(This story has both the game and anime in mind, as in my opinion the game does some things best - and the anime does other things better)
"...."
"........"
All I felt was a tight, seething pain above my left eye. It felt as though something had clawed its way into my brain matter, scrapping something out with the elegance of a hippo.
My mind was dark, but not in the usual way. I mean, it was quite literally dark. I - for the moment - could not perceive any image, any colour, any memory.
There were a few times I had felt similar. Not that at this moment I could recall them, maybe if I could it would help the frozen, spiked lump of pure dread in the depths of my stomach.
I felt totally aware of my body, somehow. My mind stayed black, my eyes stayed useless, i couldnt hear - taste - smell, all i could do was feel a growing sensation of dread. Well, that and...
Poke.
Poke!
Poke poke!
It was a light jabbing sensation, directly into my ribs.
Poke poke.
Pokepoke.
Pokepokepokepoke.
Slap.
Suddenly I pulled through, now aware of the sounds and smells but not ready yet to open my eyes. This must have been apparent to the poker.
"-ake up! Ugh, Cmon Y/n this isnt funny."
That voice...
"Oi, sleepy, dont make me tickle you."
Nope.
I shot up, my headache striking like lightning as i did, and my eyes struggling to latch onto any image in front of me. My aching arms fumbled around what I was leant on - attempting to locate my glasses.
A helping hand gave them to me, giggling slightly as she did.
Once awake and restoring my vision, I looked around.
I was sat at a desk, a pine wood desk to be precise. It almost didn't matter its make, but its good to know something and not need it than don't and do.
Seemingly, I had fallen asleep here. Atleast, that's what the current evidence suggested. Although i had no memory of it.
I moved my eyes upwards, seeing the yellowing white walls and chalk board in front of me - a podium clearly meant for a teacher stood proudly up front. Immediately, I had noted there was a monitor and security camera. But they both were rather bulky, and I took a silent note to see them up close soon.
For now, it's best I address the elephant in the room.
"Poke at my ribs again, and I swear to god I'll cut your fringe." I half jokingly threatened, before standing up.
The threat was aimed at my sister, Sayaka Maizono, who stood in front of me with a hand over her mouth as she giggled. But something seemed off, her laugh was almost forced.
I was, honestly, terrible at emotions. With me and Sayaka being twins, it was much easier to determine her emotions than anyone elses. It was something I had to achieve daily from the moment of my very first word. But even then, it was a lot of the time lost on me. I was worse at my own, finding them more overwhelming and demanding than I'd assume the average person would.
But in this case, I hit the nail on the head.
"Whats wrong, Yacka-jack?" I chimed, the nickname a play on of cracka-jack, but using the second half of her name. It had been something i called her since we were young.
"Do you not remember? I'll be a lot less freaked if you did." She replied, trying to stay calm but clearly panicking under it. She wasn't doing it for my sake, but rather her own.
I hummed as I thought.
My mind felt almost tampered with, but perhaps I was just groggy.
Recalling as much as I could it dawned on me.
We had just arrived here, Hopes Peak Academy, when..
"We passed out. Strange." I stated evenly, more intrigued than worried.
This didn't help Sayaka.
However, I didn't notice as I jumped into my prefered action - investigation! -ugh, that sounded so lame.
I started looking around the room with a skip in my step, checking desks one by one. Without thinking, I had my pocket journal out with a pencil that had seen better days. And so, i started note taking.
'No visible dust on or around desks, however a collection is located In between the nuts of the metal plates. Also theres metal plates on the windows.'
Sayaka just watched, opting to sit on a desk top while doing so.
"You know, I'm fairly certain we're supposed to be going to the entrance hall." She called out, to which I hummed out.
"N'minute"
She rolled her eyes, before I - without notice - started to leave the classroom. Sayaka followed in tow.
As we winded down the hallways, I took notes of room numbers, and cameras, and lights, and just anything I could.
The first time investigating, you overanalyse; The second time round is for finding the imperfections that make it up.
Where the hell did I get that tidbit from?
Idly, I thought about my mind while we walked. I recalled why we were here, why Sayaka was specifically, but my mind drew a harsh blank elsewhere. Maybe Id hit my head, a concussion would explain my short term memory loss.
It wasn't important right now. What was important was the serious lack of viewable windows. They'd been attached to the inside, which made me think they're more to barricade then to trap. Unless we found a door soon that lead outside, it was likely whoever put them there was here with us.
"Where do you think everyone is? This is supposed to be a school, the halls should be full this time in the morning." Sayaka stated, and it was a really good point.
"I honestly couldn't happen a guess. But since we're going to the entrance hall, I imagine theres at least someone." I replied, my eyes still jumping around walls and doors as my left hand scribbled into my journal.
"I guess. Just think other classes would be here, Y'know?" The Idols tone was calmer now we were moving. She always found calm in progress - staying still was her idea of hell.
I guess it made sense, in her line of work if you stop to breathe for only a moment - you've already been surpassed.
Not much time had passed, and we'd made it to the entrance hall. Sayaka opened the doors first, stepping inside as I followed behind.
Uck, people.
I think I preferred the halls, even if they were a bit uneasy feeling.
"Thats sixteen. You think anyone else is coming?" A voice chimed.
Someone in back made a dramatic noise, "Theres two more! I know it! The coy fish of my minds eye told me so!"
A voice that carried nobility - or rather, was quite snobby - chastised him. "Yes, and the horse in mine told me you're full of it."
I didn't pay attention to much more, I started in order of corner, going around the room and noting down all I saw. The school was clean - but there were signs of wear and tear. This stood out to me, a school as prestigious as hopes peak starts a new year without any repairs to its walls or floors? Weird. Most schools pride themselves on their aesthetic - it's what draws parents in, which pushes students in, which is of course a necessity. It always puzzled me how people only wanted the 'polished and pretty' things in life.
I much preferred imperfections, they're what makes things interesting. There's more stories in marks and sun-bleaching, scars and badly painted walls than a perfect stock image.
I kept looking, my right hand now bearing a glove from my blazer pocket to enable me to touch things.
That was another issue of mine. Germs.
It seemed Sayaka had took it on herself to introduce us, and I didn't bat an eye to those who looked at me like I was selfish for not giving them my attention while she did.
"Im Sayaka Maizono, the ultimate pop sensation!" She giggled as she said her title proudly, and she deserved that pride. More than anyone I knew, at least.
"And that mad-man is my brother, Y/n Maizono."
I didnt look at anyone, I was too busy pulling the post box from the right corner to sit underneath the gun/camera combo that hung above the strange gate that had replaced the main door.
"Whats his thing?" The man with coy fish in his head asked, to which a high pitched and frankly perverted voice replied.
"H-his thing?!"
I ignored both.
"He's the Ultimate Private Investigator."
That seemed to explain my actions up until this point. Enough for people to leave it alone.
I had stood on the post box now, looking into the gun part of the camera. The eraser part of my pencil was prodding the inner mechanism gently, I wanted to see if the dust matched the rest of the room.
"T-thats not real is it?" A small voice called to me, this time I gave a little of my attention to the girl.
She was wearing a green sailor uniform, her light brown hair being something she looked she wanted to hide behind.
"Would the answer to that question ease your worries?" I replied, eyes back onto the gun in question. I felt another pair of eyes on me, but didn't think anything of it.
The girl shrugged. "That depends on the answer, I-I suppose."
I let out what was almost a laugh, but more accurately a sigh, my right hand holding onto the place of interest as I turned my attention to the girl.
"So the question is, do you want the truth or do you want security?"
The girl pondered a moment. "T-the truth."
I nodded. "Very well. It is real. But that isn't the most interesting part of it."
The girls eyes widened at my words, she seemed scared. Or at least I inferred as much, considering theres a fuckin gun on the ceiling.
I extended a gloved left hand to her - something i wouldn't have done if it was bare - and gave her a convincing smile. "You seem to have wits, I wouldn't be too worried about this going off. It needs to be triggered. So what do they call you?"
The girl took my hand to shake, her grip showed little confidence in this. "Ch-Chihiro Fujisaki. Im the Ultimate Programmer."
I nodded, retracting my hand and continuing to look at the gun.
"Nice to meet you, Fujisaki-san. I'm Y/n Maizono."
She just nodded. "I-I know. Your sister said earlier."
I hummed.
I still felt those eyes on me. They weren't judging, or uncomfortable. It felt like an unanswered question silently hanging in the air. By the time I flicked my eyes in their direction, however, they had gone. Three people stood in that general vicinity, and of those three - I couldn't tell you whose they belonged.
The door opened again, a panicked student running in.
"Whoa, hey! Another new kid?" Called one of the students at him. Y/n didnt care much for introductions, so he hopped down off the post box and returned it to its position.
The eyes were back on the back of his head.
Shrugging it off, he happened to see the last arrival.
"Um.. how's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi." The boy chimed, clad in a jumper-blazer combo. Not the smartest, but its not like we had uniform today.
A flash of recognition came to Y/n, some memories filtering into his head. He knew Naegi from Blackroot Junior High. Infact, if he remembered right-
Yep. Looking at his sister, her face turned from the previously scared, to one of excitement. Finally, she was getting her shot at talking to him. Oh damn, did Y/n remember bullying her about the small crush she had.
"I'm sorry im late. A bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden I was just... asleep." Naegi finished.
Hm... so thats everyone who's had that today? Strange.
I didn't pay much attention now, as Naegi got introduced to everyone, instead I was by the armoured door - noting down the mechanisms across it.
Ding dong, bing bong
The monitor in the room came on, static emanated it until the feed stabilised, but it was merely a silhouette of a bear.
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system!" The voice was high and gravelly, it sounded as if a child had its vocal cords exposed.
"Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...!"
Everyone glared at each other, then to the screen once again as we listened.
"Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at.. a-right now!
Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. "
...
"Thats all. I'll be waiting!" It finished, then the screen cut out.
A pause.
"What. The. Hell was that just now?" Someone spoke up, fear in their voice.
Another student attempted to leave.
"Well then, if you'll excuse me."
"H-hey!" The same girl.
"What, you're just gonna take off just like that!?"
A conversation started up. I didn't feel like waiting on a cliffhanger, so I silently left while the others talked. Sayaka ran after me.
"Wait, Y/n? Are you not scared?" She asked, now by my side as I walked. I could hear other students behind us following.
"Sure. More curious, you could say." I answered honestly.
Sayaka sighed, "You're weird."
The eyes were back. My brow raised as I turned to walk backwards.
Everyone was behind me. Not exactly able to eliminate people - they all see me.
Shrugging it off, I turned back and entered the gym. Everyone soon followed, and we stood with plenty space between us. The only exception being me and Sayaka, who was for all intents and purposes, glued to my hip.
"Oh. It really looks like an entrance ceremony.." Came Naegi's voice as I looked around.
The need to sarcastically reply was great. But right now, I was in PI mode.
Everyone around looked on edge, even Hagakure - who was convinced this was a stage by the school board.
The only two people who held their composure, were myself, and an iron faced girl to my left. Her Lilac eyes were slowly tracing the room much like mine were. Eventually, they met e/c.
Y/n just nodded in her direction, before continuing to look around.
Then the voice from the monitors spoke across the room.
"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then lets get things a-rollin!"
Suddenly a black and white bear jumped up from behind the stage podium, and sat atop it with a mic and glass of water. Its white side was a normal bear, but the black side had a large, manic grin. Its eye was red, in the same shape as one of the logos on the school crest.
My eyebrow raised, staring at the robot. His exterior was impressive. It seemed to have the same textures as an actual teddy, the mouth unnervingly realistic as pristine teeth clenched in a grin.
"Huh? A..teddy bear?" Fujisaki reacted, both confused and dreading.
"I'm not a teddy bear!" It replied,
"I...am...Monokuma!" It seemed to be proud of its name.
"And I am this schools headmaster! Nice to meet you all!"
One of the students screeched. "Wh-? Waaaaah? That teddy bear can talk!"
The urge to slow clap his dumb observation was actually making my bones itch.
"Calm down! I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it." Came the voice of our school swat.
"I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear..." he whispered.
"I'm Monokuma! And I'm yout headmaster!" It all but screamed, arms raising.
The genius from earlier just panicked about its movement.
"Seriously man, calm down! It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'." Said the tall guy with the weird perm-mullet.
"How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana trench..." Monokuma actually sounded dejected. Then it was replaced with smug.
"My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA cant recreate or even comprehend them! Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams. I just couldn't bear that!" It joked.
" 'bear' that? Really? You are... unfortunate." Came the voice of the gambler. I didn't catch her name, but her comment did earn a snort - which was acknowledged.
"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started..." Monokuma brought the conversation back.
"Giving up already? No other stupid bear puns?" Came the girl from earlier's voice - a fashionista maybe? Likely.
"Quiet down now, quiet down! Ah, okay so..!" Said the bear.
"He has abandoned the gag..." A rough voice called, the woman had muscles for daayyyyssss. I looked to her, silently impressed at the dedication to get that way.
"Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And... good morning!" Chimed the 'headmaster'.
Instantly, the white clad swat bowed into a - surprising - 180° angle.
"Good morning!!!" His voice boomed.
"Y-you dont have to s-say it back..." Man, I really had to get names at some point.
Monokuma continued. "Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like."
"Now, ah, make no mistake - you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope in 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."
There was a pause, almost everyone's face contorting to horror. Sayaka had inched her way closer to me now, grabbing my arm like it was the key to the exit.
"Ah, now then... regarding the end date for this communal life... There isn't one!! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."
"W-what did he say? Until w-we die?!" Came the purple clad girls voice.
"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you wont lack for all the common conveniences." The bear added.
It was Sayaka who spoke next, her demeanor shifted to a more angry tone as she clenched my arm. "That's the least of our worries right now!"
The supposed fashionista agreed. "Yeah, what the hell?! You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?"
The voice boomed now, patience thinning. "I am not screwing with you! I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure."
His demeanour relaxed again. "Ah, and just for your information.... you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty, dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"
Naegi came next. "Cut off..? So all thise metal plates all over the school... They're there to keep us trapped in here?"
I lightly shook my head in disagreement, catching the eyes of the lilac haired girl from before. Her iron mask still in place.
I just don't believe that. If it was to trap us in, they would be bolted to the outside.
"That's exactly what they're there for." The bear confirmed.
"No matter how much you may yell and scream for help... Help will not come. So with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"
"Come on, what the hell is this?" Said the ginger.
"I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."
Sheep mullet spoke next. "Yeah! Cut this shit out! It isn't funny anymore!"
Monokuma was getting short now.
"You keep saying all this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of sceptics, all of you! But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbour..."
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when the time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."
The gambler spoke next, hands folded against her chest. "Having to live here forever would be... quite the problem."
"Come, now. What's the matter with all of you? You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?" The bear was, again, on a spiel.
"Oh, but you know... I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There is one way for you to leave school... "
"R-Really...?"
"As headmaster, i've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it.... the graduation clause!
Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As i mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle.
And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school.
That, my students, is the graduation clause!"
"What do you mean by 'disrupt the harmony'?" Came the snob's voice, teeth clenched.
Seriously, Y/n, we need names.
"Puhuhu..." it laughed. "Well, you know..."
...
"If one person were to murder another."
Neagi practically pissed himself. "M-Murder?!"
"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it 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 possible way."
Everyone was on edge. Naturally. I was starting to worry, but I pushed it down for later. The best possible way to end a situation, is always to deescalate first.
A mantra I knew well. Not that I knew how at this moment.
Out of curiosity, I looked over to the girl from before.
Her face was still stone. Of course, she was affected by its words, but whatever it was she was feeling wasn't showing. It was like she mastered putting logic first.
I suddenly had a flash in my head, some sort of dot connecting. I felt as though I knew someone similar. Someone I... looked up to maybe? Best to ignore it for now.
I lifted my hand to meet Sayaka's - which was still attached to my arm. I was not the master of putting my logic first, and needed the comfort of my big sister.
"Puhuhuhu. I bet that got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh?" It joked.
No one appreciated its irony.
"Like i said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know.... taking hope and seeing jt get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair.
And i just find that so... Darn... Exciting!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! To kill each other is... its...!" Said the ginger.
"To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure theres a dictionary here somewhere if you need it." The bear bluntly stated.
"We know what it means, that's not the problem! Why do we have to kill each other?!" A sporty woman in red yelled.
"Yeah! Stop blabbering on either side all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!" Screamed the high pitched guy.
"......Blabbering?
Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean blabbering?! Stop blabbering on about blabbering on!
You guys just don't get it, do you?"
" ' Let us go, let us go!' You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over..! Listen.
From this moment on, this school is your home. Your life. Your whole world. Got it?
And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"
"As if." I stated, voice blunt.
"As if what?" The bear asked.
"As if you want us to go on a killing spree. You're after entertainment, no? If one of us committed mass murder right now - all this set up, all this energy, would be wasted. Do not say things you don't mean." I explained.
The guy - who was definitely not school age - took over the conversation.
"He's not serious anyway. I mean, come on. How long you gonna keep this up?"
"Eh?"
"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go head and reveal the trick now." He explained.
"Reveal the trick...?"
"Yeah, 'cause I mean... Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh.. like..."
Mullet started yelling. "Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way!"
He shoved the guy aside, and he went in front of Monokuma.
"Listen up, asshole! This shits gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke is this!?"
Monokuma waddled up to him. "Joke? What, you mean like your hair?"
Mullet started screaming curses, and charged at him with a creak of the floor. He flew at Monokuma, grabbing him with a hand and lifting him up above his head.
"Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I dunno if you're a toy, or a stuffed animal, or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to fucking shreds!"
"Waah! Violence against headmaster Monokuma is in violation of the school rules!" The bear screeched.
"Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ..."
A beeping started, coming from Monokuma. It gradually got faster and faster.
"What, no smartass comeback this time?!" The mullet headed dumbass yelled.
Beep beep.
"Stop that goddamn beeping and say something!" He roared.
Suddenly, the lilac haired girl yelled. Her voice was stern, needing no question.
"Watch out! Get rid of it!"
Of course, muscle brains still got confused.
"H-Huh?"
"Hurry up and throw it!" She yelled again, making her tone more urgent.
Mullet just stared at Monokuma, as if frozen.
"Oh, you fuckin' idiot." I said in irritation, dropping Sayaka's hand and running at the guy. Despite the height difference, I seemed to have stunned him enough to be able to smack his hand away and throw Monokuma myself.
As soon as he was airborne, he exploded. I crossed my arms above my head, taking some of the shrapnel from the bear. I wasn't hurt, just pissed - and now with bits of black and white furr stuck to my hair. I turned around to Mullet, seething.
"Did you not hear her?! She couldn't have been much clearer than that!" I started yelling at him, attack dog energy despite my five foot five height.
"What the hell?! Th-That sure as shit wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up!"
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, smart ass, hence being told to throw it."
I then rustled my own hair in a harsh manner, getting the debris out of it before walking back next to Sayaka.
She looked me over a moment, making sure I was okay, before we both put our attention back to the room.
Fujisaki was next to speak.
"But you know.. This means that teddy bear's been destroyed, right?"
"I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!" Another robot popped up, waddling into the middle of the floor.
"Uwah! Theres another one?" Screamed the ginger.
"You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me just now!" Mullet yelled.
"Fuckin' genius, this one." I muttered, Sayaka elbowing me in return.
"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on.
Any naughty boy or girl who violates my tules wont get off with just a little swatt on the butt!" Monokuma stated.
"H-hey.. so does this mean theres, like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?" The fashionista asked.
"Monokuma's have been placed all throughout the school, yes." The bear confirmed.
"Plus, don't forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere.
And if you're caught breaking any rules, well.... You all just saw what happened, right?
Puhuhuhu... And i wont be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!"
"Th-thats not even punishment. Thats just... wrong..." Came the sporty girls voice.
"Now then, lastly... To commemorate your joyous entry into out school, I have a little something for you..."
The bear held out 16 little electronic devices.
"This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, its fully digital. So naturally, we call it... The e-Handbook!"
"Ahem. Yes, well, moving on... This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one!
Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has many more uses than that!
Also, its completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking!
And thanks to it's space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of out school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!"
"You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation if school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws.
The same thing applies here! Ehich is why it's crucial we have strict punishment in place for violators!
Okay, well... that brings us out entrance ceremony to a close!
Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And... see ya!"
And with that, he was gone. No one saw where, or how, but he was gone.
"So, guys.. How would you define what we just experienced?" Eyebrows asked.
"How...? Why....? I don't understand any of this...." Replied ginger.
"We have to l-live here forever....? Or...k-kill?" Said the blackish haired girl with braids.
"Wh-what...? What just happened!?"
"Everyone, we need to just calm down." A calculated voice cut in, her gloved hand holding her chin in thought. I nodded, agreeing.
"First, let's just take a second to summarise everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices." She continued, lifting her gaze to the room and folding her arms.
"Choice number one is that we each stay here, living a 'communal life' together until the day we die. And the other choice is...."
The gambler took over.
"If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?"
Fujisaki was next.
"But... killing someone... That's..."
"We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school. And now we're supposed to start killing eachother? This is...
This is... this is just! What is this?!"
Okay, so apparently, no one wanted to calm down.
"A lie, is what it is. All these ridiculous things we've heard... This all has to be fake!" Eyebrows sounded about as convincing as a mouse claiming to be a lion.
Then, the snob spoke up, his words drawing everyone's attention.
"Right now it doesnt really matter if its real or fake. What matters is...
Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this..?"
Everyone went silent, staring at one another with dread and hostility. No one trusted anyone. In this moment, I couldn't tell if it was good or bad luck...
...That I was here with Sayaka.
On one hand, we could trust each other without doubts.
....But on the other....
If one of us died, the other would be in pieces.
I shook away the thoughts, but shakily took my sister's hand anyway. She squeezed it in return.
The moments drew on. Dread built....
I have to figure this place out.