Archive of Our Own

“You won’t regret picking me! I’ll give you the best Danganronpa™ season ever!!” The cap kid basically yelled, and even in this medium-sized room, it echoed.

The audition room is silent once the boy leaves.

Save for a table in the center where the staff sat and some cameras to the side, it was a pretty bare bones room. Past experience in previous seasons proved it was best like this: less distraction for the participants (like going off tangents about their favorite character or thinking the images were a clue to what they had to say to pass) and, more importantly, less work for the staff, who were overworked as it was.

Tsumugi, though, loved this part. This was what her life was about: bringing the absolute best cinema to everyone’s screen all over the world. What a luxury. It required skill, which she had to spare.

“Even thought of his own execution, huh?” A bearded man laughs. “These crazy types are always entertaining. I vote we include him.”

Most consent in agreement. The audition tape was interesting but seeing him in person gives them what they need. He has the devotion, the willingness. Even if he ends up killed, it’s the type of character that draws the viewers in — hate or love, it gives ratings.

“Plus, this kid is just gonna keep coming back… isn’t it his what, third time?”

“Fourth”, Tsumugi answered quietly. It seems he’d only made an impression on her since the first time. Well, any participant that cosplays would invariably grab her attention, and this one even crossdresses, how could she forget him?

“Oh, right. Damn, we’re gonna see him again until he hits the maximum for sure!” Half of the table was laughing merrily at the concept.

Tsumugi didn’t think that was particularly funny. Why mock someone’s passion? The kid clearly loved Danganronpa™. That’s much better than any celebrity joining pushed by the producers or people filling the obligatory token roles.

“What do you think, Shirogane? Kid’s interesting. We could have another Komaeda type in our hands. You know those always do well, and are difficult to find”.

“So does the kid. Bet he can even recite whole scenes or monologues!” An elderly, elegant woman pitched in. “Remember that one who recited the final trial of season 23, word for word? Almost fell asleep!” They all laughed in agreement.

The bespectacled woman smiles as she reviews the application form a final time. “He plainly did much better than in the last audition.” Some look a bit lost at that comment.

She’s not surprised they forgot. They saw over thousands of participants for every season, from all around the world, and her specialty was remembering people and storylines. Not unlike this boy… “…another fanboy type… but this time around, he’s come prepared. Picked his role. Even planned his own execution.”

She laughed at that, poised, calculating. That’ll be her laughter for this season, she decides. This is her first time in the series proper. So her vote matters the most. Of course, the roles will change the people into something… palatable, interesting. But the raw material is necessary. The boy’s intelligence tests confirm he could have the detective position.

“If he survives, I’m even tempted to offer him a position.”

Nothing too big, though. She can’t have an upstart steal her position.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Fanboy (note: let’s be serious, guys!)

[  ] Hat ultimate (note: not a talent, people. Is everyone just going to bully him?)

[  ] Researcher (note: be more specific)

[  ] Archivist (note: most voted option)

[  ] Librarian (note: check if done before, maybe in season 39)

[  ] Journalist (note: check if done before, maybe in season 42)

[  ] Investigator (note: close enough to detective)

[x] Detective (note: TBD - even if we repeat the title, Shirogane believes she can make it interesting and different from Kirigiri in S1)

“Do you have a particular talent in mind for your character?”

It’s like the blond girl didn’t even listen. She just stares apathetically at the table before her. Angry at something that’s not there.

Many expressions go through these audition days: anxiety, happiness, elation, desperation, melancholy; it’s all part of the process by now. But anger is a rare one.

“Not really.” The student replies, her hair prim and proper, sitting in perfect posture. If it weren’t for her fingers, always moving, she’d be a constipated looking statue.

“It says here you got second place in the regional piano competition last year. Wouldn’t you consider that a talent?” A middle-aged man asks casually, purposefully ignoring that the first place has the same surname as the teenager.

“Not if it’s in the family” …and you’re not even the best at it. The words are clear, even if the blonde never finishes the sentence.

Tsumugi is already smiling. Sibling relationships, her beloved! And twins at it! Oh, this is already too good; she might not even need to write too much of a detailed Flashback Light if the feelings are already there.

Having a twin sister (fraternal, sadly, you can’t have everything), a strained relationship, an inferiority complex, the Gopher project, oh, she can see it all! The season finale is appearing before her eyes! And what a finale it will be! She can’t help pushing it further.

“Your younger sister is incredible indeed! A prodigy, the newspapers said! I remember reading quite a bit of her.” Ah, there it is. The apathy turned into barely hidden anger. This girl is so angry, but she doesn’t know where to direct it. So she tries to redirect it. Still, so very transparent. “But so are you. You’ve both accomplished much, even with musician parents. You must be proud”.

She suppresses a smirk as the teenager’s left eye twitches. Can’t control that part of your body, blondie.

“Sure.” She replies curtly.

“What made you want to audition? You’ve mentioned you watched the most recent season this year.”

The typical teenager who finally finds a way to escape their life. They didn’t even watch or study enough of the series, thinking they could get a role just by auditioning. It honestly disgusts Tsumugi. How can you audition without knowing the lore?

The young intern by her left side — possible eventual in-game mastermind, but not anytime soon if she’ll have a say in it — nods and hums while the blonde speaks.

It’s the usual teenager lack of hope dialog trend. They’ve heard it before. In fact, they hear it almost every single audition. It’s nothing new. Yet another person who has no faith in humanity.

What sets this girl apart, though, is the flame burning in her eyes. She hasn’t given up. This isn’t another suicidal teenager throwing themselves at a glorious death. Or a wannabe blackened winner. It’s what caught their attention in the video. All this apathy and misanthropy, but there’s still a very visible wish for belonging, for being the star. Something she can’t be in her life, but that Danganronpa™ can give you. Something only being an Ultimate can ever give you.

And that fire is something you can’t give someone, even with their current technology.

Tsumugi decides. She not only wants this girl in the show, she’ll also be the star. So little needs to be done for her too. Give her a bit more optimism, a sucker to prop up her ego, and you have a heroine right there. Keeping a poker face to not give too much away, she asks her final question:

“Any particular request you’d like for your Ultimate self?”

The reply is instantaneous.

“She’s an only child. And nothing related to music”.

They nod. Well, she only asked for one request. Not her fault that she got too greedy.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Musician (note: we had this before in S2)

[x] Pianist (note: confirmed, we never had this role - decided)

[  ] Violinist (note #1: we can always change instruments with our tech. Note #2: keep the original talent)

[  ] Composer

[  ] Classical Connoisseur  (note: too boring)

This one has the body for the athlete role. They always need one of those. The tall brunette is actually a track runner but no matter, she confirmed she doesn’t care about her talent as long as she “gets to beat people up, particularly the bad ones”. What she means by bad ones, Tsumugi can’t be arsed to care.

It’s been a while since they did martial arts. The outfit is ready even; their designer exceeded herself: a ribbon, a cat bell, nothing too eye-catching but then again not too showy. Tsumugi worries if the fanservice will be enough. This role doesn’t need much, really, just like the loli and shota ones. This interview should be fast enough. But just to make sure, they go over the permissions.

“Your guardian is your father, correct? Is he okay with you being in the show?” This one didn’t have the signed papers ready but got to this phase, how rare.

The tall girl swallows but then nods.

“I’ll have it signed.” Not quite the answer they were looking for. Technically, they still need some permission, unless they’re an orphan from select facilities. “My f-father-” she chokes on the word, hatred barely hidden, “is always blackout drunk. Now without mom… it’s… worse than ever.” She says with pure hatred but also… fear? Not Tsumugi’s job to care, really.

The brunette straightens herself and says firmly, “I’ll get the signature.”

Good, another one they don’t need to alter their personality too much. Just up the courage a bit so it’s not boring for a martial artist.

The background of the kids doesn't necessarily matter but it gives perspective. For some, the family aspect is the push needed to join the show. To others, a detriment. For this one, they can tell. Even if she doesn’t make it into this show, she’ll find something, anything to get out of that house.

They can use that fear and disgust. Family relations are always quite interesting. Easier to input information that already exists in the person. Even subconsciously, they bring it out so much better.

Tsumugi wants to make sure. Chemistry is still important and the flashback lights don’t help much with affection.

The show needs ships.

“You mentioned you want to protect people. Any particular type that…” and here she makes sure to go for the dramatic pause “…makes your heart skip a beat?” Let’s add a smile to make it lighter.

The martial arts girl immediately smiled. Ah, got it.

“C-cute, g- girls. N-not like there are uncute girls really, but-“ She starts moving her arms like she wants to go for a run. Tsumugi makes a note to give this girl some aikido poses; it’d fit well. “Y-yes, girls.”

Well, they can already cross the token LGBT character for the season.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Karate Master (note: no can do, they’ve done it before in season 29)

[  ] Kung Fu Master (note: probably done before? To check)

[  ] Tai Chi Master (note: too boring both visuals and style-wise, my mother and a bunch of old people do it in the park on Sundays)

[x] Aikido Master (note: There’s only so many martial arts they can pick across 50 seasons…)

[  ] Tae Kwon Do Master (note: too foreign/exotic, won’t be a hit with Japanese audiences)

What. A. Freak.

It’s been a while since Tsumigi has seen someone so open about her own kinks. She is almost impressed. Even to her fellow staff, it took a while until she revealed all of her favorite tropes. Although it shouldn’t be too surprising with this girl’s idol background.

Does this girl think this is a romance reality show? Not to mention the porno, which is what Tsumugi means, but she’s on the job here and being recorded. She asks just to confirm. Not in a cruel way, just making sure they don’t have annoying paperwork to deal with. It happened before, some stupid teenagers confusing shows.

There are some really awful, dehumanizing shows out there. Thank God Danganronpa™ isn’t one of them. It’s the best of the best, and therefore, they need the best cast as well.

The blonde goes fully pink and fidgets. Maybe even moans a little bit? She can’t quite tell from a distance.

“I- I know this is a murder show.” She has visible goosebumps as she says it. “B-but! The romance is always so good!! Season 46’s my favorite!! The Ultimate Electrician and the Ultimate Nanny!” And outright moans in front of the staff.

Oh, so they have a shipper here. Interesting.

“I see.” The bespectacled woman smiles, her glasses glinting. She can see out of the corner of her eye the fellow shippers in the staff, smirking. “Any particular type you’d like to ah… engage with in the show?”  

Turns out they won’t need the aikido girl to be the fanservice chick. Well, they’ll still give her a short skirt just in case. While she had the body, she didn’t have the honesty and downright thirstiness this one has in spades.

Maybe a little too much? No, they should up it even more. The last season’s main criticism was the lack of an erotic enough character and fanservice. Audiences always want more and more. Frankly, Tsumugi gets tired of this level of fanservice and pandering. Panty shots are already bad enough.

The blonde goes so pink again, she looks like a strawberry. Hmmm, appetizing, Tsumugi thinks. Yes, she’ll do nicely.

Feeling kind, Tsumugi promises herself to even come up with the personality type the girl wants for a partner. So she asks what the ex-idol is looking for.

“A-a-a kind boy!!” She screams (moans?) a little too loudly again. “A gentleman. Sweet, polite…” Boring, Tsumugi suppresses a sigh. “…uh, maybe an engineer? Maybe? I- I like m-machines… a-and steampunk!” She adds as a laugh, not wanting to get too deep into what other machines and appliances she was into. While the blonde is in her school clothes (and showing a lot of her assets, quite smart, Tsumugi thinks), her accessories are indeed steampunk themed.

K1-B0 immediately comes to mind. How useful it is to have someone with a machine kink! No need to even add that in with their tech.

This girl is perfect for the show.

The robot and personality settings for this season haven’t been decided yet. Tsumugi did consider a Terminator style robot but hmmm… kind, polite and sweet, huh? Might be fun to go with a pacifist kind of robot this time around. Save the dangerous robot for future seasons to keep it fresh.

There’s no need to even check across the table. The fan service girl is always obligatory and this one is right at home.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Mechanic (note: done before, did everyone forget s2?? I know he was annoying but come on)

[  ] Engineer (note: too close, might confuse fans)

[x] Inventor (note: too generic for a role?)

[  ] Fanservice character (note: please be serious, guys)

[  ] Tease (note: not a talent)

[  ] Pervert (note: same as above)

The remaining list followed by too many crossed out words that cannot air. Tsumugi scrunched up her nose in disgust with some of her fellow coworkers. At least she had good taste.

“I don’t care about people.”

Yay, another one of those. At least this one is very nice to look at. Big (how did he pass through the door with that height?!), incredibly muscular, long wild hair and those red eyes. Tsumugi admits to shivering a bit. He looks straight out of a Jojo chapter!! She won’t need to change a thing about this one, just his outfit.

“They’re like bugs. I just want to squash them as they deserve.”

Straight to the point, red eyes gleam savagely. Those eyes would already be threatening but the accompanying deep voice and big body make him a beast.

Tsumugi immediately hooked. It's not her fault that she likes the hunks. Just out of curiosity, she asks,

“Do you have a favorite… Jojo character?” If he doesn’t understand, no harm done.

His eyes light up a bit and he smiles, surprisingly gentle-looking. “Jonathan! He is badass and heroic.”

What a sweet smile. She pushes for him to be voted in. He doesn’t quite fit the heroic role they’re setting up but he aces the big guy role easily.

So he has a history of delinquency — clearly the type that wants to be in an environment to let all violence loose and win at it — there are always types like these, but this one is just so delicious looking!

While the table discusses, she’s already writing her ideas down: “Remove the delinquent aspect, keep the violence hidden. Glasses. Dumb(er). Gentleman… wannabe. Sweet.”

She idly remembers his last phrase before leaving emphatically through the door, almost breaking it off its hinges. So sure he’d be picked. A confidence that is a little too annoying. They’ll need to dampen that.

Tsumugi is feeling kind about this one. She likes him enough to give him a peculiar topic, though. And with it, an even more peculiar and unforgettable death.

She pitches to the team: “Let’s add something with bugs too.” It’s been a couple of seasons since they didn’t have that as a character theme.

​
                                        

The Ultimate:

[x] Entomologist (note: is that the name for bugs nerds? We’ll go with what you say on this one, Shirogane-san)

[  ] Biologist

[  ] Zookeeper (note: too close to Season 2’s Gundham)

[  ] Tarzan (note: come on, be serious guys)

[  ] Hunk (note: see above)

The table is pretty tired when it comes to these types of characters. But what can they do? Tsumugi sighs. They do need a loli character. The stakeholders and producers are always very adamant of those and the shota characters.

The worst part is how surprisingly difficult it is for the natural kind to appear. Not those girls pretending to speak in a higher pitch or pretending they’re younger. The girls with the ‘right’ body for the role are too mature now, too prepared for the role. There’s no innocence. And the fans can feel it.

While not as important as the hero(s) and antagonist(s), these annoying roles need to be filled dutifully lest the huffing creepy old men breathe down her throat for not picking a small girl cute enough. This part, Tsumugi isn’t a fan of.

Of all the options today, this little (dyed) red-haired girl fits in. But my god… is she boring.

“Nyeh… so that’s why I think my patronus would be a sparrow.” She finished her little speech on patronus that one was really listening to.

The oldest guy, Tanaka, was smiling a bit too widely. Tsumugi admittedly had her kinks but this guy was worse. He was her superior, though, so she couldn’t just interrupt him. She can’t risk losing her chance to live and breathe in that world.

“So, Y—chan… tell me,” not us, Tsumugi noticed, “what’s your favorite type of food?”

The girl took almost a minute to reply. She was in a whole different place. Or universe at this point. “If in the Potterverse, butter beer. If not, udon. I like all types of udon. Hmm… Maybe kitsune udon more. You have to leave the best for last, though, so I always start with the broth…”

Tsumugi was almost falling asleep at the table while the creep was huffing. Ew. No doubt imagining something entirely not innocent while the girl discussed noodles, of all things. Taking action so this doesn’t turn into a weird recorded session (she absolutely can’t lose her chance to join as a character!) she asked:

“So! Magic is your desired talent. What are you expecting out of this season?”

The little girl perks up at the end and speaks in a slightly faster, albeit still way too slow, tone: “To do magic!”

Everyone is silent. Half the table wonders if she’s that into her character when the other half just think she’s downright delusional.

“…for a specific type of murder?”

“Nah! I want to levitate stuff, apparate, use floo powder… like Monomi transforming the cow!” She smiles happily and innocently.

So this is basically her Potterverse turned real. They sigh.

Still, it could be an interesting comic relief character. Plus, the lolis never last long anyway. This weirdo is the best option they have for the role this season. Not like any make it to the final trial anyway.

​
                                        

The Ultimate:

[x] Magician

The team is pretty tired by this point in the day. Still over 40 candidates to go in this last day and it’s a blur by now, each boring and unimportant teenager mingling with the rest.

Now they have yet another self-important delinquent who barks a lot but doesn’t seem to have any bite. Plus, they already let the big hunk delinquent in — Tsumugi made sure of it — so there’s no reason for yet another one. One per season, that’s the rule for all tropes and token characters.

At least that’s what they think while the smoker with a really unkempt beard — he’d look better with a goatee, Tsumugi muses — keeps talking animatedly. He just keeps going, assuming everyone is listening to him and caring about what he says.

He wasn’t seen smoking indoors but the smell is strong enough she can smell it from the table. Not just cigarettes but other types too, some she recognizes from experience. Interesting.

The ones with addictions always go a little crazy in the games. Missing something and not even remembering what it is makes them unstable. Clearly, he didn’t even realize that was an issue.

“I’m gonna kill everybody and win!” Typical. It’s usually the serial killer wannabes or the detective wannabes. Where’s the variety here, people?

She suppressed a sigh. There’s still time in this interview and she knows they must fulfill it and be polite, lest they get more lawsuits their way. She goes with the usual ‘what makes you special’ spiel.

He smiles wildly and goes on and on about how he takes care of the neighborhood, him and his underlings clean up the streets (code word for beating people up, got it), has adoring followers (clearly fellow delinquents who don’t want to go to school), is a big dreamer (didn’t actually specify any dream), won’t quit until he’s done, yada yada.

He then coughs in the middle of the sentence. The brown-haired teen seems to think no one noticed and goes on about how he daily kicks the ass of all the losers in their neighborhood and school, targets including the nerds, geeks and the wimpy student council vice president... plus how the kid pisses him off.

Slightly interested for the first time here, she asks: “Is your throat okay?”

He grunts darkly. “It’s those shitty cigars, man. No surprise they’re so cheap, they shit all over your lungs.” But he smiles confidently. “But I’m done with that brand. Now I pick’em good”. He winks with not an ounce of shame.

This guy’s self-grandeur is off the charts, but that cough gave her an idea. Who doesn’t like a tragic character? A hero who is due to die?

The teen keeps reciting word-for-word from his video. Guess someone practiced. “Once I've got fame and fortune, I don't gotta worry about what's impossible." He says it naturally enough that it doesn’t sound like he even thought about the words, but Tsumugi remembers his video quite well.

Something in the way he says it intrigues her and some team members. This guy is already naturally hopeful. His confidence and skills are all misplaced but this confidence and hope are real… and already there.

Years of experience taught them how to tell apart the teenagers who want to appear hopeful but break under the first challenge and those who can go the distance. The smoker truly believes he can make it. Impossible is clearly an important emotional term for him. Even better to use it with the flashback lights.

Tsumugi is a bit surprised that he doesn’t have acting experience written down. But then again, his CV is pretty much empty. Guess he spent all his time terrorizing everyone around and gathering underlings, if they were to believe his words.

She can’t lie, the ugly beard has charisma at least. Even their technology can’t give a person that. Might as well put him in the tragic character slot if someone better doesn’t show up.

​
                                        

The Ultimate:

[  ] Hero (note: too on the nose)

[  ] Leader (note: too boring. we don’t actually know if he actually can lead + don’t have time to check if he does have followers. Kid seems to be all talk)

[x] Astronaut (note: we didn’t have one yet! Plus the Golpher project! Not like we’ll need an execution for this one anyway)

Exotic? Check. They got their tanned girl for the season. Pretty, very light hair (is it dyed? Tsumugi wasn’t sure from this distance, even with her glasses. It looked natural), she looked like one of the girls in those beer commercials at the beach. She’d definitely sell merch. Tsumugi made a note to discuss with the designer an outfit showing a lot of skin and exotic looking enough, nothing too culture-specific.

They couldn’t be bothered to learn her name. It was too difficult and there were too many consonants. A shorter, easier name for the Japanese to pronounce would be useful.

This one did the best so far. From the looks of it, one of the few people who actually has a professional level talent already at such a young age.

Tsumugi wonders, reviewing the file. This girl is the president of her art club, already won some regional competitions, got commissions while still in high school, and her family is well off, although not living in Japan at the moment. She barely knows much about the show, except for the little her friends showed her, and there’s this unending positivity and charisma that is too toxic to be cute.

Why is this girl here?

“Oh, if I could, I’d go straight to work! But this whole… country…” she sighs. “It’s so closed off. I can’t even go to school because they force me to dye my hair. They think this” she holds her almost white, beautiful hair “isn’t natural. And want to force me to dye it black. No class is worth this.”

Tsumugi is pissed that this girl has this good hair naturally. What cosplayers wouldn’t kill for her hair or looks!

But whatever, she had to be professional.

“Why Danganronpa™?” She asks in her usual plain tone.

The girl gives a creepy smile. It actually manages to bring shivers to some staff members. Not Tsumugi, of course. She can do a much creepier smile. She’s practicing for the show.

“It’s not a limited series. Kinda surprising for this country.” The almost white-haired girl sighs dreamily. “There’s no right or wrong. You do what you can to survive. Even if a violent murder, if done well, can be a piece of art. It’s pretty moving. I loved season 38 with the artist blackened winner. That’s how I found out about the show too. Her exposition was just… beautiful. I want to see what I can create when I leave the show.”

Not if. When.

“Well, of course! The tanned girls almost always survive, right?” Apparently, almost always means in her book. The exotic named girl laughed. “I’m sure I can make friends with everyone! I’m quite good at it.” She smiles happily, that little bit of creepiness still there, not really hidden.

The words are implied but very clear: ‘You can kill and if people trust you, you get out of life, rich and famous. ‘

They can’t deny it. There’s a certain… charisma to this girl. Different from the psycho delinquent, but definitely something there. You can’t help but want her to listen to you. To tell you what to do.

The girl explains a bit more of the country her family comes from, their customs, religions… Tsumugi thinks only a couple of people actually paid attention. She herself is not included. Not like they’d use that, they wouldn’t want a legal battle on their hands. The more stereotypical her in-game country, the better.

Ooh, and add some crazy traditions too and why not a funny god? This girl can pull it off.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Art club president (note: too boring and we already did ‘club presidents’ thing before)

[  ] Sculptor (note: possible, TBD with marketing if this is the best term for SEO purposes)

[x] Artist (note: same as above - check with the marketing team if this is too generic. We haven’t had either yet as a talent.)

“What is the most important thing to you?”

The long-haired boy can barely hold back tears. He breathes in behind the black mask (how stylish he is, Tsumugi thinks admiringly, this one would look very good in cosplay) before replying in a whispered, “…my sister”.

Immediately, Tsumugi is interested. And so are her two closest subordinates.

They wait for him to say more.

“She… she loved the show. Never missed an episode. We always watched together, especially when our parents were… out. It was… our special time… together”. He holds his right arm, fidgeting. “She passed away earlier this year… I’m still a bit lost… But she loved the show. And my friend is also auditioning today…”He ended the sentence there.

Less actual interest in the show and more just at a complete loss and not knowing what to do with grief. They could work with that. This type of emotion was perfect for their tech.

With glinting glasses, Tsumugi goes for the kill: “Did you love your sister?”

His reply is immediate for the first time in the interview. Eyes shining with unshed tears, he replies, “Yes. She was my everything.”

“And you want to honor her by being in the next season?”

There’s a clear resolve in his eyes. His voice doesn’t falter when he replies, “There’s nothing left in my life besides Danganronpa™.”

A perfect answer.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Anthropologist club president (note: same issue we’re running with artist girl - NO club presidency in the title)

[  ] Researcher (note: matches better cap boy contestant)

[  ] Sister complex (note: Tsumugi-san, please be serious. Not a talent)

[  ] Medium (note: NO, already done in season 44)

[x] Anthropologist

This girl would be perfect for cosplay! She has the looks, the height, the body and the intensity. She also exercises but for some reason, this one doesn’t scream the martial artist role.

Maybe it’s her eyes. She looks over the table with an intensity that is rather scary. As if she’s angry to be there instead of thankful.

Her answers are monosyllabic at best and it’s bizarre to see how truly unwilling she seems to want to be in this audition. Why even be here in the first place?

Tsumugi finds her answer in the file in front of her: an orphan. Makes sense, it’s even one of the affiliated orphanages with their company. In the first seasons, the great majority of contestants were orphans looking for either an escape or money. Tsumugi wondered what this girl wanted.

“Out of all possible candidates, why you?”

Those intense brown eyes never leave hers. Hmm, they’d look better red. In fact, this girl should always wear red, it matches her.

“I’m a hard worker and I get the job done.” She replies brusquely. As no one says anything, she continues in a lower voice, “Will the money go to the orphanage? Whether I win or lose.”

So that’s what it was.

Tsumugi gave her usual plain smile. “Of course! Every participant’s family receives a sum and it increases per trial.”

The girl seems to relax a little.

Tsumugi muses, “It’s been almost 10 seasons since your orphanage sent a contestant. Quite a while. Do they need the money?” She wants to find out if this was the girl’s choice or not. Regardless, she was pretty determined.

“That doesn’t matter. I wanted to join.” Her voice is firm and she transmits trustworthiness. “I’m a big fan.”

But she’s a terrible liar.

The Ultimate:

[x] Assassin (note: watching Spy x Family much, Tsumugi-san? But I see your vision)

[  ] Hitwoman (note: see what fits best with marketing)

[  ] Sniper (note: to research if a specific weapon is more popular than the general title)

[  ] Archer (note: same as above)

[  ] Lady (note: already done)

[x] Child caretaker (note: clearly joining to help the orphanage and other children, makes sense as a role… or backup role)

Wow, an ojousan. These are rare types. Their families rarely permit them even audition for the part. They usually only get someone elite when they’re particularly rebellious and use the clause when they hit legal age and are still within the auditioning boundaries of being 19 years old max.

Just for her looks and elegance, she’ll make the cut. It’s hard to find someone on this level for the show and not be bratty. She has the physical skills, not much a Lantern would help here. Unless they made some pretty incredible story.

She has the looks, but Tsumugi can’t help but feel she’s a bit… bland. Definitely a motherly type, but with some dangerous glint behind her eyes.

Nothing really jumped out of this interview; it’s been one of the fastest so far. Since this girl doesn’t appear to care for anything except insisting on the maid title (some Cinderella fantasy, perhaps?).

Not the type of character that goes past two chapters, to be honest. But a good one to have. The producers will surely love her and her outfit.

The Ultimate:

[  ] Lady (note: already done)

[  ] Ojousan (note: same as above)

[  ] Servant (note: too dangerous marketing-wise but I get your idea. How about - see below)

[x] Maid

Another quota they have to fill: the small guy. Lately, they’ve been pushing for more serious characters since they got into a lot of trouble for typecasting. Tsumugi just wants this to be over soon; the day is already almost over.

No one ever cares for this type of character; they die soon and are forgotten.

This guy clearly knows that too. He’s straight to the point in all questions and decidedly calm. Too calm, really. Tsumugi knows the type — they get it a lot.

“Any preferred type of cause of death?” She values both of their time and goes straight to the point.

He smiles sadly and shakes his head.

“Anything you guys want.”
                                        

The Ultimate:

[x] Prisoner (note: TBD in the next meeting)

[  ] Yakuza goon (note: too close to s2’s Fuyuhiko’s title)

[x] Tennis player (note: with his height, it’ll be hilarious!)

The day is finally almost over and half the table is just tired. So many people came and went, it’s now a blur. Even after years of this, Tsumugi also can’t handle it. She feels bad for the contestants slotted at the end, but then again, they got thrown here because their videos were the least interesting. She’s counting the seconds until this ends and she can go grab a cold drink with her colleagues (well, the non-disgusting ones, that is).

This kid is just boring. Sure, they need a shota who is the right age and it’s getting harder each year to get one — same as the loli situation.

But it definitely won’t be this mousy, depressed boy with unkempt hair. Does this kid not own a mirror? He’s pale as a ghost, with dark bags under his eyes and what seems to be the remains of a punch on his left cheek.

Tsumugi isn’t heartless. She wants to give the persecuted a place to shine in the show. Usually, bullying victims want to become the oppressors. Not like they can, really, as they usually end as victims. But that’s their escape, their final (and maybe only) moment to shine in their lives. She understands. She makes an effort to pay attention.

“You say you figured out 99% of all the killings — 52 seasons total. Including the fastest trial held by Amami”, a slightly chubby woman asks with narrow eyes. Amami fans are always so annoying.

He fidgets and makes an ‘I’ll cry if you press me too much face’ that is just discount Hiyoko, “Y-yes.”

“Do you have any proof of that? Did you post your guesses, record yourself?”

“Uh… I did for the recent seasons, my username is there. B-but I started watching pretty recently, so…” His eyes darted to the sides, still with that pouting face. “My friends at the orphanage can confirm I got all the older ones right!”

Ugh. Typical. Always the self-entitled genius and guessers who couldn’t prove any of the crap they said.

That cap kid was the exception, talking about an obsessively organized fanboy. The more Tsumugi reflects, the more she wants that kid to have a big role next season. Since the first day, he’s made an impression. She’ll push for the detective role he begged so much for.

Oh, right, gotta focus on the boring kid here first. She glanced at the boy’s CV, surprisingly very good. The kid was a genius, had excellent grades, was the student council vice president, and did volunteer work at their orphanage. The curriculum is a little too clean, even. Too pure, is what this boy screams. They already have the red haired loli for that role, though, this would just be a repetition and they need to avoid that for this season… they already got enough complaints of repetition and plot rehashes.

“Your grades are excellent. Would you consider yourself smart?”

“I-I guess…?”

Jesus. How would this kid survive a trial with this constant stuttering?

“You’re the student council vice president, that’s nice.” She was just going to review the CV until time was up.

“I- yes. I tried for president but didn’t get voted haha…” he pretended to laugh. “I’m not very popular, that school is filled with asshole delinquents… no brains, just brawns, those guys. But I’m the leader of my group at the orphanage.” It was the first time he showed confidence and a smile. He was pretty cute with that expression.

Tsumugi just nodded with a poker face. What a snooze fest. Time for the essential question and let’s cut this short.

“What makes you stand out? Why would you like to join?”

It seems he had some sort of script (or scripts) but is stumbling through them. “I-I always liked the show. W-well, mostly the first two seasons… Y’know…” He then goes off monologuing some choice characters’ famous phrases (Makoto, Hinata, Byakuya, and Nagito… only the protagonists and antagonists of the first seasons).

Tsumugi has to admit: the kid is good at impersonating. Slipping on a mask makes him seem like someone else. The stuttering and caged poses are gone.

He’s continuing happily, opening his arms wide: “How people show their true colors. You never know what to expect. Some people seem nice but they’re just evil. You can’t trust anyone, not really. It’s so easy to get betrayed and killed too.” His face shifts into something hidden, dark. Resentment, pure and fresh.

She’ll give him that; the theater kid wannabe has a lot of pretty amusing expressions. A bit of an attention whore, she thinks. Well, that can be said for all candidates, really.

“The trials are my favorite part! How people argue and fight for their lives! And how they lie!” He pretty much shouts at that. He flinched a bit at the volume of his own voice. “I-I try to be like that… at the orphanage, a-at school. But can’t really…” again with that self-deprecating laughter and weird whine. It’d be better if he just outright cried for once.

An orphan is always very practical and easy to get on the show. They already have the orphan assassin (Tsumugi will push for that role til the end) but this one is intriguing in a completely different way. What the other girl could barely show in her face, this kid has in spades: a lot of different expressions which he trades quite quickly.

Half of the table is completely invested, Tsumugi notices.

“Your orphanage sent us contestants in the last 6 seasons.” She’s keeping an eye on his expression. “Are you doing this for the money?”

“Nope!” He pops the p loudly and grins, looking like a kid much younger than his actual age. “Sure, lots of kids there like the show and want to join, but I said: this is my time, underlings!” He cackled.

A villain wannabe, huh? She could work with that.

“Some of your classmates are auditioning as well”. She read out loud the list, though in her mind, what appears are their characters down to their essence: A tall ghost obsessed girl, an athletic basketball player who dyed his hair red to emulate Leon and that bearded smoking delinquent they recently interviewed.

The boy’s entire demeanor changes. His face twists into a dark… thing with eyes. It doesn’t even look like a human face anymore. It gives them chills. What the hell is he doing with his face?

Tsumugi suppresses an ugly jealousy. How is this kid so good at emoting? She’s had decades of experience and is still nowhere near there!

And suddenly, he’s back to normal again. The kid tries to appear nonchalant, looking at his nails, but he is clearly seething.

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I auditioned… for this season”. He muttered darkly.

Ah, so the typical revenge plot. The bruised cheek, the lack of confidence, it makes sense. It’s quite common for bully victims and aggressors to make sure to audition for the same season. This is very good. A natural hatred pre-game is always better than anything they can orchestrate. One of the few things they still can’t create in participants is long-standing resentment. Even if they don’t remember, the resentment and rage are just under the surface, bubbling in, and it shows fast during the show, always.

Usually, the first murders are almost always people who knew — and hated — each other. It’s delicious. The audience eats it up every time.

“Do you have any person in particular you’d like to participate with in the season?” She’s already making notes.

“All of them.” The kid says coldly, never looking up from his nails. He giggles darkly in a really bizarre way. Sounds like a horse. “I’m looking forward to making disgusting bullies pay for using innocent people. Especially kids who don’t know any better.”

Tsumugi is more and more intrigued.

“I even have the murder aaall planned out. Not just one either. I can make do in any situation against shit-soaked idiots.” And again, he has that weird laughter with an even creepier grin. Did the kid wear makeup in under a second? His face is all sorts of messed up.

“You can check my notebook there. I wrote down some ideas for murders that haven’t happened yet, places the series hasn’t done and also drew some cool outfits I wanna wear!” He jumped up like a child. “I came up with the murders two days ago, by the way.”

And they’re back at that face again. Not quite as this one is even creepier. No wonder the kid didn’t get elected president. He’s just too unsettling to be charismatic. But he has that theater id quality… Tsumugi is almost jealous. She can’t pull that off without some heavy makeup and prep beforehand and, if she’s being honest, it won’t ever reach the kid’s level.

She kinda hates him a bit already. But he’s also the most intriguing one so far. How is this even possible, when his audition tape was some shitty recording done with a bunch of kids and just cackling like a villain? Not like he’s not doing the same thing now, but the recording had a very homemade video vibe to it while here… she’s seeing a true performer. She is jealous; it’s time to admit it.

Tsumugi opens the notebook in a rush and confirms it. The kid is very organized, as expected of an ace student. Well-drawn mechanisms, concise phrases and key points all noted down. He lists them as he sees her go through his notebook, as if he knows exactly what page she’s on from that distance. She loses count once he passes his seventh option. It’s so fast, she didn’t grab all the details — she can tell the others didn’t either. The boy is also smart in saying a lot but not giving too many details. So they couldn’t use his ideas fully. So he’d be the one in the show to use it.

Damn. This kid has layers. She’s intrigued. It’s one of the few times she’s thankful they have a minimum time system. Some kids need a little time to unwind before they can let out their full degeneracy.

“Any particular request you’d have for your character?” She asks in the most interested tone in this entire round of auditions.

He pretends to think, bringing his hand to his chin, before he replies: “I want to be a villain.” At their look of confusion, he adds, “any kind of villain. And of course, a villain has to be a good liar… and a leader”.

That’s… an interesting request. They ask why.

“Being honest is for stupid people.” It’s like he’s reciting something he hears often rather than coming from the heart. “I can’t help but end up telling the truth… and I always get screwed over it. Every single damn time.”

More tears. “They all say that I’m dumb. Hah…” He sucks in breath so strongly, it sounds painful.  “For following the rules. It’s my job, you know? I have responsibilities as vice president… What’s wrong with that…” He then quickly clears his expression with a ‘trying too hard to be cute’ grin, “F-for trials too… It’s important to lie well to survive, right?” He adds at the end, linking back to the series and jumping out of anything too personal. “I’m a good liar”. He smiles sweetly. Somehow, no one seems to disagree.

Now everyone at the table is captivated.

They didn’t expect a barrage of emotions one after another from a kid this shy. Tsumugi can tell what they’re thinking — “Another Komaeda? Finally!! We need one!” — but she has other plans. Komaeda was a loner; this kid clearly wants friends. She can work with that. She hopes she can push this in the staff meeting.

This isn’t a therapy session so they don’t care about whatever the kid’s problems at home or school are. As if they’d have the time to do that for each participant.

The kid is still babbling and going on singing his praises, “I’m good at reading people and I can improvise too, I-”

Now he’s just going off like the kid in the cap. Ugh. Tsumugi smiles plainly and interrupts as gently as possible.

“That’s wonderful.”

He instantly sobers up and, for the first time, has a completely blank face. Even for their team, so used to analyzing people, none of them can quite guess what he’s thinking.

“I’ll make it fun.” He says in a low, confident voice. It’s the first time he’s sounded like this today.

He continued, “I’ll make it worth your time. I promise I won’t be boring.”

He says it as if it’s an oath. And maybe to him, it is.

She smiles. She can tell he means it.

“Thank you for coming”.

This is the longest discussion they have at the table after the cap detective wannabe. Half of her colleagues are emphatic; the kid should be added as he’s erratic, unpredictable (“A new Komaeda!”). The other half is worried he’s all talk and will end up being too boring or just the bad kind of unpredictable.

She votes and pushes for him. He needs a bit of tinkering (don’t almost all of them?) but nothing they haven’t done before. The kid is dividing even the staff, imagine what he can do to the audience! Drama, fans dividing into teams, discourse, it’s all good visibility and numbers.

The kid inspires them with new ideas. They even came up with a brand new title, never used in previous seasons… always a good sign. “Ultimate Supreme Leader”… very childish sounding, quite dramatic… very fitting for the failed vice president.

She knows the kid will be divisive but that’s always a hit. These types make the ratings soar. And if needed, they can always off him early on.

The Ultimate:

[x] Supreme Leader (note: keep an eye on this one. Many interesting ideas presented by contestants. Also have some new executions ideas fitting the theme, let’s go wild with this)

“We got 15!” Her younger colleague, still only four years in the business, is very enthusiastic and loud, shouts before gulping down her beer. Tsumugi laughs a bit.

“Hey, now! There’s still quite a lot of work to do! Remember, we have to set K1B0’s parameters.”

“Yeah, but this will be easy! The auditions are so annoying, especially this in-person phase! Way too many boring kids, man!” Another colleague complains while releasing his tie and gulping down his third beer.

They laugh tiredly. Tsumugi agrees. So many boring, empty people. But then again, isn’t she also the same?

That’s what makes Danganronpa™ shine all the brighter. It gives them hope for something more. To be more than they could’ve ever been in a normal, boring, empty life.

A taller girl pitches in, blushing. “Ah, we also have to finalize the contract with Rantaro’s agent, so he’s ready for the season!” Clearly a fan.

Tsumugi holds a sigh. She wishes the survivor for her season wasn’t that annoying, narcissistic, self-righteous flirt. He created so many ship debates and problems last season, especially with his record breaking ultra fast trial. They barely set up the event and it was already over! Some fans loved it but darn if that wasn’t a waste of resources. Until the very end, the kid was a pain in the butt for the marketing staff. But the fans loved him and couldn’t get enough.

His setting was also boring and nothing Tsumugi could improve. He somehow made even his sisters’ complex seem much too plain. How is that even possible, really?

Inwardly, she hopes he won’t become a survivor again. Maybe this time, someone can kill him and beat his record.

The Ultimate: Traveler -> Survivor

Her character is all done and ready. Just a simple word: “plain”. Working in fiction makes it easy to think in fiction inside the game too. There’s no need to do any drastic personality changes.

She’s not the best actress either. Just stick to the sidelines and be as unassuming as possible. It’s not even lying when you just say what you think when asked. She’s seen many, many mastermind types. The ones who win or go until the last trial are always the unassuming ones.

She’s got this in the bag.

The Ultimate: Cosplayer

This will be one hell of a season.

The season that will be remembered forever.

She’ll make sure of it.