Faussin Inusum's Story

While the situation certainly wasn't lucky, Madoka decided his luck could be worse. At least he had a guide who seemed to be in control of her emotions and who seemed to know how to handle the situation. (The fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous helped, but Madoka decided to think about that later.)

He allowed Clair to open the door to the conference room across the hall.

Some guy immediately popped into view and screamed at them.

Madoka screamed back, falling back onto his tailbone. The guy laughed mirthfully, placing his hands on his hips.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Whoa, man, you're white as a ghost! Relax, I promise I'm not a zombie here to devour your flesh. Can't say the same for that guy, though." He pointed over his shoulder at a boy with fluffy brown hair, then squinted at Clair. "Didn't know there was an Ultimate Hooker."

If Madoka was slightly more courageous, he probably would have chewed this jerk out for calling Clair a hooker.

"Haha." At the least, his female companion seemed to be taking it in stride. "Snuck in under the guise of 'Ultimate Makeup Artist'. Darn, guess you caught me!"

The stranger straightened his posture, grinning. "I like you. Hey, name's Faqir Nawabi, the Ultimate Jeweler. So I guess you scrubs came for Hope's Peak too? Yo, I think they drugged us."

"D-drugs?" Madoka stammered, stumbling back to his feet. He hid himself behind Clair slightly, wary of these newcomers. "I-isn't that--wouldn't a school get in trouble for something like that?"

"I'unno. But hey, at least drugs'll make the school year go by faster!"

Madoka promptly decided he wasn't much a fan of this newcomer. He peered around Clair's form at the other boy in the room. "S-so who is that? Oh, I'm, uh...I'm Madoka Himura. Uh, the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"Shoot, really?" Faqir peered at him. Madoka shrunk back, rubbing his arm. "Didn't know winning the lottery was a talent. Are you good at anything useful?"

Madoka decided not to answer.

"He's my good luck charm," Clair said, hooking her arm around Madoka's. He squirmed--being this close to a girl always made him nervous.

Oddly, Faqir seemed to accept this. He stepped aside, gesturing for Madoka and Clair to enter the room. "On a quest to meet everyone? Come on in, I was chatting with another one of our classmates."

Madoka eased his way inside, shuffling behind Clair. She waved to the other boy and Madoka cleared his throat. "Nice to meet you," he offered. "Um, w-what's your name? A-and Ultimate, I guess...yes, um, your Ultimate. I-I guess you probably already heard ours."

"I'm Clair, by the way," Clair added.

---

"Hm?" Faussin looked up from a deck of cards he'd found on his person, suddenly aware of the newcomers. "Oh. Oh. Y-yeah, I heard most of it, but I--uh. My name's Fauss. I'm the Ultimate Illusionist, though I don't really remember much of what happened, either."

Uncomfortable, he tugged his jacket closer to his neck. This wasn't the most ideal of situations, that much was for sure, but Faqir wasn't making it any better. The last thing Fauss needed was to be even more nervous. And to think, if they were drugged? It wasn't out of the question, but it terrified him imagining someone able to do such a thing. You'd think such a famous school would have more security, or... or something.

He shuddered. Thinking about it was freaking him out. Taking a deep breath, he began fiddling with his cards, never having been the type to sit still. "Do you think there are others?"

---

---

It'd be a lie if Finnian said Vivara didn't freak him out, but to be fair, all strangers freaked him out to an extent. On more than one occasion people had aggressively appealed to him about his work, and every time it happened the more wary he became of other people.

Her comment about axe murderers didn't help, either.

Vivara leading the way, they stepped into a gymnasium, two other people scouting the room out already. Closest to them was an oddly young-looking girl with blonde hair and a blue a dress. She watched them warily, eyes full of what Finnian interpreted as terror.

"Are you students as well?" Vivara asked. He glanced down at his hand, then at her. He squinted slightly--her eyes were hard. Finnian had no doubt she was ready to throw him to the wolves if need be.

The girl answered, cautiously. "Amelia Temmer, Ultimate Botanist. And you are?"

"Vivara Vernon, Ultimate Librarian," she replied. She then gestured to Finnian, "this is Finnian Harris, Ultimate Scientist. Does your friend have a name? And perhaps, more importantly, do you two remember anything?"

Vivara turned to the other person in the room, a tough-looking guy with orange hair. Back then, Finnian would've been intimidated by him (seeing as Finnian was what many liked to call a total nerd), but his title as an Ultimate gave him a new sense of confidence. He stood up straighter.

Clair suddenly remembered that she didn't remember anything. She felt Madoka grip her arm--her body shuddered, but she suppressed the trembling that usually came with being in close contact with anyone.

Faussin had reminded her to ask for clues. Despite feeling she already knew the answer, she turned to Faqir. "I'm guessing you don't remember anything either? Hence the drug comment."

Faqir shrugged, moving to pace around the room. "Nope, not a thing besides my name and my Ultimate. I know I was heading for the school, but I have no clue how I got here or where 'here' even is. Not a whole lot of help, but at least I still remember how to tell 'The Aristocrats'."

"Please don't," Clair said hurriedly, very aware of Madoka fidgeting behind her and Faussin's nervous twiddling. She took a step back (guiding Madoka with her). "Okay, so here's what we do know. Our names, our Ultimates, and what we were supposed to be doing. There are sixteen students to a class, four of us here now. We should try to find everyone else--or at least some sort of clue as to how to get out of here."

"Say, why's the girl calling the shots?" Faqir asked.

Madoka squirmed, slowly poking his head out from behind Clair. "I-I think we should listen to her. I-I mean, at least...I should listen to her. I have no idea what's going on and I'm not very good at making decisions...I-I think Clair has a good grasp of...well, I just--um..."

Faqir nodded knowingly at him. "Ah, I get it. You got a crush and now you don't wanna leave your girl's side."

"W-what..." Madoka turned bright red, shaking his head. "N-no! I-I'm not even thinking about--I-I mean, sure she's pretty but--anyway, there are more important things to be worrying about right now!"

"Right there! That's the reaction I wanted."

Clair debated between finding Faqir amusing and annoying. She settled on amusing for the moment. "Fauss, right? Do you have any ideas on what we should do next? If no one is opposed, I'd like to check out the rest of the hotel and see what we can see."



Not knowing things really made Braeden Carmichael angry.

Maybe it was because the only thing he had to really pride himself on was his intuition, or maybe it was because he hated not having some kind of element of surprise, but either way he had spent the last five minutes kicking things and cursing in frustration.

Having a girl around for company was welcome, but for once Braeden was too worried to bother hitting on her.

His attention snapped to the doors of the gym when two new folks entered. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, his posture slumped, he slunk over to the two newcomers and nodded once in greeting.

"Name's Braeden Carmichael," he muttered, eyes sweeping over the female newcomer. She wasn't bad--could be curvier, but he wouldn't be picky. "Librarian, 'ey? You're welcome to check me out all ya like."

Okay, so it wasn't his best pickup line, but Braeden was just a little off his game from frustration. He'd get back into the swing of picking up girls eventually.

He decided to address her second question--maybe they knew something he didn't. It could alleviate the frustration, at least. "'Fraid I can't remember nothin'. Two o' ya don't happen to have any knowledge for me, do ya?"

---

Faussin blinked, not sure why Clair was asking him of all people what to do. He didn't exactly emit the aura of a leader, after all. Flipping his cards between his hands, he thought. "Looking around might be a good idea, but we should be careful. What if something dangerous is just around the corner?"

Like some crazy cannibal that thinks feasting on our flesh will give him our talents, Faussin thought. Then again, if that was the culprit, they'd be eaten already. There was no need for whatever setup this was.

He pursed his lips. Most of the things Faussin was imagining didn't fit with the scenario, which only made everything feel more bizarre. This wasn't normal. But that begged the question, what was it?

Strange, Faussin decided. Very strange.

---

---

Vivara could sense that she was going to tire of Braeden quickly. "I expected nothing less from the Ultimate Yankee. Afraid we don't know anything either, but seeing as how you two are here, there may be more students around. Maybe they remember something, though I wouldn't count on it."

Amelia brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "So we don't know where we are, we don't remember anything, and we're all students of Hope's Peak. This sounds like something terrible in the making."

"Better we face it with fellow class members than alone," Vivara replied solidly.

"That way you have more people to throw to the axe murderers," Finnian mumbled.

Vivara glanced at him. "Do you take offense to what I said?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Well, as far as I know, most people don't throw others into the jaws of death. Not with as much confidence as you do, anyway."

She pursed her lips. "I don't know you at all, so it's only natural I'd place my well-being above yours, as well as everyone else here. I'm sure you'd do the same if it came down to it."

"She does have a point," Amelia muttered. "Though I do see where you're coming from, ah... Finnian, was it?"

He nodded. "Finnian. Ultimate Scientist, or something like that."

"Finnian," Amelia echoed. She muttered his name under her breath one more time as if to confirm, then turned to Braeden. "Alright. Let's see. What do you think, Braeden?"

Vivara raised an eyebrow. "Have you all never heard of self-preservation? We're wasting time with each second we stand here; we could be finding other students right now."

Clair nodded to herself, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Fauss had a point, after all--they really knew nothing about this place.

Madoka stepped away from her, scratching his neck. "Do you think there's anyone here other than Hope's Peak students?"

"It's a possibility," Clair admitted. "But there's no guarantee they'll be enemies. Come on, if we stick together we have a higher chance of fighting off anything that might attack us. Do you guys know how to fight?"

"Er...fight, I.." Madoka descended into mumbling to himself, wringing his fingers together.

Faqir shrugged. "Depends, you think three years of krav maga will help me in this situation?"

It was better than nothing, Clair decided. She began to head for the door, pausing to wait for Madoka to hustled up behind her. Faqir seemed willing to go along with whatever was happening; Clair noticed him take a step towards the door.

There was no telling exactly what they would find, but it was certainly worth a shot. Clair made her way back into the lobby, her eyes fixed briefly on the gushing fountain in the center. It hadn't caught her attention too much on the way over, but looking at it now with the possibility of danger on her mind...

She shuddered. Water had always been a deep-rooted fear of hers--it was best to ignore it as she usually did.

"Is everyone cool with exploring together?" she asked. "Maybe we should head down that hallway over by the stairs."



Others. Well, it made sense to Braeden--finding other students meant finding more girls, and maybe more guys he could assemble into a makeshift gang to run while he was...wherever he was. "I ain't got no problem with lookin' around. Could use the fresh faces. 'Sides, I might find some real babes." He paused, flashing Amelia a wink. "Not that I wouldn't bed the two o' you. I don't really got a type."

Something felt wrong. The more Braeden tried to convince himself everything was fine and this was all normal, the more he began to get a sinking suspicion that something was very, very wrong. He swallowed.

"Seen any signs around? Exits? Anythin'?"

---

Faussin coughed, following after Clair. "I have magic, does that count?"

Most noticable of all was the fountain gushing in the middle of the room, setting the scene for a rather fancy hotel-looking lobby. He took a moment to think whether or not the place looked familiar, then promptly decided he'd remember if he had visited a hotel with a fountain parked right in the middle.

He closed his eyes, zoning off for a moment or two. What if this is all just in my head?

"Is everyone cool with exploring together?" Clair asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Maybe we should head down that hallway over by the stairs."

Faussin took a deep breath. This was going to be a long day. "I'm okay with it."




"Nothing," Vivara replied, deciding to ignore his earlier remarks. There was no use in replying when they fell upon (what she assumed were) deaf ears. "But in all fairness, we haven't explored much at all. At least, I haven't."

Finnian shrugged. "I woke up in a fitness room. You were in the first room I went to check, so I haven't seen much of anything, either. What about you two?"

Amelia shook her head. "We woke up here, so same as you two. Our best option here is probably to explore--try to find an exit, a hint, or at least some other people."

"I agree," Vivara declared. She gestured to the hallway door, "so let's waste no more time standing here. Finnian, is the fitness room across from the pool area I awoke in?"

"Yes," Finnian replied. "Which leaves only one door unexplored. Allons-y."

It was settled, then. Satisfied, Clair pinpointed the two staircases leading to the second floor and headed for the hallway between them, glancing up to the top of the stairs.

For the first time, she noticed that the second floor was blocked by large grates. Whoever had thrown the students into this unusual place didn't want them going too many places, obviously.

Despite the wide-open lobby, Clair began to feel claustrophobic. She zipped her jacket up further, stuffing her hands under her arms. Feeling someone watching her as she made her way towards the hall, she glanced at Madoka, who looked away nervously.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. "You seem uncomfortable...a-am I making you nervous?"

Clair felt herself relax somewhat. Admittedly, it was somehow comforting having other people around her, especially when two of those people seemed to be genuine sweethearts and the third had an unwavering sense of enjoyment about the whole endeavor. "I'm alright," she insisted. "I'm really glad to have people around. Thank you guys."

Speaking of people...were her eyes playing tricks on her, or was that another humanoid shape standing in the middle of the hallway? Clair squinted at it, watching the shape pace around the hall in the distance. She fell back slightly to stand nearer to Faqir and Fauss, suddenly apprehensive.



"...'Allons-y'?" Braeden shook his head, deciding it didn't matter. He felt around in his pockets for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, found them empty, and muttered a curse under his breath. "Feelin' a little agitated. Anyone got a pack o' smokes on 'em? And what the h*ll happened to my stuff, anyways? Did you guys lose all your sh*t too?"

He hadn't thought about it until now, but it was awfully strange to have woken up without any of the possessions he'd taken to school.

Not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things, really. Sighing, Braeden moved to stand by the door, indicating that he was ready to leave whenever the rest of the group was.

---

Faussin saw it too--a distinctly human shape, moving about in the distance. Losing confidence as the unofficial leader of the group stepped back, he slunk behind Faqir, who apparently knew krav maga.

Without warning, one of the many doors beside them swung open and a blonde girl stepped out, greeting them with a polite smile. "Oh, hello. I thought I heard noise out here."

Faussin watched as she stepped foward, gently closing the door behind her and scanning the four of them. He didn't like the way her eyes moved--looking everyone up and down, as if analyzing every move they made. He suddenly wanted to slink out of his own skin, just so he wouldn't feel her stare on him.

The girl's eyes switched to the girl further down the hallway. "Too good to join us, I suppose?"

---

"It's French," Finnian replied, looking to Vivara to lead the way. "It means 'let's go.' Anything I say that sounds like gibberish is probably either French or scientific jargon, so you can just ignore it, I guess. And I don't smoke."

Vivara began walking toward the door at the end of the hallway, glancing back at the group. "I don't usually carry much with me, so I don't think I had anything to lose. Finnian, you know French?"

"Among many other languages, yes," Finnian replied. He briefly riffled through his pockets, and when he came up with nothing, checked one more time. "My rubix cube is gone. And my pen. Darn it, I really liked that pen. Where am I going to find another pen like that?"

"Does it matter what pen you use?" Amelia asked tentatively.

He pursed his lips. "I get weirdly attached to my pens. And that particular brand shows up on skin really well."

"I thought pens were for writing on paper," Vivara muttered.

"That may be their most common use, but that doesn't have to be their only use," Finnian pointed out. "Besides, it's easier to just remember a pen than to remember a pen and a notepad. What happens if you go out and a world-shattering theory suddenly occurs to you? Oh, better write it down in your journal. But wait! You forgot it at home! What do you do now?"

He tapped his arm confidently. "I'll tell you what you do. You write it down on your arm and head home so you can start on your new paper."

Madoka was getting really sick and tired of people making him scream like a little girl.

He practically jumped Clair when the new girl emerged from the room, gripping his leader like she could protect him from...a young girl, apparently, but who knew what it could have been?

Thankfully, Clair was able to support his weight--they didn't go crashing to the floor, though Madoka noticed his companion looking oddly uncomfortable. He released her, stepping away to fiddle with his hands. Clair flashed him a nervous smile, then observed the newcomer. Almost instinctively, it seemed, she moved to stand behind Madoka as if hiding herself.

"Are you a Hope's Peak student too?" Clair asked the newcomer, poking her head out from behind Madoka. Madoka stood perfectly still as if his statuesque posture would somehow conceal more of Clair. "We were just on a quest to find everyone else. Um..."

Suddenly, Clair let out a loud, sharp whistle. The shape (Madoka could make out the shapely figure of a woman now) down the hallways turned with a start. Clair made a "come here" gesture, and Madoka decided to aid her with an exaggerated wave.

"Guys," Faqir began suddenly, "what if she's a serial killer? Wouldn't that be hilarious? We're trapped in here with a murderer. Like, classic horror movie stuff right there! 'The killer is one of us! Ooooooh, spooky!'"

Madoka was reminded of why he didn't much like Faqir. He started to step away, then remembered Clair standing behind him and just rubbed his arm instead.

The woman down the hall slowly began making her way over to the others. She paused at least ten feet away, placed a hand on her hip, then continued her slow approach. An odd smile played on her red lips, but her posture was relaxed and she made eye contact well enough--Madoka decided to trust her.

"I did not realize there were other students here," the woman murmured, looking over the group. "I apologize. I would have joined you sooner if I had noticed you. I was hoping to do a bit of exploring--there is what appears to be an infirmary around, and as the Ultimate Surgeon..."

The woman paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "Forgive my manners. I'm Xhevona Abera, the Ultimate Surgeon. As that is difficult to pronounce, you may call me Vona. I assume all of you are Hope's Peak students as well?"

"Darn," Faqir mumbled. "Not a serial killer."

Xhevona laughed airily. "My, my. Did I frighten you that much? I'm sorry to disappoint, but my job happens to be to heal people, not kill them."

Madoka decided now was a good time to actually contribute something useful instead of standing there like an idiot. "U-um, I'm Madoka Himura," he announced. "The Ultimate Lucky Student. This is, umu...that's Clair, the Ultimate...I-I forgot. Clothing designer?"

Clair giggled. "Close: Makeup Artist. That over there is Fauss, the Ultimate Illusionist, and that's Faqir, the Ultimate Jeweler. And that..." Clair trailed off, cautiously addressing the blonde girl. "I don't actually know. What's your name?"



Braeden shrugged. "Guess that makes sense. Still..." He paused, squinting at something mounted on the wall. "Say, what's--"

Static suddenly filled the air. Braeden whirled around, searching for its source; he recognized speakers he'd seen hanging on the wall during his earlier frustrated rampage. The speakers buzzed for a moment more, then an oddly cutesy voice came over the speakers.

"Upupupupu...."

Braeden reached for his belt to grab a gun, then remembered everything on him had been taken. He cursed, watching the speakers carefully.

The voice continued. "All students please report to the gym for a special class meeting! Time to get the school year started with a bang!" It paused. "Oh yeah, and to you bozos who are already in the gym, don't think you'll be gettin' any extra credit or gold stars or anything! Just find a place to stand and wait for the others like good little kiddies!"

Confused, Braeden looked over at the others. "Don't suppose any o' you know what the h*ll that voice is talkin' 'bout, huh?"

---

"My name is Eriko Zamora," the girl greeted, bowing. "Or Iko, if you like."

Faussin waved to her, cautiously. He'd thought finding more people would help his nerves (though looking back on it, he wasn't sure why), but these two new characters were only making him more nervous. They felt too calm.

Eriko clapped her hands together, looking over the group one more time. After a moment, she smiled. "You all seem fun. Some more than others, I'll admit, but that I expected. Does anyone know why we're here? Or where 'here' is?"

He shook his head. "No. We all--"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by static. Fairly obvious speakers that he somehow hadn't seen before broadcasted an announcement, ordering that all students report to the gym. Faussin stood for a moment, staring at the speakers in disbelief.

"Bozos in the gym," Eriko repeated, seeming completely unaffected. "I suppose that means there are even more of us. Shall we go greet them in the gym? Assuming you folks know where the gym actually is, because I don't."

A gym? How big is this place? Faussin tucked his hands under his jacket, eyes straying to the camera in the corner of the room. He met its gaze, but only for a second--it was as if he could feel someone staring right back at him. "Uh, I-I think I saw a sign in the other room about a sports center. Maybe the gym is over there."

Eriko smiled. "Perfect. In what direction is the 'other room'?"

Faussin gestured to the lobby door. Not looking back to see if they were following, Eriko headed toward the door and the supposed direction of the gym. Faussin followed, and when they stepped into the lobby, he realized there was a camera there as well.

"A-are there cameras in every room?" Faussin mumbled, mostly to himself.

Sure enough, there were. As the group made their way to the gym (other students joining them along the way, all seeming just as lost as everyone else), Faussin spotted a camera and speaker in every room they passed. He rubbed his arms nervously, unable to shake the feeling of eyes constantly staring him down.

Faussin and several other students made their way into the gym. A tall girl with a pair of glasses and an authoritative stance took a headcount, then pursed her lips and looked back toward the door. "There are fifteen of us here, but sixteen in a class. Where's the last person?"

"Uh." A voice came from outside the door. It opened, slightly, then closed on itself. "Hold on a second, I just need to--okay, I think I've got it."

The door opened again, and a young man hauling a chair began to ease his way in. He maneuvered carefully, apparently trying very hard not to hurt his chair in any way.

"Do you, uh. Do you need some help with that?" Someone called.

"I'm fine, don't worry," the boy assured them. A few moments later, he somehow got his chair through the doorway and triumphantly set it down, sitting on it as if it were a throne. He sighed wistfully. "Yes, I knew it. I love my chair."

Another person coughed. "Weirdo."

Madoka swallowed, subconsciously reaching out to grab Clair's hand. She smiled assuringly at him, calming him just enough to resume a more confident posture.

"WHO DARED SUMMON THE GREAT DEMON QUEEN, KURANO ONI?! MY LEGIONS OF FOLLOWERS SHALL DEVOUR YOUR FLESH!" a particularly loud girl yelled, her multicolored hair swirling around her in a swath of black and gold.

"Does anyone know what the purpose of our being here is?" a man in a suit called.

"Why, I haven't the slightest idea, my dear!" a girl in a white dress called, looking around worriedly. "What manner of mysterious scenario is this, pray tell?"

Madoka took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "M-maybe we can--I mean, I just think that there's a--um..."

There goes his shot at a first impression.

"Upupu...upupupu...."

Madoka jumped, squeezing Clair's hand. Clair stepped closer to him.

Suddenly, a tile in the ground popped open and from the hole sprang a two-toned teddy bear. The bear waved sporadically, a hideous grin painted onto the black side of its body and its eerie red eye leering at the group.

"Welcome to your nightmares!" the bear exclaimed. "Good, all you bunch o' crazies made it! Welcome to orientation!"

"What the heck kinda 'orientation' involves drugging us and dragging us to a--wherever this is?!" the girl in the white dress demanded. Madoka shuddered--her abrupt change was unexpected, to say the least.

"Shut up when your headmaster's talking!" the bear ordered, brandishing sharp-looking claws. Madoka yelped, trembling. As the group quieted down, the bear began to speak once more. "In case you losers haven't noticed yet, you're all trapped here. No escape, no goin' home to your mommies, no nothin'! Capiche?!"

The loud girl shrieked. "YOU DARE TEL LTHE GREAT DEMON QUEEN THAT SHE IS TRAPPED?! NONSENSE! MY UNDERLINGS SHALL SWARM YOU AND TEAR YOUR TEDDY EARS OFF!"

"Hey!" The bear glared at her, pointing its claws. "Monokuma is no 'teddy'! Now can it, weeb, I'm talkin' here! Or do you want to be our example of what happens when you break the rules?!"

Before the loud girl could interject, Madoka raised his voice and addressed the bear. "I-is it okay to ask what's going on?"

The bear looked pleased. "Wellllll, I guess I can enlighten you twerps. Alright! We've covered the whole 'you're stuck here forever' thing, I gave you losers my name..."

Forever? That was worth speaking up again. "W-what do you mean...'forever'?"

"Forever means forever, pipsqueak! Although there is one way to escape."

"Wait, y-you mean we really can't get out?!" Madoka clutched Clair's arm, shaking. Clair stiffened, but seemed oddly relaxed; she maintained a slight smile.

---

Faussin shrieked. "Wh-what? But that's--this isn't real, right?! It's all some sort of sick joke!"

A girl with long tassel earrings and lilac-colored eyes spoke, her voice shaking. "This seems far too extreme for a joke. I-It's starting to scare me..."

"Really? It's just some talking toy," a redhaired girl murmured, her arms crossed. "What did it call itself? Mono-something?"

"I am Monokuma, and I am no toy! My design is so complex that not even the brightest of engineers could understand it!" The bear--Monokuma, apparently--declared.

Faussin shrunk behind Clair and the others, trembling. He had never wished so strongly to be home with his brother, huddled up in a blanket where everything was okay.

"Can I try?" A young man with messy black hair and glasses asked.

"If you're going to ask the bear questions, ask it something useful," another voice said. "We don't know how many it'll answer, after all."

Eriko hummed, seeming to be thinking. "Here's a useful question. You said there was a way to escape, Mr. Monokuma. What is it, if I may so bold as to ask outright?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked!" Monokuma cooed. "Well, you're all here to live a nice and harmonious life until the day you die. But for those who want to get out, there's a special exception."

"I don't like where this is going," someone muttered under their breath.

"If someone disturbs the peace, then they and they alone will be able to leave," Monokuma explained.

The glasses-wearing girl narrowed her eyes. "And what counts as 'disturbing the peace'?"

"Upupupu... why, murder, of course."

Murder.

Madoka's throat closed up, his stomach knotting. Everything seemed to slow--he was only vaguely aware of the girl in the white dress screaming something, a redheaded boy taking a threatening stance, and his own hand closing around Clair's. She squeezed back, smiling calmly at both Madoka and Fauss.

"So, let me confirm this," Clair began, her voice surprisingly level. Madoka had never been more glad to have the unflappable makeup artist beside him. "We just have to live here forever? And if we kill someone, we get to escape."

"Bingo!" Monokuma said. "Easy peasy, right? Oh yeah, and here--student handbooks! So you can see the other school rules."

From out of seemingly nowhere, Monokuma pulled out an armful of strange, electronic tablets. He tossed them in the group's general direction; Clair whipped her hand out of Madoka's to catch two. A third smacked into Madoka's forehead, but he barely noticed--there was far too much going on. Noticing, Clair passed one handbook to Fauss and scooped Madoka's off the floor.

He took it from her, observing it. Clair glanced at hers beside him. Madoka heard a slight gasp emit from her, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Clair hurriedly stuff her handbook in her pocket, suddenly pale.

Madoka flipped through his handbook, droning out Monokuma's voice to focus on what it contained.

Student ID...school rules...we should go over those.

"And that's that!" Monokuma exclaimed. "And don't even think about breaking any of those rules! I'm a fair bear, okay? No rule-breakers! Oh yeah, and don't worry about those handbooks. They can take one h*ll of a beating!"

"This is bullsh*t!" the redheaded boy shouted.

"Sucks to be you!" Monokuma pulled open the panel in the floor again, waving. "Well, you kiddos have fun with that! And before you ask, no Chuck Norris-ing your way outta this with brute force or whatever. See ya later! Upupupu~"

And with that, the bear dropped into the floor. Madoka stared at his handbook, swallowing.

What luck.

---

Faussin stared at where Monokuma had disappeared, suddenly more aware of everyone else in the room. He coughed, pulling on the collar of his shirt--he could hardly breathe. He was choking on his disbelief. Nauseous, he looked down at his hands, then at Madoka and Clair.

Clair. She was calmer than Faussin could ever hope to be. Grating his nails against his arms, he began to take slow, deep breaths. Though, as calm as he tried to be, nothing stopped that suffocating feeling.

"What an interesting concept," Eriko spoke, breaking the silence that had briefly washed over the group. "If not somewhat disturbing. What should we do now?"

He barely heard what she was saying, counting to ten in his head to try and get a better hold of himself.

The glasses-wearing boy seemed far more wary of the glasses-wearing girl now, stepping away from her slowly. The girl herself was standing, shocked. After a moment, she brushed herself off and took a deep breath, addressing everyone. "Well. I'd like to think we're all mature enough to not kill each other as we look for an alternate way out?"

Eriko smiled mysteriously. "You underestimate how easy it is for some to kill another. But perhaps cooperation is our best strategy, at least for now. Why don't we all introduce ourselves to each other?"

A young blonde girl nodded. "That... seems like a good idea. I'll start. My name is Amelia, and I'm the Ultimate Botanist."

"Wonderful," Eriko cooed. "I am Eriko, Ultimate Puzzle Solver."

The glasses-wearing girl cleared her throat. "Vivara Vernon, Ultimate Librarian."

"Finnian," piped the glasses-wearing boy. "Ultimate Scientist."

A girl with red hair and a steely look spoke next. Like Clair, she was calm and confident, though somehow her aura wasn't as comforting. "Mercy Crocker, Ultimate Hunter."

"I am Ysabel Cross," spoke another girl. She too had red hair, though her voice was far more gentle. There was a brief pause during when she was supposed to announce her Ultimate. "I-I'm afraid I don't remember my Ultimate."

Vivara narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps it's a symptom of whatever drug they used to bring us here?"

"Perhaps," Ysabel replied.

Eriko poked Faussin, who yelped. She gave him a look. "You have to introduce yourself."

He stared at her for a moment. "Oh. Haha. D-don't do that, you scared me. I'm Faussin, Ultimate Illusionist. I prefer Fauss, though."

The guy who'd dragged a chair into the room crossed his legs. "I'm Graham. Ultimate none-of-your-business."

Clair couldn't say she was disappointed in this turn of events. It was such an easy solution--just live in the hotel. It wasn't like anyone could get lonely with fifteen other people around, there were bedrooms and a dining hall, and there was so much to do that they'd never get bored. She could attribute her eerie sense of calm to that simple fact--there was no reason to kill each other.

She focused back on the group, deciding getting to know each other was a great first step.

"Eriko has the right idea," Clair murmured. She waved, smiling. "Nice to meet you all! I'm Clair LaBelle, the Ultimate Makeup Artist."

Madoka shifted next to her, seemingly choked. Clair patted his back. Relaxing somewhat, he cleared his throat and announced, "I-I'm Madoka Himura. Th-the Ultimate Lucky Student. Clearly I'm not really that lucky, because this..."

He trailed off, whimpering. Clair rubbed his back.

Xhevona dipped her head, seeming slightly agitated but oddly serene. "My name is Xhevona Abera, or Vona for short. I am the Ultimate Surgeon."

The girl in the white dress gestured wildly, curtsying low. "Nice to meet you all! I'm Bonnie Clyde, the Ultimate Shakespearian Actress. These are indeed difficult times, but as Shakespeare once said, 'To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.'"

Clearing his throat, Faqir stepped forwards, raising his hand. "I just want to begin by saying I totally called this."

Clair chuckled. He wasn't wrong--his comments during their meeting of Vona were right on the money.

"Anyways, name's Faqir Nawabi. Ultimate Psychic."

Madoka sighed. "F-Faqir, please..."

"Alright, you got me. Ultimate Jeweler."

"LISTEN UP, MORTAL SWINE!" the multicolor-haired girl screamed, pointing her finger to the sky. "THE GREAT DEMON QUEEN KURANO ONI HAS CHOSEN TO GRACE YOU WITH HER PRESENCE! YOU MAY ALL BOW DOWN TO THE MIGHT OF THE ULTIMATE EXORCIST!"

Clair hesitated a moment. "So wait, is it Kurano or Oni?"

"YOU MAY CALL ME HER EMPRESS, MORTAL."

"I'll...settle on Kura."

The man in the suit bowed low. "My name is Romano Pselli. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am deemed the Ultimate Butler, and it is my duty to serve you in whatever manner you please."

"So does that mean I could get a handjob?" Faqir asked.

Clair twitched, the tone striking something within her. "I think it's important we focus on something other than manipulating poor butlers into doing you a sexual favor."

Faqir shrugged. "Worth an ask."

Romano seemed agitated, but maintained his blank stare. "With all do respect, sir, I can think of at least sixteen more productive things to do with my hands."

"Ouch. Harsh, man."

The redheaded boy chuckled. "Y'all are crazy. Not that I've got any room to judge. Braeden Carmichael, Ultimate Yankee. 'Cause apparently that's a talent."

Clair surveyed the crowd. "Well, I suppose we've all met now. What should we do now?"

---

Vivara's gaze lingered on Graham for a moment, as she tried to recall what his Ultimate was. Though, the more she thought, the more she began to remember how little information on him there was online. She pursed her lips. He must've erased all trace of himself from the internet.

She took a deep breath. "We should familiarize ourselves with the building, and look for any kind of exit. If we're expected to be here...forever...then I should hope there are places for us to sleep and food for us to eat."

"There are," Eriko confirmed. "When I was looking around, I stumbled across a cafeteria and several bedrooms labeled with our names. I looked through my room already, though I couldn't seem to get into anyone else's."

Vivara relaxed slightly. If anyone was going to die, at least it wasn't going to be by starvation. "Alright. That's good news, at least. I still move that we look around. And considering what Monokuma just said, I... perhaps it would be better if we were to all stay together. Wandering around alone seems dangerous in this situation."

Ysabel nodded. "I agree."

"Does anyone disagree?" Amelia asked, looking around.

There were no objections. Vivara, satisfied, began orchestrating their exploration of the building. Like Eriko said, there was a cafeteria with lots of food as well as two different hallways of bedrooms, each one assigned to a single person. The boys' bedrooms were connected to one hallway while the girls' were connected to the one next to it. They also found an arcade, a laundry room, a nurse's office and security office. Perhaps predictably, the two offices were locked.

A few days passed. The students settled in as well as anyone could, considering the situation. Holding a bagel in her hand, Vivara made her way to the conference room, where most of them had agreed to meet every morning. She was early, as she always was.

Opening the door, she took a bite of her bagel and examined the empty room. Cautiously, she checked underneath the table, just to make sure there wasn't someone waiting there to kill her. When she saw that no one was there, she quickly stood back up, sighing in relief.

As much as she wanted to believe no one among them planned to kill another, she knew better. Desperation brought out the worst in people, and this situation was no exception.

Taking a deep breath, she took a seat at the far end of the table. Vivara sat in wait of everyone else, mulling over what to do as she began munching on her breakfast.

---

Vivara frowned. Braeden's feet were gone, but the dirt from his shoes were now all over her spot. She grumbled under her breath some more, disgusted.

Finnian took the cheese danish Faqir was offering, looking over it carefully. "I'm scared to eat this, but I'm really hungry."

"Take a risk! Also, yes, these trays are mine now," Graham decided, staring down at them. "I like the way light reflects off of them. And you guys have other trays, right? You won't miss these."

"Friends," Eriko greeted the group, walking through the door. Amelia was on one side of her and Faussin on the other, her arms hooked with theirs. "Another day starts. How are you all doing?"

Faussin and Amelia split away from her, both seeming equally unnerved. Vivara wasn't surprised by this, seeing as Eriko had already shown her blatant disregard for personal boundaries. Every morning, she would latch onto one or two students and bombard them with uncomfortable questions as they made their way to the conference room.

Amelia lingered in the corner of the room while Faussin took a seat next to Madoka, seeming somewhat distracted.

"We're doing well enough, I think," Mercy replied, sighing slightly. "How are you?"

"Good, as always," Eriko said. "Thank you for asking. Is everyone here?"

Clair waved a "hello" to Fauss, offering him the scone Faqir had passed her. "That's almost everyone. We're missing Bonnie and Vona."

"Someone called?" Xhevona poked her head in, then slowly emerged fully, her usual pleasant smile gracing her features. Xhevona's serenity had never died down throughout the time after the announcement. Though her polite smile and relaxed posture was off-putting to some, Clair recognized in Xhevona another person willing to spend eternity in this hotel. There was no reason to leave, and Xhevona seemed to know that as well as Clair did.

Romano swept towards the table and began to brush the dirt from Braeden's shoes into his hand, muttering about cleaning supplies. Faqir waved to him. Romano deliberately ignored him.

Time continued to trickle onwards, but no sign of Bonnie ever arrived. Clair began to get more and more worried--they'd been doing so well, surely she was just tired--but when Madoka finally spoke up beside her, she found she couldn't deny the possibility.

"Do you think someone killed Bonnie?"

Clair bit her lip. "Nonsense," she insisted. "She's probably just still asleep, or rehearsing something in her room. Bonnie always spends a lot of time putting on one-woman shows or reading Shakespeare alone in her--"

"C-Clair, I'm..." Madoka swallowed, fiddling with his hands. "I-I'm serious. We knew it was going to happen some time. It's been a really long time and she still didn't show up. I-I don't want to...but what if someone...you know?"

She did. Clair knew exactly what he meant--she just hated to think about it.

"Let's go look for her," she suggested. "Maybe she's just spending the day in the pool or something. Madoka, Fauss, Amelia, we can go check the boy's bedroom hall. Vona, will you go with Finnian and Vivara and check the sports center? Faqir, Oni, and Eriko can look in the girl's bedroom hall. And Braeden, you go with Ysabel, Mercy, and Graham to check around the lobby. Come back here in an hour and tell us if you find Bonnie."

"Aye aye, Boss." Faqir saluted. "I'll let you know if I find the body."

"There's no body," Clair insisted quickly.

There wasn't. There couldn't be. Things were going so well.

No one would stoop to that sort of level...would they?

---

Eriko absorbed the information, nodding slowly. She watched as Faqir carefully took Bonnie's body out of the washing machine. Knowing the time of death would help narrow down suspects, and the best person to determine such a thing was most certainly the Ultimate Surgeon. She'd have to ask Vona for help once she arrived.

She glanced over her shoulder as Amelia walked in, silent.

"Thank you for the information, Clair," Eriko muttered as she thought about what to do. Of course, she'd have to confirm everything Clair just said with someone else--Vivara, most likely, since she was supposedly the first to arrive.

"Oh!" Monokuma's voice suddenly exclaimed. Eriko whirled around, the bear having appeared behind her with a black folder in his paw. "I almost forgot to mention: here's the Monokuma file!"

Eriko took a step back, wary of his claws. "What does it contain?"

Faussin tentatively looked inside the room, apparently having been outside in the hallway.

"The Monokuma file contains the details of the death. You can use it to help you in your search for the blackened!" Monokuma said. He handed the file to Eriko, who took it carefully.

"What is the 'blackened'?" Amelia asked.

"The killer, of course!" He replied as if it were obvious. "Now hurry up and start investigating. You only have twenty-nine more minutes until the class trial, yanno!"

"And what is the class trial?" Eriko asked, looking up from the Monokuma file. But by the time she finished her sentence, he had already disappeared back under the tiles. She huffed.

Amelia stared at where he had left. "He... he doesn't expect us to find the killer, does he?"

Eriko flipped open the newly obtained file, narrowing her eyes. "I believe he does. This file will prove quite useful in that endeavor, assuming it's accurate."

She read it aloud so everyone could hear:

"The time of death was around 9:36. The body was found in the laundry room, inside of the washing machine. The cause of death is a small incision to the heart made by a small sharp object. Other than that, there are marks that suggest a blow to the head."

Faqir placed Bonnie’s body on the ground, brushing her hair out of her face. He remembered the first meeting they had staged--he had become friendly with Bonnie quickly after one of the roles she played actually laughed at one of his poorly-timed jokes. The two then spent a while in the arcade where Faqir got his butt kicked in a game of Mortal Kombat.

Sure, when she wasn’t playing a role Bonnie could be detached and cold, but she wasn’t evil.

Her eyes were closed--she looked oddly peaceful. Faqir felt a wave of relief that, if nothing else, her killer had made sure she didn’t feel her death.

He sighed, reaching out to brush Bonnie’s hair off of her shoulder.

A crumpled corner of paper caught his eye, poking out of the corner of the neckline of her dress. Curious, Faqir reached out to take hold of it.

Clair noticed, gasping in alarm. “Faqir! What the heck are you doing?! The poor girl is dead, don’t you dare!”

Faqir whipped the note out of her dress and rose to his feet, holding it out to Clair. “Voila, my trick.”

Scowling, Clair snatched the note out of his hand, unfolding the paper and smoothing out the wrinkles. “Where was this?”

“In her dress. Woulda been a lot more hot getting it out if she was still alive, but still.”

Clair read it over, frowning. Faqir joined her, reading over her shoulder--the paper was full of little notes Bonnie had supposedly written herself.

9:30

Bring scripts--internet on the handbooks???

Study medicine--could be useful--Romeo + Juliet???

Costumes? --nah *

* masks!!!

“What do you think it means?” Clair asked. “Look, the time at the top is only 6 minutes before her time of death. What was it all about?”

“Viv’s a librarian, maybe she can interpret this foreign language.”

Clair nodded. “We should go back towards the conference room--Oni’s probably getting the others as we speak. Everyone should know what happened so they can help us investigate. I’ll hang on to this note so we can figure it out together.”