Forum Thread

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DANGANRONPA ROLEPLAY

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GAME 1

Hope's Peak Academy: Whispers in the Dark (Future)


Not Yet Started

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Current Game Details:

Past Cases

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Dorms

Quote

Horatia Arborea + Wei En

Ichika Omori + Hotaru Tsutsumi

Magnus Exitor + Emika Tenshi

Shizuka Matsubara + Artemis Renfield Wright

Kei Oshima + Airi Fuji

Amaya Ono + Nanami Fujiwara

Eris Everlast + Ezekiel Cain

Kuraim Hibiki + Nightrekra Shacordis

Jirou Shimizou + Reilin Ng

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Current Chapter:

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Shizuka Matsubara

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Hope's Peak Academy was a place for the greatest. Some people might've been astonished to be standing before the grand walls of this establishment. Wonder how their life had lead up to this- how they had become an Ultimate. The greatest singer in the world, the most talented prodigy.

Shizuka nearly snorted. If only.

They'd always known they could end up here. After all, the acceptance letter had been in their mailbox since they were a kid.

I just never knew I'd take it.

Shizuka hugged their sweater ever closer as they approached. The cold April wind bit into their face, as if the sky were dragging sandpaper down their cheeks. They half-expected bleeding.

Focus. They shook their head and removed a keycard from their pocket. After a moment's hesitation, they ran it through the slider. The screen lit up and green letters began to print themselves across it.

Shizuka Matsubara. Ultimate Singer. #ID101.

Ultimate Singer. Their breath came out shaky. Seeing it- they'd half expected the card not to even work. Surely everyone knew by now that those words were no more true than any of the promises they made about talent and success? Surely they wouldn't accept a phony like Shizuka in here...

"Can you walk?" a voice said sharply behind them. "Or are your legs broken? You've been standing there for ten minutes."

Shizuka jumped, whipping around to see- their brow furrowed. A child, nearly half their size. A scowl was etched firmly onto his face, something in his features suggesting such an expression was common. Chubby cheeked puffed out in indignation, big blue eyes glaring up at them.

"Are you deaf? Just stupid?" He crossed his arms.

"I didn't know they let kids into Hope's Peak." Was the only thing Shizuka could think to say.

The irritated expression rapidly morphed into sheer and utter fury. Shizuka barely managed to duck in time to avoid a punch to the face, and was scrambling back when the kid slipped on the pavement and faceplanted into the concrete.

They gaped at his inert form on the ground, unable to process what had happened.

A loud sniffle pierced the air. And then there was the sound of faint sobbing.

Concerned, Shizuka peered closer. "Are you okay?"

"Not a child," he sniffled, still on the ground.

"Okay, okay, we've established that." Shizuka winced. "Do you need me to help you up?"

And in an instant, the kid was on his feet. "No!" he yelled. Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "I don't need help- I just need-" He faltered, and the familiar scowl returned to his face. "Whatever. I'm here to sign in."

He took a step past them, and retrieved a card from his hoodie pocket. He swiped it through.

Amaya Ono. Ultimate Vigilante. #ID404.

"Ultimate Vigilante?" Shizuka mused, eyeing Amaya. Kind of a stupid title, if you asked them.

"Shut up," he seethed through his teeth. "Don't you dare say anything."

They smiled and followed him through the now open gate. Hope's Peak loomed ahead, beautiful and terrifying. Shizuka got the sense that the school itself seemed to ebb of majesty and power, something formed over years upon years of talented individuals roaming the halls.

Now that was stupid.

"Shizuka Matsubara," they said quietly. "Ultimate Singer."

"Amaya Ono, Ultimate Vigilante." His voice was short. Like himself.

Shizuka stifled a snicker, and he cast them a confused, slightly curious glance.

Content to leave it at that, Shizuka began to study the trees overhead. Already turning with fall. They fancied that each and every one of those trees had been meticulously trimmed to grow in that perfect way. All these fancy little details surely had ugly and slightly embarrassing truths behind them.

Talent and beauty never came from pure origins. This was carefully organised to give the impression of indifference, but really it had been made this way through underpaid employees and brandless fertilizer.

"This place..." they mused. "It really is ugly, isn't it?"

Amaya glanced back at them, and his eyes went wide. They tilted their head in curiosity, and promptly something smashed into the side of their skull.

Shizuka hit the ground as blazing pain enveloped them. Amaya was backing away in front of them. Good for him, they thought dizzily.

He came down shortly after them.

A thump.

They wondered if that might be connected in some way, but were promptly distracted by a bottle cap in front of them. Their hands came slowly up, and they gently traced their fingers along the smooth surface. Beer, maybe. Some sort of alcohol, brought on by a student.

So Hope's Peak wasn't so perfect after all How nice.

A peaceful smile came onto their face as they drifted off into the blackness.

This wouldn't be such a bad place to die.

Shizuka closed their eyes and succumbed to unconsciousness.

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Eris Everlast

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Hope's Peak Academy. A place that allowed only the best of the best. Where those of Ultimate standings could hone their Talent to peak performance. A place for the top of the chain, top of the element, top of the class...

One being stood before the open gates, which held a sign above the gate doors, welcoming the new class of Ultimates. The figure didn't shake or even shiver against the cold August wind.

Walking to the doors of the grand Academy, the person removed a keycard from their pocket and swiped it through the electronic scanner. The screen illuminated and green letters typed onto it, reading;

Eris Everlast. Ultimate Priestess. #ID927

The Ultimate Priestess, Eris Everlast, sighed as the door gave a beep and a click, meaning it had unlocked. It wasn't some prank... Her yellow eyes gazed to the trees one last time. The fall was so beautiful... Eris turned back to truly enter the school, only to be hit with a strong wave of dizziness. She could faintly smell alcohol nearby and was just able to see two other bodies near the entrance as well. Then it went all black..

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Emika Tenshi

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Hope's Peak Academy. A place that allowed only the best of the best. Where those of Ultimate standings could hone their Talent to peak performance. A place for the top of the chain, top of the element, top of the class...

One being stood before the open gates, which held a sign above the gate doors, welcoming the new class of Ultimates. Dressed in Lolita fall attire, they gazed at the school with slight distaste. The building wasn't too shabby, but whatever...

Walking to the doors of the grand Academy, the person removed a keycard from their pocket and swiped it through the electronic scanner. The screen illuminated and green letters typed onto it, reading;

Emika Tenshi. Ultimate Chess Master. #ID733

The Ultimate Chess Master, Emika Tenshi, wrinkled her nose a little as the lock disengaged on the door. She gazed one last time at the sky. Sadly it was cloudy, typical of August. With a deep breath, Emika turned... entered the doorway... And immediately felt something hit the back of her head. It felt like... As she collapsed, a wooden baseball bat fell nearby. ...A bat... How primitive... She slipped into unconsciousness, a faint sound of... something?... echoing through her head...

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Nightrekra Shacordis

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Hope's Peak Academy. A place that allowed only the best of the best. Where those of Ultimate standings could hone their Talent to peak performance. A place for the top of the chain, top of the element, top of the class...

One being stood before the open gates, which held a sign above the gate doors, welcoming the new class of Ultimates. They smiled at the building, as if they were returning home...

Walking to the doors of the grand Academy, the person removed a keycard from their pocket and swiped it through the electronic scanner. The screen illuminated and green letters typed onto it, reading;

Nightrekra Shacordis. Ultimate Amalgamation. #ID633

The Ultimate Amalgamation, Nightrekra Shacordis, winced at the title as the door unlocked. "At least they didn't go for Ultimate Freak-of-Nature..." she thought as she turned to gaze at the streets one last time. It wasn't really crowded, the cold August weather made sure of that. Taking a breath, Nightrekra turned to enter the building... And felt a familiar prick in her neck. Her hand shot up, grabbing the source, yanking it out of her skin, and brought it to identify. A sleep dart? Uh-oh... She fell to the floor, absentmindedly spotting a couple other bodies nearby as well before falling asleep...

The day the letter came in, Ichika couldn't even imagine what life would be like anymore. Hope's Peak Academy is where the best of the best go to hone their skills- and she was finally considered one of them. All this time, working on the farm and taking care of the family business, it all had paid off.

Ichika had been hoping for this day to come, and it was finally here.

She took the keycard from her cardigan pocket and looked at it. Very... Monochromatic. Black and white. And a little bit of red. It was odd, but fitting for school colors, she supposed.

After taking a deep breath, she pat down her skirt, making sure there was not a wrinkle in sight. How long had she been standing there?

Well, long enough for a boy around her age to have walked in front of her, swiping his own card.

Ezekiel Cain. Ultimate Bishop. #ID333.

"Is that really an ultimate..?" She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. She had accidentally said that out loud, which made him turn back, burning holes through her with his green eyes.

"Excuse me?" His voice was like something from a Shakespearean play. Hamlet, maybe.

"Oh! Sorry- I didn't mean that, I swear!" She quickly sidestepped him and swiped her card, impatiently watching the letters and numbers appear on the screen.

Ichika Omori. Ultimate Florist. #ID420.

Upon seeing her name, she felt her excitement sink to the bottom of her stomach and replace itself with a horrible nausea. "Uh... Sorry again-"

"I'll have you know that I was born and raised into the ultimate I am now. Vatican City, cardinals and priests and popes. You couldn't begin to fathom how much effort it took to get me here." Well, he definitely looked the part. A large cross necklace sat on the front of the frilled white dress shirt he was wearing.

"Of course, of course. I'm really, really sorry!" She bowed down, which gave her a better look at his shoes. Heels? A boy- a bishop wearing heels?

Well, she couldn't say anything. She was a country bumpkin- a farm girl. She had a home accent. And she was wearing her worn boots she used for gardening.

"What a grotesque looking academy... I expected it to look at least clean. But I suppose I'll have to wash myself twice a day to get rid of this..." He waved his hands in the air. "Stench."

"Oh? I beg to differ. I think this place looks- and smells- quite lovely." Another new face. He had long blue hair and piercing yellow eyes. The thing Ichika noticed right away was that he was wearing all black. How fancy.

"What could you possibly mean? It smells like death."

"And isn't that the most beautiful scent of all? What is death but the returning of a vessel to the earth?" He had his card in his hand, and once he swiped it, Ezekiel took a few steps back.

Kuraim Hibiki. Ultimate Mortician. #ID666.

"Stay away from me, you demon." Ezekiel clutched the bag that hung over his shoulder. Kuraim simply laughed, and extended a hand to Ichika. She went to reciprocate, but he pulled her closer and kissed the back of her hand, leaving her confused and impressed at his charm despite his... Occupation.

"Pleased to meet you as well, Bishop. And you too, miss."

"Yeah, likewise." She bowed curtly and stared between the two. They certainly seemed like a pair...

After a few moments, the door had finally opened. But what awaited them at the other side was-

"What's is that?!" A thick gas blew around them. They all covered their mouths, but Ichika was the first to fall. Ezekiel collapsed, doing everything he could to protect the contents of his bag before he fell unconscious. Kuraim chuckled and shook his head.

"I have a feeling... This is going to be very, very intriguing." He slumped against the wall and let the gas overtake his senses.

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Kei Oshima held the key card in her hand, turning it over, and over, and over, and over…

Hope’s Peak Academy was… well, to be honest, Kei had never heard of it before. The aforementioned keycard had just appeared one day, and she had done a little bit of research. And now she found herself standing in front of a looming building with absolutely no clue how she had been accepted in.

But now that she was at Hope’s Peak, Kei had plans to make the most of her inevitable experience. Step one: make a friend. Step two: find a mentor. Step three: get into Cambridge and become an anthro major on the other side of the world. And it all started at these gates, with this key card.

Was she… was she supposed to scan it? Here? Like this, or was it upside down? It was like getting destroyed by Lee in among us all over again. Oh no, and someone was coming…

Nanami Fujiwara strode up to the gates confidently, slowing as she saw a girl ahead of her, an inch or two taller than her. As she waited for the girl to swipe her card, it became evident that she was… a little confused to say the least.

“Hello, there. Are you alright?” Nanami adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses, eyes narrowing analytically to take in her competition new classmate.

“Um… no?” Kei smiled nervously, clutching her key card. “It’s just not scanning! I-I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. While Kei knew that self-consciousness was a perfectly normal human response to a stressful situation, that didn’t mean she had to like it.

“Like this.” Nanami reached into her pocket, pulling out a shiny key card of her own, and swiped it through, demonstrating how to position it. The gates read it on the first try.

Nanami Fuijiwara. Ultimate Debater. #ID169.

“Thanks,” Kei said, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. She couldn’t even swipe a stupid key card the right way. “I’m, uh, Kei, by the way.”

She swiped her key card in the position Nanami had shown her, verifying her identity.

Kei Oshima. Ultimate Anthropologist. #ID512.

“Nanami, or Nami.” She responded with a nod. What the heck was an Ultimate Anthropologist? Did Kei like… dig things up in the dirt? What kind of talent was that? But she kept her thoughts to herself, filing away the information in her brain.

Hearing footsteps behind them, both girls turned to see an athletic-looking boy shouldering a tennis racket walking up the path behind them.

Jirou did not want to be here. He wanted to be playing in his first American Open against Novak Djokavich, and signing his multi million contract with Nike. But noooo, his father said that he needed to get an education first. It didn’t matter that he was good enough to go pro yesterday, Jirou was stuck at Hope’s Peak.

At least the girls were pretty hot, so far. He raised an eyebrow in Kei’s direction, who blushed even more. The other one stared right back at him, cool as a cucumber. He wasn’t sure he liked her very much.

“Hey. I’m Jirou, incoming student. So what’s the deal? Are we waiting?”

“Swipe the key card.” Nanami folded her arms across her chest. Stupid jock. He was probably dumber than a box of rocks.

“Where?” Jirou asked, shrinking back from her hostility.

“Here,” Kei said pointing to the scanner, finding her voice again. “I’m Kei, and this is Nanami-”

“Nami.” She interjected tersely.

“-Nami, right. I am… apparently, the Ultimate Anthropologist, and she’s the Ultimate Debater.” Nanami nodded once, confirming her statement.

“Nice to meet you!” Jirou tried to project positivity, even though Nami was scarier than his Coach, Jimmy T. Debater, huh. He got the sense that with a skill like that, he would lose if he tried to challenge her in anything off the courts.

Kei, on the other hand, seemed sweet. She was definitely more welcoming and human than her counterpart. He smiled at her, adjusting his tennis bag on his shoulder.

Kei liked Jirou. He was the type of effortlessly cool and normal person that she wished she could be. He probably didn’t get stressed at the simplest of things, probably could hold a conversation without blushing excessively, probably could make friends effortlessly. Nami, too. She seemed self-assured. And neither of them had been dragged around the world from anthropological site to archaeological site, never even staying long enough to learn and explore, flying on a jet every other day.

Jirou flashed the girls his key card so they could read it, and then scanned it.

Jirou Shimizou. Ultimate Tennis Player. #ID222.

Tennis Player? Really? He got into this prestigious school because he was an… athlete? Nami was annoyed, no, furious. She had studied her arse off for years, only to watch athletes steal places from deserving students with their fancy sports scholarships. She’d tutored enough of them to pad her applications to know they usually didn’t care. She was already writing the resolution in her mind, and prepping the case to go with it. Plus, Nami could already tell he was hitting on them. Minus major points in her book, especially since she’d never be interested.

Tennis. Kei had played that… once. But it was pretty popular in England, so she figured that she should learn a few tricks. Assuming Jirou would be willing to teach her, of course. Sports fascinated her in a fairly humanistic way. Rituals that had been created by the populace for the express point of leisure and entertainment – the human psyche was fascinating.

“So do either of you know if anyone else is coming?” Kei looked back down the path that they had come from, but it was empty.

“Not sure,” Nami said with a shrug. She peered at the card swipe with interest. 

“Hello? Is anybody there?” Jirou called beyond the gates, rattling them impatiently.

And that was when the card swipe began emitting gas.

As the shortest, Nanami fell to her knees first, coughing. The world swam before her eyes as she lost consciousness.

Kei and Jirou barely had time to exchange a look of concern, before they too passed out.

Welcome to the Academy, students.

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Artemis Wright never wanted to be here. Not like this, at least. Not alone. Not without her.

He yawned quietly, as he continued walking, his eyes not set on the path in front of him, but rather, on the book in his hand.

His hand -The one not holding up and flipping through the book in his hands- absentmindedly toyed with the heart-shaped locket against his chest, as he walked along.

There was no noise as he walked along.

His free hand dropped to his side, fishing out an I.D. card.

He turned it over quietly, slowly.

Artemis Renfield-Wright. Ultimate Scholar. #ID164

He nodded quietly to himself, as he slowly turned it over in his hand, over and over, as he quietly closed his book, shoving it into his backpack.

In his distraction, he bumped into someone.

Artemis immediately jumped back.

"...Apologies."

The blue-haired teen bowed his head slightly.

He heard the sound of laughter.

When he looked up, he saw a girl, quite a bit shorter than him, laughing.

Various instrument cases were carried by this little girl, her outfit vaguely reminiscent of some sort of hipster musician, what with the plaid jacket and whatnot.

"Hey, hey, no need to apologize! We all have those kinds of days, when you're just out of it, yeah?"

The girl laughed.

"Name's Airi! Airi Fuji!"

She held out a hand, her other hand on her waist.

Artemis eyed her hand for a few moments, before deciding to move past her, towards the gates.

He ignored her indignant cries, as he swiped the card.

THe girl- Airi, her name was, swiped her own card, confirming her identity.

Airi Fuji. Ultimate Performer. #ID175

The girl walked through the gates, right next to Artemis, chattering non-stop.

justa s the gates swung close, another someone swiped their card.

Magnus Exitor. Ultimate Alchemist. #ID666

Artemis glanced back, in sync with Airi, somehow.

The man was fairly average height, his hair golden, messy and straight.

He seemed to be in some sort of rush, as he quickly moved past the two.

Airi huffed.

"How rude."

Artemis rolled his eyes quietly, before moving away from Airi.

But when he glanced back, Airi was on the floor, unconscious.

He looked up ahead.

The other boy- Magnus- was on the ground as well.

And suddenly, a rag was over his mouth, a sweet smell wafting up.

He felt his limbs go limp, as his vision faded.

...Well, this was going to be fun.

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Hope’s Peak Academy. The school for the elites, the most talented of their bunch. Anyone would be more than honoured to be here, but right now? Wei En would rather be anywhere else in the world but here.

She had originally dreamed of colorful buildings and marvellous architecture, only to be met with this drab grey building which gave off cemetery building vibes. You call this a school? Wei En’s bright, pink and blue colored hair and messy colorful clothing was a stark contrast to the dreary grey, and she huffed in exasperation, clicking her fingers as a floating robot sphere approached her. “Sorry, Bubbles. We should probably deactivate you for now.” The digital display of the floating sphere suddenly lit up, displaying a pair of angry eyes, before turning around. Wei En rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Bubbles, don’t give me that look now.” She presses her palm against the sensor panel, inputting something, causing the android to power off. She packs it into her bag, swinging it over her shoulder and lurching forward.

Watching as people scanned their ID cards, Wei En scanned the mechanism curiously. Seemed like a standard identification system to her. Nothing special about it. Too basic, too boring. She stepped forward and swiped her card, then screen lighting up with bold green text.

Wei En. Ultimate Hacker. #ID727

Running her fingers over the card reader, she scanned it for a while, humming as she did, before finally concluding her analysis and stepping into the school. The first and last thing she saw was a big bright chandelier-looking thing, before an overwhelming sense of tiredness came over her. Wei En groaned, before collapsing to the floor and passing out.


Reilin had been practicing. All the way to Hope’s Peak Academy, she had been trying to perfect a piece. Sure, she had only picked it up last week, but the twenty page long piece should been relatively easy for someone of her caliber right?

Well, that wasn’t the case for her, it seemed. Her vibrato wasn’t perfect enough. To her ears, there was still some light intonation that wasn’t supposed to occur.

Frustrated, she packs her violin back into its case (a little more harshly than she would normally have done), and swung it over her shoulder. She looks up, to the tall, spiraling building of Hope’s Peak Academy and sighed. Great. More competition. Just what she needed.

She watched as people entered, one by one, the machine making a beeping noise every time someone swiped their card- a Bb, then a B, then back to Bb again. She walked up to the panel herself, swiping her own card.

Reilin Ng. Ultimate Musician. #ID777

She exhaled, blowing her fringe out of her face, stepping in to the school. God knows what happened to her after that, as Reilin succumbed to the darkness, losing consciousness.

¸.·✩·.¸¸.·¯⍣✩ Now Playing: Hiroshige No. 36 ~ Neo Super-Express (Music Box ver.) ✩⍣¯·.¸¸.·✩·.¸

(music for vibes only :P go listen to it while you read this or something idk)

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Horatia Arborea

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The rumbling of the train calmed before coming to a halt as Horatia looked out of the train window. There it was, Hope's Peak Academy. Finally she would be able to pursue something other than art, and make friends that aren't obsessed with art, and do whatever it is that high school students do. She didn't really care, as long as she was as far away from her parents' terrible artwork as possible and she had fun.

She stared at the Academy as a wave of déjà vu washed over Horatia, which she tried to ignore as hard as she could. There was absolutely no way she had even looked at Hope's Peak in the past after all; her brain was merely being dramatic and weird. Like it always is.

She lightly strode out of the train, taking care not to get her slate-grey dress dirty. Looking around the train station, she spotted a few things - a breakfast counter, a few closed stores, and a train heading to the Arts District. Nothing of interest, pretty much, although she wouldn't mind having a snack.

They probably give free snacks at Hope's Peak anyway. Horatia thought as she slowly walked to the main entrance of the Academy, her white boots thudding softly against the paved road. The rose bushes look a little overgrown, to be completely honest. And a little dehydrated.

Horatia pulled out her ID card she received with her invitation letter...wait, was that a ri- nevermind. She pressed it against the screen near the card reader, before realizing that she was supposed to swipe it.

·✩· Horatia Arborea - Ultimate Imitative Artist. #006 "VALEFOR" ·✩·

With a sigh, she pushed open the ornate metal gates of the Academy. Arborea...I really have to change my last name as soon as I can. It sucks. So much. It seemed deserted, with not a person in sight, but she dismissed it for either being way too early or way too late.

Well, it was quite chilly outside. Perhaps she'd be more comfortable inside the Academy, but as she was making her way to the glass doors, she heard an unmistakable woosh, followed by a lightning strike of déjà vu.

Horatia felt a split second of pure dread before collapsing on the floor. So much for keeping her dress clean.

No...not now...please. I need to...experience this once...at least. Please...

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Eden Aconitum

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Eden had waited to see another student swipe their ID card before swiping his own, because his "THIS IS A TRAP" senses were basically screaming at him right now, and he should probably listen to them if he didn't want to die or something.

Well, he did now. Horatia Arborea. That's not the worst name I've ever heard. And they're an Ultimate Imitative Artist. That's also not the worst talent I've ever heard of. I guess. He quietly swiped his own card on the reader as well, intending to follow this Horatia into the Academy.

·✩· Eden Aconitum - Ultimate Reverist. #073 "MISHANDRA" ·✩·

Aah, he would love to indulge in a reverie now. It was just so stressful, with the train ride and the waiting and all that, but now probably wasn't the best time. As he peeked into the opened gates, he...

Nope. He was absolutely NOT going into this academy. Not after watching some cloaked figure incapacitate some girl and then take her away, at least. Eden hugged his purse tightly. He didn't even know why he even came here in the first place.

Luckily the sunlight wasn't especially intense today, or he'd have to bring a parasol with him. He briefly contemplated running back to the train station, but decided it would exert his legs too much, and began to walk back.

He'd be safe once he's in the field-of-view of the lady running the breakfast counter, after all, and the train station wasn't that far away. Hopefully the next train will come soon, so he wouldn't have to go to some random district just so he could get away from this creepy school as fast as possible. Especially not the Factory District. The air quality was bad there.

But Destiny had different plans, and with each step his mind felt foggier, as if he was preparing to enter a long reverie. Maybe one of the longest he'll ever have, and soon, Eden felt his body waver a little before he was knocked out.

Hopefully he didn't get himself dirty.

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Shizuka Matsubara

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Snippets of conversation drifted past them. They were floating mid-air- an endless expanse of black set before them. For the first time, everything was safe. There was no monster coming to eat them alive. Peaceful.

But the voices didn't seem to think so. One was angry. Voice rising in indignation. The other calm and low, but with a tone that seemed to bounce around their skull.

Shizuka groaned, low in their throat. The voices stopped. One said something in an inquisitive tone.

The darkness was drifting away from them. They couldn't hold onto it any longer.

Slowly, they opened their eyes, and the peace peeled back with the onslaught of light. Two sets of shoes were right by their face. With a frown, they made to push them away, and looked up to see... two figures.

A girl, an unsettling smile set on a sweet, childlike face. A boy with a furious scowl who looked like he wanted to kill the girl standing next to him.

The girl started first. "Hello! Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! Looks like you got a pretty bad whack to the head, huh?" she laughed. "Never fear, Grotto Productions line of painkillers will surely take your terrible suffering away. You'll have a pain-free day! It's true because it rhymes!"

The boy's face pinched, and he looked on the verge of lunging at her.

Fearing for the safety of their pounding headache if the two should get anywhere near them in their looming brawl, Shizuka decided to say something. "You said something about painkillers...?"

"Painkillers, painkillers, yes." The girl nodded intensely. "Beta Unlimited has a formula designed to knock those pain receptors right out of your skull! All off to lala land, in only a few quick injections!"

She clapped her hands gleefully together. That sounds illegal, Shizuka thought.

"What happens to Grotto Productions?" the boy- Amaya, she now remembered said, seeming rather unimpressed.

The girl gasped. "For shame! Why would I ever promote the enemies of my great sponsor, Mono Media?" She tsked, shaking her head. "I would never!"

"Where are we?" Shizuka cut in.

Her grin widened. "Where are we? Where are we, you ask?"

"She asked," Amaya crossed his arms, glaring at the both of them.

"We're in the greatest attraction Hope's Peak Academy has to offer! Its extensive gymnasium, built with more attractions than an Olympic event! Every sport you can conceive can be found HERE, from football to quidditch! Let me give you an extensive guide-" she said, reaching for Shizuka's arm.

Shizuka pulled back. "I'm good, thanks." With a grunt, they managed to push themselves to their feet and massaged their increasingly aching head. "How did we get here in the first place, though?"

The lunatic opened her mouth with a certain gleam in her eye, but she was interrupted by Amaya, "We were kidnapped, idiot. Why the hell else would you wake up after taking a bat to the head?"

"It's quite common in baseball. That's why we're starting a new program to-"

"No one cares."

"Oh, about me?" the girl looked sad for a second.

"Yeah, 'cause you're certifiable."

"Well, unfortunately for you, capitalism is the new way of the Western World! Soon enough, I will be your boss and make you bring me my lunches." She laughed. "Enjoy being exploited for profit!"

"It won't be for much longer, now that I've learned of the deep and lurking evils of your laissez-faire system of consumerism and greed! The system cannot endure, for it relies on the bases of the very people it seeks to exploit. You may use us, but know that for every mark you strike against us, we take a step forward to the line in the sand, where we will no longer live off the scraps you throw to us. Viva la revolution!"

"I can move that line," she said pleasantly. "Through money. It's a very good solution to most of our problems. Throw a bit of Swiss money at law enforcement and profit away!"

Shizuka watched the two, with Amaya's growls and the girl's quips which were rapidly getting them concerned about the state of society. Suddenly, something seemed to hit them.

"We were WHAT?!"

---

---

Monokuma

---

"Puhuhuu.... it seems the game is afoot."

Light flickered from a desktop screen, illuminating a dark room with red light. In the back, a bear's back was turned to the screen. The light revealed a black and white split running down its side, barely held together with clumsy, childlike stitches. The flickering from the computer cast a red glow, making it seem as if the teddy was stained with the colour.

The bear sat on a chair, gently swirling a glass of wine. "And they seem to be none the wiser. My precious children... didn't you learn to fear the big bad wolf? A cute bundle shaped like granny, ready to rip your face off and eat the marrow of your bones."

He spun around, and his face was finally revealed. One enormous glowing red eye, jagged and lightning shaped, piercing even through the darkness and the flickering light. And an enormous grin that ripped at the stitches of his face.

"She's here."

The screen flickered, and the bear was gone. If one were to peer closer, they would make out the details on the screen. Black, red, white- it was a camera. And pictured through it, were nineteen little Ultimates. Their faces illuminated in red, like the cap of a girl coming to visit her grandmother.

A boy with a scowl already appeared to be missing half his face.

An overdone man with blood pooling around his mouth.

And... a mastermind among them all. A person illuminated in shades of black and white. Hollow and empty. They looked up at the camera and gave a wolfish smile.

The screen went black and the room with it.

---

---

Eris Everlast

---

A light groan passed over Eris's lips before she could stop it. The blackness in her vision was fading as she carefully opened her golden eyes. As her mind caught up to her, she looked around slowly. She was in... A gymnasium? Definitely not the entrance of Hope's Peak. But how?? Control over her limbs was obtained and she gently pushed herself up into a kneeling position. Now upright, she could see that she wasn't alone...

---

Emika Tenshi

---

Pain. That was what Emika felt as she awoke. Why did her head-? Oh right, she got hit by a baseball bat... Now, where was she? Blue-grey eyes opened to observe the surrounding area. A gymnasium?? A rather extensive gymnasium at that. Was she...still in Hope's Peak? The 'where' was now answered, now came the 'how', the 'who', and the 'why'? How did she get in here? Who sneak-attacked her and brought her to the gym? And why did they do it??

---

Nightrekra Shacordis

---

Blegh... Nightrekra felt icky. She usually had this sort of reaction when waking up from getting some sleep drug or anesthetic- Wait. When did she get injected with something?! Her mind raced to fill in the memories as she awoke and opened her eyes. She had been entering Hope's Peak Academy, but had been hit with a sleep dart. That wasn't good. Pushing herself up a bit, she saw that the room she was in was very large, seeming to be Hope's Peak's gymnasium. And she wasn't alone...

---

---

Hotaru Tsutsumi

---

"Oh! New friends!" She gleefully clapped her hands together. People to exploit! her thoughts sang. She pounced on a girl who looked like she needed some loving direction. Who also had very pretty eyes!

"Hello!" she singsonged into the girl's face. "I'm Hotaru! Nice to meet you, Emika Tenshi! Never fear, I stalked you on social media as soon as I was scouted. I know exactly how to sell you stuff! It's a real pleasure!"

She shook her hand vigorously.

Behind her, she heard the boy groan behind her, probably planning another one of his silly coup d'états against one of her organisations. That made her smile. Amaya probably had no idea she was the one solely responsible for the massacre at the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge! Now that was a profitable endeavor.

"It's quite nice to meet you," she added again, smiling at the girl. "I trust the same goes for you?"

---

Horatia Arborea

---

...

Holy cr- I mean, STIFFEN THE WOMBATS! That wasn't the end! I'm alive and existent!

Horatia bolted upwards, before her body said no and she collapsed back on the floor. And she was hit with more déjà vu. Amazing. She looked around in a daze.

Her dress was clean, albeit a little dusty, so there's that. And she appeared to be in some sort of gymnasium. Probably the one Hope's Peak had. Oh, and there were lots of people too, most likely her classmates. Well, maybe not that much people, but still.

She couldn't quite hear clearly yet because her body decided to be a jerk, but she yelled anyway, with some degree of success, "HEY FELLOW ULTIMATES! I want in on whatever you guys are doing! Okay?"

She wouldn't mind having a drink. Hopefully her voice didn't sound raspy or something.

Eden Aconitum

---

Ugh, and they couldn't even put me on a bed after kidnapping me.

Eden curled his hands into fists and rubbed his eyes lightly. I sure hope my clothes didn't get dirty, or anything... They looked for their purse nearby, relieved ever so slightly when they found it right next to them. And I don't even know how long I was unconscious.

He hugged his legs with his arms and scanned the room. Sigh...just a bunch of annoying people. And a screaming girl. And a robotic bear. Boring. The robotic bear was probably going to force them to murder each other, or something along the lines of that.

Well, one person caught their eye. But he was going to observe for a while longer first. And maybe drink some water.

---

Nanami groaned, waking up with a start. Where the heck was she? Some sort of... gym? Oh, to add insult to injury...

The only good thing was that there were other people, presumably her classmates. She shakily got her feet, scanning the room for someone she could talk to. Nami simply enjoyed conversation. She would always consider debate her first love, but to simply talk was cathartic on its own. She heard bits and pieces of capitalistic jargon, and headed in that direction.

Kei came to, groaning. A grey ceiling swam before her eyes. She realized she was splayed out, spread-eagle on the ground. The hard ground. The ground that was no longer flagstones and perfectly manicured turf. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She could feel a dull pain in her knees and head. Why was that again? Oh yes, she had dramatically crumpled to the ground after the card swipe had begun expelling some sort of gas.

Nami and Jirou, the students she had already met. Where were they?

Jirou blinked awake, confused and disoriented. He was reeeally tired. Had he fainted on the court? Had he lost the US Open? The gymnasium of Hope's Peak Academy swam before his eyes, and he stifled a disappointed sigh. But on the bright side, at least he wasn't dead. He saw Kei, the girl from before sitting up. He shifted positions, and half-crawled over to join her.

"Hey. You okay?"

Kei smiled sleepily. "Yeah, I think so. Wicked headache, though."

Jirou nodded in agreement, taking in the rest of the people in the room. There appeared to be about... twenty of them? That was rather small for a class, even for an elite private school. He wondered if any of them knew how to play tennis.

"Where's the other one?" He asked, referring to Nanami.

"Over there," Kei pointed limply. It was exhausting even to lift her arm up. A simple act hammered in the sensation that her limbs had turned to lead.

Nami for her part was stumbling across the room, ignoring the effects of the drug. Painkillers and capitalism sounded a whole heck of a lot more interesting than athletes and shy girls. She raised a hand to her hair, checking to make sure it hadn't escaped her puffs. A little frizzy, but not terrible.

"Cheap labor, hm?" She said, interjecting. "Would you consider exploitative profits equitable, or do you choose to live in denial of people's suffering in favor of material wealth?" It was an interesting resolution, and she was honestly amenable to debate either side.

Jirou glanced at the girl shouting, curiously, and beckoned her over to their group.

---

---

Eris Everlast

---

Eris flinched a little with a grimace as one of the Ultimates started yelling. "So loud..." she thought to herself. In a situation like this, yelling was NOT the best idea. She slowly stood up, dusting off her long white skirt which hid her white and purple pump sandals. She looked around quickly, deciding to stay alone...like usual...rather than interact for now.

---

Emika Tenshi

---

Emika's eyes immediately narrowed as the girl, Hotaru, shook her hand and spouted off in her face at an almost neck breaking speed. Hotaru... The Ultimate Saleswoman... Oh great...

Before Emika could say anything, someone else, another girl, bolted upright and yelled out. Emika resisted the urge to facepalm or rub the bridge of her nose.

She finally spoke, smiling sweetly to the Ultimate Saleswoman. "It's nice to meet you, Hotaru. You already live up to your title, I see."

---

Nightrekra Shacordis

---

Nightrekra grinned wide as she took in the slowly wakening Ultimates around her. "NEW FRIENDS! was her immediate first thought. The immediate second thought was, "What's with the monochrome bear?" Either way, with new energy, Nightrekra leapt up from where she sat, pink skirt fluffing up from the sudden movement.

Wei En’s head was pounding. Her eyelids were still heavy, she didn’t feel like opening them. But she was soon awoken from her slumber by some very loud, very piercing screaming. Groaning, Wei En grudgingly opened her eyes and got up, noticing first that her bag was gone. “Where’s Bubbles?” Wei En asked, as panic overtook the girl and she bounced up from her original resting position, pink and blue ponytails swinging violently behind her. Her voice was unintentionally loud, echoing across the room, as she looked around in a panic. It was only then she noticed the physical beings in the room. “Oh! Humans! Hi! Nice to meet you? I think? I’m— Have you seen Bubbles? What’s up the big black and white bear? Hey wait, painkillers? Can I get some?” Wei En was suddenly peppy, bright and exuberant, her rapid-fire questions sure to throw anyone off.

Reilin wakes up shortly after Wei En, groggily rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. All around her, people were busy chattering away in Cs As and Fs. It was mildly uncomfortable, as the notes were all clashing and NOT making a melodious tune to her ears. She silently gets up, moving to the table and sitting down to observe the crowd, humming as she tapped the table rhythmically.

His eyes fluttered open.

The blue-haired teen sat up with a jolt, glancing around. His dim, lifeless eyes observed the strangers in mild indifference.

he slowly got to his feet, before looking to find any dark corners.

Unfortunately, there were none.

His eyes were heavy, and he felt exhausted.

talking to strangers wouldn't help.

To his right, he saw Airi, who had gotten up at some point while Artemis was still disoriented.

The girl had set down her various instruments, as quickly as she could.

She clapped loudly.

"HEllo, friends! Wonderful to meet you! I'm Airi!"

To his left, was the rude man who had pushed past him- Magnus, yeah.

He was pretending to be asleep.

Maybe Artemis should've thought of that.

---

---

---

Hotaru Tsutsumi

---

"I like your big words, pretty lady!" Hotaru beamed at the new gal. Now this was interesting! This girl looked like a challenge, but one that would surely be incredibly fascinating to dissect through the art of the soft sell. Would she buy a vacuum cleaner with demonstration or debate? Only time would tell.

A grin spread over her face. "I don't have material wealth!" she chirped. "I just like exploiting people because child labour laws were lax with me and I want to spread the capitalistic joy worldwide."

Hotaru nodded seriously. "Yes indeed, I am certainly the greatest Salesperson of all time." She perked up. "Hey, Emika, meet my new friend, Nanami! She's super pretty, even prettier than you, maybe."

She gave her best charming smile. Turn them against one another! Be evil! Then swoop in for the kill.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by the screech of a microphone. "Testing? Puhuhuuhuhu~ Testing- did that work? Did you hear an utterly glorious and characteristic laugh that will haunt you as you undergo the hells of a Killing Game? Good! Gather around, children."

---

---

Amaya Ono

---

Okay, things were getting weird. Kidnapping? Sure. Not too bad for the Ultimate Vigilante. Crazy people hellbent on utilising a breaking society to advance their evil agenda? Every other day.

But a talking bear, screaming into a telephone about a "Killing Game" was definitely a new one. Had he heard that right? Honestly, who the hell knew by now. This whole place was on drugs, and definitely the kind that Hotaru was selling.

But fear curiosity had him standing before the bear's stage before he knew what he was doing. The Ultimate Singer was beside him, gazing up with solemn grey eyes, like a cloudy sky- just a hint of blue peeking out beneath the layers upon layers of stormy grey.

He shivered.

"Puhuhu~ Everyone ready? Good!" In a second, the bear flung it behind him and hopped down off the stage. "Hello everyone! I'm your new and improved headmaster, Mister Monokuma! I'm here to help you have a smashing time here at Hope's Peak Academy as you prepare to enter, not the workforce, but an unforgiving world for a survivor of a terrible tragedy."

He smiled at all of them. "No, I'm not referring to your teen angst or whatever terrible things your roleplayers have done to you, don't be silly! I'm referring to the Ultimate Killing Game- of which you will all take a part!"

Silence fell over the room.

"E-Excuse me?" Shizuka said timidly.

"You're not excused!" Monokuma said brightly. "Any questions?"

---

"You guys are a little loud, you know." Kuraim was already awake, having decided to go back to sleep on the floor with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head before being woken up once more by the students talking. His long blue ponytail stretched down to his back, sprawled on the floor.

Next to him was Ichika- the girl he had seen. She was still sleeping. A heavy sleeper indeed, no wonder she could sleep around so many animals. The flowers in her hair were still somehow fresh and weren't crushed from her tossing and turning.

"Shut up. Don't act so casual about all of this." Ezekiel yelled to him from across the gymnasium, clutching his bag. "Whatever you do, don't listen to a word that man says. He's devil spawn."

---

Magnus sat up, groaning.

"Sounds fun."

Artemis stared down at the golden-haired man.

Then back at the bear.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Airi cut him off.

"Are you a bear?"

She stared at Monokuma, crossing her arms.

"And killing game? Like-like- the Hunger Games? Can I just start beating people up with my trumpet?"

---

---

---

Hotaru Tsutsumi

---

"Excellent questions!" Monokuma chirped, beautiful bear he was. "I am your father, and thus questions about my species relate more directly to how much banana you happen to have in your genepool!"

He clapped his paws together and leaned in with a gleam in his eyes that made Hotaru's heart give a shuddering beat. "The rules of the Killing Game are as follows- you will secretly murder someone. That someone will be set free! Provided they get away with it, of course," he added as an afterthought. "After you kill someone, there'll be a glooooorious Class Trial! Everyone gets to debate who the oh-so-evil Blackened could be!"

"Why would we do that?" Hotaru asked, genuinely curious. "Wouldn't we want that person to get out and like... get us some help? It doesn't make sense."

"To punish the murderer?" Shizuka guessed.

"Bingo! At the end of the Class Trial, you all will vote! If you're right about the identity of the killer, then they will be beautifully executed in a carefully prepared event catered to their exact talent! But if you're wrong...."

He leaned in, eyes gleaming.

"Then you all will be executed in their place... And the Blackened will be set free, to do whatever it is their little heart desires."

---