Y/N POV
"Okay, time to get down to business. This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons." Byakuya said, breaking the few seconds of tension.
"Yeah that's true. I think someone said about a bigger problem? " Makoto said.
"Makoto, Y/N, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you both were "just asleep", right?" Sayaka asked us.
"Yeah, that's right. Celeste said we suddenly all went unconscious and then were all asked to meet in the main hall. Celeste and me personally believe this isn't coincidental. Isn't that right Celeste? " I asked her.
"Yes, I did say that. Well done for remembering, my dear." Celeste said, making me blush.
"T-thanks. Anyway, I'm guessing you all woke up in a classroom with iron plates and surveillance cameras, correct?" I asked, although I could already guess what the answer was.
"Yeah, that's right. That's why were all freakin' out!" Mondo shouted.
"Plus, my cellphone is gone." Junko said. "It's not just me, right?"
I searched around in the many pockets of my jacket, but I didn't find it. In fact, even my summoning codex was missing.
"Yeah, I can't seem to find my PDA as well." Chihiro piped up.
"Hey, you think someone kidnapped us and we're not actually at Hope's Peak?" Leon joked. Nobody laughed. Instead, there was an awkward silence that lasted for several moments. That is, until a high-pitch whine threatened to burst everyone's eardrums.
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can anyone hear me?" A voice, which sounded almost playful, so completely unconcerned. It was like hearing someone laugh at the scene of an accident.
"That sounded like a harpy. And trust me, they are very annoying. Always flying around, screaming their heads off. I am surprised that no-one has sewn their mouths shut at this point." Belial thought. But that voice had filled me with dread. Deep and unnerving dread.
"Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at...right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That's all. I'll be waiting!" The voice said, then suddenly cut off. You could hear a pin drop. Then Junko took the words right out of my mouth, and presumably the others.
"What. The. Hell was that just now?" Then, Byakuya simply started to walk towards the doors. All eyes turned on him, before he turned around and calmly said:
"Well then, if you'll excuse me..." He then opened the doors and started heading towards the gym. Junko tried to ask where he thought he was going, before he simply slammed the doors behind him.
Seeing that, the others started to head out. But then I saw Makoto just standing there, sweat trickling down his forehead. I went over to him and put an arm around him.
"Hey Makoto, are you ok? You're just staring into space." I asked him. He quickly brought his head out of the clouds and looked up at me.
"I just have an uneasy feeling. I can't really get it out of my mind. I mean this has gotta be a joke, right?" He said, with a somewhat desperate look in his eyes. It was...kinda cute to be honest.
"I'm sure it is Naegi. Now come on, we don't wanna stand around here like lemons while that voice is waiting for us, right?" Makoto nodded, and walked with me out of the doors and towards the gymnasium.
We entered and saw the others stood in front of a podium, with the Hope's Peak Academy logo draped on it. It all looked very formal, but this was an entrance ceremony after all. Then, that annoying voice reared it's ugly head again.
"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get rolling!" At that moment, a monochrome bear popped out from the podium. It had one side white, while the other was black with a red, horizontal, jagged eye that resembled the Hope's Peak Academy logo and an evil smile.
"What the fuck is that?!" I heard Owada shout from the back of the group.
"It's a...teddy bear?" Chihiro replied timidly.
"I'm not a teddy bear. I am Monokuma! The principal of this fine institution! Nice to meet you all!" Monokuma said in a bright and carefree voice, almost as if he wasn't worried at all about the fear and dread me and the other students had.
"WAAAHHH! THAT TEDDY BEAR CAN TALK! I HAD A NIGHTMARE JUST LIKE THIS ONCE!" Hifumi screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Calm down Hifumi! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside of it!" Taka exclaimed.
"I told you all already. I'm not a teddy bear, I am Monokuma! Your headmaster!" Monokuma said, sounding frustrated.
"Yeah, calm down fatass! It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'." Mondo said.
"HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME TO A CHILD'S PLAYTHING?! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench. My remote control is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it. Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't BEAR it." Monokuma crackled at his joke.
"Seriously? Bear puns?" I sighed.
"That is...unfortunate." Celeste said.
"Now then, moving on! We must hurry and get started! Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!" Monokuma said.
Taka, being the Ultimate Moral Compass, bowed immediately yelling "GOOD MORNING PRINCIPLE SIR!"
"By Lucifer, someone is a stickler for the rules." Belial thought. By sheer and utter coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing.
"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk about what your school life here will be like. Now make no mistake - you few students so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope, you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school. Ah, now then...regarding the end date of this communal life. I'm sorry to say that there isn't one!" Monokuma said.
"What the hell? What the fuck do ya mean there isn't one?!" Owada shouted.
"What I mean young man, is that you'll all be here until the day to die! Such is the school life you've been assigned. But fear not! We have an ginormous budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences.
"So, like what you're saying is that we have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?" Junko asked.
"I am not screwing with you, darling. I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure of. FYI, you're also cut off from the outside world." Monokuma said.
"Cut off? What do you mean cut off?" I asked.
"Now matter how much you scream, shout and cry out for help...no one will come. That's what I mean sweetcheeks." Monokuma said, somehow winking at me.
"Do not call me sweetcheeks." I replied, looking it dead in the eyes.
"You got it. So what that in mind, feel free to live your life here with reckless abandon." Monokuma said with a massive grin.
"Come on, what the hell is this?! I don't care if the school is behind all of this, but this is a really bad joke. Seriously cut this shit out, it's not funny!" Leon shouted.
"You keeping it's a lie or a joke. Well, you all will have plenty of time to decide whether or not it's the truth. And when that time comes, you'll see for yourself that I am telling the undeniable truth." Monokuma said, his red eye glinting.
"Having to live here forever would be...quite a problem." Celeste said.
"Well that is a massive understatement, I am sure." Belial thought. And he was most definitely right.
"Oh come on, what's the matter with all of you? You all decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak, right? And now, even before the entrance ceremony is finished, you wanna leave? Well, I will tell you *one* way you can get out of here." Monokuma said menacingly.
"Enlighten us." Byakuya said, his glasses shining in the light, anime style.
"Good old-fashioned murder of course! The student who kills a classmate, and gets away with it, walks out of here scot-free. I call it the Graduation Clause. Doesn't that sound so AWESOME?" Monokuma asked.
But none of us could reply.
"M-murder? There's no way this is real. This must be a joke. Why would we kill someone we barely know? That idea is impossible, right?" I thought.
"Somehow, Y/N, I do not think that it is impossible. People have murdered for less, believe me. I have seen it with my own eyes." Belial thought.
"Also, you can kill any way you can think. Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you decide to bump someone off doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave, it's as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible." Monokuma "encouraged" us. "Puhuhu, I bet *that *got your brain juices flowing! Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world, but taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair. And I find that just so darn...EXCITING! I think I have a despairection here." Monokuma said, somehow blushing slightly.
"To k-kill each other, that's...It's..." Leon started, before he was rudely interrupted by the bear.
"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary somewhere around here." Monokuma said, jokingly looking around the main hall.
"We know what kill each other means, but that's not what the problem is!" Asahina shouted.
"Yeah, stop blabbering with all this nonsense. Just let us out of here already, you dumb bear!" Hiro said.
"Blabbering? Blabbering?! BLABBERING?! What do you mean blabbering? Why don't you stop blabbering on about blabbering on? You just don't get it, do you? From this moment on, this school is your home, your life! Got it? But look on the bright side, I'm letting you get away with murder! For reals!" Monokuma said, as he jumped off the podium and started waltzing to the doors of the main hall.
"You want murder, build-a-bear reject?! Keep this shit up, and you'll be victim one!" Mondo said, standing in front of the bear, blocking its path.
"Oh? What are you gonna do, tough guy? Impale me on that stupid pompadour of yours?"
At that, Mondo picked up Monokuma, as the bear started flailing his arms around.
"I don't care if you're a robot or a teddy bear, I'm still gonna rip you into fucking shreds!" Mondo said.
"Aaah! Violence against the headmaster is strictly forbidden!" Monokuma blurted out, before he started to bleep.
"Err... guys...why is it making that noise?"
"Oh my god! Mondo, TOSS THAT THING! NOW!" I shouted, making everyone's heads turn to me.
"Why should I?! This little shit tried to act all tough!" Mondo shouted, as the beeping became faster and louder.
"Well, it looks like you will have to use some of my power. Am I wrong?" Belial thought. He wasn't.
I thrust my arm out to the direction of the biker and the bear and shouted an incantation:
"Mittant auras Monokuma ne Mondo mortem!"
At that, a purple flame enveloped the bear, and flung it into the air. A few seconds later, the bear exploded, the sound of explosions and the smell of gunpowder filled the main hall. I fell backwards in pain, clutching my left arm as I also developed a splitting head ache.
"Y/N! Are you ok?!" Makoto said as he rushed over to me. I looked up at him and saw the fear in his eyes.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. It's just casting spells takes a lot out of me. But hey, you shouldn't be worried about me." I said, pointing at Mondo.
He was stood there, looking towards the door, clutching his shaking hands.
"I-it could've have blown my face off!" Mondo said, his tough guy persona dropping for a split second.
"S-So the bear is kaput?" Chihiro asked.
At that moment, another Monokuma popped out of the podium.
"Uwah, there's another one! Just how many of you are there?!" Leon shouted.
"You son of a bitch!!! You tried to fuckin kill me just now!" Mondo yelled, staring daggers at the monochrome bear.
"Well yes, I was serious about trying to kill you. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but should any one of you get smart with me again, let's just say we skip written warnings in favour of, well ya know...INSTANT CORPORAL PUNISHMENT!" Monokuma shouted, showing his sharp claws to us.
"That's not even punishment! That's just wrong!" I shouted.
"Now then, to commemorate your joyous entry into this fine institution, I have decided to give you all a present. This is your official student E-Handbook! Pretty cool, huh?" Monokuma said, before dispensing them to us.
"This handbook is essential to your school life here, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name, so always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it's completely waterproof. So if you splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to 10 tonnes. Very resistant! It also contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly! Enjoy your school life here at Hope's Peak Academy! See ya!" Monokuma then disappears behind the podium.
Everyone was silent. You could cut the tension with a knife. Nobody said a word before Taka gained the courage to speak.
"So, guys... How would you define what we just experienced?"
"How? Why? I don't understand any of this. I mean we have to live here forever, or kill someone? That's crazy." I said.
"Everyone, we need to just calm down." Kyoko said, as all eyes were on her.
"First let's just take a second to summarise what we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we have two choices. Number 1: We stay here, living a communal life together until the day we die. And the other is...well you heard the bear."
"So if we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right? But...killing someone...That is..." Celeste said.
"So, we were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place which is apparently a school, and now we're supposed to start killing each other?! This is...This is just...What IS this?!"Hiro yelled.
"A lie, that is what it is. All these ridiculous things we've heard. This all has to be fake, right?" Taka asked.
"Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What's matter is this: Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this?" Byakuya asked.
No-one answered. Nobody could answer.
"So are you considering doing that? Committing murder, ending the life of another to escape this prison?" Belial thought.
"Of course not, this is stupid. All of this is just stupid! I would never, NEVER even think of doing that!" I thought.
I started to look around at the others, and they were doing exactly the same. At that moment, all 16 of us must've thought the same thing:
"Is something going to betray us? Is someone going to KILL us?"
And that is how the Killing School Life began. Hope's Peak Academy, a place made to celebrate hope. At that moment, the name was ironic.
This wasn't a school of hope.
This was a school of despair.
****************
So there we go. The game has begun. Who will survive, and who will die?
Let's be honest. I'm pretty sure 99.9% of you knows what happens.
But still, I may edit some things as the story progresses, so maybe you don't know who live and who dies.....
And on that bombshell, I'll see you guys, gals and non-binary pals later!
-B