"EEP!" The girl jumped back in surprise at the sudden entry of the other student, nearly toppling over a desk before righting herself and waving her hand in greeting. There were already sixteen others all gathered in one classroom. For a purpose not even she could recall.
"Who goes there?" One student called out. The boy who had just entered blinked, as if dazed. He had ash brown spiky hair and dull colored eyes, wearing a school uniform complete with a tie. He looked around the room at the crowded classroom in confusion.
"...eh?" Yumiko's heart sank once she spotted the boy's expression. She was just as confused as he was. She didn't know how she arrived in this classroom, either.
"Um...are you feeling alright, you look quite pale?" The student spoke up again. The girl stood on her toes to get a better look at the one who had spoken. The student was male, with a large torso and blonde hair that stuck out slightly behind. He was wearing a cream colored blazer with strange green straps underneath. She wasn't here to judge him on his fashion sense, of course. She couldn't say much for her own choice of clothing, either.
"Ah, um..." The boy who had just entered muttered something again, snapping her back to reality.
"Hey, could you be...you're also a freshman at this school, right?" Realization dawned on the boy's features.
"Ah...then you're all..."
"See for yourself. We're all freshmen too." The girl nodded in agreement, even though she knew that the boy could not see her. There was a long stretch of silence afterwards, as the girl peered into his eyes, seeing all the gears shifting in place for that realization. The student spoke up again: "I assume...freshmen like us have been gathered in this classroom." The girl had been thinking similarly. They were all freshmen, right? Perhaps this was their homeroom classroom? Then why...could she not remember entering? The girl hated that block in her mind, preventing her from recalling the events before. She hated being confused and unable to get answers.
"Hey...why don't you just come inside for now?" The student addressed the boy, who's hand was still on the door. She tilted her head to see the background behind him, but was met with a white void. She squinted, trying to see past it. It was the same white void reflected in the windows. Panic stirred in her chest. What if...they were trapped? Or, perhaps, was she...dead?!
"Eh? Ah, yes, of course!" The boy entered fully now, his gaze set on the students around him. The silence was set once again, as if by default, where the world just hit pause on the sound. The girl sighed quietly to herself, fingers drumming against her legs. This predicament they were in was utterly baffling to her. Why couldn't she remember entering? She remembered a door and then...nothing. Nothing and then she was here, with everyone staring at her. So they had all been gathered, that was for sure. Maybe she had some kind of dementia that hadn't been diagnosed yet? Her mind swam for answers but they were just out of reach.
"Um, excuse me?" The boy asked, once again startling her from her train of thought. The girl opened her mouth for a response, but was interrupted by the student once more.
"...What is it?"
"Why are we all gathered in this classroom?" The girl pursed her lips. That was what she had been trying to figure out. "No one said anything about coming here, so...is there like an entrance ceremony or homeroom happening right now?"
"Actually...we were just about to discuss that matter." The girl smiled at that statement, cheeks flushing with excitement. She would love to hear everyone's theories, especially the student speaking. He seemed...intelligent. The girl anticipated future conversations with him.
"Discuss?"
"Well...since you are the last student to arrive, let's start the discussion." The panic the girl was feeling earlier immediately dissipated, replaced by excitement.
"Eh, is this everyone, how do you know?" Another student spoke up. A girl this time, with jet black hair with two puns coming up in spiky points, certain portions dyed white, blue, and shades of pink. The girl admired this new student's originality when it came to hairstyles, but was a little upset that she was the first one to speak up. She planned on speaking next.
"There are seventeen desks in this classroom and this guy is the seventeenth student," The student responded plainly. The girl marveled at his observation. "It's obvious if you bother to think about it!"
"Ah, gee...don't be so harsh..." The girl muttered. The student's conversation immediately turned to her, and she put her hands up in surrender. "EEP! Sorry! Continue on with your conversation!"
"Who...are you?" The boy asked.
"Yumiko," She responded. "Yumiko Suzuki."
"Suzuki...that's a pretty common last name." Yumiko's face flushed.
"I guess so..." As if saving her, another student spoke up, this time a small student with a chef's uniform on.
"And...just what are we going to talk about?" The chef asked. "The reason we're all gathered here in this classroom?" There were too many unnamed students for Yumiko's liking. She tried to tune out the conversation and focus on her own thoughts, but ultimately failed once curiosity took hold of her and she focused her attention back to them.
"...is there anyone who actually remembers how they came to this classroom?" The student, the one who took charge of the conversation in the first place, asked. Yumiko was beginning to call him the leader. He seemed so confident. And...intelligent. But the question struck a nerve in her, and she huffed in frustration at not being able to remember an important detail. "No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural. Even the stupid looking ones would agree, right?"
"I-it sure is strange. Nobody actually remembers how they came here...." Another student perked up. "...hey! What do you mean, 'stupid-looking'?!"
"...and did anyone experience...dizziness?" Yumiko asked. That started a chain reaction of shocked faces amongst the audience. Satisfied, she leaned back against the wall. "...was I the only one?" That part, she did remember. That strange dizziness she felt when she first stepped foot on campus.
"Eh?! That dizziness wasn't just me?!" The chef exclaimed. "Everyone felt the same strange dizziness...that's weird!"
"E-even if it's just a coincidence...it feels too good to be true..." Another student perked up this time.
"So you're saying it's not just a coincidence, then," The leader replied. "Meaning...we can only speculate who's responsible for this strange phenomenon." ....responsible. Yumiko narrowed her eyes. She hadn't thought there could be someone...responsible for the predicament they were in. Once again, she felt a panicked sensation inside her chest. Someone was responsible for her losing her memories and...gathering them all here. It was...terrifying...and intriguing all the same. Yumiko had a feeling it was only going to get stranger.
"Hah! I don't know what you're so worried about, but that doesn't sound like a huge deal..." One large, bulky student wearing a metal chain around their neck, spoke up. Yumiko shot him a quizzical look.
"It seems like a big deal. Why don't you think it is?"
"I mean it's a minor problem."
"...a minor problem? Why...?" Yumiko pursed her lips.
"Instead of trying to figure out why we're here, we should try and figure out why we can't leave..." She smiled warmly, despite that rush of adrenaline at the prospect of not being able to leave. There was a door, correct? So...could they just open it and leave? The walls suddenly seemed to be looming ever so tightly and she squeezed her eyes shut. She hated cramped spaces. Absolutely hated.
"Huh? Whaddaya mean we can't leave?" Another student asked, mirroring Yumiko's own thoughts.
"Eh?! S-seriously?!" The chef exclaimed. He rushed to the door, pulling desperately at the handle, but with no avail. The door wouldn't budge. They were stuck in this room. Yumiko was stuck in this room. They couldn't get out. They couldn't access food or water. Her mind swam as a flurry of voices rushed past her ears. The outside world seemed muddled as panic coursed through her veins. She needed to escape. She could...crawl out a window, perhaps? But if the doors were locked it would only make sense if the windows were locked as well...and she didn't want to face that white void. Maybe she could...shatter the windows? Was she really becoming as desperate as the chef?
"Hey...are you alright?" Yumiko jumped, startled at the student addressing her. He had blonde hair, much like her, and a pale complexion, wearing an unzipped dark green jacket and a white shirt with a red design on it. His eyes were a light gray with a green tinge. Yumiko steadied her breathing.
"Y-yeah..." She replied. "I just...don't like cramped spaces. And we...we can't escape." The boy gave her a pitiful look.
"Don't worry, with Ultimates like you I'm sure we'll find some way to escape," He said, smiling softly, as if he didn't have a care in the world. His carefree attitude was a little confusing to Yumiko, but also slightly comforting in the tense environment they were in. She admired him for it. "You're Yumiko..."
"I...uh...yes? And you are...?"
"Nagito Komaeda."
"It's nice to meet you, Nagito," She said politely, extending her hand. Maybe they could escape. Maybe she did just have to have hope. She was in a room full of Ultimates with amazing talents. Surely they could come together and figure out a solution to the predicament they were in? And she would make sure to contribute as much as possible, being the Ultimate Researcher and all.
"M-maybe we're getting mixed up in something dangerous..." A student suggested, once again, sending Yumiko's heart racing.
"Or perhaps..." It was Nagito's turn to speak up. "Doesn't it make more sense to think that this is the entrance exam?"
"...the entrance exam?" The boy put a hand to his head, as if he couldn't believe it. "Like...Hope's Peak Academy's?"
"But...according to the academy, no such entrance exam exists," A girl spoke up. Nagito considered this for a moment before replying:
"They may say that publicly, but it's possible that this is actually a special entrance exam." Yumiko nodded in agreement, but before she could say anything, a high pitched voice spoke out amongst the crowded classroom:
"Ah, you're wrong, this is not an entrance exam." The leader looked around, confused.
"What was that just now?" He asked, gesturing to the whole classroom.
"Yeah, fatass, what was that?" Another student responded, crossing his arms. The leader rolled his eyes.
"I won't dispute your remark about my weight. But that voice you heard was not mine."
"Then whose voice was it?" Yumiko asked. Once again, a high pitched voice rose up from the crowd:
"Um, it's actually mine!" A few students jumped back in surprise, one yelling:
"Who's there?! Where are you?!" Yumiko surveyed the classroom with hawk eyes.
"It sounds like it came from behind the teacher's desk..." A student remarked. Yumiko squinted at the desk, as if trying to pry its secrets with her own eyes.
"All right! I see everyone has arrived! Let's begin!"