Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole, Part II (Daily Life)
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*DING DONG BING BONG*
Monokuma: Morning, sleepyheads! It's 7 am, time to rise and shine! Hope you had a nice little slumber in your snazzy rooms! God, I hate saying that word...
I disregarded everything else he had to say as I went through the other door in my dorm room. It led to a small bathroom, with white tiles, a shower, a toilet, and a sink complete with a mirror. After I had brushed my teeth, changed back into my regular outfit and left the dorm, I was feeling peckish, so I went to have breakfast. In my ordinary life, before any of this, I would have had toast with jam, and mind you, I was thinking about continuing to have it. None of us had a map to the place, so I had to memorise my way to the mess hall.
Most of my fellow students were sitting at the tables, eating their own breakfasts. Ayane, for instance, was having some traditional natto on rice, while Souta was helping himself to milk and cereal. A few others appeared to have already finished; Daigo and Ren were having an idle conversation, and Kaiji was standing off to the side, talking with Monokuma.
Kaiji: ...Sir? It's about the e-Handbooks. Say, someone went into another person's room, and left their e-Handbook behind, then they'll be locked out of their own room, right?
Monokuma: Huh. Never thought about that, to be honest. But still, their fault for not taking care of their e-Handbook! Sucks to be them! Whoever's got it has the responsibility to give it back!
Kaiji: Say, what if that person couldn't, for any reason? Like, if, they were dead?
Monokuma: ...You've got me. Then whoever lost it comes to me, asks for their e-Handbook back, and I'll go retrieve it 'cause I can go anywhere I want! Why? I'm the Headmaster, that's why. I'll only do it 3 times, though. You can probably guess what happens the 4th time you lock yourself out.
Everyone knew it, because we were in earshot. Punishment. Or in other words, death.
Monokuma: Have I cleared everything up for you?
Kaiji: Yes, thank you. Now then... I'll tell everyone else.
Ayane: Good. We want some transparency.
Kaiji: Okay, then... Concerning the dorm rooms and the e-Handbooks, the only way into a student's dorm room is to scan their e-Handbook into their scanner. There's a similar scanner in the inside of the room as well, and again, only that particular student's e-Handbook will open the door.
Daigo: So basically, you need your e-Handbook to get in and out of your room?
Mugen: From what I can tell, yes.
Yukiharu: Geez, thanks a lot for clearing that up. Always kept bothering me...
Kaiji: Your pleasure.
Ayane: Has everyone finished eating now?
Madoka: Yeah, duh.
Ayane: Good. I have something to say.
Luka: And what is it, Ms. Mitsurugi?
Umiko: I'd like to know too...
Ayane: Monokuma wants us to play his game. I'll remind you all that shortly before we are to have lunch, at 11:45 to be specific, Monokuma expects us to gather at the gymnasium once again. There, he will introduce his first "motive for murder", in his own words.
Drat. I really should have listened closely to that morning announcement.
Kaori: Okay, then...
Ayane: But rest assured, I'll make sure that nobody even thinks about accepting whatever deals he offers. They are deals with the devil, and I will be the one to collect them. Have I made myself clear?
Madoka: ...You're a bit intimidating, Ayane.
Ayane: I know. But an iron grip on everyone is the only way to prevent a tragedy.
Mugen: Huh. You're making a valid point here, madam.
Kozue: I... I don't trust her. She gives off the feeling of a... really draconian leader of some sorts. My senpai wasn't like that.
Hirou: We've had only a few hours to get to know each other. First impressions can be deceiving.
Madoka: But this is a place where you have to trust complete strangers not to kill you. There's good reasons for people to lie.
Ren: Look, let's eat, drink and be merry before we die, y'know?
Daigo: Right, guys?
Masao: Mitsurugi-san already asked us if we were finished eating beforehand.
Ren: Sheesh, what a killjoy you are.
Masao: Silence, you criminal scum!
With those words, Masao took out his bokken, his wooden sword, and pointed it towards Ren.
Yura: What the hell are you waiting for, Masao? Kill 'im!
Masao: You expect me to take his life on the spot?
Yura: He's a fucking criminal, anyway, so who's gonna miss him?
Umiko: Why are you saying such things?!
Yura: Because I can. And besides, if he's the mastermind, we win on the spot!
Masao: But what if he isn't? Then all I would have done is stained my family's honour. This is meant to intimidate, not to kill.
The mess hall was filled with an awkward and tense silence, before Masao then lowered his weapon and put it back into its sheath.
Yukiharu: Anybody else have anything else to say?
Haruhi: No. Not that I have heard of.
Yukiharu: Okay then, we might as well scram. Scram until that bear or whatever wants us to gather up. 'Cause if we keep acting like this, someone's gonna turn up dead.
Umiko: Ye-yeah...
We all wandered off afterwards, to do as we pleased until Monokuma's next announcement. Hirou's words seemed to have an effect on me; I wasn't a social butterfly by any means, but it would be in my own, and their best interests to strike up some sort of conversation.
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(Free Time Event #1: Daigo Bushida)
Daigo, the first person I ever met here, was an ideal candidate. It was easy to find him: it didn't take me long to find a door labelled "BREAK ROOM", which I suppose practically everyone here needs sooner or later. Nevertheless, I opened the door; as I remembered, like most other rooms in this place, it didn't need some convoluted scanner nonsense, and just turning the doorknob sufficed.
The break room still looked as classy as it did the first time. And of course, Daigo was standing in front of the pool table, looking to be in relatively high spirits.
Kaori: Daigo... I know we barely know each other, but I just wanted to ask you a few questions.
Daigo: Sure! After all, bonding together makes us friends! And friends are way more trustworthy. I know from experience.
Kaori: Oh? So what do you think about being a salaryman, then?
Daigo: Good question! Being a salaryman is, well...
Kaori: Go on.
Daigo: It's basically sitting at a desk and handling documents for, like, 12 hours a day. The company at which I work mainly deals with accounting. My father used to work there; it's a family business!
Kaori: (Ah! My family encouraged me to take up their weaving skills...) You know, I think we share more in common that I thought.
Daigo: What do you mean?
Kaori: (His eyebrow was shifted as though he was curious.) My mother was a weaver as well. Just like... how your father was a salaryman?
Daigo: Yeah! That's what I meant! So what do you think of it?
Kaori: It sounds rather boring.
Daigo: Boring? People like me are called corporate livestock, but boring...?
Kaori: (Uh-oh.)
Daigo: I just take it in stride! It's the path many are expected to take, and I regret nothing!
Kaori: (Never mind.)
Daigo: Well, Kaori... any other ideas as to what you want to say to me?
Kaori: No.
Daigo: It's a wrap? See you later, then!
Daigo and I grew a little closer.
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When the time came, the school's intercom system flared up again. I had not noticed the speakers in the halls before he reminded us. Monokuma's voice instructed us to return to the gymnasium. I knew that there would be grave consequences for not turning up, so I resigned myself to going there and listening to him. When I arrived, he was already on top of the stage.
Monokuma: Looks like everyone's here to listen to what I have to say! Except one...
We noticed that someone was indeed absent, but not for long. Heralded by the sound of her squeaky white boots, Luka ran into the gymnasium, clearly out of breath.
Luka: Sorry, sorry, sorry, for being a bit late!
Monokuma: You better be.
Luka: Yeah. I'm sorry. But it looks like we're... we're trapped here!
Madoka: Are you a goldfish? Monokuma told us that there was no escape, and the entrance hall? It's bricked-up. That's the harsh truth, Luka.
Luka: I mean, there's a staircase around here, but it's blocked off with tape and... um... I, eh, forgot what I was going to say next. Ehehehe~
Huh. A staircase. Thinking back on it, I swear I passed by one on my way to the gymnasium. And if I remember correctly, there was tape blocking it off?
Haruhi: (cough cough cough) I expect you gathered us here for a purpose?
Kozue: Why else wouldn't he order us to gather at the gymnasium? And that cough sounds a bit... concerning, to be honest.
Haruhi: I have medication in my room. I will be fine.
Kozue: If you say so, I guess.
Monokuma: So, without further to do, I'll show you what I've got.
Monokuma then took out a fairly large box and placed it delicately in front of himself. It appeared to be made out of red velvet, with gold trimming. A 3-digit lock was on the lid, sealing it shut.
Yura: That's it? You expect us to kill each other over, of all things, a goddamn box?!
Monokuma: Well, it's no ordinary box. The thing is, in a really, really, really hidden part of this floor, the floor you are in, there's the combination you'll need to open it! Or you could just kill someone and get away with it, then I'll tell you before you can leave.
Souta: Sounds interesting!
Ayane: I doubt it very much.
Souta: Well, I don't.
Ayane: It'll just feed into what he wants.
Souta: But for once, he wants us to solve a puzzle...
Ayane: A puzzle that is all but unsolvable unless you kill.
Souta: But a keen eye could solve it without having to do such a thing!
Umiko: He's... he's right, Ayane.
Monokuma: And inside that box is something that, if you read it, make you wish somebody here ended up dead. That's all you need to know! Toodles!
With those words, Monokuma turned around and jumped off the stage into the dark curtains behind him. He didn't return. The box was left behind, and Ren immediately approached as if to try and open it, before Kaiji grabbed his wrist.
Kaiji: No way, Ren.
Ren: Geez, why the hell won't you let me?
Kaiji: There are two reasons. A, you're an extremely dangerous member of the group and we can't afford you causing any mischief.
Ren: Why are you treating me as though I'm some infamous mass murderer or something?! I never killed anyone!
Kaiji: You must have done something extremely heinous to become the Ultimate Inmate-
Ren: It was breaking out of jail, Kaiji. That's what got me the title, it was breaking out of jail-
Kaiji: Besides, B, Monokuma was quite clear that he expects that box to be opened by finding the code...
Ren: He didn't say anything about not being allowed to break into it!
Kaiji: Mr. Kurusu, he didn't say anything about what would happen if you did break into it, either.
Ren: GODDAMNIT!
Ren promptly shoved Kaiji away from him. It was clear that the latter was a bit shaken up by what happened, as his wide eyes and quick breathing explained.
Kaiji: ...It would actually be better if I just bail out of here...
Hirou: Monokuma's gone. So, sure, I guess.
And that's exactly what Kaiji did; he bolted out of the gymnasium as if his life depended on it. An awkward silence followed before Mugen said something.
Mugen: Please, everyone, just forget about this box, leave now, and never speak of this again. Nobody here wants to kill another person, don't they?
Hirou: No, we don't.
Kozue: We might as well leave.
Madoka: Yay, what a wonderful idea...
Madoka then turned around and left. Then Kozue. Then Hirou. Soon, only me and Daigo were still in the gymnasium. We had to know what was in that box, so we went up to it, and crouched down.
Daigo: Okay, I guess we'll start off with the basics. "0-0-0", that doesn't work. "1-1-1", that doesn't work either. I'll let you have a go.
Kaori: Right then. "1-0-0"... no good. "2-0-0", still no good.
We spent almost a hour trying all the combinations we could think of. "9-9-9", "1-3-7", "0-4-2", "8-7-0", none proved to be the one we needed. Eventually, we ended up just resigning ourselves to the fact that we would have to look for the combination...
Daigo: Okay, I'll admit defeat.
Kaori: (This is clearly not ending up well...) We give up... Perhaps we could try again tomorrow?
Daigo: Yeah... that sounds good.
Daigo and I then abandoned the box, to be opened once we figured out the code. Clearly, brute force had failed to discover the secret within it. Could a search throughout the floor lead to answers? Maybe. But I had something else of concern.
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(Free Time Event #2: Mugen Kojima)
It was quite clear to me that it would be a wise idea to try and get to know Mugen more, so that I could eventually find out anything he was hiding. I found him sitting in one of the classrooms, clutching onto his prop warlock's staff. On the desk in front of him was a box, the "Depths and Drakes" logo proudly emblazoned on it. He was the one to begin conversation.
Mugen: Care for a game of Depths and Drakes?
Kaori: No thanks. Tabletops RPGs are a bit too complicated for me.
Mugen: I understand. You have to memorise a lot of things. Stats, equipment, attack chance, the works...
Kaori: Thanks for repeating to me why I'm not interested in them.
Mugen: Apologies, then. ...You look a bit curious.
Kaori: I do. I want to know just how you got into this sort of thing.
Mugen: Hmm... Good question. As a child, I started with the basic tabletop games. Chess, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders. But they were far too... simple, for my tastes. The rules were easy to understand.
Kaori: Carry on.
Mugen: I was in my teens when I formed a little bubble of friends similar in age to me; we'd all get together and play Depths and Drakes. The first time we played, I volunteered to be the game master. With few exceptions, I never stopped. One girl in the group was, to put it lightly, a nuisance, however.
Kaori: What do you mean?
Mugen: She ruined the fun for everyone else. It was all "me-me-me" with her, and if it meant sabotaging the rest of the group, then so be it.
Kaori: Did you ever think about kicking her out for her actions?
Mugen: No, but I came close. One time, we decided to have a change of pace and let her be the game master. First thing that happened was "Rocks fall, everyone dies."
Kaori: ...
Mugen: That's when I seriously considered ejecting her from the group, but ultimately I decided against it.
Kaori: ...Why won't you say any names? You clearly knew this girl, didn't you?
Mugen: Yes, I do remember, but it's best not to dwell on events from the past. Dredges up painful memories.
Kaori: I guess you're right, then. See you later.
Mugen: Hmph. I'll see you again, I guess.
Mugen and I grew a little closer.
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*DING DONG BING BONG*
It came as a surprise to me. I was spending so much time actually socialising, that I failed to notice that it was getting late... until it was too late to do anything about it. I did notice my fellow students appearing to disappear, but I thought nothing of it. After all, I didn't really know them and-
Monokuma: Tick... tock... TICK! It is now 10 pm, and therefore nighttime regulations are in full swing! As all students are outside of any off-limit areas, the doors to these areas have automatically been locked!
Geez, I spent a bit too much time awake, haven't I? Maybe it would be a good idea to get some sleep. So I went to my dorm, briefly stopping to notice the cordoned-off staircase. Luka was right, and I wasn't misremembering. I was just about to approach it until Monokuma suddenly rushed into my sight.
Monokuma: Well, well, well, Ms. Hotaru. Are you trying to go places where you shouldn't like a nosy little firefly?
Kaori: I am not.
Monokuma: So... do you know that fireflies in a jar only live for two to three days?
Kaori: I didn't. Why would you expect a weaver to know that?
Monokuma: Don't even think about ducking through that cord. I'll make you regret it.
Monokuma then left my sight, and it was then that I saw somebody - Ren, standing in front of a brick wall; almost certainly the blocked-off entrance hall he mentioned earlier. One of the bricks had been removed, and it was in his hand. He turned his head as if to acknowledge me.
Ren: One of the bricks was loose.
Kaori: I know. I can tell.
Ren: Maybe if I pull out another, and another, and another, then eventually we'll get somewhere? Doubt I'm strong enough to rip out bricks from cement by hand.
Kaori: Why did you put it off until this late?
Ren: My sleep schedule's kinda erratic, you know? Sleep through the evening, because nothing happens there. Night, get to work.
Kaori: ...
Ren: There's actually another, more serious reason as well.
Kaori: And what is it?
Ren: If I did it in broad daylight, everyone would probably think that I got this brick to kill someone with. Geez, just 'cause I'm the Ultimate Inmate doesn't mean I'm some hardened criminal! My crimes were petty theft and jailbreaking, not murder, after all.
Kaori: So that's why almost everyone's wary of you...
Ren: Yeah, that's basically it. Except Daigo. Daigo doesn't care, because he sees the best in everyone. From what I can hear, he's very forgiving, but quite gullible. Perfect.
Kaori: ...I'm a bit scared of you.
Ren: Why? Why the hell are you scared of me?! I'm trying to save you, and everyone else as well! Except the mastermind, to hell with them.
Kaori: You say you're trying to help us, but you keep your distance away from everyone.
Ren: 'Cause nobody trusts me. Including you. Shame on you.
Kaori: I apologise, but... shouldn't you be more willing to interact with us?
Ren: It's my problem, not yours. Get out of my sight. Now.
I reluctantly agreed to his demand, and returned to my dorm in order to sleep. Ren says that he's working on a way to get us all out of here... but from the looks of it, he's driving everyone away from him. Should I trust him? Only time will tell...
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Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole, Part II, End
16 Remain