognise me?” the bear shakes its head, “And after that movie came out too! I would have thought you would have been more excited to see me!”

“Ex… Excited?” Chinatsu quietly repeats. 

That’s when Saki manages to push herself out of Naomi’s grasp, and she points at the bear, “I got it! I’ve finally figured it out?”

“What? That I’m the beloved and world famous Monokuma? I thought that was rather obvious, you dumb–!”

“Yeah! But also!” she then points at Kai, then back at the bear, “This has gotta be some big press thing, right? Like– I mean, we’re the class of Kai Kita. Kai Kita played in that movie, Distrust! And that was, like, a movie about that school killing game! This is all an advertisement! And I bet Kai has been playing along too!”

“I–” Kai stares at her, slowly blinking, before he shakes his head, “I have no involvement in– if something is going on, my agent most certainly has not informed me about it. I apologise if this is because of that, though…”

The bear growls, “You think we’d get this cruise ship as an advertisement for some movie!? And puh-leeeaassee. That movie has got nothin’ on the real deal! And the guy who acted as me couldn’t act! Completely miscast!”

“B-But! There are cameras everywhere! It’s gotta be a live broadcast or something!” Saki justifies.

That– actually makes a little sense! I think to myself. It would be a pretty big publicity stunt if that were the case, but at least it would mean that we were all safe.

“I don’t know… Wouldn’t… Doing something like this as a form of press for that movie disrespectful?” Misaki asks, “It  was a pretty serious movie and all, and based on real events, like…” 

“People have done worse for the sake of entertainment,” Yuki shrugs.

“But still…” she looks over at the bear, wincing.

Daiya frowns at Misaki, “So you think it’s more likely this is real?”

“What? Well, it could be,” Misaki replies quietly.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop yapping amongst yourselves, and focus on the more important things: Me!” Monokuma then jumps atop the desk, and I notice Eito slowly creeping out from under it, moving away from the bear. 

Monokuma then waves its one paw and its one robotic hand in the air, “Ahem! My dear Passengers, it is I! Your dear captain of the S.S. Despair! Monokuma!”

“This has gotta be a press release,” Saki says.

“If it was… Wouldn’t it make more sense to do it at the school?” Tomo asks her quietly.

Saki shrugs, snapping a picture of the bear, “I think they just wanna spice things up a little.”

“Quiet!” the bear yells, causing the girl to jump. He huffs, shaking his head, “Honestly. Honestly! You’d expect a celebrity like me to get some respect around here! Now then… What do you all think is going to happen?”

“You’re going to say we’re in a Killing Game, then say it’s a prank and then we’ll be interviewed by a bunch of people and watch Distrust together?” Saki asks.

“No! For the last time, this hasn’t got anything to do with that movie!”

“You’re going to say we’re in an actual killing game?” Eito asks, sitting on the floor, staring up at the bear with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, ya’ll are trapped together, in the middle of nowhere, with no one to save you…” the bear says, his voice peaking up with excitement, “And how do you think you think you’ll get out of here? Come on, it’s an easy question! You all should know it.”

We do all know the answer to that question, but no one answers him. No one wants to answer him, because no one wants this to be true. And– it can’t be, right? To be put in a Mutual Killing Game? A replica of the killing game that happened so long ago. It had become a memory of darker days, something that would never, ever happen again. 

But here Monokuma is, battered but standing, his laughter echoing throughout the room. 

“We have to kill–”

Monokuma interrupts Itsuki, “YOU HAVE TO KILL SOMEONE! Upupupupu~!”

I want to leave. I just want to walk out of the lobby, and pretend I didn’t see anything, that I didn’t hear anything, that none of this was happening. That this hideous version of Monokuma never appeared to me, and that I had never met any of the weirdos I am stuck with.

Oh God, someone here is definitely going to kill me…

I shrug Sho’s hand off my shoulder, and slowly begin nudging closer to the door.

“This is just a press thing, guys,” Saki insists quietly.

“Is it?” Misaki asks her, before looking at the bear, then at the rest of us, “But what if it is true? We should remain cautious in case it is the worst case scenario. Either way– Don’t let him get to you. We’re all in this together, and if what he is saying is true, we don’t have to play his game.”

“No, I’m pretty sure someone is definitely going to try to kill me,” Rina says, once again voicing the thing that I would never say out loud.

“Do you really distrust us that much already?” Chinatsu asks her.

“I don’t even know you people,” she replies quietly, before sighing, “So, Mono-bear… Anything else to say?” 

“Hey, hey, don’t rush me! And everyone here all looks like they need a bit of time to process, so go do that! Process, process, process, all together now, process,” Monokuma waves his arms up, as if chanting.

My stomach twists into a tight knot.

One of the biggest influences of the Tragedy. 

Kill or be killed.

Filmed so it could be viewed all across the world.

And it’s happening again. 

And this time… 

I’m in it. 

After a long period of silence, Ren breaks out into a forced laugh. 

“Upupupupu?” Monokuma tilts his head as it stares at the fencer, “Is there something funny, Mr Ren Oshiro?”

“If this is not a press release as Miss Hanae has claimed, then this is a very well set up prank. Is this what Future’s Hope Academy does to all of its new students?” he asks.

A prank! My eyes widen at the thought, and I hope to God it is. It has to be– after all, the Remnants of Despair have been long wiped out. If there were to be another killing game, then…

Monokuma lets out another shrill laugh, “Ooooh, so that’s what you think this is! Do ya really think the school would go off and hire such an expensive ship for what, just a little prank? Upupupupu…. That’s real idiotic! Even Saki’s idea makes more sense! I could see a big film studio hiring a ship!”

“Tch…” Kadashi crosses his arms, “It can’t be that expensive for a prestigious school like Future’s Hope.”

“Upupupu! Well this is no prank! You lucky lot get to deal with a real-deal Mutual Killing Game here!”

“Lucky?” 

The bear ignores Itsuki’s comment, hopping off the desk and pulling open a drawer. From it, he takes out a small, cardboard box, “Anyway! I have a present for all of you! These may be old technology, but ya’ll will need them if you wanna have a semi-decent life in this cruise of murder! C’mon, pass ‘em around!”

Chinatsu is the first one to take the box, hesitantly lifting it up and taking out a phone-like device that has a piece of paper stuck to it reading: “Chinatsu”. She passes the box around to the rest of us, and when I pick out mine I see a large crack across the screen. 

“These are your E-Handbooks! Please mind the poor quality, it took a lot for us to salvage these!” Monokuma explains, “Even more annoying – we had to try to make some from scratch! Hard to copy perfection, but we did our best. Blame Mondo Owada for destroying a bunch in that stupid sauna!”

My eyes dart between the damaged E-Handbook and Monokuma.

“Now! We’ve installed a new technology in them, so hopefully when you scan them against your doors - OPEN SAYS-A-ME - the door will swing open! And you can go explore your lovely rooms! Oh, and quick, we got some rules here and, for your own well beings, it would be best that you give ‘em a quick read,” the bear continues. 

I press my finger against the screen of the E-Handbook, and it flickers on: ‘Rules’, ‘Student Card’, ‘Notes’. I select the rules option, and a list of rules appear on screen. 

RULE 1: Students may reside only within the ship. Any attempt of escape would likely result in drowning anyway!

RULE 2: “Night time” is in effect from 10PM to 7AM. Be careful at night!

RULE 3: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the S.S. DESPAIR at your discretion.

RULE 4: Violence against Captain Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of surveillance cameras and monitors.

RULE 5: Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the “Blackened”. If they remain undiscovered, they will be able to leave the ship.

RULE 6: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.

RULE 7: Lending your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited.

RULE 8: The guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people during any single "Killing Game."

RULE 9: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.

My eyes flicker through each rule multiple times, before I gaze back at Monokuma.

The hope that this is a publicity stunt or a prank drifts further and further away. 

I stand there, hoping for someone to jump out and shout “It’s just a joke!”, but they haven’t.

“Awh, look at you all, reading the rules,” Monokuma claps his paw and clawed hand together, chuckling, “As you all probably know, once a murder has taken place and three or more people have discovered the body, an investigation will start. You will have a certain amount of time to investigate and once that’s up, you’ll participate in a Class Trial to discuss whodunnit. Once you decide who the unlucky student is, the Blackened, you will vote and if voted right, the Blackened will be punished. However, if you vote wrong, everyone BUT the blackened will receive punishment! And do you know what punishment is…?”

Yuki rolls his eyes, his pen tapping against the notebook, “Execu–”

“EXECUTION!” Monokuma yells out maniacally.

And his statement is followed by an icy silence. 

It’s so quiet…

I feel sick. 

I just want to go back home.

“I think I’ve made everything clear enough now!” Monokuma begins to waddle to the door, “If ya need any questions answered, I will be in the storage room!”

“Wait– you’re just leaving?” Naomi asks.

“I have said everything I need to say! And it is night time!” the bear huffs, he opens the door.

He spares us one last look before he leaves, “And I am TIRED! So if any of ya’ll want to ask me questions, I will be very irritated!”

With that, he goes to slam the door behind him – though it swings back and forth a few times until the door drifts into a halt, all as he disappears from view.

Minutes pass, and we all stand there. I can hear Lillian taking deep breaths beside me. Slowly, I reach out, brushing my hand against her arm, before swiftly tugging it back. 

What am I thinking? We barely know each other!

Cutting through the silence is Chinatsu. She looks at each of us, keeping her chin held up high, “As Misaki said, if this is real, we don’t need to play this game! And… I believe in us. We won’t.”

Another silence, a silence soon interrupted by Rina, “Didn’t you hear the bear, Cio-Cio-San? We’re stuck in a Killing Game.” 

“Yes, and we’re Ultimates– Ones that have learned from the past, we won’t be competing in a Killing Game,” Naomi adds.

“We’re all better than that, I’m sure of it,” Chinatsu proclaims positively, her gaze focused on Rina.  

“Y-Yeah,” Saki says, though her tone is more unsure.

“Are we though?” Yuki asks, “Are we better than that? You don’t know us well enough to tell.”

Itsuki looks over at him, “Are you thinking about killing?” 

“Obviously not. But like, how can I trust the rest of us aren’t?” Yuki quirks an eyebrow, shaking his head. 

Eito then climbs back to the desk, before dramatically draping himself against it, “People are evil, selfish creatures, y’know… I’m sure one of you is just eager to slit my poor, innocent throat to escape. As if I’d give anyone the chance.”

“Ah, c’mon… We don’t need to be so negative. If we all work together and trust each other– I’m sure we’ll be fine!” Sho speaks up, “And I’m sure there is a group of people searching for us too! We’ll be out of here before we know it.”

“‘They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’ If we all believe, and pray, we will all be fine,” Daiya assures us after taking a deep breath. 

“Acts 16:31,” Kadashi mutters, before running a hand through his hair, and raising his voice slightly, “I mean. I don’t know. I dunno to exactly trust any of you guys, but… Working together and communicating and all that shit… Maybe come up with a game plan? Ideas of how to keep us all alive and all.”

Daiya lets out an approving hum, whilst Misaki nods and says, “I’m with Kadashi on this one. I can’t be for sure that no one will give in, but we can work on preventing it from happening, yeah?” 

“Maybe we could destroy the Monokuma bot?” Ren suggests, standing up straight and looking around, “It is a decrepit thing, barely standing. As it said, it had to be salvaged.”

Tomo puts a finger to her mouth as she thinks, “Wouldn’t that mean that there is… Only one of them? In the previous killing game, there were duplicates, but if there is only one…”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to test that,” Kadashi grumbles, kicking the ground letting out a quiet huff.

“What do you mean?” Ren turns to face the scientist, raising an eyebrow.

“Boom,” Kadashi says.

“Boom?”

Misaki nods, as if what Kadashi said made any sense, “Yeah. Exactly. We don’t know if the bear, even if it’s the only one, has an explosive in it – like in the old killing game. And also… The bear said ‘we’ when discussing the handbooks. Clearly there is a group behind this, a crew.”

“One that might be on this ship,” Naomi finishes. She then shakes her head, “No, for certain. A large cruise ship like this, it would be difficult to function without a crew. So they would also have to be acting as accomplices.”

“– Yeah, exactly. We may destroy the bear, and it could explode. But after that? Then there is a chance there is a crew of people who want us to kill each other, and we don’t know what they have on them or what they might do to us,” Misaki says.

“I mean, that could happen, it could not happen… Schrodinger’s bomb, or Schrodinger's crew of evil people, I guess,” Itsuki says thoughtfully. 

“We should… Probably be careful then. Don’t touch the bear,” Tomo nods. 

DING DONG! DING DONG!

The monitor in the centre of the room flickers back on and an image of Monokuma appears on it, sitting on a large, plush white chair, wearing a big cap that says ‘Captain’ on his head and swirling a martini in his right hand, “Night time is in effect! Sweet dreams, my dear passengers, this might be your last sleep.”

“I think… For now, it would be best if we all rest,” Naomi concludes after watching the announcement, “I doubt any of us are thinking straight.”

“Yeah. Agreed. And maybe tomorrow we can all get up, meet in the cafeteria and discuss a game plan. I can’t guarantee that we can stop the killing game, but we can at least figure out ways to make killing a lot harder,” Misaki says.

“Yes. Let us refuse to worry too much – we shan’t let anyone die,” Ren nods in agreement. 

“Mm, sure, none of us will die,” Rina rolls her eyes. She then uses the tip of her toes to push the door open, “Anyway, I’ve been dying to have my beauty sleep.”

“Ah, goodnight then, Odile,” Chinatsu offers the ballerina a smile and a wave. 

Rina looks back at her, squinting her eyes distrustfully, before nodding. She saunters out. 

“Let’s not get too on edge, alright? Panicking won’t help us,” Misaki says, looking around. 

“I just want to go to sleep…” Tomo murmurs.

“Hey, you’re staying in the Upper-Class Suites too, right? Misaki asks, focusing on the girl, “C’mon, we can go together.” 

Tomo gives a sluggish nod as she pulls herself to her feet.

“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll go with you. Just because I’m tired,” Kadashi huffs quietly, wrapping himself into his lab coat. 

As he speaks, I catch Daiya staring over into his direction, and I frown. 

“What?” Daiya looks back at me, smiling politely. 

“Oh- Just, uh… Whatever, nevermind,” I look back downwards. 

Daiya just shakes his head, scowling at Kadashi as the boy talks with Misaki and Tomo, muttering to himself, “Honestly, why does he get an Upper-Class suite and I’m stuck in the Lower-Class? I’m far more deserving…”

I raise my brows at that comment, and Kadashi retorts with, “You know, I was just going to offer you to share my room, but you know what? Fuck that noise. Have fun in your lousy Lower-Class suite.” 

He begins to leave with Misaki and Tomo, only to briefly turn his head back to look at Daiya as he heads out, “James 4:6, Daiya!” 

Daiya grits his teeth, and Kadashi is gone with the others. 

“Mmph… Off to sleep then…” Saki whimpers to herself.

“I wonder if I could steal one of the ‘Upper-Class’ students’ E-Handbooks or something. The rules were against lending, but said nothing about stealing… ” Eito muses as he walks out of the lobby with Saki, “The Lower-Class area really does look grim.”

Saki snivels in agreement, and Daiya silently follows the pair out. 

“Hey, Kai!” Chinatsu looks over at the actor.

“Hmm?” he smiles softly at her, “Yes?”

“The rules did not say anything about not sharing rooms!” she states cheerfully, “I noticed you are one of the ‘Lower-Class’ students, so perhaps you can share my room?”

“Oh–”

Before Kai can reply, Itsuki lets out a quiet yet awkward laugh, “Don’t you think that’s a little, I dunno… Considering, you know, a boy, a girl, sharing a room…”

Chinatsu flushes, “I did not think of that!”

“Ah, yes, I wouldn’t want to impose,” says Kai, bowing his head.

“I meant… Kai, you can share with me instead, which might be less awkward,” Itsuki suggests

“Are… Are you sure?”

“Of course! I mean, we’re classmates, and friends, hopefully,” Itsuki flashes him a friendly grin, and Kai smiles gently back. 

“Does anyone wish to share a room with me?” Chinatsu offers, looking back at the rest of us.

I almost want to say yes, but…

How can I trust her in a Mutual Killing Game?

“Ah, no, we should be fine,” Naomi replies.

“Are you sure? If you say so… I will see you all tomorrow morning, goodnight my dears!” she waves at us as she leaves the lobby alongside Itsuki and Kai. 

“Farewell,” Ren simply states, before leaving. 

I then realise that Yuki is already gone. He’s rather sneaky… Then again, he is the Ultimate Tabloid Journalist, being sneaky is probably a good skill for him to have.

Before I knew it, it’s just me, Lillian, Naomi and Sho left in the lobby. Naomi brushes her skirt, then looks over at the door, “Well, we should probably follow suit.”

I sigh, and follow Naomi out. Lillian is walking on one side of me, whilst Sho walks on the other. I remain quiet as I walk, trying to ignore the sound of Sho’s cheerful humming. 

We stop at the inbetween of the Upper and Lower Class suites.

“Good night, Sho,” Naomi says, lips curling into a kind smile as she pushes the door to the Lower-Class Suites open. 

“G’night, Miss Bunya,” he smiles back at her, offering a salute. 

Naomi walks through the door. Lillian spares us one last glance, lingering slightly, before following her with an uneasy stride. I head towards the door, when Sho suddenly grabs my wrist as the door closes, spinning me around to face him. 

I let out a quiet yelp, and I tug my hand back, “What!?” 

“Just… Stay safe, alright?” 

I stare up at him incredulously, before eventually sighing, “I will.”

Sho nods, spinning around and heading through the door to the Upper-Class suites, and I watch him as he leaves. When the door closes behind him, I turn back to the Lower-Class suites, and see that the door is already open, with Lillian peeking her head through.

Lillian averts her eyes from my gaze, “Sorry, I heard you yelp and wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“Oh- That’s… You don’t need to apologise for that,” I say, entering through the door as she holds it out for me.

She walks with me down the hall, “I should have made sure you went through with me. He… Could have done something.”

“Ah… Yeah, Sho…” I swallow, before forcing myself to shrug, “Well, nothing happened. So it’s fine? I think. Plus, as you said, you heard me.”

“I suppose,” we both stop outside the door to my room, “Well, goodnight, Aiko.”

I offer her a tired nod, “Goodnight… Lillian.”

Taking it out of my pocket, I scan the cracked E-Handbook against the pad next to the door handle, and I hear a very quiet click. My hands press against the door and, with ease, it slides open. As I do, Lillian heads to her own door, sparring me nervous glances as she does so. 

When I enter my room, the door closes behind me with a harsh thud. I briefly push against it, making sure the door is locked, before my eyes dart around the small and dingy room. The bed is a metal cot, and there is a closet cramped in the corner of the room. Opposite the bed is the door to the bathroom – a room with such a disgusting stench, I have to immediately slam the door shut. 

I fall back against the cot, exhaustion overtaking my body.

Without even changing my clothes, I drift into a dreamless sleep. 

PROLOGUE FIN

SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16

DEAD STUDENTS: 0