Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Welcome to failure Island
Do you know what it feels like to utterly fail? To learn your efforts were completely in vain?
It was horrible, it was awful…all I felt was that damned word that influences this entire world's history…
This place was the virtual world…that was the only explanation for the grey realm and the solitary door. But the only reason we could be here was because…
I feel my head unable to recall something. I never once experienced this sensation before. It was proof I had my memory lost, and I couldn't stop this feeling of sadness…
…and guilt…oh god, if I was Ultimate Despair, did I…?
All this and more was what I was feeling as I saw the door in front of me.
So I couldn't do it…I couldn't stop the Tragedy…I couldn't have exposed Junko…I couldn't save my classmates from becoming Ultimate Despairs.
I couldn't save Chiaki and I couldn't save Hajime.
Now all I could do is sigh…and go in. And maybe make it up to them by helping them get through this entire island.
Maybe this was Island mode, if I was lucky.
But something tells me that this time, my luck just wouldn't hold.
Seems like I was the second to last person to arrive. Meaning the only one not here was of course, Mr. Ahoge himself, Hajime.
I took a long look at everyone gathered here. Now I could fully memorize their appearance, as if they were actual human beings as opposed to mere sprites.
It was more striking now then when they were younger. Perhaps because this time, I could compare their physical appearances to their game appearances.
Seeing characters drawn as illustration and sprites as actual human beings is certainly an interesting experience.
Teruteru's face wasn't as odd, Kazuichi and Gundam's get up was much more striking…
The girls were certainly more attractive in person that was for certain.
It was Sonia who spoke up first, giving me a small smile. "Why hello there. You are…?"
I decided to introduce myself. "My name is…Nagito Komaeda. The Ultimate Lucky Student."
I seen their faces, and I see some of them light up at the name. They were the one who remembered who I was from our meetings.
Sonia gave me a surprised look, Nekomaru suddenly started to grin, Gundam actually looked my way in sight surprise, Peko's eyes widened in shock, Ibuki gained a huge smile, and Mikan stared in me surprise.
And it was faint, but I could tell Byakuya, or the Imposter, also giving me a raised eyebrow.
And I could see Chiaki give me a small nod…wait…is she…? Probably best not to think about it right now.
As for the rest, they gave me a curious glance, and shrugged. Guess they must have forgotten who I was…or they don't remember.
"So our class is almost done." The Imposter…screw it, I'm calling him Byakuya.
"Hmm?" Sonia noted in confusion.
"Because there are sixteen seats here." I decided to help out. "And given by the numbers, it means that there are fifteen students now with my inclusion."
And I heard the door opened up behind me, and I turned around.
And there he was, barely any different from last time. Not so surprising, I only saw him a few months ago.
"And then there were sixteen." Byakuya declared.
"Huh?" Hajime asked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"There are sixteen seats." The imposter/heir bluntly answered. "And since you are the sixteenth to arrive…now that everyone is here, I can finally ask my questions?"
"Which are…?" Kazuichi decided to prod.
"When you came here, did any of you experience a sense of dizziness?"
"Now that you mention it…" Nekomaru noted.
"You're right." Peko answered.
Mikan scratched her head. "For all of us to feel that daze…"
"That's not all." I spoke up. "You have no idea how you got here right? You felt that dizziness, fainted, and woke up in front of the door."
"No matter how you look at it, it just ain't possible." Teruteru noted in confusion.
"And that's not the only issue." Nekomaru said, people turning to him in wonder. "When I tried to leave to use the crapper, I couldn't even open the door."
"Say what!?" Teruteru exclaimed in fear. He hastily brought his pudgy body to the door and started frantically pulling at it.
"It's no use is it?" Mahiru asked in slight fear.
"If I couldn't open it, what makes you think you can?" Nekomaru shouted in indignation.
"So no matter how you look at it, we are all currently locked away." Was Peko's theory.
And with the swordswoman declaration, and air of unease spread throughout the room. With more then a few nervous glance from one student to another. It didn't affect me as much considering I knew what was going on, and Chiaki was calm throughout.
"What the hell is going on?" Kazuichi asked in slight fear. "This is starting to bug me just a bit…"
"Maybe it's some sort of initiation?" I answered with a slightly oblivious tone.
"Huh?"
"You know…a ceremony for new students." I lied out of the skin of my teeth. "Maybe it's just a simple hazing from our seniors."
"That's a little extreme for a prank." Mahiru pointed out.
"But who cares!" Ibuki called out. "Ibuki's is definitely up for a prank!"
"But it isn't a prank, nor is it initiation." Rang a voice, which I could only associate with a certain stuffed rabbit
And there it was…I could almost hear her theme in the background…wait, her theme was playing in the background!
"What…the…fuck…" Was Fuyuhiko speaking up. I guess even the shock of seeing a stuffed rabbit appear out of nowhere too much for him to keep quiet about.
"Is that…a stuffed animal?" Mahiru decided to ask the obvious question.
"Indeed I am!" Monomi, wait, right now I should call her Usami, answered. "My name is Magical Girl Miracle Usami, but you can just call me Usami for short." And I could actually hear the star symbol. How does anyone do that?
"…Am I high?" I bluntly declared. "It never happened to me before, but that is literally the only explanation I can come up with at the moment."
Now that I can finally see the robot up close, I may have realized why Usami, and in turn Monokuma, unsettle people so much. While their appearances were quite cutesy, their movement was just…alien. They moved like a real-life cartoon character, and that's why it feels so…off. It was something that didn't belong in this world.
Knowing Junko, this was probably her intent.
"What does height have to do with anything?" Sonia questioned in confusion.
"I'll explain later." Mahiru answered with a freaked out expression. "But yeah, I don't think it's possible to hallucinate about the same thing."
"And I thought my skit in that hippie convo was weird." Ibuki noted with a shake of her head.
"Why is that Chihuahua talking?" Akane finally spoke up.
"It's a rabbit." Gundam growled.
"That's right!" Usami rang out. Another reason why people seem to dislike Monokuma and Usami…maybe because their voices were so syrupy, it just puts on an instinctive dislike. "A singing, dancing, bunny mascot!"
Again Junko probably did the whole sugary voice intentionally.
"It must be some sort of remote control." Fuyuhiko decided, trying to make sense of thing. "Nothing more then a toy."
"Seems pretty advanced for a toy…" Kazuichi pointed out as he scratched his face.
"That's not the issue here." Byakuya pompously pointed out. "The problem is less what that thing is, rather, it's what its saying."
"I'm not an it…' Usami looked down with teary eyes.
"Aw…you made her cry." Chiaki's dreamlike voice noted.
"Enough of this!" Byakuya exclaimed. "She knows what the hell is going on!"
Usami quickly recovered and said. "Of course I do! I'm the supervising teacher for our upcoming field trip!"
And it happened. Before anyone could speak up, Usami waved her wand with a cheer and the roof of the room started to glow purple.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Teruteru shrieked in fear.
"WHY IS IT PURPLE!?" Hiyoko screamed in terror.
"WHO IS MAKING IT SHAKE?!" Kazuichi yelped out loud.
"HOW?!" Hajime could only scream out loud.
I said nothing, memorizing this experience into my psyche. I knew it was all virtual, but it was just so lifelike. Truly the efforts into making this world were strong.
And it all ended when the roof collapses around us to reveal our surroundings.
I couldn't help it, but I gaped in awe. The white sandy beaches…the beautiful sea…the shining sun. My ease made me looked at it all with a sense of wonder. It was nice to look at during the game, but it was downright breathtaking in real life.
"WWWWHHHAAAATTTT!?"
Too bad my classmates are taking it rather badly.
After the usual game of 'What the hell is going on' Usami took it upon herself to calm us down.
Too bad not answering questions only make us more frantic.
"A deserted island…" I spoke up at my cue. I mimed a shocked pose. "You don't mean to tell us to kill each other for your twisted amusement?!"
"WHAT?" Usami shrieked in fear. "I would never!"
After explaining the rules of the island, Usami raised her wand with a cheer and declared. "And now…let us our Heart-thumping-field trips begin!"
And with that, I saw Hajime swoon and faint after those words were said. Most of the others turning to him in shock.
"Yah!" Usami yelped. "Hajime!"
"You were planning on making us kill each other?" Teruteru questioned in fear.
"We're already one guy down." Akane noted.
"Actually…" Mikan stuttered. "He's still alive. He just fainted." That comment brought some sighs of relief
"Geez…what a wuss." Hiyoko sardonically commented.
"Oh…" Usami whined. "Can someone wake him up?"
"Uh…it's best to let his regain consciousness himself…" Mikan nervously pointed out.
Usami brighten up. "Well it can't be helped. Now everyone, may you please reach into your pockets."
I reached into my jacket's pocket and felt a phone-like device. I took it out and smiled at the sight of what can only be my E-handbook.
"Whoa!" Kazuichi noted in wonder. "This is pretty high-tech!"
"What is it?" Ibuki asked.
"Oh! Is this a smartphone!" Sonia asked with sparkling eyes.
Usami proceeded to explain about the Electronic Student Handbook, or the E-handbook for short.
"What are Hope Fragments?" And the rabbit explained their purpose, and the fact that we can leave once we collect them all.
"So we collect these fucking hope fragments…" Fuyuhiko drawled. "And we can get off this god damn island?"
"That is correct! Have a hope filled time everyone!" And with a flourish, she dissipated.
We all turned to Hajime, who was still out cold.
"So…" Kazuichi drawled. "Anyone wants to look over him."
"I'll do it." I volunteer. "You guys go up ahead. I'll look over Mr. Ahoge over here."
No one complained, so they left to explore the island. I caught more then a few glance backward my way.
And that left me with our still sleeping protagonist.
And Kuro wormed his way out of my sleeves, explaining the extra baggage i was feeling. I smiled down at the cat and said. "So you followed me here too buddy?"
"Meow!"
"Good. I could use your help in this situation." And Kuro nodded his head in understanding. I tried not to think too hard about the implication of Kuro being here. I was grateful for his company all the same.
Hajime was still snoozing away…yeah, this might take a while. Time to cut the knot!
I grabbed some seawater in my hand, and splashed it right over Hajime's face.
That did the trick as the ahoge boy started spluttering at the amount of water and salt thrown into his face.
"Wakey-wakey!" Yes I was being smarmy. Yes, I enjoy being smarmy. Sue me.
"Why did you throw seawater into my face?" Hajime could only deadpan as he picked himself up.
"Well you were out like a rock." I noted. "And I wanted to go on ahead. So I decided to quickly wake you up."
"You could've leaved me alone?"
"That would just be rude!"
After grumbling about waking him up being rude, Hajime took another look at his surroundings.
"Where are we?" Hajime asked out loud. "Some kind of southern island?"
"Yup." I said with a slightly cheery voice. "Ain't it pretty?"
Hajime was quiet, but given the look in his eyes, he probably didn't disagree. He turned to me in confusion. "Wait have we met before?"
"I don't know. Did we?"
"Meow." Kuro then decided to perch himself onto my shoulder. He waved at Hajime with the cat equivalent of a grin.
Hajime's eyes widened in shock as he shouted. "Wait! Nagito?"
"The one and only." I stated with a bow. "What a surprise to see you here Hajime!"
Though internally, the fact that he was here was very worrying to me. It means that Izuru happened.
When Hajime heard the ding, he fished into his pocket and brought out his E-Handbook. What happened was a scripted scene from the game where Usami gave some exposition on where they were and the same information about the hope fragments…while leaving out we can leave the island once we collect all of them. I was tempted to add that part but...eh he can figure it out on his own.
"So want to go on the patented Komaeda tour?" I asked with a huge grin. "I wish to get acquainted with our classmates, and maybe you do to!"
"I can't really disagree." Hajime admitted. His eyes light up in realization. "Wait a minute, why am I here?"
"Pardon?"
"Why am I attending Hope's Peak?" Hajime frantically pointed out.
"How should I know?" I told him, bluntly lying to my teeth. "Maybe you found yourself something that Hope's Peak considers enough of a talent to allow yourself entrance."
"But I don't remember anything like that happening?"
'Probably be for the best that you don't." I shook my head. "Well we don't remember how we got to our classrooms. Why don't you play along for now? I'll show you around and maybe you can remember your talent."
Airport
Our first destination was the airports. With Kuro on my shoulder and Hajime following me, we went inside the large building.
I saw our mechanic and breeder inspecting the various going on of the airport, and decided to introduce ourselves.
"Yo!" Kazuichi greeted with a toothy grin. "Name's Kazuichi Souda. 'Ultimate Mechanic'. Right at your service."
"He's the leading member on machinery." A skill Junko used to perverted level if the anime was any indication. "If it's possible, maybe he could wire up the plane."
"That's not possible." Kazuichi pointed out with a frown. "There is no engine in those planes. I can't something out of nothing you know."
"How unfortunate." I deadpan. Because really, that would be too easy…if this place wasn't virtual.
"But it's not that bad."
"How can you say that?" Hajime questioned with a frown. "We're trapped on an island by a magic rabbit!"
"I don't think anyone in real life ever said that sentence." I commented with a chuckle. "So props!"
"It's not that bad." Kazuichi insisted again after a laugh. "We don't have to do anything weird or dangerous. It says so in the school rules!"
'Oh if only you knew.' I noted as Hajime read the rules out loud. It was those rules that prevented Monokuma from straight up killing us all, so kudos.
"Aren't you being too passive?" Hajime asked. "Do you really trust Usami? Who knows what she has planned"
"Well someone's a gloomy Gus." I noted with a frown. Even if it was kinda justified, Hajime's pessimism did annoy me in the game's prologue. Course it was foreshadowing but still.
"Yeah, lighten up Hajime. Listen to…what's your name again."
"Nagito Komaeda: Ultimate Luckster."
"Right…wait, have we met before?" And Kazuichi turned to Kuro as he said that. He probably ignited some memories in the mechanic.
"Who knows?" Though we totally did.
"Probably my imagination." Nice dismissive attitude there buddy. It's envious how carefree he could be.
While Kazuichi and Hajime rambled on about the merits of the plane, I turned to see Gundam in the dark corner, his arms crossed and giving an expectant glare right at my face.
"Yes…?" I answered with a wave.
"It is interesting that our paths crossed again oh cursed ones!" Gundam said with a laugh.
"It's nice to see you too Gundam." I stated with a big smile. Kuro meowed his assent and hopped off too properly meet the Breeder.
"Ah yes." Gundam smiled down at the feline rubbing his leg. "It's nice to see Bast's embassy has grown well. You have given it the proper sacrifices I see!"
I shrugged at the remark. "It's not difficult. We share the same curse of having the world completely hating us. We got along great because of it!"
The breeder answered with an approving nod. "That is true enough. The bond you two share is truly touching, even for my demonic heart."
"What are you two talking about?" Hajime called in.
"Oh this is…"
"I am Gundam Tanaka! Demon of the ice! Spawn of angel and demon!" And after his hammy introduction, four adorable little creatures appeared out of his clothes.
"Huh?"
"You wouldn't know from the attire, but Gundam is the Ultimate Breeder." I swear to god, out of all the characters, his talent was always the biggest dissonance. At least with Fuyuhiko, he had a nice suit to complement his yakuza background into his appearance bar his cute face.
Kuro meowed. "Yeah, he's also the one that gave me Kuro. So I guess you could say this is our second meeting."
Hajime hummed at that. His eyes turned to Gundam's hamsters. Seeing this as an opportunity, the breeder began his speech.
'These are my four dark Deva's of Destruction!" And trust me; it was just a ridiculous a contrast of someone like Gundam being with four adorable little hamsters.
Kuro glanced at the Deva's with a long harsh look. I grimaced. Based on my memory, the last time he had the look was when he saw the neighborhood's mice…Oh dear. I was too late...and the feline pounced!
"NO MY DEVA'S!"
"KURO GET BACK HERE!"
"Huh?" Kazuichi intoned before the hamsters jumped and found their way into his jumpsuit. He started shaking and laughing as the hamsters scurried their way around his jumpsuit. He ended up not feeling it for long though...
"GYAH!"
Because the mechanic shrieked as an unlucky cat pounced on him with fully erected claws.
And this entire fiasco ended with the Ultimate Mechanic getting mauled by a cat while having a lot of hamsters trapped in his jumpsuit.
The Ultimate Luckster, Breeder, and completely innocent Ahoge were forced into this when he ran straight into them.
RocketPunch Market
"That was certainly an experience." I commented cheerfully as me, Kuro, and Hajime entered the door to the supermarket. Hajime said nothing, as his eyes twitched just a wee bit dangerously.
And exactly as schedule, were Ms. Freak-out and Ms. Freaky Music looking around the supermarket. The two girls turned to us in surprise. Ibuki grinned and immediately ran up to us.
"Well hello there my good man!"
"Hey Ibuki." I stated with a wave and a smile.
"Hey there Nagito." Ibuki noted with a grin. "Fancy seeing you again!"
"I'm surprised you even remember!"
Ibuki did her pointy nose pose and says. "Don't doubt Ibuki's promises! She promises to remember, and so she remembers!" Her eyes landed on Hajime. She hummed and said. "So who's your friend? Names Ibuki Mioda: Ultimate Musician!"
"I'm Hajime Hinata…"
"Ultimate Amnesic!" I added.
"Really?" Ibuki exclaimed in shock. "Wow! Does that mean you're forgetting this conversation as we speak? Do you keep a notebook around just to remember your name!?"
"Constant amnesia is rather bad." Mikan noted, coming into the conversation after nervously looking about. "It can have a very damaging effect on your life. You constantly forget where you're going and such…"
"Hold on a minute-"
"YAH!" She shrieked. "I'm sorry for butting in! P-please forgive me!" The girl started sobbing as a response. God that women may be an expert on physical health, but she really needed someone to help her with mental constitution.
"It's alright…" I stated with an easy smile. "We could certainly use the Ultimate Nurse to diagnose Hajime's condition!"
"Is he going to live doc!?" Ibuki pleaded with teary eyes, either taking it seriously, or playing along. Hard to tell with that girl.
"O-of course!" Mikan insisted after calming down somewhat. "As long as he had the proper meds and condition, he can live a nice life."
"Would you people wait!" Hajime shouted, clearly flushed by the misdirected diagnosis. Of course, as usual, that set off Mikan's easily flustered nature.
"I-I'm sorry!" Mikan sobbed in response.
Ibuki tsked "Come on Hajime. Even if you can't remember, that is no reason to make the girl cry!"
"I can remember!" Hajime insisted, trying to get the conversation back on track. "I don't have any type of amnesia!"
"That makes it even worse!" Ibuki howled. "If you can remember, why did you make the girl cry!?"
Hajime was stuttering to think of a proper response to that. I could only shake my head in amusement and declared "Apologize to Mikan, Hajime. She's the Ultimate Nurse, and if you get stuck with a disease, she might not heal you out of spite!"
"Don't joke about that!"
That actually got a chuckle out of Mikan. But her eyes widened in horror as she exclaimed. "Sorry for laughing w-without permission! I was just too excited to make friends…Oh we're not friends yet! I-I'm sorry!"
"Of course we're friends!" I happily disagreed. A little on the kooky side, but hey, that applies to everybody here.
Ibuki nodded in agreement. "Ibuki's always happy for a new buddy! She considers everyone here her friends, even this amnesiac jerk!"
"But…Oh forget it. I'm sorry. Yes, I would like to be your friend." The poor guy looks so defeated. I feel bad if it wasn't so funny.
I'm a horrible person.
"T-thank you." Mikan said, her face finally cheering up.
I finally noticed something was amiss when I realized that I lacked any sort of extra weight. "Has anyone seen my cat?"
I heard a crashing noise and saw the feline had bought down the entire yarn collection. It lay there tangled in the fabric, as it wriggled around happily.
"How cute!" Ibuki cheered. Mikan's face shows she agrees.
"That thing is practically a force of disaster." Hajime deadpanned. I couldn't help but agree. It takes one to know one after all.
Before me and Hajime left, after being forced by Usami to clean up the mess, I heard Mikan quietly call out to me while Ibuki continued to test Hajime's fake amnesia problem.
"How many fingers did Ibuki hold back at the classroom?"
"No one can remember that!" (I can. It's a trick question. She held up the entire fist…or that's her way of saying her entire fingers…once again, hard to tell with that girl)
"Uh…Nagito." She said while shuffling nervously
"Yes?"
"H-have we met before?" She finally asked.
I paused. It was so long ago. She was the first one I ever met. By all account she shouldn't even remember. I could remember because of my memorization skill, but her…
"Have we?"
"I-I remember. Someone helping me out when I was young." She listed off. "He had your name…but your hair…"
I could only shrug. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now I have to introduce Hajime to the rest of the class."
"If…if you say so." She stated with a small smile. "It was nice seeing you here again…still being friendly"
"Nice to see you again too Mikan." I stated. She really did have a nice smile…if only I could dissociate with the face she held when talking about Junko.
Ranch
"They were certainly…" Hajime tried to find the right word to describe the experience with Ibuki and Mikan.
"'Overwhelming'?" I helped out.
He glared at me. "What was that about 'Ultimate Amnesiac'?" Ooh, he was still sore about that.
I shrugged. "It was a joke. I didn't expect it to be taken that far."
"You find it amusing didn't you?"
"I refuse to answer?
"Missing some cows..." And that got me a weird look from Hajime. Just playing along with the script...and there she was!
Seeing the magic trick of seeing a chicken turn into a cow was...an interesting experience. I swear to god, Hajime's face fell so hard.
Usami turned to us with an expectant gaze.
"What do you think?"
I hastily placed Kuro inside my jacket. "Don't touch my cat with that freaky wand of yours!"
Usami shrieked in fear, tears in her eyes at the very idea. "Of course not! Interrupting with our own clients pets is a big no-no!"
Hajime opened his mouth, most likely to question the lack of logic of what just occurred. Not seeing the point, I quickly cut him off.
"It was just a magic trick." I insisted. "There's probably some sort of trapdoor around here or something."
But yeah, once you figure out it's all virtual, the clues they handed out became kinda obvious.
"If you say so." But he clearly wasn't convinced. Hey, not my current problem.
"Squish! Squish!"
That on the other hand…
"Who is that?" Hajime decided to ask at the sight of a little girl clad in a kimono stomping on some unknown material.
"Oh, that's Hiyoko Saionji." I answered with a frown. "She's the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. She's a rising star in the dancing field, and she has a large fanbase."
"Excuse me?"
"Mainly of the older male variety."
'Lolicon?' Hajime whispered.
"Oh yeah…"
Kuro made his way deeper into my jacket. Hide my feline companion from the little she-devil!
And standing by the fence was a certain tanned girl giving the newly created cow a much more rabid look then was necessary.
"Oh, and that's Akane Owari." I stated for Hajime's convenience. "She's the Ultimate Gymnast."
"Why don't you introduce yourself to Hiyoko? I want to talk to Akane?"
"Why's that?"
"I prefer the supermodel over the loli any day of the week." I answered with a straight face. The deadpan look he gave me shows he was completely unamused.
Or rather, I take the moron over the jerk.
"Who are you again?" Was predictably her first question.
I sighed. "I'm Nagito Komaeda. We met back at the classroom and at the beach…"
"I'm not good with names…"
Akane Owari shrugged, doing interesting things to her…assets. It was somewhat distracting in the game, but it was downright in-your-face when it is real life. Seriously, it's huge!
"So whattaya want?"
"Oh nothing." I answered. "I rather would talk to you as opposed to Hiyoko…"
"Huh?"
"She's a blasted little she-devil" Okay maybe that was a little harsh…
"Huh, but why wouldn't you want to squish ants? It's fun to see them running in fear!"
…Or maybe not.
"All she called me was a big-boob idiot."
'That's still an insult woman…'
"So…? It's true isn't it?"
"What about you big bro?" Hiyoko asked me with a twisted cheer as Hajime hastily made his way toward me. "Would you want to squish some ants?"
"Ants have souls too you know!" I called out, deciding enough was enough and dragging Hajime out. He gave a slight wave to Akane as we made our way out of the ranch.
Jabberwock Park
"Seriously, how did she do that?" Hajime continued to insist on Usami's magic trick as I decided to take him to the central island. I was saving the hotel for last. It's where the most people were gathered…and I really wanted to see a certain girl last…
"Hajime, she's a walking, talking stuffed toy. I don't logic really applies here." Again, the virtual setting was obvious in retrospect.
"But why?"
"Dude, don't ask me questions that I shouldn't answer…" I mean, I could answer, but I can't really do that without arousing even more questions that will take way to long to properly explain.
"What is this place?" The unknown student looking on with a nervous expression at the twisted statue before us.
I guided my hand to the confusing statue and declared. "This very structure is the symbol of the island!"
"The statue is a symbol?"
"Yeah, of how screwed up this island is!" Because really, how could one not see it?
"I can't disagree." Hajime admitted with a sigh,
"Neither can I" A new voice agreed as he made his way over to us. Byakuya Togami…Or unbeknownst to everyone except me, Chiaki, and Usami: the Ultimate Imposter.
You know, if I didn't know that Byakuya from the first game, I would've thought the Ultimate Imposter to be the real deal. He certainly pulls off the haughty rich boy air quite well.
After Byakuya held his conversation with Hajime, while being frustrated by his lack of knowledge on his talent, he told us to go on our way.
As I looked back, I saw the Imposter giving me a piercing look. He saw my gaze and quickly turned around.
It was just a hunch, but chances are, he probably remembers meeting me. The way that he glanced at Kuro only confirms it.
Guess he still hasn't found his sense of self yet. He could never be Byakuya…he's too nice for that role…Ah well…hopefully he'll recover by the end of the school trip.
He was but one lunatic who desperately needed some therapy.
"You know, he was a lot different then what I was expecting." I 'admitted' to Hajime.
"What did you expect?"
"I expected him to be a lot thinner in all honesty."
"Goes to show you can't accurately predict everything…"
Oh sweet Hajime, you have no god damn idea…
Hotel
"If this place is where we're staying, maybe getting kidnapped isn't so bad!" I cheerfully commented at the sight before me.
And believe me, it was stunning. The cabins, the pool, the lounge...even that old rickety lodge was quite stunning. If I didn't know the circumstances I would'be been very content on living here.
"You have a disturbingly optimistic view of this entire situation…" Hajime noted with a bit of a frown.
"And you're a pessimist! Relax my good man! Enjoy the lemons that life gives you." I bluntly pointed out. Though given how the script goes, his pessimism becomes justified. Who knows? Maybe Izuru is openly expressing his disdain through his residue left behind in Hajime's brain.
"Besides, comfy cabins or dark and gloomy prison cells?"
"At least the latter would make more sense…"
I frowned at that. "That comment deserves a time-out! Go to your room!"
Hajime rewarded me with a deadpan glare. I rolled my eyes and pointed at his cabin. Giving it a cursory glance, he slowly walked towards it.
There were three people gathered around the pool. While Hajime went off to explore the cabins (I.E. Grounded), I walked up the one waving at me.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Nagito?" Nekomaru questioned with cracking fists.
I lit up at the comment and turned to the man. "Yeah it has! I'm just happy you still remember me!"
"Of course!" Nekomaru roared. "I, NEKOMARU NIDAI, COULD NEVER FORGET THE DAY HE DECIDED HIS FATE!"
In other words, he can't forget the day where became the Ultimate Coach, but also the day he learned his expiration date.
"Good thing too." Actually seeing his new body, and comparing it to his old…wow, no wonder he adjusted to being a robot so quickly. He adapted to new body types before.
He gave me a careful look over, and frowned. "I wish you kept yourself in better shape though…"
I sheepishly rub the back of my head. "Hey, I tried! I'm in pretty good shape. I just have bad stamina…"
"Hmm…You have a point…" He stated. Looking approvingly at the few muscles I managed to develop. He punched his palm. "But don't worry, I can improve it!"
I know the training that he will suggest. My inner laziness tries to come up with an excuse, but that will only aggravate the man more.
"Hey maybe you can help out my new friend Hajime?" I suggested, throwing my buddy under the bus. Hey! He has to deal with Nekomaru's brand of crazy sooner or later.
"Hmm…That's not a bad idea. The way he fainted suggested a bad constitution."
'Actually, that's just a side effect of having the worst brain cleansing.' It wasn't confirmed in the game, but that's my theory on it.
"If all else fails, I will do 'it'!"
"'it'?" I questioned in mock confusion.
He cracked his knuckles and declared. "Once you experience 'it', you'll never live without it again!"
'Oh god, the innuendos write themselves…' I sardonically noted. I noticed Kuro pointing a claw at the other side of the pool. Me and Nekomaru stared at the feline in confusion and turned to where he was pointing to find a sight.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING DUMBASS!" Yelled the harsh voice of who could only be one short teen.
"Huh?"
Ooh…poor Hajime. He came face to face with our own loveable gangster Fuyuhiko. Course the lovable part didn't come until the second trial…but never mind, Hajime needed to be warned.
"Sorry about my friend here." I hastily walked up to the two. Seems like Hajime accidentally bumped into the gangster and way paying for his mistakes by a yell-down. "He's a bit disorientated right now."
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes and huffed. "Whatever…just don't get in my fucking way!"
"Hajime this is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu…yes." I interrupted before he opened his mouth. "That Kuzuryu…as in the famous yakuza family. He's here under the title of the Ultimate Yakuza" I swear to god, did Hajime's face lost a lot of blood.
"I didn't notice him!" Hajime revealed. "I didn't see in front of…me…"
Oh dear, Fuyuhiko turned an unhealthy shade of red. I quickly worked my mouth and came up with one of my favorite methods: confusion!
"I understand your aggravation Mr. Kuzuryu." I intoned with a careful diction. "You disdain your appearance…"
He gave me a downright cold glare and said. "And what about my appearance…?"
"It's such an obvious part of your physical build…" I continued, seemingly oblivious to Fuyuhiko's anger, Hajime's anger, and Nekomaru's panic…
"What?" The yakuza growled, face red. "Say it! I dare you...!"
"Having a shaved head!" I decided to answer with my finger on my chin.
"I-I…what?" His rage replaced with confusion.
"I understand of course. The Yakuza life must be very rigorous." I continued on with Kuro mimicking my pose. "Having to control a bunch of criminals is quite dangerous and requires tons of discipline. You must set a straight example for your gang members…"
"That's not…what are you…? Of fucking forget it!" The yakuza walked away with a huff. "And tell you're mentally challenged friend not to trip me again if he knows what's good for him!"
"Don't comment on his cuteness or his height." I bluntly told Hajime. "It gives you much less grief."
"Duly noted…"
"That was reckless you know…" Mahiru commented with a slight frown, no doubt watching the previous scene. I didn't see you rushing over to help.
I shrugged. "Eh…just confuse people and they're unlikely to strike back. It works in both gaming and in real life…"
"And you!" Mahiru turned to Hajime. The poor guy can barely comprehend before she started complaining. "You really need to stop getting yourself into situation. A guy shouldn't be so fragile!"
"Thank you madam." I stated sardonically. "And while you're at it, would you like me to open the door for you? How about you stay in the kitchen while I go hunting with our fellow men…" Okay I may get a little offended when I hear her talk like that. Gender bias and stereotyping goes both ways you know!
"…You're mocking me aren't you?" My deadpan glare was all the answer that she needed. The girl turned her nose and fully introduced herself as Mahiru Koizumi: Ultimate Photographer.
I saw Mahiru suddenly taking a photo. She flushed and said. "Well I liked the weird and cute image of your cat popping out of your jacket."
I shrugged. "He does that have effect on people."
Mahiru flushed and scratched her cheeks. "Sorry, you may think it's a little weird taking your photo without your permission…"
I'm sorry, but after she said that, I couldn't stop myself from busting my guts. Both Hajime and Mahiru stared at me in a combination of worry and apprehension.
"Lady…" I stated after I was done laughing. "You are probably tied with Hajime as being the most normal person here…the only reason you're any weirder is that Hajime doesn't remember his talent…which is weird in it's own sense, so I guess you can qualify as the plain duo"
Now that I think about it, Mahiru was rather normal all things considered. She didn't have any obvious quirk. Her talent wasn't particularly…out there. Heck the only think striking about her appearance was her expensive camera and very crimson hair.
Needless to say, the 'Plain' duo did not take their newly christened name that well.
Mahiru glared at me and exclaimed. "Conversations like that don't really motivate me to collect your hope fragments."
"Please…you know you don't have a choice."
She gripped her camera straps but nodded her reluctant assent. "I suppose you're right. It's the only way off this island after all…"
"Hold on for a minute!" Hajime insisted, taken aback by this new knowledge. "What was that about collecting the Hope Fragments?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" I stated with a faux-shock expression. "If we collect all the Hope Fragments, Usami will let us go back home!"
Hajime turned to me with an indignant expression. "And you never mentioned this before because…?"
"I could make up a random reason…" I admitted. "But in all honesty, I thought it be funny."
"All of my hate."
"Love you too bro."
"You should really ask questions!" Mahiru insisted. "You never know when things can go wrong"
"I was unconscious…"
"That doesn't add any points to your reliability."
"She got you there…"
"You're not that reliable either you know!"
"I'm content with that!" Kuro meowing his assent to that.
And with that, our conversation was over.
Oh yeah, I still had one more person here to introduce Hajime to. It would be easier without all the dirty looks he was giving me.
Nekomaru meanwhile, took it upon himself to save me by fully introducing himself to Hajime.
And increasing his aggravation even more once he learned that I 'Volunteered' him for training with Nekomaru.
Kitchen
"So Hajime…are you hungry?"
"Is this another one of your trick?"
"Don't be like that!" I insisted. Okay so maybe keeping quiet about the Hope Fragments was a bit of a dick move, but in my defense, he was going to find out sooner or later.
"How could I think about eating in a time like this?"
"I reiterate, you are a pessimist!"
Hajime sighed, but eventually nodded. "Yes, I would like something to eat."
"Lucky for us, we have the Ultimate Cook here!" And the unlucky part being is that he is an incorrigible pervert.
And we walked in on the conversation that our little peeper was having with our fair princess.
"He's asking you to suck his penis." I decided to deadpan. Hajime turned to me with disgust at my blatant statement.
Sonia gasped, turned to Teruteru, and struck him straight across the face. It wasn't that much of a punishment considering the love-struck expression on his head.
I gestured to the two for the sake of my currently gaping friend. "Hajime, these two are Teruteru Hanamura: The Ultimate Cook…"
"…Ultimate Chef!"
"Whatever. And this is her majesty: Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess." Don't really know how that last one is a talent, all things considered. But hey, this is a girl who can speak thirty languages, so maybe there's more then just status involved with her.
I could see him mesmerized by Sonia's appearance, I don't mind, she really is a true example of royal beauty…hopefully he won't reach Kazuichi levels with it though.
The princess gave a close look to my face, and her eyes sparkled in realization at the sight of Kuro. "Wait! I recognize that cat…and you as well."
"It's been a while, hasn't it princess Nevermind..." I started in Novoselican.
Sonia gasped as she realized who I was. "Komaeda, is that you?"
"In the flesh, your majesty."
Teruteru and Hajime stared at the two of us, completely lost by our speaking of foreign languages.
"Wait, you two met before?"
"How could I ever forget?" Sonia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling heavily. "That day was so exciting; my country turned it into a hit movie!"
I scratched my head. "So that's where those royalties from Novoselic came from!"
Hajime just gave me a deadpan glare and quietly asked. "What are you?"
"I'm Nagito Komaeda: The Ultimate Lucky Student!"
Lounge
After departing from the two (With Sonia asking to hold on to Kuro just a little longer, the fact that Teruteru was cooking up some fish dishes only motivated my feline to stay) we headed downstairs to meet the last of our classmates.
There she is…pinkish hair, cat hoodie, snot bubble…some things never change with that girl.
"Hajime, this is Peko Pekoyama."
Wrong girl, but I rather be introduced to her first before I personally introduce ourselves to that girl again.
"Hello." Peko greeted, curt as always. "It is an honor to me you two…"
"Uh…hi?"
"Peko here is the Ultimate Swordswoman." I exposition to the clueless boy. "She may look cute, but trust me; she's capable of plenty with sword of hers…" Hajime took one look at her permanent glare and nodded his consent.
Kuro made his way downstairs, most likely escaping Sonia and eating his fill, and made his way over to our introduction.
Peko looked down at Kuro, her fingers twitching just a bit. Oh yeah, she likes small animal, especially those of the fuzzy variety. Kuro wasn't exactly 'Fuzzy' per se, but I think she got to the point where she probably doesn't care.
"Would you like to pet him?"
"Can I?" She flushed at how hasty she was about it. "I-I mean…if that's alright with you…most animals seem to not like me"
'Not hard to see why…' Seeing her piercing gaze was much more intimidating in person, and I could definitely see why small animals have an allergic reaction to it.
Good thing Kuro isn't like most animals.
The feline went to work and slowly made his way towards the swordswoman legs. He purred and rubbed himself against the stoic's girl leg. Peko's face downright flushed as she went down on her knees. She nervously scratched behind Kuro's ear. The cat purred its content, causing her face to take on a shade of red.
"Oh my god…" Hajime commented with a blush at the cut scene. "This is strangely adorable…"
"The fabled Gap-Moe." I declared. "Enough to make even the most hardened man squeal."
"I know…" A dreamy voice added. "That cat has a way of doing that."
And with that voice out of the way, Kuro jumped out of Peko's arm and made his way over to the speaker.
Peko raised her head in alarm, most likely thinking that she scared Kuro away. That wasn't it though…Kuro saw her. He most likely realized that she allowed herself to wake up.
The girl brushed her dazed eyes to give us an apathetic look. But her face brightened considerably once she saw the cat snuggling against her leg.
I gave a long look at the girl…who I most likely failed to save…my friend…. "Chiaki…hey, it's been a while since I seen you face-to-face, hasn't it?"
Chiaki only gave me a small smile and said. "It's good to see you again Nagito…this time in person."
I nodded. "Kuro missed you. It's fun to see you again. I have to thank my luck we're in the same class…"
"You two know each other?"
"Correct." Chiaki answered. "He's one of my constant internet buddies. We did a lot of tournaments together."
Remember how I said I developed a gaming habit? Well since I could never make many friends due to both my horrible luck and my older mind, I spent plenty of times playing video games. It was easy to become the best with the lot of time on my hand, (And the ability to memorize all the combos and cheat code certainly helps a lot)
That's how I managed to connect myself to one Chiaki Nanami…and how I became one of her gaming allies, especially in games of chance and other related areas.
"This is Chiaki Nanami." I finally stated. "This girl here is the Ultimate Gamer. She's the wiz of video games, but your already knew that."
"I-I see…" Hajime stated with a flush. While I caught him giving each of the previous girls we met a slight look over, he seems to be paying extra attention to Chiaki. Probably reminiscing about that day…when they met each other in our lost memories…or just checking her out the normal way.
Eh…I ship it. I certainly wouldn't ship myself with Hajime all things considered…or maybe I can wig him out with a few flirtatious lines…yeah! Let's do that.
"So, Peko…" I drawled out to the swordswoman while the two have their moments. "How is your friend doing?"
"Excuse me?" Peko questioned neutrally, though I can tell she was a bit surprised that I remembered. Then again, even with a good memory, the day I fought a gorilla might be hard to forget.
"Remember the day we got tangled with the zoo animals?"
Peko gave a small smile. "It's quite hard to forget that eventful day…as for my friend…he's doing fine."
I nodded in fake belief. "That's good to know. I was hoping to see him again…what was his name again?"
"Aki." She stated almost immediately.
'Really Peko?' I deadpanned in my head. "He's not here?"
"The chances of getting into Hope's Peak are quite high." Peko stated neutrally. "I was honored to be attending here as the Ultimate Swordswomen. My friend on the other hand is content with his current situation."
"You keep in touch?"
"Of course. But that's irrelevant." Peko stated with finality. Though all things considered it wasn't as strong as it should be. Yeah, best not to press on the issue. But if things take a turn for the worse, I might have to speak up.
Yeah, if it was Island mode, I would've just kept quiet, but in this scenario, it's best to just get the truth out.
No one knowing the truth is what helped kill Mahiru after all.
"Thank you for your time ladies." I decided dragging Hajime by the arm. Peko and Chiaki gave a small deadpan glance as I swept away the protesting reserve course student. "But I still have more to show Hajime around."
"Stay safe…" Chiaki called out. Peko nodded in slight agreement.
"Nagito?"
"Yes?"
Hajime paused, most likely trying to find the proper way to ask the question. "Exactly how many of the classmates do you know?" Ah, so he noticed. Well good for him! That observant skill of his does come in handy quite often.
"All of them of course! Just do some research online and…"
"Not that!" Hajime frowned as he pondered the meetings. "Ibuki and Mikan mentioned meeting you before, so did Gundam saying he gave you your cat. You were friends with Nekomaru and Chiaki. And apparently have met Sonia and Peko before…heck, I could be counted considering we also met before."
I smiled at him. "Very observant of you, my friend. You think I got into Hope's peak out of an abstract reason, right?"
"Yeah, you just got lucky with the lottery…"
"Wrong!...well at least in regards to me." I spread my arms wide. "From the day I was born, I was given a high amount of luck. Lottery, raffles, games…any dependence on luck, and I win them all."
Hajime looked skeptical. I wagged a finger and continued. "Oh don't give me that look. It helped me met every single one of my future classmates. The ones who talked to me are simply the ones who remember our meetings!"
"And you remember them all?"
I give my best smile. "Trust me…I have a good memory. That alongside my luck is the gift I was given"
"That seems kinda tame…"
"You don't realize that being lucky isn't just an abundance of good luck…but also bad luck as well…and don't underestimate a good memory"
"What do you mean?"
"That's too depressing a story to tell right now." I decided. "Maybe later, but as for now, let us enjoy the day."
Our notebook ring, showing we already got a second Hope fragments.
The monitor started to ring, signaling the next step of the day…the final moment of peace before things turn to shit.
Usami appeared on the TV screen with her cheerful declaration. "Congratulations everyone! It appears that everyone has finished collecting the Hope Fragments! I'm…sniff…so happy...Soooo…I've prepared a present for everyone that'll make you all verrryy happy! I apologize for the trouble, but please gather at the beach! Tee hee hee! May shining hope be with you all!"
"Well you heard the lady…bunny…magical girl…she says to gather at the beach!"
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"Hey! You're the one who's paranoid about getting kidnapped. That means you won't do anything stupid like ignoring our captors demands!"
"I…oh alright…"
Beach
Something isn't right…why am I the only who whose questioning this? As me, Nagito, and Kuro made our way to the others gathered at the beach.
I admit, when I realized that I was a student at Hope's peak, I couldn't suppress my twinge of joy. I got into this school…that meant I had a talent. That meant I was worth something…
But even so, we were kidnapped. But what I couldn't stand the most was how everyone treated our abduction.
Everyone was just so…easygoing about it! They're treating the fact that we got kidnapped without much merit.
Is this something only those with talents understand? Or is Nagito correct in calling me a pessimist. Now that I think about it, a tropical island is a nice place to be. The fact that we're here meant that a lot of us were alright with our accommodations. If this was a prison, more people would start complaining.
Maybe it really is just me…in any case, the two of us finally managed to reach the beach.
I came across the rest of our classmates there, most likely waiting for us to arrive. Our teacher/kidnapper was nowhere to be found.
"You two are the last one here…" Byakuya greeted with a frown.
Nagito shrugged. "I had to help Hajime out. You know how he is." Yeah, if helping means messing with me at every last opportunity! I'm still bitter about the whole 'Hope Fragment' misinformation.
"Hmm." Ibuki agreed with a nod. "Someone who suffers from short-term memory loss can be like that."
"For the last time! I don't have any amnesiac disorders!" For god's sake, when will that misunderstanding end?! That's another thing I'm still bitter about.
"What?"
"Ignore it. Inside joke. Continue on." Nagito opinioned.
The others explained exactly what's going on with the island and such. The beautiful beaches to the blocked bridges…Until Byakuya asked. "So you failed to notice the important part…Not that I expected much from you." I know being an heir means being better, but he doesn't have to be so rude about it.
"Well what is it if you know so much?" Mahiru demanded with an irritated visage.
"The name of the island…"
"Oh, I know this one…" Nagito interrupted. "This island…a tropical paradise with a central island surrounded by five close ones…"
"Well what's it name?" Fuyuhiko demanded.
"Jabberwock Island." Nagito answered with a pondering expression. This sparked conversation amongst our allies, stopping when Byakuya spoke up.
"Nice to see one of you is well informed." Byakuya answered somewhat approvingly. "But to see Jabberwock island…no never mind…"
"It really isn't that relevant" Nagito defended. Is he serious right now? C'mon Nagito, every last bit of information counts!
"Aren't you the tiniest bit concerned?" I frantically asked finally showing some panic in my voice.
Nagito merely shrugged. "Eh…could be worse. The view is nice, the atmosphere is friendly, the people are alright…I could certainly of far worse places I rather be."
This caused a chorus of assent from our classmates.
"He's not exactly wrong." Mikan pointed out.
"This island is the perfect place for me to foster my power." Gundam decided with an evil chuckle.
"My smile buddy is right!" Ibuki cheered. "This place is great!"
Kazuichi gave thumbs up. "I'm all up for it!"
"Plus we can leave once we collect the Hope Fragments." Chiaki reminded.
"Do you really believe that?" I asked with a questioning glare at Usami.
"Of course!" Usami insisted, cowering somewhat. "I could never break my promise like that! No way, no how!"
After an entire skit with the Usami straps (I saw Nagito kept one in his pocket. Guess he's a sucker for sympathy) Usami revealed she has a motive.
"I knew it! You are trying to make us kill each other!" Nagito yelled out loud. But after spending some time with him, I knew it was his way of messing around with others.
I could only sigh.
"Of course not!" Usami squealed in fright. "A motive to have friends and play! Like some swimsuits!"
You think people would be nervous right? You would be wrong.
"Swimsuits! Sign me up!" Ibuki cheered with multiple people giving their assents, Nagito included.
"Hajime if you want my advice." Nagito called out to me with a small smile when the others ignored my protest. "I recommend doing this. Having a bit of fun. Because you never know when it all goes straight to hell…"
I frowned at that. "You say that as if you know something is going to go wrong…"
"Just my life experience talking…so what do you say? Surely you want to see some of these girls in a swimsuit!"
I couldn't help but flush at the comment; unfortunately, neither can I properly refute him.
Am I really being a Gloomy Gus? Should I stop worrying and just have some fun with the others? Like he said, our circumstances can certainly be worse. And the water does look rather inviting…
I closed my eyes in deep though, sighed, and said. "Well if you insist…"
"Really? Because I was hoping you take care of Kuro…"
"We're going to the beach!" I hastily demanded. I don't want to deal with that cat again after the yarn incident.
"Well if you insist!"
Wait a minute…he made me confirm it!
Well at least he'll have the tiniest bit of fun! I couldn't help but laugh as I saw Hajime ran alongside the beach with an honest to god smile on his face.
I knew it would make his reaction to Monokuma even more of a wake-up call but I decided to let him have some good memories before everything turns to shit.
Honestly, I was just hoping that maybe, just maybe, it would be island mode. Yeah, fat chance of that, but let a man dream.
I never had much passion for swimming, especially in the sea, but it is nice to wade in the water and walk.
Kuro was hunched up behind the snoozing Chiaki, no doubt his natural fear not wanting to get anyone near the sea.
"So anyone up for some prime suntan lotion?" Teruteru called out with his trademark perverse face. As before, the only one showing any interest was Nekomaru.
Peko was out swimming quite fast. Ibuki and Kazuichi were running (Read: Walking) through the water. Gundam was out building castles. Mahiru, Mikan, and Sonia were content on wading through the beach.
While Hajime was also running with Ibuki and Kazuichi, I was content on walking through the sand and waving water.
"Oh the school trip to the beach!" Mikan complained as she tripped over what seemed to be a crab, and landed face-first into the dirt,
I saw the wonderful sight of her laying on the ground, her shapely rear hung in the air. I may be no Teruteru, but I'm not the type of guy who can say he won't look.
"It's okay…" Mikan murmured. "The sand is quite soft here…"
"That's nice Mikan…" It just accentuated it so well, her swimsuit that is.
"Why are you…? EEK!" Her face a furious blush, as she hastily picked herself up.
"What?" I defended. "You have a nice posterior! I couldn't help but look."
The girl was flushing at the perverted remark/praise. I could Mahiru giving be a slight death glare. Hey I did it because it was funny…and also because it was nicer to look at in real life then it is in a game…that's going to be a common statement won't it?
Hey! I spent literally seventeen (Technically nineteen) years without getting any. Not to mention my lack of a romantic life in my old one, not to mention having to readjust to all these goddamn hormones! Cut me some slack.
Wait does that put me in my forties…? I try too hard not to think about it.
But all in all, it was a good fun day. The five students who weren't in the water were content on the beach, and even they looked like they were somewhat enjoying themselves (Though I do saw Akane arguing with Fuyuhiko over the merits of going in fresh…That girl is shameless and that boy is such a prude)
Of course by then, someone had to tempt faith!
"Everything will be alright!" Usami cheered with a girly laugh. "What a wonderful, hope-filled trip!"
I saw the clouds go black. I merely let out a long suffering sigh at the very sight of it. Somebody had to test Murphy's Law sooner or later.
"What's going on?" Hajime decided to ask, echoing everybody's thought process. "Why did the clouds suddenly turn black?"
"Things going to hell." I bluntly answered. The entire cast, swimsuit-clad or not, gave the clouds a wary look as Usami started to panic.
Jabberwock Park
"Pupupupu!" Came the familiar voice once again, a perfect imitation from the game. An aura of unease took over us all at the sound of it.
"Is that…Doraemon!" I finally decided to say.
I'm sorry, but the temptation was far too great.
I swear to god, everybody paused at that. I kid you not! My classmates turned to me in confusion, Usami scratched her ears, and the voice actually stopped laughing.
"Uh…No…(I swear to god, I know why I took this voice, but this is the first time I ever realized how silly it sounded)"
"Oh, no need to cleanse my childhood then. Carry on!"
"YOU ARE WAY TOO EASYGOING ABOUT THIS!" Kazuichi screeched.
"Actually, I use my easygoingness to mask the fact that I am completely and utterly terrified." I bluntly retorted.
"Really?"
"Who knows?"
"If you people are done talking…" the voice growled.
And out of the statue, came the mascot of the series itself, Monokuma in all his beary malevolence.
While Usami had the decency to at least keep her movements to a minimum, Monokuma moved erratically. It was very…unnerving. Knowing him (Her?) he probably does that on purpose, knowing full well on how it inherently bothers people.
"Greetings once and for all my little students!" The monochromed teddy-bear cheered in his cartoonishly high voice. "I…am…Monokuma!"
"People want to see suffering, hardship, misery…Despair!"
"Only in fiction." I called out as a retort. "Most people prefer their lives normal and boring!"
"This bear doesn't give a crap about your clearly wrong opinions." Was Monokuma's rebuttal.
"Don't worry! I'll stop him!"
"Hah! An opening!"
And son of a bitch! That feeling of darkness came again and made me mute and paralyzed. I can only stare in horror as the impending dread over the fact that I won't be living island mode.
And with that, Monokuma cracked the wand, and dash my hopes for relaxing in this forced vacation.
"Oh no!" Usami sobbed. "He broke my wand."
Monokuma hummed and added. "I'm not sure I like you're design...let's fix that!" And with that, he pounced onto the unsuspecting rabbit.
I swear to god, seeing a cartoonish dust cloud was much more surreal realistically then it was in an actual animation. How does that even work? And is that a pair of panties? Seriously, what the fu-!
"Hold still and let me push this rod into you!"
"No! I don't want to…don't touch me like that!"
"Anyone else feeling uncomfortable?" I deadpanned. I got more then a few raised hands as an assent.
The dust cloud disappeared and there she was, stripped down to diaper, colored pink on one side, and will forever be referred to as Monomi.
"I retcon you as Monomi! My little sister!"
"Oh no!" Monomi shrieked. "Now the page will refer to me as Monomi! And why do I have to become your younger sister of all people?"
"That's how things have to be!" And he accentuated his point with a punch.
"Does anybody have any idea on what the hell is going on?" Fuyuhiko angrily demanded.
"Buddy, we were clueless the moment we got transported by a robotic rabbit." I pointed out.
"Alright twerps!" Monokuma raised his voice, grabbing even more of our attentions. "I: Monokuma, have decreed the beginning of the Field Trip of Mutual Killing!" And he started ranting and raving over the boringness of people just being together and having fun.
"No one wants to play that game!"
"Actually, it does take up of fifteen percent of the local game market!"
"Yeah? Well the violence ones take on more then half the population!" Monokuma disagreed.
And he went on to explain exactly what we're going through (All the while making Monomi his personal chew toy) I could only stand back keeping a slight panicked expression.
The class trial, the crimes, the execution…all of it.
It was happening; it was honest to god, happening. Danganronpa was never a game I wanted to be a part of, and now actually experiencing it was not doing my psyche a favor as well as reminding me why I didn't want this.
"And what's to stop us from beating you up here and now?" Akane asked with her battle aura on.
And so Monokuma revealed the Monobeasts as a retort.
They were beautiful…in the whole 'I'm gonna kill you' sort of way. But seeing them up close, I could really appreciate the amount of effort and machinery that went into them…too bad their screentime was limited to minigames and being killed by Monomi!
Who speaking of, they themselves were currently killing.
"If I wasn't so terrified, I think those things were fucking awesome!" I declared as we reveled in the destruction caused by the monobeasts
"I can't disagree…" Kazuichi whimpered.
"Why childhood dreams?" Nekomaru noted.
"Truly we have been cursed." Gundam murmured.
"Can't go wrong with a few giant robots dream can we?" Teruteru asked.
Hajime, Byakuya, and Fuyuhiko looked like they wanted to retort, but couldn't bring it in themselves too.
Naturally, this aggravated some of the girls somewhat.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Mahiru shouted at the sight of us.
"Aw the difference between men and women Monomi." Monokuma sighed. "The love of giant robots is something that the no-y chromosomes can ever understand."
"But I don't mind…" She started as she regenerated herself.
"So you secretly have a-"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"
"Anyway…" Monokuma insisted and his eyes started glowing their menacing red. "As you can see, none of you can oppose me. So our little field trip has begun! To commemorate, I put on some new rules in your handbook."
And with an evil laugh, the twisted virus made his exit.
"Did we get trapped on this island by a twisted teddy-bear?" Kazuichi took it upon himself to ask.
"Technically yes." I answered. "But I think it's more accurate to say that we our under the control of some very powerful people…"
"What do you mean?" Hajime asked.
"He means…" Byakuya started. "Is that we're trapped on the island under the thumb of a powerful organization. And ignoring the bear and the beasts, we have to deal with our greatest enemy…"
"Who?"
"Ourselves…" and in the mimic of the screen from the game where we all looked at one another did Byakuya recite his speech.
"…We've been taken to a tropical island and put into a game where we're supposed to kill each other to escape." He intoned with only the slightest bit of fear. "It will create dread and despair, and our own wish to escape it…that's the number one danger on this god forsaken island."
As I looked around among our classmates who were in varying degrees of panic, all I let out was a long sigh. So this was it huh? What began was the Field Trip of Mutual Killing.
I vow to make sure that no one will die…but that's a promise I'm not sure I could properly keep.
As I glared at where Monokuma…no, the Junko AI once stood, I wonder exactly what happened the last two years…and what I did wrong during that time.
I remember…my mother and father and Shiro as well. Did…the feeling of darkness did this to me?
But that's irrelevant at the moment. What matters now is waiting until Monomi finish getting us to the second island. There I could input the password.
Sure it may ask a lot of questions from the others, but in all honesty, as long as we get out of this Despair-Free, I'm all for it.
Well this was somewhat of an adaptation of the first chapter. Which a good deal of the earlier parts will be.
Please read and review!
Omake
And Usami grabbed Monokuma and pulled him into a dust cloud...huh? Wait is this...this is island mode!
Which means no mutual killing…
"Take this! Slap-slap-slap!"
Which means no despair…
"Hey! I'm trying-Ouch!"
"No interruption! Now here comes the coup de Grace! Usami Final Splash Spark!"
Which means complete and utter euphoria.
And the triumphant sight of Usami cowering over Monokuma appeared to the classmates as she kicked his body to the sky.
"Is everyone alright? Let our Heart-Throbbing Field Trip begin once more!"
"AHAAHAHAAAAA!" All turned in shock at the usual composed Luckster laughing like a lunatic.
"I think Nagito lost it…" Hajime noted as he saw Nagito spinning Usami around in a impromptu dance.
"Oh no he didn't." Chiaki stated with a small smile. "He's just very happy."
"Why would he be so happy? I mean I know our lives were spared and all but…"
The gamer merely gave a small glance and said. "Oh nothing you need to know about Hajime."
And before he could react, Chiaki took his arm and placed close to her chest. He blushed at the look in her eyes and said. "Let's just enjoy our despair-free island life…in every way possible!"
Hajime flushed, but shrugged, as he saw Nagito giving every single person here a tight hug.
"Oh thank you. Is this a custom of Japan?"
"Cease at once! Do you want to get poisoned?"
"Oh, is it Huggy time smile buddy? That's cool. Hey Byakuya!"
"Why thank you...but I wouldn't mind going much farther then a hug if you know what I mean..."
"Hawawa...I-i never been hugged this tight before!"
"Let go of me you fucking bastard!"
"...I consider this a form of payment for your cat..."
"Hey! A guy isn't supposed to be this...intimate...and why are you taking photos with my camera?"
"I rather get hugged by one of the girls...eh, beats getting mauled by a cat."
"Hey! Watch the boobs!"
"Yay! Spin me around more big bro! I might throw up on you!"
"Hmm...nice grip! With my help, you can improve more!"
"Don't touch me with your commoners hand!"
And it finished with Nagito spinning around in the center and yelling. "What a wonderful world we live in!"
"Although I think he might be a little kooky." Chiaki deadpanned.
All Hajime could do was sigh
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone