Chapter Text
Where am I? What kind of place is this?
I mean, looking at the grand staircase and the size of this room, I can assume that this isn't just some house. Did someone kidnap me? Why would some random rich person kidnap someone like me? Actually, I take that back. There are lots of reasons why. Lots of very unsettling reasons.
Why am I in the middle of the room, though? Also, these ropes on my hands are really starting to tick me off. They're super uncomfortable.
"Well, it sure is nice to see a friendly face in a situation like this!" In front of me is another girl. I guess this mysterious kidnapper has been busy. "The ropes are pretty easy to get out of, want me to help?"
"Yeah, thanks." I feel like that came off as rude. I hope it didn't. This girl seems nice, and even though this isn't the ideal setting to make friends in it would still be nice to have someone trustworthy around.
"Could I get your name while I do?"
"I'm Hoshiko, Hoshiko Shio."
"Nice to meet you! I'm Isamu Kashima."
This girl is really nice. I sure hope she doesn't turn out to be a bad guy, I've seen that happen too many times in movies.
"Oh, hey, look over there!" She had already finished undoing the ropes, so I guess I can stand up now. Looking in the direction she's pointing, I see another group of kids that seem about our age. I notice that there are other small groups of us scattered throughout the room. This kidnapper has been really busy, then.
"Oooo, I wonder if this is how they do orientation here," she wondered aloud. "I mean, it's a legendary school, so they might need a legendary way to start things off!"
"Huh? School?" What is this girl on about?
"Y'know, Hope's Peak. Isn't that what this is about?"
"I dunno, this feels more like kidnapping to me."
"What kind of kidnapper would leave their victims out unattended? Besides, if we did get kidnapped you'd think they'd do a better job of tying us up." She kind of has a point, but it still seems off.
"Why would they tie us up in the first place, then?"
"For fun, maybe?"
At this point, I'm just worried about what Isamu's past experiences with schools have been like.
"Let's just go see what everyone else thinks."
Everyone seems to be gravitating toward the middle of the room anyways, so that's where I go. Isamu follows me.
"Hello!" says one of the other kids. They seem way too optimistic, just like Isamu.
"Hi?"
"I don't suppose either of you know what's going on, do you?" At least I can be sure that she isn't jumping to strange conclusions like Isamu.
"Unfortunately, no. We do have some theories, though." We? Last I recalled she was the one with the odd school orientation idea.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to take charge until we do, if you don't mind."
"And why would you get to be in charge? What makes you more responsible?" Isamu has a point there. As crazy as she seems, she's at least capable of thinking.
"Ah, I guess I was unclear." She fiddles with her bowtie a bit, it must be an idle habit of hers. "I don't want to be in charge, I just want to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and such, at least until the true host of this odd party gets here. For now, why don't we all introduce ourselves?"
Everyone else has pretty much formed a circle, no, more of a wonky elipse or semicircle, around the center of the room by now. I guess that means we're all on the same page for the most part.
"I'll start us off. I'm Yoshi Kobayashi, the Ultimate Host." That explains why she took charge of the situation, and why she is acting optimistically. "Would you like to go next?" She's gesturing at me, so I guess that means I should introduce myself again.
"I'm Hoshiko Shio."
"And your ultimate is...?"
"Oh, my ultimate? I'm the Ultimate Meteorologist. Is everyone here an Ultimate then?" Everyone seems to be nodding, I guess that's a yes.
"I'm Isamu Kashima, I'm the Ultimate Therapist!"
"That's good, we're gonna need therapy after we find a way out of this place. It's giving off some bad vibes." Not sure who this guy is yet, but they're right. He seems smart, probably because of the lab coat.
"Well, if we need to get out I'm sure we'll be able to find a way. For now, we'll just wait for the host to make their move." Yoshi keeps going on about a host, but I can't tell if it's a euphemism or if she's just convinced that this is a party.
"Host? Do you mean kidnapper?" Oh gosh, I hope that doesn't come off as rude again.
"Oh, c'mon, I'm sure it's just a school thing." This girl definitely seems a little too optimistic for the situation we're in.
"Either way we'll make it through, no matter what, I'm sure of it."
"What are you, the burning bush who talked to Moses?"
"He doesn't look like a bush..."
"Wait, he? I'm so sorry, I thought you were a girl. I apologize for assuming." Man, I'm an idiot.
"Now I'm confused. What are your pronouns?" That's a smart question to ask. This person deserves some sort of reward for being smart enough to ask that.
"Yes."
"Well, I guess that solves the mystery." At least I hadn't accidentally misgendered them, that would probably make things awkward and I would probably just die.
"Actually, I'm starting to see how they could be like a bush..." I feel like this person is focused on the wrong issue. "Maybe it's the hair...?"
"Would you like to introduce yourself next?"
I can tell how Yoshi makes a good host. They keep us on track and are kinda comforting to be around. I like their personality.
"Oh, sure. I'm Shizen Koda. I'm the Ultimate Horticulturalist." That explains the bush obsession, I guess?
"Horti-what-now? Is that a real word?" Surprise, surprise, that comment came from the same person who said the bush thing.
"Oh, hush, you've been nothing but rude since we got here."
"Aha, this is why I usually just say I'm a gardener..."
"Would you like to go next, since you seem to have a problem with everyone else?"
"Do I have to?" They're looking at that person who scolded him earlier, they must know each other somehow.
"Yes, yes you do."
"Fine. Hisashi Arakaki, nice to meet you. I'm the Ultimate Scammer, but I promise that you can probably trust me most of the time." His smile is a little unsettling. I don't think I should trust him.
"I'll go next, I'm Mana Arakaki. The Ultimate Model."
"Ohhh, so you two are siblings?" As I noticed before, Isamu proves again that they're capable of thinking thoughts.
"Yep!"
"Man, now I wish my siblings were here." They stopped and thought for a moment, then backtracked, "Actually, I won't say that. I'd probably just get annoyed if they were here, as much as I love them."
"Are you guys twins?" Oh, hey, it's lab coat person again.
"Yep!"
"Identical or fraternal?"
"Why should you care? And what's with the outfit? What are you, a scientist for kids?" This Hisashi guy is going to get on my nerves, I can feel it.
"Hisashi! Stop!"
"Nah, it's fine. He is a little bit right. I'm Ren Sato, the Ultimate Pediatrician."
"Told you. Scientist for kids."
"Hey, not trying to seem rude or anything, but is this a normal thing that happens in Japan? Do people just get kidnapped and treat it like it's a good time to meet new people?"
"Oh, you have a point. Why are we doing this?" Ren asks. Finally, people are starting to notice how weird this is.
"Well, would you rather be kidnapped and be miserable?" I can't decide whether Yoshi is smart or not, honestly.
"It might not even be kidnapping!" Isamu points out.
"Even if it is orientation, it's still kind of kidnapping." Y'know what? Now that I've said that I'm thinking that maybe Isamu and I could both be right and the school could just be super messed up.
"Fair."
"Well, is it alright if I go next?"
"Yeah, of course."
"I'm Emilia Williams, I'm the Ultimate Bartender. I'm a transfer student from America, although now I'm doubting whether or not I'll make it to the actual school."
"Hey, don't worry, we'll be fine!" Oh hey, another optimist. "Oh, and before you ask, I'm Sumiko Kamei, the Ultimate Equestrian."
"So like horses? That's cool. I feel a little left out with all of you having cool ultimate talents."
"What's your talent?"
"I'm this year's Ultimate Lucky Student, Keiko Izumi."
"Well, that's kind of like having multiple talents, then."
"What do you mean?"
"If you're lucky enough, you can get the hang of new skills really fast, right?"
"I don't think that's how it works, I don't even feel all that lucky. Thanks for trying, though."
I think those two are going to make fast friends.
"I guess I'll go now. I'm Haru Akihiro, Ultimate Cartoonist."
"Ooo, do you ever get to make those little comic strips? Or is it like animated cartoons?" I'm definitely warming up to Sumiko. They're friendly.
"I guess both? It depends on what I'm doing at the moment."
"So what are you doing right now?"
"Honestly, nothing. I made sure I wasn't super busy so that I'd be ready for the start of the school year."
"Hey, you four still need to introduce yourselves, correct?" Yoshi points out, again putting us back on track.
"Yeah." They sighed softly, then continued, "I'll go next, I guess. I'm Tenshi Sutoromu, the Ultimate Librarian." They didn't seem all too happy about talking, but it wasn't in a closed-off sort of way. My bet is that they're just shy.
"Oh, I guess we have to be super quiet now. Don't want to risk getting shushed by some old lady."
"What, do you think I'm blind to sarcasm? Besides, if you think libraries are still like that then you clearly haven't gone to one recently."
"What are you doing?" The voice belonged to someone who hadn't introduced themselves yet, so I didn't know who they were. They're looking at Yoshi.
What is Yoshi doing? Why are they looking through their pockets like that?
"I know I have them somewhere..."
That did not answer the question.
"Okay, just ignore me then. Anyways, I'm Kou Shibata. I'm the Ultimate Tattoo Artist."
Oh gosh, I hope they don't have any needles with them right now. I'm not a fan of needles.
"Hey, quiet kids, which of you is gonna out-quiet the other one?"
The two people who haven't been introduced yet seem to be glaring at Hisashi now. I don't blame them.
"Hush, you. Let them talk." Man, Mana deserves some sort of reward for keeping Hisashi in check.
"I'll go." The person didn't seem like the quiet type, more like the reserved and serious type. "Kei Kuno, Ultimate Miner."
"What, so like you're the best at being under eighteen? That doesn't sound like an ultimate talent to me."
"You're an idiot."
"That makes you one, too, since we're related."
"I'm pretty sure that that's not how genetics work," Ren said. I have no clue how genetics work but I'm going to trust him.
"What are you, a doctor?"
"I honestly can't tell if you're joking..."
"That makes it my turn, then. I'm Mika Morimiya, the Ultimate Designer." This person did seem like the quiet type, no wonder they went last.
"Wow, lots of artistic people in this group I guess." There goes Sumiko being a ray of sunshine again. "Oooo, maybe we can all do arts and crafts together!"
"Alright, I have everything!"
"Everything of what?" I ask, noticing that Yoshi now seems to have found what he was looking for earlier. I'm not sure how he took so long to find it, but my guess is that her suit has a lot of hidden pockets.
"Nametags!" They start passing around little sticker nametags and permanent markers. They have a blue border and a big white space to write on. "This way, we can all learn each other's names and pronouns and ultimates without having to ask over and over again!"
"Oooo, that's smart!"
"Do you keep these with you at all times?" I ask.
"Of course! You never know when you might need them."
"Man, you guys sure are boring! The first class at least had some level of concern. The second one not so much, but they had their teacher with them." The voice came from everywhere but also from nowhere, so it must be coming from a speaker system. "Anyways, time for you to find out the truth behind why you're here! How exciting!"
"Who is that? Where's that voice coming from?" I doubt the mystery speaker will answer my questions, but still.
"Maybe it's the host?"
"Okay, maybe this was a kidnapping after all. I'm not liking the sound of this."
"Actually, Miss Isamu, you were entirely right!"
Just like that, a bear started walking down the stairs. At least, I think it's a bear. I'm not really sure. Maybe just a short person in a fursuit?
"What is that thing?" At least this time Hisashi had the decency to be rude to someone who probably deserved it.
"Show some respect, young man! I am your principal!"
"What?" Even though her theory was just proven correct, she was still just as confused as the rest of us.
"Oh, c'mon, really? I'm Monokuma! Your principal! Now, since you know who I am now, let me tell you about the school year."
"Uhm, sorry to interrupt sir, but shouldn't Principal Kirigiri be the principal here? Nobody ever mentioned anything about a talking bear..." I felt sorry for Emilia, she probably felt the most confused in this situation. All she wanted to do was go to school, and now here we were.
"Well, that's because I fired him. I'm the principal now."
"You fired the principal in order to replace him?" I may not be an expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not how principals work.
"Yep! And by fired, I mean literally! Fired him right into space, puhuhu!"
That comment definitely made the group a little uneasy.
"Anyways, welcome students to the game! All of you Ultimates will have to use your talents to survive! If you fail, well, I'm sure you all know what the opposite of surviving is."
"Are you threatening us?" I hoped I'd never be on the receiving end of the look Hisashi gave the thing as he asked the question, it looked scary even from a distance.
"Of course not! You're actually all threatening each other."
"What?" Isamu glanced over at me with a worried expression.
"This is a killing game, my dear students! The rules are simple," he said as if this were a normal thing that happens. "In order to leave, you have to kill someone. If you get caught, you die, but other than that murder is totally legal! If you make it out, everyone else dies and you'll never have to think about this place ever again!"
"I don't like the sound of that." Mana wasn't as scary as her brother but I had the feeling that she could be if she wanted to be.
"Well, get used to it! There aren't exactly any other options for you kids. Now c'mon, kiddos. It's bedtime!"
"Why should we follow you?" Haru demanded, somehow even more annoyed than he originally was.
"Yeah, this seems suspicious." The plant girl shuffled her feet a bit from the uncomfortableness of the situation.
"If you don't cooperate, I'll kill you all~"
"I'm thinking we should go, then..." Isamu looked over in my direction, for once not acting overly positive about the situation. It honestly made me even more worried. If this made even her lose some hope, it probably wouldn't turn out well.
"Yeah..." the less annoying twin agreed with her. We made our way up the stairs, following the bear.
"This looks like a hallway that you'd find at some fancy hotel," I pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right." Isamu's eyes were focused on the floor. I couldn't tell if she was watching the ground out of habit or if she was just really paying attention to the color scheme of the carpet.
"Alright, go find your rooms. You'll get more info in the morning!" I don't think I want more info if it comes from that thing.
"Aaaand he's gone. Wonderful."
"Y'know, complaining isn't going to solve anything. You're just being annoying," Haru pointed out, stating the obvious. At the same time though, wasn't Hisashi stating the obvious as well?
"Annoying? Really? Me? You really think so?"
"Hush, you." His sister bopped him lightly on the head as she spoke, earning a quiet, "Ow," from him.
"I'm just gonna go find my room..." Mika mumbled. She was either talking to herself or trying to let people know where she was going without disrupting any conversation.
"Oh! I'll come with." With that, the librarian walked off with the designer.
"We all should probably do that." I looked around, taking note of the nods in response to my comment.
"Alright, let's go." Isamu walked over to me, so I guess we're sticking together now. The rest of the group sort of spread out along the circular hallway, looking for their dorms.
"Hey, is this an elevator?"
"Maybe. Let me try the button." She pressed it, waited awhile, waited some more, waited another second just to be sure, and nothing happened. "I don't think it's working right now."
"That sucks." I lightly tapped the elevator door with my foot, wanting to take out some frustration by kicking it, while also not wanting to injure my own foot for no reason.
"Hey look! I found your room. It's right next to mine, how fun!" she exclaimed, her positivity back for the moment. "I'll leave you be, have fun checking out your room." She opened her door and disappeared inside, leaving me alone with the few other people who were still in the hallway. I guess I should do the same, but something seems off with Yoshi. He's just standing outside of one of the doors.
"Hey, Shio, c'mere for a second. Who's supposed to be in this room?" He pointed at the door. "There are only 15 of us, but there are 16 doors. I also don't recognize the name on the door."
"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Leave it to the Ultimate Host to figure something like that out. I suppose he was making sure that everyone else made it to their room before they did. That's when the bear came back.
"Upupupu, I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice. One of you kids just never came up, how annoying is that?"
"So is someone still downstairs? I'll go look."
"Be careful!"
He made his way down the steps. I would have gone with her, but in the current situation, I feel like that would seem suspicious.
Everybody else was in their rooms already, but I was more nervous than lonely. I didn't trust the bear thing and I wouldn't put it past him to make up a name and throw in an extra room just to mess with us. Worst case scenario, it's a trap and someone dies, best case we find whoever it is and get off to bed.
The rooms must be soundproof because nobody came out to see what was going on. Eventually, he came back up with someone following close behind.
"You found them!"
"Yep, they apparently got bored and took a nap in one of the corners of the room we were all in."
"So they didn't think to go with everyone else?"
"No," the newcomer responded simply. They didn't seem like the type to socialize, so it made sense.
"Would you please introduce yourself now that we're upstairs?" Yoshi really likes introductions, don't they?
"Call me Tetsuya Nakata, the Ultimate Undertaker."
They took the nametag Yoshi offered them. Undertaker, huh? That's a little... unsettling...
Especially if this is a killing game...
"You are uneasy. I assure you that I play no role in the deaths of my clients, just their burial."
"Well, that's good." Is this guy a mind reader? At the very least, they're very perceptive.
"I'll show you to your room. I believe you'll be following us then, right Miss Shio?"
"Yeah."
We all went down the hall together, making it safely to our rooms with no further incidents.