[PG-16] [IC] Danganronpa

[Blake]

"A prank? Are you sure about that?" 

 

"I hear this all the time, give it here! Move!"

  

Xander had given the bear a quizzical look as it began to tick, poking it in the face despite the others' cries. It had to be a prank. It would just spew confetti or something, right? Typical gag stuff?

 

But when Tempest took the bear, he lost his balance, tumbling off of the stage. Luckily, the drop wasn't too far, but it was enough for Xander to hurt his back from the impact.

 

"What the hell!? What ar-"

 

Before he could even finish protesting, the Monokuma doll exploded directly above him, causing all the color to drain from Xander's face. It wasn't a joke, was it? His bravado in and attempt to make himself look composed... Backfired terribly, if the current frozen form of the commentator was any indication. That is... Until the bear reappeared. He shakily carried his body to the stage to grab a handbook, glancing at the tablet's pages. He barely registerd Honoka's offer or Kai's angry retort, still pale as a ghost.

 

"This is... unreal... Stupid..."

[Ralsei]

Students turned to stare at Hinoka after she finished talking, one after another just looking at her as if she had gone insane. 
 
Talia spoke up first, her voice soft as she glanced over, "Uh... I don't know if we're all truly up for breakfast and eating... Together, after what we just learned. I think everyone is feeling a bit..."
 
"Paranoid." Cassidy closed her book as she looked up some, a frown on her face, "...We're in the middle of a mystery and we're all paranoid. I don't think we should be... Getting overly close to one another at the moment."
 
Alex frowned at Cassidy, a small mumble escaping him as he started to shake his head, "We might be, but it's not like we have much of a choice. The doors are all locked, remember?"

"We just got told we're playing in some depraved lunatics murder game! We need to find a way out of here!"
 
The conversation paused as Kai spoke up, the talking students just pausing. Cassidy stood up as if she was preparing to leave, but Talia shook her head towards her.

Meanwhile, Declan glanced over to Kai, shakily standing up and betraying the calm demeanor he had attempted to keep up. He nodded his head softly, "We do need to look for a way out, if he's... Actually serious. But for the moment... We need to eat. I suggest we use the meal as a chance to discuss what we need to do next. Kai, we're going to figure this out." He paused as he turned to Honoka, giving her a small smile, "Thank you for cooking."
 
"Everyone! We're moving to the dining hall for now. Our friend Honoka spent good time and effort to make a meal for us, and we can use it to discuss our next move. If you have objections, you can raise them at the meeting."
 
Declan didn't even wait for anyone to reply, and his imposing aura was back in full force as he pointed towards the door. One by one, students began to file out of the room. One after another, they made their way out and towards the cafeteria for breakfast.
 
On their way out of the room, Casper gave Xander a small pat on the back as the Gym was slowly emptied, Declan keeping a close eye on the process to make sure that everyone went to the Cafeteria. Surprisingly enough, Talia seemed to stick close by Declan, speaking under her breath to him while the others were leaving the room...

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PROLOGUE SHINING HOPE'S ARRIVAL COMPLETE

 

16 Students Remain

 

Chapter 1

 

The Depths of Hope

 

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Unsurprisingly, the meal was rather quiet. Everyone seemed a little bit stunned and unsure of what to say in the light of Monokuma's... Concerning revelation to the students. Students gave the occasional thanks to Honoka for cooking, Olivia had piled a plate full of food and seemed to be attempting to eat her worries away. A few students, notably Tempest and Casper, seemed to have already finished eating, having taken a much smaller portion than the average of the group. 
 
When the group had started to finish up their meals, Tempest was the one who stood up, rubbing at his neck as he coughed, "...So, like I said earlier, the front doors are locked. I'm gonna see if I can pick the lock somehow to get us out of here. If the lock can be picked, I have to be able to do it, you know?"
 
Brian looked up towards Tempest as he nodded his head, "Th... That sounds like a good idea. I dunno if there are any other ways to leave the school, but I'm going to try and take a look around too."

 

Declan glanced over himself as he rubbed at his chin, "...I'll come with you. If you're able to get the door open, you can run and try to get help while I gather the rest of us together to try and escape. For now, the rest of you should investigate the rest of the school. Now that the entrance ceremony is over, maybe the locked doors around the campus are opened now, or maybe we can get to the second floor."

 

Elise shook her head as she stood up, not having picked up any food as she made her way out of the cafeteria, "You all are more than welcome to waste your time, I'm going to my room. If what that bear said is true, I won't want to be around any of you." She didn't even wait for anyone to speak up against her before leaving the cafeteria, her footsteps echoing from the hallway as she disappeared from sight.

 

"Anyway... We need to break into groups. The first floor has three different areas of interest. There were three locked doors here in the dorm area, and four locked rooms in the main building... I don't care how you all decide to break apart into groups, but we need to. Tempest and I are going to the front door..."

 

Talia rose a hand up into the air, "If we're breaking into groups and splitting up, I'll come too. That way we can let everyone know if we get the door open faster."

 

Brian glanced over to Honoka, waving his hand to her as if he was trying to get her attention. If she actually noticed him, he pointed to himself, tilting his head just a little bit, but...

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Raegan stood up, her hands on her sides as she spoke up, "I'm going to take a look 'round the dorm. All the bedrooms are supposed'ta be exactly the same, but these three rooms in the common area are weird. If you wanna join me, better speak up now cause I'm leavin'!"

 

Casper stood up with a yawn, rubbing at his cheek a tiny bit as he did, "...Seems like a plan to me. We can take a quick look around, and then get back to our rooms, I like it." He glanced over to Xander, his eyebrow raising for a moment, "You wanna join? It'll be quick, you can get back to your room faster."

 

"Better decide fast!"

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Kane rubbed at his neck for a moment as he smiled, "I'm going to check out the far classrooms, near the stairs. I'm feeling lucky today, maybe the stairs will be open! Or maybe one of those rooms will have a window that opens and we can crawl out that way."

 

No one seemed to acknowledge him right away, but Cassidy slowly stood up as she brushed her hair behind her ear. She walked out of the door without saying anything at all, leaving the room just as quietly as she had entered. Kane just frowned, crossing his arms a little bit as he sighed, "...I guess I'm going alone."

[Blake]

Xander had rather meekly followed the crowd after the scene with Monokuma ended. He had accepted a plate from Honoka, but he had really just moved the food on his plate with his fork, a distant look filling his eyes. He had heard every word, but he could still hear his pulse. Still feel his heart pounding. It wasn't even that he even went along with the group because he had to, it was because he was still in too much fear for his life to make a move. He had almost died by a teddy bear bomb. This was unreal.

 

As the group began to break into smaller groups to investigate, Xander had begun to calm down, and he probably would have recovered enough to slip away soon after. That is, until Casper spoke.

 

"...Seems like a plan to me. We can take a quick look around, and then get back to our rooms, I like it." He glanced over to Xander, his eyebrow raising for a moment, "You wanna join? It'll be quick, you can get back to your room faster."

 

"Better decide fast!"

 

"... I don't see why not. It'll be the fastest path back, and we're not looking at dorm rooms, yeah? Let's go then."

 

Xander spoke plainly. It wasn't his true voice, but it didn't feel like the bombastic voice of "Mobius", either. Just a cold, maybe even broken, tone.

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

Everyone stopped for a second, before continuing. Some of the other classmates were starting to leave. Delcan gave Kai a look, his calm shell cracking under the pressure. "We do need to look for a way out, if he's... Actually serious." Kai nodded, still visibly angry. "But for the moment... We need to eat. I suggest we use the meal as a chance to discuss what we need to do next. Kai, we're going to figure this out." Kai wasn't very pleased with this answer, however, he let out a heavy sigh.

 

"You're... you're right. We need to keep calm..." Kai said, his voice a bit strained. It was decided that they'd go into the dining hall to eat breakfast. He was still hesitant to the whole idea, especially since it was going to be Honka's food. He was sure the girl was a good cook, but they had just announced that this was a murder game. She didn't seem like the type of person to poison food and try to kill everyone... which made it all that much more terrifying.

 

 

After giving Honka a thanks for the food, he sat down and started simply staring at the food. His portion was on the smaller side, not completely trusting the food. However, he seemed to forget about the idea that the food was poisoned once he started eating; the food was good and he was starving. His plate went empty rather quickly. 

 

It seemed like the students were keen on the idea of splitting up to find an exit. Kai approved, the sooner they got out of this mausoleum the better. He sat there quietly, trying to gather his thoughts for a moment. He decided to read over the manual they were given.

 

"I'm going to check out the far classrooms, near the stairs. I'm feeling lucky today, maybe the stairs will be open! Or maybe one of those rooms will have a window that opens and we can crawl out that way." Kai didn't pay too much attention, expecting someone else to take that on. However...

 

"...I guess I'm going alone." Kai put down his reading material and shook his head. He had hoped someone else would tag along with Kane, but no one else did. Kai might as well make himself useful.

 

"I'll go with ya, brah!" Kai said, standing up. "The quicker we find a way outta here, the better."

 

---

[Yui]

---

"Breakfast? This is no time for breakfast! We just got told we're playing in some depraved lunatics murder game! We need to find a way out of here!"

 

"W-Well, you see..."

 

"We do need to look for a way out, if he's... Actually serious. But for the moment... We need to eat. I suggest we use the meal as a chance to discuss what we need to do next. Kai, we're going to figure this out. Thank you for cooking. Everyone! We're moving to the dining hall for now. Our friend Honoka spent good time and effort to make a meal for us, and we can use it to discuss our next move. If you have objections, you can raise them at the meeting."

 

"Um, actually," Honoka replied, raising her hand up. "I didn't quite get the chance to start cooking yet. I was about to, but then I had to come meet the Headmaster. But if I really work at it, everything should be ready in about..." Seeming to count the heads of her classmates as she paused, Honoka eventually let out a guess of "Twenty minutes?"

And sure enough, twenty minutes was all it took. Talk about a rush order! I'd joke if it's too soon to call myself the Ultimate Chef for getting this done so quickly, but I'd much rather be a sculptor anyway. That, and the atmosphere around here felt a bit too heavy and serious for jokes, least of all about this place. Everyone seemed to appreciate the food, which Honoka was thankful for. She herself had opted to keep her meal simple, but had only recently started touching it at all, too busy sitting back to take a breather after getting all those meals put together and nursing a small burn on her hand from some hot grease splashing onto it. It was nothing that would scar or anything, she'd insisted, and within just a couple days it would be like it was never there at all. As the meals wrappped up, the class seemed to agree that it was best to split up into groups and find a way out of here. Her unfinished comment from earlier came back to mind... would it be right to bring up the fact that a school as prestigious as Hope's Peak absolutely had the funds and resources to make sure nobody ever got out if they wanted to keep everyone inside?

 

Maybe not to everyone all at once.But I should tell seomebody, right? Declan seems pretty level-headed... I think I'll start with his group.

 

Which, glancing from student to student, seemed to be Declan of course, Tempest, and Talia. Meanwhile, Brian was waving for her attention, and when he pointed toward himself upon her looking at him, she took a moment to think about what he meant. Go with him? There was probably no harm in it, but Honoka had other plans right now. The Ultimate Sculptor subtly shook her head, then tilted it roughly in Declan's direction. Getting up to her feet after downing the final bite of her rather plain breakfast, Honoka said "I'll go with Declan and his group to look at the front doors, if that's okay."

 

And I'll have to come back for these dishes immediately after.

---

[Ralsei]

---

"... I don't see why not. It'll be the fastest path back, and we're not looking at dorm rooms, yeah? Let's go then."
 
Casper gave Xander a quick clap on the back as he smiled, "Sounds like a plan to me, let's get going." He tilted his head back towards the cafeteria as everyone began to break apart into smaller groups, a small cough escaping him as he clapped his hands together, "Ay, I'm taking Xander and Raegan towards the rooms that were locked here in the common area. You'll check out the other sheet."
 
He waved his hand in the air towards the two of them, leading them off into the hallway with little fanfare. Raegan took a deep breath as she sighed, her hands behind her head as she stretched them out into the air behind her, "Thank goodness, the air in there was like a funeral. You can tell a lot of them have just kinda given up in shock. Maybe they'll regain their spirit after a good rest, but for now..."
 
She marched her way past Casper and across the hallway, her fist banging against the door across from them suddenly. "We got places to look around at. This door is pretty boring, so... Let's start here." She quickly attempted to open the door, and unlike the previous day where they had all been locked... It opened right up. The room inside was brightly lit, almost garishly so, with strings of lights hung up over the walls and ceilings, all over different shelves holding a variety of non-perishable foods, anything from junk food to canned things, clothes on one wall, practically anything they desired that was, well, something you might find a general supply store or even a gas station!
 
"Well this is boring." Casper strolled into the room behind her as he mumbled lightly, his hand banging against one of the supply shelves as he sighed, "Here I was hoping for something interesting, but all we get is crappy junk food and knickknacks."
 
"It ain't that bad, is it? Hell, they got all sorts of little things, paper, pencils, maybe we can try to sneak a message out of the school to someone. At least we've got something to keep us occupied, we don't have to run around going insane from the lack of stuff..."

 

While Raegan seemed to get lost rummaging through the items on the shelves, Casper drifted back, trying to keep an eye on Xander. His looks were always attempting to be subtle and probably not noticeable, but...
 

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"...I guess I'm going alone."
 
"I'll go with ya, brah!" Kai said, standing up. "The quicker we find a way outta here, the better."

 

Kane let out a little sigh as he nodded his head, "Thank goodness, I really did not want to go alone..." The way he said that was definitely a tone of relief, but... That also meant he felt like he had something to be afraid of. The proclamation of the bear was definitely still heavy on some of their minds at the very least.

 

The two left the cafeteria with little talk, at least until they actually hit the hallways. As they made their way towards the far end of the first floor, Kane let out a loud sigh, "Man, I just... I'm really nervous about all this, you know? I know I'm probably the least qualified to be here, I only got here through a lottery, and this is what I get? Feels like a punishment."

 

The two of them approached the end of the first floor when the sound of footsteps behind them caught up, a little breath escaping the arriving Brain as he smiled to the duo, "U-Uh, hope you don't mind if I tag along. The other groups are starting to break apart, so I thought since you two were coming up here alone, I could follow."

 

He sheepishly rubbed at his neck, but Kane just shrugged as he glanced over to Kai, "...I don't got an issue with it, do you?"

 

Clearly Kane didn't actually think there would be a problem, judging by the fact that he just walked over towards the stairs nearby them, the closed grate on them getting a little sigh from him, "Well damn, looks like we aren't going up this way. Let's pick a door... North or South?" He grinned as he looked back towards the other two, holding a coin up in his hand. He gave it a little toss, a small hum escaping him as he did, "Heads, we go north, tails south."

 

The coin glinted in the air, before being caught in his hands. Upon opening the hand, the coin was revealed to show tails... "Bottom room it is, let's get a look." He grinned, waiting for Kai to make his way towards the room first. Brian lingered behind them just a bit, a small nervous look in his eyes as they approached that doorway...

 

And when Kai opened it up, the door opened up to reveal what was a massive room, the walls lined with bookshelves on one side, the other side containing a large array of various comfortable chairs, desks that were more practical for actual work, and most interesting of all... Filing cabinets. The cabinets all had labels on them, easy to read labels of various genres, along with letters.

 

And running through those cabinets, eyes wide from what the gathered group could see, was the sight of Cassidy. She was rummaging through, pulling out loosely bound pieces of paper, her hands treating them very gently as she sorted through them, "This is insane... There's so many different manuscripts here, some of these are from famous authors too! What in the world is this?" The way she spoke was definitely strange, a hint of excitement, where normally there was just a voice that seemed to have heard everything...

 

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Declan watched as the cafeteria began to empty of people, the first groups leaving followed by the next, until soon it was just him, Talia, Tempest... And Honoka. The slightly odd gathering was sort of captured in a bit of an awkward silence as Talia stood up, glancing over at the others as she did, "...Well, let's not waste any time. If Tempest can't get the front door unlocked, we'll try... A window if we can find out."

 

She quickly turned and walked towards the exit, Tempest following behind her with his hands in his pockets. He whistled while he walked out of cafeteria, leaving just Declan and Honoka, "...I don't know why you wanted to come with us, considering this is a relatively... Boring spot to be in, but you're welcome to tag along, Honoka."

He smiled to her briefly before regaining his serious look, motioning for her to follow him out of the cafeteria. "And thank you for breakfast. It's been a long time since I've had a home cooked meal." He didn't pause as he said that, walking out of the doorway just as the last words left his mouth.

 

Honoka had a bit of run to catch up, but the group had met exactly where they said they were going to be. Tempest was already examining the door, a little wrap of tools laid out next to him as he fiddled with the lock some. Talia was standing with her back against the wall as the other two approached, a small smile on her face as she waved her hand, "Tempest has requested that we not make too much noise around him, so he can focus. But we can still chat among ourselves, until he finishes. After that, I suppose we should head back to the cafeteria so we can hear what the others discovered."

[Yui]

---

"...I don't know why you wanted to come with us, considering this is a relatively... Boring spot to be in, but you're welcome to tag along, Honoka. And thank you for breakfast. It's been a long time since I've had a home cooked meal."
 
"Oh, it was no trouble at all! I'm used to cooking for lots of people, so I'd be fine cooking more often if you'd like!" As Honoka followed the Ultimate Lawyer out of the room, she continued - more quietly to keep anyone else from overhearing - "As for going with your group to the door, there's a couple reasons. How likely do you think it is that we'd actually be able to get out of here?"

 

Declan took a moment to rub at his chin, pondering the question as he paused in front of the doorway to the main building. "The chances that we get out? If Hope's Peak Academy really sanctioned this... I don't have high hopes. Chances are they would have accounted for anything we plan, but that doesn't mean we should give up, yes?"

 

"I thought more about the academy's construction. This is a very famous and top-of-the-line school. With that kind of money, this place is probably built well enough that we can't really get out if they don't want us to. I wanted to have a look at the metalwork around here to see if I can judge that for myself, and the door seemed like a good starting point."

"Tempest has requested that we not make too much noise around him, so he can focus. But we can still chat among ourselves, until he finishes. After that, I suppose we should head back to the cafeteria so we can hear what the others discovered."

 

And there was the door. Already, Honoka was eyeing the frame of it. She stepped up closer to have a look, and even gave it a feel. It's impressive work. Not decorative in any way, but this looks like some really good steel. Getting out with this in the way will be pretty tough if Tempest can't get that lock picked. Stainless steel at that. Honoka had always wanted to sculpt something with this stuff, but it wasn't a material she'd ever managed to get her hands on. Although, she imagined working with something like this would be tough. Returning to Declan and Talia, the Ultimate Sculptor nodded and commented "Stainless steel. Really good-looking stainless steel at that. Looking at it reminds me of home, to be honest." A question stirred in Honoka's mind. Not about the door frame; she knew some means of getting through it, but they were all pretty impractical right now.

 

"Speaking of which, what kinds of places are the two of you from?"

---

[👀 REP 👀]

---

 

"Thank goodness, I really did not want to go alone..." He seemed relieved that someone was going with him. Kai simply shrugged, a grin on his face.

 

"No sweat, brah." Kai said, before walking towards him. "We can't be running off on our own now, can we? No clue what that crazy bear's plannin', huh?" He said, a tone of concern written on his voice. He wasn't sure if the others had picked up on the implication of their situation, but he sure as hell wasn't about to say it. He was sure none of them would try to kill someone... yet, but someone was bound to crack. A dark thought crept through his mind; what if he were the one to crack first? Kai shook his head. He wasn't about to kill someone for freedom. There had to be a way out of here.

 

 

The two boys were quiet as they walked towards the hallways, until Kane broke the silence. "Man, I just... I'm really nervous about all this, you know? I know I'm probably the least qualified to be here, I only got here through a lottery, and this is what I get? Feels like a punishment." Kai simply shrugged.

 

"Sometimes the waves be like that, brah." Kai simply said. "It's all part of the Ebb and Flow of life, ya know? Thing'll turn up eventually. They have to." He didn't want to admit it, but Kai was also nervous about the whole ordeal. However, he figured it would be best to keep moral as high as possible - make sure no one cracks under pressure.

 

The two of them approached the end of the first floor when the sound of footsteps behind them caught up. Kai clenched his fist, ready to strike down whoever was coming up to them, before releasing a tense breath as he saw Brain. "U-Uh, hope you don't mind if I tag along. The other groups are starting to break apart, so I thought since you two were coming up here alone, I could follow."

 

"Is that so?" Kai said, scratching his chin. "Well, I don't mind the extra company." He said, before turning around and gesturing Brian to follow. "Hope s​hit ain't too bad with the others..." He said with a tone of annoyance.

 

Kane walked over towards the stairs nearby them, the closed grate on them getting a little sigh from him, "Well damn, looks like we aren't going up this way. Let's pick a door... North or South?" He grinned as he looked back towards the other two, holding a coin up in his hand. He gave it a little toss, a small hum escaping him as he did, "Heads, we go north, tails south." Kai nodded, staring at the coin intently.

 

Tails.

 

"Bottom room it is, let's get a look." Kane grinned as he stood there.

 

"Well, it's now or never!" Kai said, grinning as he opened the door. His imagination ran wild with whatever could be in there. He hoped for an exit, although treasure wouldn't be too bad either. Maybe they'd wonder into some sort of torture room... it was all very exciting, if a bit intimidating. That had never stopped Kai before, though.

 

Instead of anything cool, however, he got books. Kai let out a sigh of disappointment. "Seriously, books? What a bummer, brah..." He said dejectedly, before turning to Cassidy. He wasn't expecting to find anyone else in here. "You seem oddly excited." He remarked as the girl seemed to be in her own little world, before turning to the other boys. "Well, less there's a secret door of some kind, it looks like this be a dead end."

 

---

[Blake]

Xander followed quietly as the other two began investigating, intending to keep back as much as possible. They didn't need his help, it was just best to head off with this group. Besides, why would the doors be open now? He was sure it would be over asap.
 
That is, until the first door they checked open without a hitch.

"Here I was hoping for something interesting, but all we get is crappy junk food and knickknacks."
 
"It ain't that bad, is it? Hell, they got all sorts of little things, paper, pencils, maybe we can try to sneak a message out of the school to someone. At least we've got something to keep us occupied, we don't have to run around going insane from the lack of stuff..."
 
"Idiots. Do they really expect anything? If we're trapped here, why would we be able to sneak stuff out or get help escaping?"
 
Shaking his head slightly as he walked around and observed, he found little of note to the room. While it had some decent resources, he had brought most of what he would need with him... And the junk food wasn't something he was particularly interested in. However, the glances that Casper was shooting him were... less than optimal. Acknowledging them wouldn't do him any good, but he so badly wanted to tell him to funk off.

 

"... Alright, this is a decent start! Why don't we move onto the next place now?!"

[Headmaster Monokuma]

---

"Seriously, books? What a bummer, brah..."
 
"A bummer...? You don't understand, this room is... Perfect. It's like it was made just for me, all these manuscripts, all the reference materials, I wish I had something this great at home."
 
Even with that, her tone didn't change. She kept that same serious tone as she dug through the cabinets that lined the wall, her eyes only occasionally glancing up towards the others. Kane had started to browse through some of the bookshelves, his face contorting in thought as he mumbled gently, "Is this supposed to the library? You would think it would be a bit... More obviously labeled, right? I'm not alone in thinking that, right?"

He turned to glance back towards Kai, a little chuckle escaping him as he shrugged his shoulders some. Brian took a seat down onto one of the plush chairs, pulling a manuscript from a table next to him start looking over it. He brushed his hand over the front page as he frowned, "Revitalizing the Industry: A Teacher's Memoirs. Did you start reading this one, Cassidy? It sounds really... Dull."

She blinked and turned towards Brian, "No, I only just started going through them, whoever prepared the room must've left it out. Or maybe it was a new arrival. And don't say things like that, nonfiction has just as much merit as flashy stories do."

 

She quickly turned towards him and snatched the pages out of his hand, a little puff of her cheeks being given as she turned back to her previous focus on the cabinets... "You seem oddly excited."

 

She paused as she brushed her hair back over her face, a little mumble escaping her as she did, "Books have always been a big part of my life. Some of these are even from authors I've read from since I was little..." She glanced back to the papers as she shook her head lightly, "So having all these works that haven't been seen before? Of course I'm excited."

 

"Phuhuhuhu... It's amazing, isn't it?!"

 

There was a loud sproing as Monokuma suddenly appeared on the back of the couch that Brian was on, jumping up from behind it as he spoke. He wobbled in place for a moment as Brain let out a scream and fell back onto the ground, pushing himself away from the plush bear as he tensed up, "What? Too sudden?" Monokuma posed with a hand behind his head, that static grin being turned towards the group in front of him.

 

"How did you get here...? We would've seen you come in! Did you just sit in here waiting for us?!" Kane held a hand up in front of him as he took a step forward, but he quickly stopped as he took a deep breath. "No, you know what, it doesn't matter."

 

"Damn right it doesn't matter! I'm here to tell you all about this wonderful room... This is an Ultimate Research Laboratory! It was made especially for you precious little students to hone your talents! And make you all the more capable of killing!" His arms waved around in the air as he said that, as if it cleared up everything...

 

"An Ultimate Research Laboratory?" Kane tilted his head to the side just a bit as the bear finished speaking, a confused look on his face, "It seems like a normal library to me, nothing like a lab."

"You mean... These are made just for us? Do we all have one?" Brain perked up as he heard that, a little grin on his face as he started to pick himself up from the ground. 

 

"I guess the little guy picked up on it faster than you did! All these labs are specially tuned to your own talents! This one is the Ultimate Proofreader's Laboratory, and it was made with her in mind! We got all the best reading materials, all the best reference materials... Everything she needs to hone her skills!"

 

Brain clenched his fists together, leaning forward as he did, "S-So we all get one! Where's mine at?!"

 

"Weeell somewhere in the school! You'll just have to explore and see! Oh wait... There's just that little snag, huh?" The bear turned away from the students, a paw raising up to its chin and resting there, "Shame you all can't explore the rest of the school, I guess you'll just have to kill someone to find out..."

---

[Ralsei]

"I thought more about the academy's construction. This is a very famous and top-of-the-line school. With that kind of money, this place is probably built well enough that we can't really get out if they don't want us to. I wanted to have a look at the metalwork around here to see if I can judge that for myself, and the door seemed like a good starting point."
 
A small silence followed as Declan nodded his head, a little sigh escaping the Ultimate Lawyer, "It's as good a place to start as any. I'll trust in you to exam it, Honoka. Anything you can gleam from it, I'll be happy to hear it, any amount of knowledge is a good place to start..."

 

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When Honoka stepped forward to get a better look at the door frame, she also got a look at Tempest in the middle of his work. It was brief since she needed to inspect the doorway, but... There was a fire in his eyes, and his hands weren't shaking at all as he examined the lock on the door. There was determination in the way that he moved, fully focused on the single task, until she finally pulled away to talk to the other two...
 
"Stainless steel, huh...? I suppose we shouldn't be surprised, right?"
 
"No, no we shouldn't be. Hope's Peak can easily afford the best, it was foolish to think getting out would be easy. But... There has to be something we can do." There was a pause between the two as Declan rubbed at the back of his head, a small frown on his face when he glanced towards the exit. He seemed focused on it for a moment, but that was quickly broken when Honoka spoke up once again.
 
"Speaking of which, what kinds of places are the two of you from?"
 
There was a brief pause as the two of them glanced at each other, before Talia shrugged her shoulders lightly, "I'm from a relatively small town. We didn't have much to do there, we weren't big enough to get interesting businesses, it was mostly just... Mom and Pop type stores along with the occasional retail shop. People never really moved into the town much, but we got by thanks to the farms and such that people were running... I spent a lot of time hunting with my father."
 
Talia stopped talking as Tempest approached the group, his arms stretched up into the air as he groaned out, "Welp, we're stuck. I can get it open, but I don't have the tools I need with me for it. It's a really rare type of lock, it's usually more of a collector's item than something people actually use... I might be able to find a replacement somewhere in the school, but I have to look around. Whoever designed the door was ready for me... Which isn't surprising."
 
Declan sighed as he rubbed at the back of his head, "I suppose we need to just... Continue searching the rest of the school for the time being. Perhaps we can find something Tempest can use to help our escape elsewhere. We already examined the dorm rooms, but perhaps there's something in the gym or one of the rooms before the dorm area. I'm going to take a look. I'll be in the room closest to the dorm entrance."
 
He turned away before any of them could actually say anything to him and walked off, turning the corner as Talia took a deep breath and shook her head, walking off with him, "We don't really have a choice... I'm going with Declan to check the other rooms on the floor, if either of you want to join us."

 

Tempest just watched the two of them walk off, a little mumble escaping him, "I might just head back to my room, maybe I can find a way to use the tools I brought with me..."

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"... Alright, this is a decent start! Why don't we move onto the next place now?!"
 
"The next place... We've got two more rooms to check out I guess, though I dunno why ya're in a rush. We've got all the time in the world." Raegan yawned as she walked past Xander and shrugged her shoulders a bit, picking up a few bits and pieces of candy from the shelves to slide into her pockets as she walked by. She smiled to Xander as she walked past him, "You should slow down."
 
She walked out of the door as Casper walked over, a little yawn escaping him as he glanced at Xander, shaking his head for a moment as he did. He didn't say anything unlike Raegan, but that look in his eyes was definitely a bit... Suspicious. He tilted his head towards the door as he passed by Xander and walked out, leaving the commentator alone in the storage area, at least until he followed out behind them. They had moved to the door just beside the storage room, the duo trying to opening up a fairly large door, though it didn't seem have any special markings on it...
 
And it wasn't budging. Raegan let out a frustrated groan as she kicked the door, rattling at the doorknob more as she grumbled, "Oh come on, you told us we could explore! We just want to know what's in the damn room, ya dumb bear!"

Casper put a hand on Raegan's shoulder and pulled her hand away from the door, but right as she was pulled away, the woman's bathroom door opened up, "What's with all the screaming? I don't think he's going to open a door just because we want him to, considering the way he talked..."
 
Olivia walked out of the bathroom with a paper towel around her hands, rubbing water off of them as she raised an eyebrow at the other two. Casper just shrugged his shoulders, a small yawn escaping him before he finally spoke up, "We're just getting a bit frustrated, that's all. That other room was a bust, some small comforts but nothing useful. Now we've got a locked door, and just one more option..."
 
Raegan nodded her head, but Olivia let out a sigh as she crossed her arms under her chest, "I know it's annoying, but seriously, shouting won't help. We just need to take a bit to think this through, that Declan guy said he was examining the doors right? I'm sure he'll find something for us!" She smiled, but it was forced. It wasn't complete... It wasn't entirely honest.

 

"Alright. Let's check out the next room you two. If you wanna stay, ya can." Raegan just waved her hand towards Olivia as she walked back across the hall, a little grumble escaping her as she forced the door open... And inside was just a boring, normal laundry room. Washing machines lined one wall, drying machines on the other, and clotheslines were just littered around. It was positively, plainly normal...

 

"...What a drag. I guess we're stuck just talking among ourselves for the time being. I dunno, I was really hoping we would find some kind of clue in here..."

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[👀 REP 👀]

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So she was a book freak. "I see..." He said, shrugging. "Well you do you, brah." As he spoke, a notorious voice emerged.

 

"Phuhuhuhu... It's amazing, isn't it?!" Kai let out an audible growl as Monokuma jumped onto the scene.

 

"How did you get here...? We would've seen you come in! Did you just sit in here waiting for us?!" Kane held a hand up in front of him as he took a step forward, but he quickly stopped as he took a deep breath. "No, you know what, it doesn't matter."

 

"Damn bear has his tricks..." Kai said, gritting his teeth. The bear went on to explain this room - the Ultimate Research Laboratory. Just as this room was basically made for Cassidy, there were apparently other rooms made for the others as well. It would be exciting, if not for their circumstance.

 

"Weeell somewhere in the school! You'll just have to explore and see! Oh wait... There's just that little snag, huh?" The bear turned away from the students, a paw raising up to its chin and resting there, "Shame you all can't explore the rest of the school, I guess you'll just have to kill someone to find out..."

 

Kai clenched his fists, glaring at the bear. "What is it with you and killing anyways? None of us are gonna go after each other, so quit it!" He wanted to punch the bear very badly, but he saw what happened the last time something like that happened. He turned to the others. "Ignore the damn bear, we're gonna keep lookin' around," With a huff, he stormed out of the room, not waiting for anyone else to react.

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