Chapter Text
Makoto Naegi: Age 5
If one were to ask Naegi what he felt the two strongest emotions were, he’d give the following answer without missing a beat.
“Fear and love.”
To the boy, they were opposite sides of the same coin.
Selfish yet Selfless, crippling yet motivating, rational yet irrational; these were just some of the qualities that the two emotions shared with one another. They were beautiful, yet horrifying paradoxes.
However, despite their similarities, they shared one important but obvious difference: love brings out the best in people while fear brings out the worst.
With enough love, even the weakest of people can find the strength to overcome obstacles that seemed impossible. They can be filled with boundless courage and determination, a sense of meaning in their lives motivating them to tackle any challenge that comes their way.
But the moment someone allowed for fear to consume them, then they become a shallow husk of a person. Their strength, skills, and intellect are suppressed as they are unable to function around the source of their fears. Only by overcoming that fear can they reach their true capabilities once more.
For most, how easily they can overcome fear and embrace love is a direct result of their life experiences and their environment.
Even so, there were a small group of people capable of embracing the power of love even in the worst of places.
Makoto Naegi was one of those people. It was only because of the love for his family that he was able to survive in an environment where many others had perished.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean he wasn’t affected by fear. One can be influenced by both emotions at the same time. The reason Naegi had taken so many lives was because of the fear of what would happen to him if he didn’t, a fear that his kidnappers had made sure to engrave into his heart and mind every chance they got.
The first time they did so was a day the boy could never forget.
Two days after he met the older man who ‘worked’ on his body, he and his fellow prisoners were rounded up and brought into a large empty room. The room was so empty that it didn’t even have any windows. Only a podium was present.
Each child’s arms and legs were handcuffed, preventing them from getting far if they tried to escape. Apparently, a child in one of the other rooms managed to slip past the guards and bolt for the exit. Whether they made it or not, Naegi did not know. He only heard the tiniest bits of the story from the guards gossiping with their peers.
Forced to sit down on the cold, hard floor, the children waited in anticipation of what was to come. By now, none of them had the strength or motivation to do anything else, especially when there were ten guards with guns surrounding them.
Sitting in the last row, Naegi was able to get a glimpse of the amount of victims he was in the room with, counting about fifty other children, all of whom were Japanese. Though fifty seemed like a large number, it was tiny in comparison to the amount of kids Naegi saw when he was accidentally placed with the English speaking children the first day he arrived.
He wouldn’t learn until later that there were even more children that had been kidnapped as well, each from different countries…
Eventually, after what felt like hours of waiting, the door swung open as a man entered. Each of the soldiers saluted him as he walked past them. Naegi couldn’t help but notice that despite the soldiers being Japanese, the man wasn’t, having similar features to the older man he had the displeasure of meeting the day before.
Once the man reached the podium, he tapped the microphone that was on it to make sure that it was working before beginning to speak in fluent Japanese.
“ATTENTION!”
Naegi, along with several other children, winced at the loud noise.
“I will only be saying this once, so make sure you’re listening!”
The man pointed to himself.
“First off, you will only refer to me as ‘Sir’ or ‘General’! Failure to do so will lead to punishment! Is that clear?!”
He got no answer from the petrified children.
“I said…” with the snap of his fingers, he had the other men point their guns at them. “IS THAT CLEAR?!”
A chorus of nervous ‘yeses’ of affirmation echoed throughout the room.
“Good. I’ll keep things brief: you have all been drafted to fight a war.”
‘What?’
Even as a five year old, Naegi knew the weight that these words carried, and so did his fellow prisoners. Some immediately began to cry, though they made sure to be silent so as to not upset the guards.
“I will not lie, most of you, if not all of you, will probably die out there, but if you wanna lower your chances of doing so, then you will make sure that you give it your all this year!”
He stood quiet for a few seconds to allow the children to process his words, but it was not nearly enough time for them to come to grips with their new lives. Not that it mattered to him.
“Yes, you heard me right. I said year. That is how long I have to whip you into shape before I send you out. You will learn the language spoken here, you will learn to fight, and you will learn how to do as you’re told. This year is going to be hell, but it will be nowhere near as bad as what awaits you.”
A quick nod to his guards caused two of them to leave the room.
“You have no choice in the matter. Your lives are no longer your own. Have a problem with that? Well too bad! I suggest you get used to it, because if you try to resist, it won’t end well.”
The doors opened, and the two guards returned. Several of the children yelped in fear due to what they were dragging behind them.
It was another child, and he seemed to be in immense distress. His face was covered with bruises and his left eye was swollen shut. Blood was splattered all around them, with a bit still flowing from their mouth. Finally, on their cheek and neck were large burn marks.
Bringing the child to the man, one of the guards forced him on his knees while the other guard went back to his spot.
“Yesterday, he tried to escape,” the man informed his audience. “He thought he could get away from us, but know this! No matter where you go, no matter how far you run; we. will. find. you.”
He then whipped out a handgun and pulled the safety back.
“Now watch closely…”
He pointed the gun at the child.
*BANG!*
Screams echoed in the room as the man put a hole through the child’s head. None of the prisoners could not believe that they saw someone get executed live in front of them.
Naegi threw up in horror at the brain-matter being spilt all over the corpse’s body.
*Thud!*
The deceased child fell like a sack of potatoes.
“THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU FALL OUT OF LINE!” The man shouted at the crying children. “So unless you want to end up like him, you’ll do as you’re told.”
Everything else after that was a blur…
As much as Naegi wished to forget about this day, it was a memory that would always be seared in his mind. The bruises and burn marks, the look of utter hopelessness the child had on him, and witnessing someone not much older than him being gruesomely killed…
All of it was enough to keep five year old Naegi paralyzed with fear.
It didn’t help that he would go on to experience even worse horrors… ones that would truly test his will to survive…
0000
‘Well… here it is…’
Finding the gymnasium wasn’t a tough ordeal for Naegi. Having explored the entire floor already, the boy knew where the room was located. Even so, he took a bit to actually reach the place.
Just like when he first woke up, he moved slowly, wary of any traps or ambushes that potentially awaited him. Nothing had changed on that front though, so he completed the trip unharmed.
‘I have no choice but to go in… ’
He had no idea who or what was on the other side of the door. All he knew was that it wasn’t going to be anything good.
Running was unfortunately not an option. The only way to handle this challenge was to face it head on.
‘Maybe I’ll finally get some answers… ’
Why were his classmates and himself kidnapped? What did their captors want from them? Who, or what, were they dealing with? How did they manage to not only kidnap all of them, but invade Hope’s Peak as well? The answers to those questions were possibly going to be answered.
All he had to do was open the door.
Taking a deep breath, Naegi proceeded to do just that and was greeted with the sight of a small trophy room.
Quickly but cautiously glancing around, the boy moved forwards.
As to be expected, the trophy room was filled with just that, trophies. Awards for various sports were proudly displayed throughout, each one earned by the Ultimates that preceded his class.
Of the trophies, one in particular managed to catch his eye. A golden sword resting on a classical wooden sword stand.
‘It looks like they’re not attached .’
The former soldier proceeded to grab the hilt of the weapon and attempted to remove it from its resting place. As he predicted, the two were separate items so he was able to do so with no issues.
Just by holding the sword, he could tell it was only a prop. Gently tapping the blade with his finger only confirmed this as his experience with blades allowed him to recognize that the prop wasn’t sharp enough to cut flesh.
‘It’s even painted poorly .’
Despite how delicately he was handling the faux weapon, it already covered his hand with dry paint.
‘...It’s still better than nothing…’
Though he decided to leave his chair back at the front entrance, having another weapon to use was something he welcomed. Unlike the clunky piece of furniture, the fake katana in his hand was easier to handle. Even if he can’t use it to cleave, he could still use it to parry incoming attacks.
New weapon in hand, he once more pushed ahead, opening the set of doors in front of him and walking into the extremely large gymnasium.
‘Why’s this place so big? ’
He saw no need for the room to be so enormous, but now wasn’t the time to think much about such a trivial matter.
Looking forward, he saw that the rest of his classmates were all there, making him the last one to arrive once more. All the way at the end of the gymnasium was a stage with a small podium.
‘It looks like a normal ceremony. ’
Naegi’s grip on his sword tightened as he felt his muscles tense up. He wasn’t fooled by the room’s appearance.
Unfortunately some of his classmates had fallen for the bait.
“See? Told ya! It's totally normal entrance ceremony stuff,” Hagakure said. It appeared as if his classmates started conversing while he was gone.
The boy was about to insert himself into said conversation, but the cheery voice from the intercom decided to pipe up before he could do so, echoing around the room.
“Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone *finally* here?”
The voice didn’t even bother trying to hide its annoyance at the soldier’s lateness.
“Good! Then let's get things rolling!”
Naegi slid his left leg back, ready to react to even the slightest sign of danger.
A slight rumbling sound started coming from within the stage. A few seconds went by before a figure shot out of the floor and landed on the podium.
Now, Naegi’s time as a soldier had exposed him to sights no ordinary person could stomach. Charred bodies, guts painted across rooms, methods of torture that would drive anyone insane… for the longest time, that was his life. It was a life he learnt to live without flinching.
But this? This was so far from the ordinary that he was still questioning what exactly he was looking at.
“Huh? A teddy bear?”
Thankfully, Fujisaki was able to find the words that he lacked.
Just as she said, the object that landed on the podium was indeed a teddy bear, but it wasn’t any old stuffed toy. The bear’s coloring was split vertically, with its left half being completely white and the right being black. Only its comical belly button remained the same white color.
The left side of the bear was unremarkable. The right side though, that was a different story. Instead of a button eye, a large red lightning bolt took its place. Its mouth was also drastically different, with a full set of teeth being contained in a smile that extended to its cheek.
“I'm not a teddy bear!” Said bear replied, the same voice that came from the monitors now coming from the animatronic. “I...am...Monokuma! And I am this school's headmaster!”
‘What the hell did he just say? ’
Naegi had to have misheard him. There was no way this thing was declaring itself as the Headmaster of Hope’s Peak. To do so in such a carefree and jolly manner as if it was common knowledge… it was completely out of place in regards to the actual scene in front of him.
The bear’s existence had the soldier’s body begging to move, to use the katana in his hand to take out the robot, but he kept himself in place. As of right now, the bear, Monokuma as he said his name was, hadn’t attacked them. Doing something drastic could change that, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take when he knew nothing about Monokuma’s capabilities.
In regards to how his classmates were handling the news, he didn’t even have to look at them to understand that they felt similarly about Monokuma.
“Wh--? Waaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!” Yamada screeched.
“Calm down!” Ishimaru told him, trying to prevent the other boy from freaking out, though he didn’t seem to be doing much better himself. “I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it.”
Monokuma glared at the students. “I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear… I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!”
‘Alright, I did hear that right the first time... ’ Naegi thought to himself as Yamada continued to freak out.
“Waaaaah! It moved!”
“Seriously man, calm down!” Owada yelled, clearly not taking the situation well. Just like the soldier, the Ultimate Biker Gang leader was doing his best to restrain himself, but judging by the throbbing vein on his head, he was struggling to do so. “It's prolly just a remote control toy or somethin'.”
“How dare you compare me to a child's plaything!” Monokuma sulked, his mood doing a complete one eighty. “You've cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench…”
His face suddenly became smug. “My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it!”
Chances were that he was completely bluffing, but his bragging still made Naegi’s heartbeat rise.
'If that’s true, then whoever’s behind this is someone more powerful than I could ever imagine .’
“Ah, but don't make me say stuff that might destroy NASA's dreams,” Monokuma remarked with a wave of his hand. “I just couldn't BEAR that!”
Celeste covered her mouth with a hand, eyes widening at the pun. “‘Bear’ that? Really? You are...unfortunate.”
The animatronic didn’t bother acknowledging her. “Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started…”
Monokuma suddenly stood up. “Everyone stand at attention and bow! And...good morning!”
Only one person returned the gesture.
“Good morning!”
f*ckawa gave the Ultimate Moral Compass a critical look. “Y-You don't have to s-say it back…”
“Now then,” Monokuma said as he proceeded to look at the fifteen Ultimates in front of him. “Let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!”
Naegi’s eyes began locking onto the bear. Things were about to hit the fan, he just knew it.
“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 of the world. And to protect such splendid hope…”
The pause only added to everyone’s anxiety. Naegi could feel his hands and feet start to sweat.
“...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.”
‘Huh?’
The soldier’s heart dropped. While he knew that there was a chance his kidnappers wanted to keep them prisoner, hearing it coming from Monokuma’s mouth… it only justified Naegi’s feelings.
“Ah, now then...regarding the end date for this communal life…” Monokuma continued. “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.”
“Wh-What did he just say?” f*ckawa asked. “Until the day we d-die...?”
Though unnoticeable to everyone else, Naegi started gritting his teeth. ‘I can’t stay here… I refuse to… ’
Memories of his family began playing in his head. The patience and love his parents gave him even when he was arguably a stranger to them, the banter Komaru and him engaged in… he was ready for Monokuma to finish giving him information so he could strike. If he had to fight hundreds of Monokuma to regain his freedom once more, he was prepared to do so…
“Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences,” the animatronic cheerfully informed them.
“That's the least of our worries right now!” Maizono shouted, echoing everyone’s thoughts at the moment.
“Yeah, what the hell? You're saying I have to live here forever?” Enoshima asked. “You’re screwing with us, right?”
“I am not screwing with you!” Monokuma adamantly replied. “I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure.”
The bear’s temper instantly dissipated after shouting at the model. “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!”
‘So I was right about why the plates and vault door were installed… ’ Naegi thought to himself once more.
“Come on, what the hell is this?” Kuwata shakily asked, all color having been drained from his skin. “I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke.”
“Yeah! Cut this sh*t out! It isn't funny anymore!” Owada agreed, his face red from anger.
“You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you,” Monokuma replied, his tone indicating that he was clearly savoring their reactions. “But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor... Well you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth.”
“Having to live here forever would be...quite the problem,” Celeste disappointedly remarked, her voice almost nonchalant in tone. Judging by the almost unnoticeable shaking of her hands though, it was clear to the soldier that just like himself, she was doing her best to hold herself back.
The bear tilted his head. “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?”
‘Yes.’
Almost as if he had read the boy’s mind, Monokuma’s smile widened. “Oh but you know... I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There *is* one way for you to leave the school…”
A glimmer of hope sparked in f*ckawa’s eyes. “R-really?”
The animatronic nodded. “As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it...the Graduation Clause!”
With how enthusiastic Monokuma sounded, the soldier could already tell that he wasn’t going to like what the bear had to say next.
“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!”
…And he was completely right.
‘What? ’
Naegi felt a pang of nausea hit his head, almost causing him to drop his sword.
‘Is he for real? ’
The meaning of Monokuma’s words wasn't lost on him. He knew exactly what the bear was trying to say.
It seemed Togami did as well, the blonde shooting Monokuma a powerful glare. “What do you mean by ‘disrupt the harmony’?”
“Puhuhu,” Monokuma giggled in amusem*nt before flashing the heir a sinister smile. “Well, you know... If one person were to murder another.”
Silence echoed around the gymnasium, the atmosphere feeling as if the weight of gravity had suddenly doubled in intensity. It was the voice of Enoshima that finally broke it.
“M-murder?”
“Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting,” Monokuma casually listed. “How you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that.”
The bear slid his left foot back so his right side was facing them. Despite the animatronic being, well, an animatronic, Naegi could’ve sworn that his red eye was twinkling with bloodlust. “The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible.”
Once more, no one was able to say anything. How could they when faced with a nightmare such as this?
“Puhuhu. I bet *that* got your brain juices flowing!” Monokuma laughed. “Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh?”
Suddenly, the bear’s posture changed once more, adapting an authoritative stance. “Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know... Taking that hope and seeing it get murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair.”
Naegi felt his back shudder. The way in which Monokuma made sure to emphasize the word ‘despair’ was enough to let him know that the bear was truly enjoying the suffering he was causing.
His entire body shaking like a leaf, Kuwata stepped forwards. “What the hell are you talking about!? To kill each other is...It's!”
“To kill each other is to kill each other. I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it.”
“We know what it means, that's not the problem!” Asahina shouted. “Why do we have to kill each other!?”
‘She’s right…’ Naegi mentally noted. ‘ Why does he want us to kill each other? ’
Humans were simple in one regard: there was always a reason behind every action one takes. Even when surrounded in the chaos that is war, everything done could be explained. With Monokuma though, he had no idea *what* his motives were, and that made him an extremely unpredictable enemy.
“Yeah!” Yamada yelled. “Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!”
“...Blabbering?” Monokuma asked, uncharacteristically serious.
Without warning, the bear furrowed his brows and gave Yamada a frustrated glare.
“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 world. Got it?”
Acting as if he actually needed to breathe after the rant, the bear proceeded to mimic the actions of someone taking a deep breath.
“And you can kill as much as you wanna kill! So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!”
“Alright, come on... How long are you gonna keep this up?” Hagakure piped up with a hearty laugh.
“Eh?”
At this point, Naegi couldn’t tell if the fortune teller was really *that* dumb or if he was just trying to cope by pretending that this was all some sort of prank. Based on how earnestly he sounded when asking his question, the shorter boy was leaning towards the former.
“You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now.”
“Reveal the trick?” It seemed even Monokuma couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the clairvoyant’s mouth.
“Yeah, cuz I mean…” The older boy made some obscure gesture with his hand. “Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…”
Owada had enough.
“Dude, shut the hell up and get outta my way.”
Shoving Hagakure to the side, the gang leader crouched down so he was at eye level with the ‘headmaster’.
“Listen up, asshole! This sh*t's gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this!?”
His voice was like thunder. Naegi knew that he was super close to his breaking point.
“Joke? What, you mean like your hair?”
“FFFUUUUUUUUUUUU--!”
…And just like that, he snapped.
He charged straight towards Monokuma, his footsteps echoing around the room like that of a bull aiming to rush its target. Gripping the stuffed bear by his neck, the gang leader held him up in the air.
“Gotcha, you little piece of sh*t!” Owada snarled. “I dunno if you're a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to f*ckin' shreds!”
Monokuma began squirming. “Waah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!”
The taller boy didn’t care. “Shut the f*ck up! Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…”
All of a sudden, the animatronic went limp. A strange beeping sound came from within him, his red eye flashing to the relatively slow rhythm.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
“What, no smartass comeback this time!?” Owada taunted.
‘…wait!’
Time began to move slower for Naegi as he began turning towards the other boy.
To the average person, they wouldn’t think much about the irritating sound Monokuma was producing.
But Naegi knew better.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
The song being sung came in many different tunes. In fact, that moment was the first time the soldier has ever heard this particular version. Even so, its message always remained the same.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
It was a warning of what’s to come. A melody prophesying a future of fire, ash, and death.
Dropping his sword, the soldier prepared to lunge forwards.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
Owada was no longer holding a stuffed bear. What he had in his hands was a bomb, and unless someone did something, the gang leader was going to feel the full force of an explosion.
Naegi refused to let that happen. Whether it be through his actions or inaction, he refused to let someone die because of him. Never again…
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
Launching himself at near incomprehensible speeds, the shorter boy grabbed Monokuma’s right leg.
“What the?!”
The taller boy hadn’t expected to be met with such a large amount of force, so he was caught off-guard by Naegi yanking the bear from his hands.
His attention focused solely on Monokuma, the soldier held his arm backwards before launching the bomb straight towards the ceiling.
*Beep**Beep**Beep*
While airborne, the beeping sped up until it reached the ceiling, where the bomb proceeded to explode.
*KABOOM!*
With the threat neutralized, Naegi took a deep breath. His body unable to move from the throwing position, he could only stare at the ash left behind by the explosion, the ceiling somehow managing to be unscathed. It was all anyone could do at the moment. Someone had almost died because of a bomb, something that seemed highly unlikely outside of an action movie.
A loud ringing briefly reverberated through the boy’s ears as the smell of gunpowder entered his nose. Both were sensations he thought he’d never experience again…
His strength returning to him, Naegi straightened himself upwards, more-so than usual. “Is everyone alright?”
“The hell!?” Owada yelled, the shorter boy’s words snapping him back to reality. His hands were shaking, no doubt caused by him nearly dying. “Th-That sure as sh*t wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up…”
“But you know…” Fujisaki timidly noted. “This means that the teddy bear's been destroyed, right?”
‘No, that’s wrong! ’
There was no way that Monokuma would prepare a death trap such as this only to be immediately eliminated. If he was taking up the role of ‘headmaster,’ then that meant that he was an important part of said trap. As such, there had to be more Monokuma.
The person or people controlling Monokuma had to have read his mind once more, for not even a second later, another one suddenly popped out from the stage, landing on the podium.
“I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!”
Kuwata’s jaw dropped. “Uwah! There's another one...?”
“You son of a bitch!” Owada growled, clenching a fist. “You seriously tried to kill me just now!”
“Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you,” Monokuma replied, once more in a far too casual manner. “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 rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt.”
“H-Hey... So does this mean there's like, a bunch more of you around here somewhere?” Enoshima asked.
The bear nodded his head. “Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes. 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?”
Another laugh ensued, a laugh Naegi was starting to hate hearing.
“Puhuhu... And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!”
“Th-That's not even punishment,” Asahina tried to argue. “That’s just…wrong…”
Monokuma didn’t pay the swimmer any mind. “Now then, lastly... To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…”
Rustling through the back of the podium, the animatronic quickly reappeared with a stack of blue tablets the size of a large cellphone.
“This is our official student handbook!” The headmaster explained. “Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it... The e-Handbook!”
A fake cough came from his mouth (speaker?) as he was met with silence.
“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.”
Monokuma made sure that he emphasized that last part.
Jumping off the stage, the bear began handing them out. Some students flinched when the bear approached them while others shot him a dirty look. Naegi had to stop himself from swinging his sword once Monokuma gave him his e-handbook.
Once he was finished, he climbed back onto the podium. “Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that!”
Rather than actually explain said uses, the bear chose to highlight a different feature.
“Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!”
Turning his head, he glared at Owada. “You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated.”
He refocused his attention back to the entire class. “Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws.”
Monokuma released one final bloodcurdling laugh. “The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators.”
He then clapped his hands. “Okay, well...that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...see ya!”
Dramatically falling behind the podium, the ‘headmaster’ vanished, leaving behind fifteen fearful and confused students.
Another moment of silence ensued, no one having the energy to speak. How could they when Monokuma’s words were still fresh in their minds?
“So, guys... How would you define what we just experienced?” Ishimaru awkwardly asked.
“How...? Why...?” Kuwata replied, struggling to even speak. “I don't understand any of this…”
f*ckawa pulled her braids in frustration. “We have to l-live here forever...? Or...k-kill? Wh-What...? What just happened!?”
The tension in the room was at an all time high, perhaps strong enough to vaporize any bug that entered the room.
Before things could get any worse, Kirigiri spoke up.
“Everyone, we need to just calm down.”
If she was even phased by everything that happened, she didn’t show it, her impeccable mask not faltering.
“First, let's just take a second to summarize everything we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices. Choice number one is that we each stay here, living a ‘communal life’ together until the day we die. And the other choice is…”
“If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?” Celeste answered, looking and sounding more disappointed than scared.
Tears began to spill out of Fujisaki’s eyes. “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 each other? This is…” Yamada babbled before screeching in distress.
“This is...this is just...! What IS this!?”
“A lie is what it is,” Ishimaru said. His posture and words were shaky, far from the stern manner he had conducted himself earlier. “All these ridiculous things we've heard... This all has to be fake!”
“Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake,” Togami remarked. Just like Kirigiri and Celeste, he too maintained a calm demeanor.
“What matters is… Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this...?”
The blonde’s words held immense weight, so much so that it became harder for everyone to breathe.
‘Is there? ’
No one dared to answer Togami’s question. Instead, everyone began glancing around at one another, aiming to gauge each other’s thoughts.
Naegi could feel the occasional pair of eyes land his way, but he didn’t meet them back. Even then, he could sense the emotions filling up the room.
Fear…
Suspicion…
Anger…
Hopelessness…
Monokuma’s announcement wasn’t just meant to explain their new school life. It was also meant to plant seeds into everyone’s heads, ones meant to instill distrust amongst the people who were supposed to be classmates.
After coming to this realization, Naegi started staring at the floor.
‘To get out of here… we need to kill someone .’
Even though the means and rules were different, this was a situation that was all too familiar to him.
‘If I want to see my family… I need to kill someone… ’
For a second, his vision started to gray. Blood began to spontaneously flow out of his left hand. Screams began echoing around, the sounds of explosions and gunfire following shortly. His heart pounded inside his chest, ready to burst.
Flashes of faces entered his sight, faces he knew all too well.
Desperation, anger, fear, those were the faces of the people whose stories he ended so his could continue.
‘…No… ’
That simple thought was enough to snap him back to reality. His hand was no longer bloody, not that it was to begin with, and the sounds of war dissipated.
‘I refuse… ’
Makoto Naegi was a killer, but he had no intentions of returning to that life.
Back then, he was a weak little boy who felt that he had no choice but to take the lives of others.
He was no longer that boy.
He was someone else now, someone who wasn’t going to succumb to the wills of others anymore.
For the second time today, the soldier made himself a promise.
‘I will find a way out… and I will do it without killing anyone here .’
Clenching his fist, Naegi lifted his head and made sure to face one of the cameras. A blazing resolve consumed his eyes. Whether or not the person or people controlling Monokuma could see it was unknown, but the message remained the same.
Makoto Naegi had just declared war on them, and he wasn’t planning to lose.
And unlike last time, he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by Ultimates, people with exceptional gifts. If they worked together, then perhaps they could all find a way out.
“So? What are you going to do now?” Kirigiri sharply asked everyone, her arms crossed. “Just stand around glaring at each other?”
Her comment was enough to bring everyone back to their senses.
Ishimaru straightened himself out. “R-Right... She's right! Sometimes, even if you're nervous or afraid, you just have to step forward.”
His eyes began to water for some reason.
“To forget such a simple fact... I can't forgive myself. I'm so ashamed! Please, someone hit me! I can't forgive myself! Somebody hit me! Punish me!”
Owada eyed him as if he were an alien. “Jesus. If you have time to yell about it, you have time to DO something about it.”
“Perhaps, but...what is the mission, exactly?” Yamada asked.
Kuwata scoffed at the question. “Idiot! To look for a way out, duh!”
“And we totally need to find out whoever was controlling that stupid bear and beat the hell out of 'em,” Enoshima vigorously added.
“B-But before we do all that, maybe we should take a look at the handbook…” Fujisaki said in a soft tone. “It's probably best to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before doing anything else.”
Celeste flashed everyone one of her signature faux smiles. “True. If we stumble around with no clue what the rules are, something like that might happen again…”
Owada’s eyebrows furrowed as he remembered what Monokuma tried doing to him. “sh*t…”
Enoshima sighed. “Fine. Then let's hurry up and check out the stupid rules already.”
Everyone simultaneously powered their e-handbooks.
The first thing that greeted Naegi when he did so was his name at the front and center of the screen. It faded away a few seconds later, a main menu taking its place. Clicking on the school regulations icon, a list was displayed.
Rules:
1. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.
2. "Nighttime” is from 10pm to 7am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so do be mindful.
3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope’s Peak at your discretion.
5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.
6. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes “blackened” will graduate, unless they are discovered.
7. One student has been chosen to be the ,$(‘scjdal. The ,$(‘scjdal will have special perks and a different graduation requirement. Any student who kills the ,$(‘scjdal will instantly graduate.
8. Additional school regulations may be added as deemed necessary.
Turning off his e-handbook, Naegi began to mull over what he had just read.
The first four rules were simply odd to him. He had no idea why such arbitrary restrictions existed in the first place.
Rule 5 was easy enough to understand, especially when he saw firsthand what happened when Owada tried attacking Monokuma.
Rule 6 was where things got interesting.
‘It’s not enough to kill someone. You have to avoid getting caught… ’
He had no idea how this rule was going to be enforced. Theoretically speaking, someone could just hide the body of the person they just killed. Will they be forced to find the blackened if someone did kill?
Finally, there was rule 7, easily the most confusing of the bunch.
‘One of us has different graduation requirements. Why? ’
What made this student so different from the rest that they needed a rule to be made solely for them? What kind of perks did Monokuma mean they’d get? Why was killing them worth an insta-graduation? Why was the name of their role all glitched out? Most importantly, who was this mysterious student?
These were questions that were added to the list of ones Naegi had regarding the mystery of the school.
“This is bullsh*t!” Owada shouted. “What the hell kinda rules are these!? I'm not gonna let them control ME!”
Celeste gave him a mocking chuckle. “Well then, why don't you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens? Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules.”
“But if he got punished like what we saw before, I don't think there'd be a respawn waiting for him…” Yamada worriedly mumbled.
That was enough to change the gang leader’s tune.
Looking down, the tall boy clenched his teeth. “I... Ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head... When a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him.”
‘I understand the feeling,’ Naegi thought to himself. It was only because he swore to keep the promise he made to himself that he was still alive today.
Enoshima gave him a confused look. “...So what?”
“I've made a ton of promises that I still have to keep, that's ‘so what’!” Owada passionately shouted. “So I can't afford to die here!”
“None of that made much sense to me, but you are saying you will follow the regulations, is that it?” Celeste casually asked, clearly not caring about the boy’s story.
Said boy rubbed the back of his neck. “Huh? Oh, well… yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“Hey, um, I have a question,” Maizono said. “For regulation number six...what do you think it means exactly?”
Naegi decided to share his theory. “I think that killing someone isn’t enough. We’d need to do it and not get caught. If I had to guess, Monokuma intends to have us find the blackened if there is one…”
His words only served to worsen the mood.
“B-But why...?” f*ckawa asked. “Why do we h-have to do that?”
“I don't see any reason to worry about it,” Togami replied, looking down at the novelist. “Just worry about following the rules as they've been explained to us.”
He then scoffed at her.
“Frankly, I don't want to hear anything from someone who waits for others to decide what to do for them.”
“D-don’t jab at me…"
Rather than her usual demeanor, f*ckawa was blushing as if she were a schoolgirl in love. Naegi had absolutely no idea why this was.
“More like a full-on stab…” Kuwata remarked.
“Well for now, let's forget all that silly junk about murderers or whatever,” Asahina declared. “Now that we know the rules, let's start exploring the school!”
Ishimaru nodded in agreement. “True. We need to find out where exactly we are. Is there any way out? What about food and supplies? There are tons of questions we need to answer!”
Kuwata was pumped up. “Damn straight! Okay, then let's all start looking around!”
“...I'll be going alone,” Togami informed everyone.
“What!? Why?” Enoshima asked in disbelief. “That's a pretty stupid idea, don't you think?”
Togami turned to her, an action which brought upon a wave of hostility. “Someone here might already have started thinking about murdering one of us. Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?”
‘That’s exactly why we should stick together ,’ Naegi thought to himself. If the goal was to get killed and not get caught, then trying to kill someone while in a group would be a stupid decision to make.
“W-Wait, hold on a second. That would never--!” Maizono wouldn’t get a chance to finish her statement as the blonde aggressively cut her off.
“Don't bother saying it couldn't happen. You can't deny the possibility. That's why you all seized up with fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you.”
The idol looked down. “B-But…”
The heir smugly crossed his arms.
“So, I'm simply acting in accordance with what I think is best for me.”
Owada cracked his knuckles, his face red with rage once again. “Hold on! Like hell I'm gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!”
Naegi didn’t need to rely on his talent to tell him that if the two continued to provoke one another, a fight was surely going to break out.
“Out of my way, plankton.”
From his build and posture alone, the short boy knew that Togami had a basic understanding of self defense at best. So why was he provoking the guy who was capable of fighting several fully grown men at once?
“Wh--!? The f*ck's that supposed to mean!?”
“One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So minuscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean.”
Like an enraged bull, steam was coming out of Owada’s ears and nose.
“I'm gonna kick your ass!”
A fight was the last thing that needed to happen right now. With how angry Owada was, someone as powerful as him could potentially kill Togami with a single punch.
No one else seemed willing to separate the two, so Naegi decided to step up to the plate.
“S-Stop it! We shouldn't fight!”
The boy mentally cringed. He sounded so pathetic.
The good news was that his words managed to grab Owada’s attention. The bad news? Now all of his fury was directed at him.
“The f*ck you just say? You some kinda goody-goody little bitch?” The gang leader asked him. “Who do you think you are, talkin' to me like that? You think you're my f*ckin' dad or something!?”
“N-No, I wasn't--!” The soldier had no idea why he was even trying to reason with him. The other boy was in a blind rage and it would take more than a few words from a socially awkward person to calm him down.
“f*ck you!”
Reeling his right arm back, Owada proceeded to throw a devastatingly powerful punch, one which would easily knock out the ordinary person and potentially leave them with a concussion.
Terrified gasps were released from several of their classmates. The taller boy’s fist was moving so fast that most of them wouldn’t have been able to move out of the way in time if they were the ones being targeted.
For Naegi though, a boy who was able to avoid gunfire without being hit, he saw the punch coming from a mile away.
Just like every other time he was in imminent danger, the soldier felt time slow down around him.
His mind and body on autopilot, the boy’s right leg slid back. Using the leg for support, Naegi leaned a little to the left.
*SMACK!*
Owada’s blow never connected. Before he could land the hit, Naegi deflected the attack with a mere slap aimed at the side of his fist. An unorthodox method, sure, but one that was effective nonetheless.
“What the?!”
The power behind the smack caused the taller boy to stumble forward. It was because of this that the gangster finally returned to his senses.
What greeted him wasn’t exactly a pleasant view. He could see the emptiness of Naegi’s eyes, how they were locked onto him as if he wasn’t an individual, but a threat to be eliminated.
Before Owada could regain his balance, and faster than he could process, Naegi closed the gap between them. Right fist curled up, the shorter boy took note of his opponent’s exposed neck. All he needed to do was to land a blow on the larynx and the gangster would be de-
‘ …No. ’
Naegi disengaged, hopping three steps backwards.
He looked down to the side in shame.
‘I said I wasn’t going to kill, and I almost broke my promise already. ’
Despite his movements suggesting otherwise, the soldier had no desire to kill Owada. His body simply reacted to the danger he was presented with in the most efficient way it knew how.
‘I have to be more careful. The last thing I need is to enter a trance here.’
Naegi’s combat instincts were both a blessing and a curse. He owed his life to them, but whenever he let them take over, bodies followed and there was nothing he could do about it even if he wanted to…
“…sorry.”
Muttering a quick apology to Owada, Naegi’s body took a stance that was very similar to Ishimaru’s own as he began to address his classmates.
“…Look… I get it. We’re all on edge, and it’s completely understandable why we are. But fighting amongst ourselves isn’t going to solve anything.”
The boy gestured towards one of the cameras in the gymnasium.
“In fact, that’s what whoever’s controlling Monokuma wants us to do. They want us to start doubting one another. The moment we play into their hands is the moment we lose.”
He turned his attention back to his classmates, giving them a look of determination. “I’m not saying we have to like each other, but if we’re going to get out of here, we need to work together.”
He looked at Togami. “Which means we can’t antagonize one another.”
He then faced Owada. “And we can’t allow our emotions to get the better of us.”
Once more, he focused on the collective group. “Alright?”
A moment of silence was triggered by Naegi’s words, everyone’s eyes on him. Becoming self-conscious by all the attention that was being thrown his way, his posture shrank back to its usual form.
‘Great, they probably think I’m a weirdo now…’
Ishimaru stepped forwards “…He’s right. We should not be fighting. We should be working together!”
The Ultimate Moral Compass looked at his feet, eyes watering. “As the ‘Ultimate Moral Compass’, I should have stepped in, but I failed to. I let fear overwhelm me yet again.”
He clenched his fist before staring back at Naegi, eyes still watery, yet filled with determination. “Thank you Naegi for reminding me of what’s important!”
The soldier in question raised his hands modestly. “It was nothing…”
“Tch…”
Both boys turned to Owada. For some reason he refused to look at Naegi.
“Alright… I’ll cool it…”
The shorter boy smiled. “Thank you.”
“So what’s your plan?” Togami asked him, eyes narrowing. “Your words are all nice and dandy, but they’re just that, words.”
Naegi bit his lip. As of right now, he didn’t have a plan.
“…Well, for starters, let’s see what we’re dealing with. We’ve got a school to explore.”
The blonde crossed his arms, unimpressed. “That’s it?”
“We should also travel in groups,” the soldier continued. Placing a hand to his chin, the gears in his head began to turn. “You said that someone might use this chance to try and kill, so let’s make it impossible for that to happen. There’s fifteen of us, so if we split off into three groups of five, it’ll guarantee that we’ll be able to find the blackened if someone does try something. Sounds good?”
“…I suppose that is feasible,” Togami forced out, acting as if admitting that the other boy had a point was causing him immense pain. “For now I’ll concede, but don’t expect me to play along with your delusions afterwards. I don’t plan on being a vulnerable target.”
Naegi knew that this was the best he was going to get in regards to convincing the heir to cooperate. At least, for now.
“Well, you all heard him!” Ishimaru shouted. “Assemble yourselves into groups of five and let us search for anything that might be useful.”
As everyone began to scatter, Naegi allowed a sigh to escape from his lips. With everything that happened today, he was mentally exhausted. The road ahead seemed bleak and hopeless, and part of him wondered if he’d even make it out of here…
However, he refused to allow such thoughts to bring him down. Until the battle was over, he would keep fighting with everything he had, pressing onwards so he may see his family once again.
Picking up the fake katana, the soldier stared at the door. He had a building to explore and a small decision that needed to be made.
‘So who should I go with? ’
