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TellThemNaegi - AO3
Oh, yeah, this story is FILLED with spoilers, death and GORE
A film theater was set ablaze. The fire raged along the curtains, the seats, and even encroached on the two figures near the center stage. Their glares burned as hotly as the rising temperature. The flames danced around them, like the audience observing the actors on the stage.
*cough*
The girl coughed blood and sunk to her knees. Her carefully put-together appearance was a mess. Red manicured hands pressed against the bullet wound on the left side.
Hurts like a bitch - Junko Enoshima crudely thought. A lopsided grin was plastered onto her face. Despite how circumstances appeared, she was having the time of her (after) life.
Those once doe-eyes were now cold as ice, and hard as the steel that was aimed at her. Then there was that beautiful red.
"Are you so crazy that you can enjoy this?" Makoto Naegi asked.
Junko forced a laugh, ignoring the metallic taste of blood, "If you ask me, you're the crazy one for are crazy for not seeing how much of a thrill this is!" The queen of despair's cheeks tinted pink with ecstasy. " Not like I blame you, everyone's afraid of trying new things at first. But don't worry, I'm a very good teacher." Once this was all over, he'd see things her way. Just like the whole world once did.
"If the entry fee's having to spend a second longer with you than I have to, then I'll pass on that." Makoto hissed.
Always playing hard to get.
Junko would be lying if she said she didn't adore that resistance. Even as that light of hope was tainted and blackened with dark emotions, a faint spark remained. Snuffing that out would be her pleasure.
And if she failed, that just meant she had the good fortune of getting to try over and over again.
﹝•••﹞
The sun was setting on Jabberwock Island.
Hajime Hinata sat by the sandy beach, watching the ocean glimmering in a way he never could. Just being here was a luxury for the rich. A class of which Hajime would count himself among. That said, anyone who could reserve the island for several weeks went from "rich" to "disgustingly wealthy" or disgustingly powerful.
Hope's Peak Academy was both.
"Hajime!" Called his friend, Chiaki Nanami. She was the Ultimate Gamer and the only reason a no-talent, reserve course like himself got invited to this school getaway trip.
"What's up?" He responded.
"Miss. Yukizome wants everyone in the hotel for dinner. Afterward...the guys are gonna be telling scary stories by the statue. I'd rather be in my cabin, but Ibuki said she'd drag me out."
"The doors have locks, y'know?"
"Where there's a will, there's a way. Ibuki's got waaaay too much will." Chiaki yawned. "If I'm going, might as well have you there."
"Yeah. Real flattering." He hoped they didn't stay out too long. The storm watch predicted a typhoon coming in. Normally, that'd be cause for staying in at night, but Hajime doubted Chiaki's classmates played by laymen's logic.
Hajime frowns at the memory of one of the most unpleasant first meetings of his life. Right when the ship docked, the students opted for drawing straws to see who'd carry the bags. It was just a fun game that turned sour when somebody took it to another level.
"I don't see the point of this game. If you ultimates are searching for a loser amongst us, then the outcome was already decided before playing." The white-haired bastard looked him in the eyes. Hajime's body was wracked by a cold sweat, a prelude to the sort of hazing he received in his old school. Why did he think that things would be different here? Hope's Peak is made up of geniuses who were set for life after graduation. Assholes like him were everywhere- "So why don't you enjoy yourselves while Mr. Hajime Hinata and I take care of everything."
...
At least Chiaki's friends had the courtesy to be angry in his place and dropped the game altogether.
Chiaki groaned. "Maybe I should skip dinner and nap while I can."
"You sure you want to miss out on the ultimate chef's cooking?" Hajime asked.
The gamer sighed. "Probably for the best. I hear Teruteru's been working on another one of his 'love potions'. If he picks today to unveil it, I'll be glad to sit dinner out." She said wearily.
"Pulled an all-nighter again?" He snickered.
"It's not what you're thinking." Chiaki pouted. "One of the upperclassmen kept me busy."
"You have friends over there?"
"Sort of. She's private so...I don't talk about her...much."
The third yawn was the cue to put the girl in bed. He'd tell the teacher that Chiaki couldn't make it. She'd probably understand.
﹝•••﹞
The class of Hope's Peak Academy circled the campfire by the Jabberwock statue. Not to say they were bunched up together. Everyone was sort of doing their own thing.
Hifumi patiently (and happily?) attended to Celes. It was impressive how he didn't look winded in this heat, especially after running to the store and back, bringing a folding table and chair for the Ultimate Gambler's pleasure alone.
Byakuya leaned by the statue, doing his very best to ignore his long-term stalker. At this point, Makoto didn't think Toko was even trying to hide. What a strange relationship.
Mondo, Ishimaru, and Chihiro were huddled together in what the former two refer to as, a broship session.
Kyoko and Sayaka were nearest to the fireplace together, speaking too lowly for the luckster to make out what they were saying. He stared a little too long though. Blue and purple caught him, hook-line-sinker.
He looked to the side, trying to ignore the nearby teasing. That led him over to Aoi and Sakura – the sports junkies, as termed by one of his best friends. It'd be more surprising if a day went past where those two weren't together.
With kilometers of sand, woodlands, attractions, and water...scratch that, the real surprise would if he'd catch them anywhere except for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
As for himself – Well, Makoto took some pride in being an accessory to the reason they were all here. The academy ran into some financial problems over the last few years. Renting out Jabberwock had been the once-in-a-lifetime 'generosity' of the Togami heir. After quite a bit of cajoling from everyone, Makoto included.
It was an unforgettable experience, having to walk the sizing equivalent of an entire football field just to pass the gate and ring the doorbell on Byakuya's villa.
﹝•••﹞
"Who might you be?"
Knowing Byakuya's personality, Makoto 100% expected there'd be some haughty butler to look their nose down at him. A female version of Byakuya wasn't in the cards. She didn't tower over the boy the way Byakuya did nor was 'grimace' the default expression. She was a different kind of imposing, with all the advantages that mature, well-proportioned women had.
"I'm Makoto Naegi...one of Togami's friends." He spluttered so badly that he forgot that he and Byakuya weren't friends at all! The scion went out of his way to remind him of that fact every week.
"..." She studied him in a way that made him feel nervous.
"Um...I'm just here to visit."
"I spaced out there, sorry. I'm Shinobu, Byakuya's sister. Guess that makes us both unwanted guests."
Unwanted? Makoto wouldn't be surprised to hear that about himself, but did Byakuya treat his relatives that way too?
"Get lost." The man himself said from behind Shinobu. She skipped to the side to let Byakuya pass. The heir's perpetual scowl was in full force today.
"Sorry, Naegi. He's in a bad mood." Shinobu said.
"You were included in that remark." Byakuya eyed her. "And how can you call yourself a Togami when you're dressed so slovenly? In front of a commoner no less."
Makoto furrowed his brow. "She's barely showing any skin." Unless dressing casual and not being decked out in expensive suits counted as 'slovenly'. Byakuya really needed to get out more.
"Did I ask?" The glare that Byakuya shot him could freeze fire.
Way to go, Makoto. He'd never say yes at this rate.
"Why are you here anyway? I put up with you enough at school. Have you come to spread your obnoxious optimism over my home as well?"
"I was wondering whether you could help us with raising money for the trip to Jabberwock Island..." Makoto rubbed his cheek.
Byakuya gave him the same expression he often reserved for whenever a certain ultimate clairvoyant opened his mouth.
"For the last time, the answer is n-"
"He's totally on-board with it, and the ship." Shinobu interrupted him.
For a brief moment, Togami flared her an angry glare. One Makoto noticed didn't have 1/10th the steel he brazenly raised against the luckster and his classmates.
She glanced over to Makoto and said, "I'm the older sister" as if that explained everything.
"..." Byakuya grit his teeth.
"Am I wrong?" Shinobu asked.
Byakuya backed down at the prompt, instead directing his ire towards his classmate. "Your timing couldn't have been worse." Monotonously, he followed with. "I'll consider it."
S-Seriously? Everyone's going to flip when I tell them! "I'll make it up to you...somehow." Makoto bowed his head.
"Don't make promises you can't keep. Someone just might hold you to them one day."
﹝•••﹞
The classmates had all gathered by a campfire at Hifumi's call. All but two.
Those sisters were always sneaking off. He hoped Mukuro wasn't having too much trouble.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Who has ever heard the tale of the Witch of Jabberwock Island?" Hifumi asked boisterously.
"Power of Christ compels you. Demon, begone. Haku Shakazulu." Hagakure chanted ominously while clasping both hands above his head.
"What the fuck is he doin'?" Mondo wondered.
"Hiro doesn't take occult stuff well." Sayaka patted the clairvoyant on the shoulder. Pathetically, the act soothed the older man.
"I ain't heard this story, but I'm guessing she's some old, pimpled hag. Not really interested." Leon raked his hands through his hair.
Hifumi rubbed his chin. "...The legend dates back maybe a thousand ago according to the rumors, so I don't know what she looked like."
"So I can totally imagine that she's hot. Now I'm slightly more invested."
Hifumi coughed. "The story starts with a lone girl washing ashore on a shipwreck. The natives feared she was cursed and summoned the local priest to perform an exorcism."
"She's a chick. Where's the hospitality?" The delinquent cracked his knuckles. Who was he going hit, exactly?
"Comport yourself, bro! And you cannot blame them for approaching her with suspicion. She was trespassing on foreign soil." Kiyotaka said.
"You talk like she should have brought a passport along." Celes giggled.
"Don't mock me. Passports weren't even invented until the 1400s."
"Poor girl. I'm sure she was harmless." Chihiro said.
"You would be correct, Mr. Fujisaki. The priest found nothing evil about our heroine. But the islanders never stopped being suspicious of her. They scorned her as a 'yellow demon' and even made attempts on her life. Without being able to communicate, she couldn't convince them otherwise."
"Language barriers and cultural differences often lead to conflict. Given the time, I doubt this story has a proper ending." Kyoko commented.
"Very astute." Hifumi nodded. "The inhabitants began contracting strange diseases. Even the great priest was said to have died. They blamed and sacrificed the foreigner to appease the island's god. She was tortured and beaten for 16 days before she died after being run through with a spear and left to bleed out to death. Afterward, the natives later burned her corpse."
"Holy shit." Leon's eyes bugged out.
"I'm leaving the lights on tonight." Hiro was pale as a white sheet.
"It was an unlawful time." Celes drank from her teacup.
The doujin author chuckled. "The fun part starts when the charred remains of the sacrifice disappeared. The islanders searched and came up empty. A new plague descended on the community, changing them. Some mysteriously committed suicide, and others turned into savage killers. One morning, all life on the island vanished. The legend states that this misfortune was the witch's revenge and that she still roams around to these parts even to this day, spreading despair to all who visit."
"Shut the hell up. No way any of that's real, I'll bet Toki's life on it!" Yasuhiro screamed.
"W-Why not your own, y-you con-artist?" Toko snarled.
"It's just a fairy tale." Byakuya scoffed.
"He's right. I'm sure the rumor is just an attraction for customers otherwise there'd be incidents all the time and this area would be off-limits." Chihiro's brand of common sense was a welcome medicine for the more superstitious among them.
A low rumbling sound came shortly after.
"FOR THE LOVE OF ODIN, SHE'S HERE! Ogre, throw Hifumi at her." The psychic screamed as he grabbed both ends of his outlandish hair.
"You're overestimating Sakura if you think that she can lift Hifumi above ground." Celes chimed in. "Besides, I believe that sound came from Makoto."
"...Anyone up for dinner?" Makoto blushed. Most agreed and filed out in groups, heading towards the diner.
Byakuya had Makoto stay behind for a bit.
"Did you know there's an addition to that story?" Togami's fingers pressed on his glasses.
Makoto tilted his head.
"I'll take your slow-timed response as an answer. Assuming you aren't being your usual dull-witted self anyway. A rather bold assumption, I must admit." Makoto hoped that Byakuya didn't mean all of his insults. The bespectacled teen just had a compulsion to belittle everything that moved like it was second nature. Underneath it all, he was arguably the most honest and straightforward person the Luckster knew.
"The witch tale is indeed a common folktale; however, they also say that many years back, classes of our very own school were mercilessly killed by her on their vacation. What do you make of that?"
Makoto stared at him, slack-jawed, wondering what side of the field that curveball came from "You're just trying to scare me right? That could never happen. It'd be all over the news if it did."
"I wonder." Ambiguously, Byakuya smirked and silently walked off to who knows where.
Wasn't he the one against spreading rumors?
﹝•••﹞
Hajime woke up the next morning and prepared to head out. His thoughts were still a bit disgruntled by the story shared by the statue on the previous night.
He'd handled the fair share of ghost stories better than some at least. Lost in thought, he didn't notice he bumped into someone.
"My bad." Hajime apologized. Once getting a look at who he'd walked into, he internally takes it back.
"Could it kill you to be a little coordinated or is that asking too much of a reserve course?" Said the marshmallow-haired jackass himself.
"...I'm not looking to pick a fight with you guys. Screw off."
"It's insulting the others to group me in the same bracket but like mom used to say, it's uncouth to shy from a compliment. Even if it is from the lower class. So thanks, my name's Nagito Komaeda."
"Hajime Hinata, nice to meet you." He bit back the sarcasm and reintroduced himself. Guess their first introductions weren't worth the effort for the man to remember.
"That's quite the cordial greeting. A bit bothersome too now that I think about it."
"Why is that?"
"Chiaki and Miss. Yukizome bugged me all night about approaching you with...respect and kindness. It truly is amazing how merciful the ultimates can be towards scum, don't you think?"
It was quickly becoming apparent to Hajime that he was standing in front of an Ultimate fanboy he could never hope to comprehend.
Nagito rapidly shook his head. "Oh, there I go forgetting again. Under suggestions (orders) from my betters, I should have been more tolerant of you just now, while you retained your composure despite it. Either this means you know your place or I'm even more incompetent by comparison. What a dilemma."
What does he sound like a senile old man?
"I'm rather bad at explaining myself. What I'm trying to say is, let's try and get along." Nagito said, his smile seeming a bit forced however Hajime complied regardless.
"Sure," Hajime said dryly.
The two begrudgingly shook hands.
"As a token of our new friendship, let me give you some advice." Nagito's face turned grave. "Stay away from Izayoi and Ruruka from the upper class. They're kind of a pain even for me. No telling how they'd act in front of a reserve course when Seiko isn't around to keep Ruruka in check." Despite that 'advice', Nagito still made it sound like Hajime was the one at fault here.
"Thanks for the warning?" Hajime knitted his brows. How rotten did your personalities have to be to get called out by Nagito?
Here's to never finding out.
﹝•••﹞
In his search for Chiaki, he stumbled on one Ibuki Mioda leaving the men's barracks. He arched an eyebrow, knowing that particular room belonged to the pervert chef.
Why there of all places?
"Hajime found Ibuki, and she was being really sneaky too." She appeared to have noticed him as well.
"Hinata or Hajime is fine."
Ibuki nodded and promised to remember this time. 100% or so she said.
This was one excitable lady.
It was annoying in a different way from Nagito.
"What are you doing over here?" He asked.
"Ibuki had to drop something off in one of the boy's rooms."
"Gotcha. Did Chiaki come by? She wasn't feeling well yesterday. I thought I'd check on her."
"OOOOOH! Your secret's safe with me...as long as you help me out." Ibuki said quickly.
"I think you lost me a few steps back...and what was that last part?"
"Why else would you spend that much time together when you've barely spoken to the rest of us?"
Because I wouldn't last a day following your pace...
"We're not together all the time, Chiaki even said there's some amazing person who she's friends with. I haven't seen her that much in the past few days." Hajime explained.
"That pretty vague. Sure, that's not a lie?" Ibuki said unconvinced.
"That's what I said. If you guys don't know about it, maybe she really is as shy as Chiaki said." Then again, he could understand the desire to fly under the radar.
"Class rep might be talking about Junko."
Who?
"Nothing to do about that then." Ibuki mused. "Hey, wait! You didn't say all this just to distract me, did you? I'm having a solo at the Typhoon in a few days. Make sure you come or else." She demanded before storming off.
"It's only morning and I'm already exhausted. She didn't even answer my question."
"What question? And did you know mumbling to yourself in broad daylight is a sign of insanity, Hajime?" Hajime almost yelped at the sound of Chiaki's voice.
He ought to put a bell on her. "I was looking for you before I ran into Mioda. She practically forced me into going to her show."
"She probably just wants you to mix with everyone and is using her offer as an excuse. You're pretty awkward."
"Debatable."
"Just treat them like you treat me." Chiaki said.
"That's impossible for more reasons than one."
"You know, we weren't always as friendly as we are now. Last year, we barely attended class and rarely hung out together. Everyone was too busy focusing on improving their talents to think of genuine school life."
"That's a surprise." It was half-a-lie. If Hajime had talent, he'd focus on it 24/7, but with how close-knit Chiaki's classmates seemed, he thought they were the exceptions.
"It is, right? But Miss Yukizome told me even I could use a talent like gaming to achieve my goals and thanks to that, I was able to bring everyone together. It looks to me like Ibuki's trying to do the same for you. At least give her a chance." She said with a hopeful smile.
"When you put it that way, I don't have a choice but to show up."
"You do." Chiaki corrected. "But I'm happy you're considering it. I won't be going though."
That was a shocker. "Do you have plans?"
"Moreso that concerts aren't my scene. Speaking of which, you'll need these." Chiaki pulled some earbuds out of her bag and placed them on Hajime's hands "These are special buds Hope's Peak made me in order to focus on gaming. Even Ibuki's singing can be blocked out with this. Just keep them on until you get used to the pitch."
"Isn't it kind of rude to her?"
"I'm sure you'd agree your life's more important."
"What exactly am I getting into here?"
﹝•••﹞
Chiaki wasn't wrong, like at all, as Hajime confirmed at the Typhoon the next day. Ibuki Mioda's singing could kill a man; there was no other way to explain it. It took 30 full minutes for the shock to wear off and for him to adjust. After that, he did Ibuki the courtesy of taking them off.
He owed it to Ibuki and Chiaki to blend in. Some were easier to get along with, particularly Kazuichi Souda. The reserve course student noticed the shark-toothed mechanic was one of the less serious Ultimates given his antics on Central Island a few days back. He didn't look to be in a good mood though.
"Yo, what's got you down?" Hajime said. (cooly)
"Who's asking? Oh, you're that um...Hinata guy, right? Surprised you showed up to this thing." Kazuichi replied.
"I figured it'd be nice getting to know everyone else."
"Took you over a week for that? Well, better late than never. Just look over there." Hajime followed Kazuichi's directions to Sonia Nevermind and Gundam Tanaka together. The princess' happiness was a direct contrast to the brooding boy beside him.
"Say no more." Hajime took the hint.
"I know right, I'd drink my problems away, but Miss Yukizome would force me to swim across the island for that." Kazuichi heaved a deep, regretful sigh. Just when Hajime had crossed him off the list of fun people to spend time with, the guy livened up and showed off those shark teeth. "Oh well, I've still got time before I have to go work on a big project, let's hang till then."
Talk about one speedy recovery.
"Don't think I've properly introduced myself. Names Kazuichi Souda. Call me Kaz."
"I'm Hajime but you already kind of knew that."
﹝•••﹞
"How'd you like my songs!?" Ibuki almost jumped him at the end of the concert. As in, he literally, had to keep his arm out to stop her from tackling him to the floor.
"It rocked my world." Hajime said.
"Ibuki knew you had good taste. Too bad, you could have made a great bandmate." The compliment pleased the musician enough to get her to back off.
"Me on an instrument? You so don't want that." Hajime wasn't terrible, just bad. The latter was worse if you asked him. An amazingly awful singer is more interesting than the multitude of 'bad' ones. "Shame Chiaki couldn't make it."
"Class rep has never liked my music anyways. Stuff like that isn't for everybody you know?" She spoke.
Hajime was taken aback by how soberly Ibuki admitted that. He'd thought her hyperactivity was compensating for a fragile ego.
"Don't worry about it. You're the Ultimate Musician. If you were chosen by HPA then that means that there isn't anyone else in the world who is as talented in the field as you are." Hajime reassured the girl.
"...S'that right? Yeah, maybe it is. Thanks! I feel better now." Ibuki forced a smile. "I just need to improve so everyone will accept my style...I'll catch you later." Ibuki ran off...then ran back.
"Ibuki forgot the most important question." She pressed her hands on her hips and stared him down. "Did you buddy up with anyone?"
"Sort of. I think I've officially become Kaz's wingman." He laughed, but there was a far-off look in his eyes.
Ibuki's eyes widened in shock. "Woah. I've heard of starting from the bottom, but I didn't think anyone was desperate enough to dig that deep!"
"Don't be. Please."
﹝•••﹞
Back at his cottage, Hajime was ruminating over a fairly successful night. Maybe the ultimates weren't all that different after all.
In that case, there may be no need to...
His doorbell rang abruptly. Hajime got off the bed and opened the door.
"Got a moment?" Chisa Yukizome asked.
"Sure." He anxiously stepped out.
"I heard about Ibuki's concert. I was worried you would be uncomfortable out here."
Word travels fast. "I'm cool. Kazuichi's a unique guy." He relaxed, now that he confirmed there wasn't any trouble. Hajime had gotten along with most of the others. Only a few like Hiyoko, Byakuya, and Akane didn't take to him.
Chisa clapped her hands. "Glad to hear it! Now, I'm here to take attendance. There'll be a serious rainstorm, so I want to make sure everyone's in their cabin."
"I won't be going out tonight. I've already my share of fun." He replied.
"Chiaki could learn from you." Chisa sighed. "You haven't seen her, have you?"
"She didn't go to the Typhoon. I think she's with a student named Junko."
Chisa cocked her head to the side. "I didn't know we had a student like that."
"I didn't either. Ibuki told me. Apparently, she's one of the seniors."
"I'll have to check with the older class." The instructor nodded, then smiled back at him. "That's all for me. I won't keep you."
"Good night." Hajime waved and shut the door. Just as he was about to rest for the night.
*knock*
What now?
He stomached his irritation and motioned towards the door.
Chiaki stood outside his doorway. "Do you have time?"
"Can't it wait for tomorrow? It's going to rain." He groaned.
"It can't." She affirmed.
Chiaki wasn't forceful. It was probably a big deal.
"What's the emergency?" Hajime closed the door behind him.
"I was leaving the hotel and I think I saw one of the girls run into the abandoned building."
That was all? "That's not our problem."
"It'd be trouble for me if somebody got hurt." He remembered then. Chiaki was the class representative.
Shit.
"I came to ask you for help, but if you're not up to it, I could go by myself."
What self-respecting guy would say no to that? "I'm in."
He just hoped they'd get it over with quickly.
﹝•••﹞
The eerie building stood a good distance from the hotel. The windows were shattered; the front door was broken down and replaced with a warning sign forbidding entrance. And he was about to enter the wreck, at night, right before a potential storm.
"When we find this chick, she better kiss the ground I walk on." Hajime said.
Chiaki's silence prompted a concerned head tilt backward. "You okay there?" He noticed her flushed face.
"Yeah...I think."
He didn't. She barely kept herself upright. And that much sweat could only indicate a fever.
"Let's find her and get out of here asap." They pressed on.
The door handle was broken, making getting in as easy as pressing down on the frame. He flicked on his flashlight, illuminating the darkness.
"Good call, Hajime. I could barely see anything on the way over. I'd have been blind going in here." Something sounded off about Chiaki's comment.
"No problem." Hajime limited his speech, shielding his mouth from the vomit-inducing stench, dust, and the stale air.
They marched across the hallway. Creaking sounds erupt from the shifting floorboards. One felt like the rotting would give in under their weight.
Hajime noticed a run-down washroom pm the right and an opening leading to a large empty room further on the left. Suddenly he heard what seemed to be a window shattering and strong wind rushing in. Hajime ran over to the sound. All he heard and saw was the rainfall.
The storm was coming in.
"Are you sure you weren't seeing things, Chiaki? If someone had been here, they'd have noticed us a while ago..."
Hajime made a sharp turn to look behind him.
Chiaki was gone.
His heartbeat picked up, but rationality won out over panic.
"I'm the one with the flashlight. There's no way she'd be able to get around here." Nor was there a reason why she would. It was almost also pitch-black outside...so how was she able to tell whoever came in here was a student, much less a girl? The vantage point between here and the hotel's entrance was several meters, there's no way Chiaki could have made them out.
The boy's breathing became heavier trying to assess the worst-case scenario. "No, there's no way anyone was close enough, the floorboards are too loud. Nobody could have taken Chiaki unless they could levitate or fly and that was ridiculous. To pull that off, you'd have to be a ghost." Hajime stopped himself.
That's dumb.
He's being dumb.
"I get it now. They're all playing me." Hajime deduced.
Chiaki's odd behavior. Two teenagers walking into an abandoned building by themselves and one of them mysteriously disappearing? It was like a script out of a b-rated movie. The ordeal was staged as a means of trying to scare him off.
Wait. Wouldn't that mean I'm a 3rd rate actor? "Ugh, never mind. I'll just play along until I find them."
Hajime thought back to his near-miss of an assumption. "A mechanical killer teddy bear forcing high schoolers into a killing game. There's no way a concept that stupid could be real. I'm the one who's crazy for letting Kazuichi's story get to me. "
Hajime continued to wander as dust piled on his clothes. He had just gone through the kitchen where he found an assortment of knives and skewers. He made a mental note to stay the hell away from that area.
It wasn't long before he searched the entire building.
He'd had enough. He was tired beyond belief and the rush of adrenaline wasn't making his thoughts any more coherent. Hajime's only option was to turn around and leave.
"Looks like a dead end over there, Hajime."
His heart stopped. For what seemed like the 12th time in 3 days, Chiaki came from out of nowhere.
"Um, are you alright?" The gamer asked, a worried expression on her face.
"I'm not! What the hell do you think you're playing at going off on your own like that!?" Hajime wasn't normally the type to resort to anger, much less to his crush under normal circumstances. Too bad, nothing about this was normal, and none of it was funny.
"Sorry. There was something I needed to take care of and...well I can't tell you."
Hajime didn't buy her words for a second. She'd been acting strangely for a while now. "We're going back." Hajime passed her on the way to the exit.
He stopped moving when Chiaki's slender arms wrapped around him. The girl was fragile enough that the boy was confident he could pick her up with one hand. But right now, her grip felt like a weighted stone holding him down.
"What are you doing!?" His voice cracked and pitched.
Chiaki turned him around. Her face flushed unnaturally. "If this is the only way I can make it up to you then..."
Hajime couldn't get a word in before Chiaki pressed her lips against his. Even as he gave into pleasure, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
﹝•••﹞
He woke with a refreshed smile the next morning, having enjoyed every minute of a wild night. He took a shower, combed his unruly brown hair into a passable style, then headed out the door. Meals needed to be prepared after all. He'd had one particular dish in mind for everyone last night, but his 'secret ingredient' went missing the day before.
As usual, he had been the first to arrive at the hotel while everyone else was still asleep.
As usual, he began sorting out the ingredients from the cupboards.
What wasn't usual was the pool leaking out from the fridge. At first, he assumed someone forgot to close the lid on one of the pots and it dropped overnight.
Every second felt like an eternity as his senses were heightened. Consequently. it was easy to count the passing moments, even as his muddled mind tried to make out what laid before him.
If asked how long it took to process the imagery? He would have said 36 seconds.
If asked when his throat dried up and bile wormed its way up? 24 seconds.
If asked how long it took to become aware that he had wet himself? 49 seconds.
When he started screaming at the gruesome view of Hajime's severed head lodged in the fridge, Teruteru Hanamura wouldn't have an answer.
﹝•••﹞
*Yawn*
Makoto rubbed his eyes, partly taking care of an itch and partly shielding it from the sunlight seeping through his blinds. He went through the motions of starting his (not so) average daily life. Even after rigorous combing sessions, his hair remained a trademark mess.
The ultimate lucky student made his way towards the hotel for breakfast. With eyes facing forward, he became the unsuspecting victim of a surprise tackle from behind.
"Hehe. Sorry about that, shorty~" The woman behind him didn't sound the least bit apologetic.
An aggravated Makoto turned his head around from his position. It's the younger of the twins and a girl who seemed to have her head in the clouds constantly. Still, she and Makoto were famous for getting along.
The brunet wondered if becoming acquainted with a girl – his polar opposite in personality – was good luck or bad luck.
He took her outstretched hand in his and said, "Good morning, Ryoko."
Regrets #1: If I had taken your hand like this on that day...maybe I could have saved you.
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«I looooooooooved that exchange full of hate between Junko and Makoto.
It showed just how different these two are : stable but angry versus happily
insane. The clash was very awesome to see.
TeruTeru's love potion reference from the anime was INSANE.
Including Shinobu Togami from Danganronpa Togami Light Novel was also
a very nice touch. Especially with how she manipulated her brother to say
yes 💀 Actually, I remember that's a thing that repeats itself through much of
the storyline: references. If you went through all the sequels, animes and light
novels such as Zero, If, Ultra Despair Hagakure, Danganronpa Togami or
Kyoko's book, you'll find a lot of easter eggs.
What I truly loved was how the author tied the casts of the first and second
games! I squealed, screamed and cried.
Oh yeah, Hajime's corpse discovery was pretty gore, eh? Loved it. "But Boo,
don't you write love stories and other things like that?" You see, I'm a sucker
for horror and gore. Might write one and actually try to publish it one day but
more Agatha Christie's style.»
-Boo