Danganronpa: SHIFTED – Prologue

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Full Prologue –

Darkness.

I can’t help it. There’s just darkness.

I don’t remember how I was brought into this mess… and… everything happened before I even noticed.

I think I should start with the beginning of my school years… I am a student attending Hope’s Peak Academy, 25 years after The Tragedy caused by Junko Enoshima, the True Ultimate Despair. She trapped 15 students in the school, and began a killing game that only 6 of them survived. Years later, one of those students –who some call the Ultimate Hope- rebuilt the school and began recruiting Ultimate’s once more. Well, that’s at least what I know.

Oh yeah, that’s right.

My name is… Memopo Sakagara.

I am the Ultimate Magician and.. I wouldn’t call myself the protagonist but… I guess I am in a certain way.

Me and my family came from a very poor place, and with my popularity as the Ultimate Magician, our life drastically changed, and we could finally step in the right direction. We could finally buy more useful things for us and pay our bills, everything was changing for the best. This is a summary of my life.

Hope’s Peak was a nice place, I befriended lots of people, and even my sister started attending the school! It was some of the best years of my life! Being at Hope’s Peak was always a dream of mine, and when I received my Ultimate title… it was amazing! I felt like my life was going to change for sure! And sure enough, it did!

Most of my classmates are really nice and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I didn’t go there. I began doing magic shows around the world, and I even got to meet some famous people! I thought that this dream of mine could never end… until one day.

Well… my class and I were supposed to go on a Field Trip, with a professional teacher from our class – Not to be confused with a classmate of ours – and I happily wanted to go, so I prepared everything and everyone went together at the same bus, a class of 16 students. Everything was going just fine, everybody was either talking to each other or listening to some music on their phones, the day seemed great… until something happened.

I was just chilling in my seat, looking at the window, when I saw something strange…

My eyes aimed for this… strange building… from the window… It was really far away but I could see that it was some kind of strange old building deep in the forest.

At first, I thought it was nothing, just another abandoned location, there’s a bunch of abandoned places scatterred around after The Tragedy, y’know? But…

After I saw it… Immediately after I saw it…  I… felt dizzy.. and.. there was.. some kind of smoke.. coming out of the bus… and… and…

….

Darkness.

I can’t help it. There’s just darkness.

….H-Huh?

….W-Where… is this place…? Where… Am… I…

I woke up in a strange room, full of boxes and cleaning agents… Like some sort of storeroom.

-Erhm… Hello..? – I said, opening my eyes, and trying to understand the situation. – Somebody…?… H-How… did I get here..? – I thought, before realizing something strange. –

-W-Wait… what?  Where exactly is this place..?  – I said, while looking around. This is definitely some sort of storeroom, but… how..? –

• 

-And… why… am I here..? – I already started thinking about the worst, because, y’know, there’s no reason for me to be here…right? I stood up. – I-Is this…. some sort of kidnapping? What… happened to me? –But then, I heard a voice coming out of the door. –

???: H-Hello…? I heard a voice… is someone inside that room? – That voice… that was a familiar voice… more like… yes…! –

-…Makoto..? Makoto Hiroma? – I asked the familiar voice.

–…Yeah.. that’s my name…? – He paused for a moment – Wait…! Memopo is that you?! Magician Memopo?!

-..T-That’s right! Makoto! Thank God, you’re here!.. If you even know what is this place… Wait.. where are you..? And why this place has two doors and a… television, monitor? – I asked Makoto, and right after that, I heard a click from the right door.

Makoto: I’m… here.

Ah… Makoto Hiroma, Ultimate Hairdresser…I’m calmer now that I know that you’re here. I remember that he was sitting next to me on the bus, plus, he’s like, my closest friend. But I’m worried now. What are we doing in this strange place?

-Memopo! You’re… here, too.

• 

-Y-Yeah, This is strange, weren’t we inside a bus..?

-H-Hey… Memopo.. – Makoto quickly asked something – Do you.. know anything about this place? And.. why we’re here? Just like you said, I only remember being on that bus on the way to the Field Trip and then.. there was some smoke… and then I woke up in a bathroom..? Close to your location.

-…No… but I remember seeing a abandoned building by the window just before the smoke came in. But I woke up on- well, this storeroom.

-Hmm… yep. There’s definitely something REALLY strange going on here… – He said, and then quickly grabbed my hand, looking at the corridor we were in. – Do you want to investigate this together?

-Investigate..? But we don’t know where we are. What if this place is dangerous?

-Well… – He smirked – We should still try to know where we are, right? We can’t just stay here forever. And we need to know where our classmates are! They must have inhaled the smoke, too!

Oh, so they must have inhaled that weird smoke, too. I mean, he was sitting next to me, but I don’t know the others. It would have been strange if just the two of us inhaled that thing.

• 

-…Yeah, that makes sense. But we need to be careful, or else something bad can happen. – I said, as I followed him, hoping to find another one of our classmates, who knows, maybe we’d find an exit to this place. –

.

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.

.

.

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• 

-Makoto… can I ask you something..? – I asked him while we were walking – How did you open that door? I mean, I thought it was locked. – It’s not like I tried to open it or anything but…. –

-Locked? No, it wasn’t..? I woke up in the bathroom next to your room and the door was open, your door was open as well.

-…Oh, really? Alright… that’s a relief. – Yeah… Maybe it was open already. – Wait… Where are we? – We stopped, when we discovered the place in which we were. –

-….W-What is this place..?! – Makoto was shocked, and so was I, because.. It seemed like…

• 

-A shopping mall…? – I said – …No… more like… an abandoned shopping mall…?!

-Why are we in an abandoned mall?! – Makoto was really confused, more than before. And I can’t blame him, after all… This is such a pain.. We don’t even know who did this, and why we were taken to such an inconvenient place?

-Hmm…? Hey.. Makoto… look! – I pointed at another person, exiting some kind of store… which… seems like one of our classmates…?!

-W-What..? – He looked at the person I was pointing at, and confirmed my question – … I-Is that… Miya…? No… that’s definitely Miya! Miya Dafinu!

…That’s right… Miya Dafinu… the Ultimate Wedding Planner… she IS one of our classmates! And she was also on the bus with us! Maybe it is actually her!

Makoto and I, both ran into her direction, but suddenly… another person came right after her.

-…. – The blonde haired boy with those pinkish clothes, and Miya looked silently into us, and we stayed quiet, until the boy started talking. – … Oh.. my god! At last, more people inside this confusing zone!

-….Yes! Oh my god, YES! Aki! It’s Memopo and.. the Hairdresser! – Miya said to the boy… and I remembered. –

…Aki.. Kinota? Maybe that’s his name… no.. that IS his name! Aki Kinota, the Ultimate Matchmaker! He is also one of our classmates! But… what were they doing together… in a place like this?

-…I-It’s Makoto… and, I’m glad we found some of our classmates, Memopo! We finally aren’t alone! – He said, and stopped holding my hand. –

-Yeah… yeah… I refuse to believe that Miya and me are into this madness! – Aki said, with a disgusted look. – Like, look at us! We were supposed to go into a field trip! Not some kind of horror zone…!

-Aki, I don’t think this is just a Horror Zone, or even a Horror Zone at all. – I tried to talk to him, but Miya rushed into me, stopping me from continuing. –

-M-Memopo..! You will NOT believe this..! There was some kind of smoke… and I just woke up in this weird store, with Aki by my side! I was really really scared! It’s so nice to see you here! – She hugged me, like always. She is really nice to me, sometimes even nicer than supposed. But we are good friends. –

-So.. Aki, do you have any idea of where we are…? – Makoto asked Aki, while I was busy trying to comfort Miya. –

-Actually, sorry, no. Just like Miya, I inhaled some kind of pesky smoke, and then woke up in the same room as her. We’re good friends, don’t get me wrong, but geez, sometimes she can be really annoying. – He responded Makoto, still with the disgusted look in his face. –

-Oh.. Ok then. So… can you guys help us investigate? We’re trying to find some kind of exit or even more of our classmates, with you guys helping us, this will be way easier! – Makoto asked both of them, at the same time, Miya stopped hugging me. –

-Yeah, sure, I guess? There’s nothing else for us to do anyway. – Aki replied. He seemed even more annoyed.

-I… don’t know if I can help.. b-but I’l try! – Miya said with a smile in her face, but we could clearly see that she was scared. –

–By the way, I heard a scream coming from the right, but since I was kinda trapped in that store with her, I didn’t do anything.

-Oh.. wait, your door was locked..? – I asked, confused. –

-No, it wasn’t. But she really thought it was because.. Kidnapping… and stuff. – Aki said reluctantly, maybe we should stop asking questions. –

-Ok.. so, I think we should go, Memopo… – Makoto grabbed my hand, and we walked into the direction Aki said, hoping to find the person Aki heard scream. –

Hmm… the fact that the doors are unlocked, and that we’re in an abandoned shopping mall seems to be linked to each other.. but still… why are we into this mess, anyway..? It… It looks like that old Kill-… No, that can’t be it. I couldn’t stop thinking about that… Until we reached some kind of Food Court, and…

-Hey… there’s more of our classmates here, Memopo! – Makoto was more excited than before, and he was right, there was 4 of our classmates now! and they were together, that’s even better! –

As we walked into them, I tried to remember some of their names… and…

There was Maki Kin, the Ultimate Clown… Teru Tozumi, the Ultimate Bowler… Chokakku Dokuita, the Ultimate Chocolatier… and Hajime Nohara, the, surprisingly, Ultimate Zombie! Two boys and two girls… maybe the person that trapped us in here made this on purpose..? I don’t know, but It seems like the pairs are pre-selected, or something…

-Hey, guys, there they are! Memopo and Makoto! – Teru jumped from his chair, and pointed to us, he seemed really excited, just like Makoto.. maybe they’re trying to find our classmates, too? Well, at least Teru. He’s like our “dad friend”, really caring and supportive. –

-Oh, nice! Even more people. – Chokakku, in other hands… well, she was always like this, she doesn’t like our class very well, and I think she didn’t even want to come into this trip in the first place. But when it comes to chocolate…. She’s a professional. – Oh, hi guys. You found us.

-O-Oh… thank god… at least we now know most of us are really safe. – Hajime is actually one of the most wholesome people here, he cares about everyone and he’s really nervous around new people, I really feel bad about him being in this kind of situation. – D-Did you guys find anyone else…?

-Oh, we found Miya and Aki! They were together in a strange store. Which seems weird, because I and Memopo woke up in different places. – Makoto said to Hajime. –

-I… I don’t think it’s weird.. you see, Chokakku was all alone when she woke up, but me and Teru woke up together… – Maki said to us in a kinda serious but frightened tone. – I.. I think Hajime woke up alone too?

-Y-Yeah… That’s right. – Hajime gave her an innocent smile, but we could see that he is trying his best to hold the tears. – I am really glad you guys are safe.. this place r-really gives me the creeps..! I hope we find everyone else too..!

-Thanks.. Hajime! We’re happy that you guys are safe, too! Right, Memopo? – Makoto looked at me, waiting for my response. –

-…Of course! Of course we are! And the fact that Makoto and I aren’t alone in this place, but with our classmates, it’s way more comfortable! – After I said that, they started talking again. –

So Makoto and I sat in a chair.– Hey.. can I ask you guys a question..?

-Yeah! What is it? – Teru said, and everyone looked at me. –

-..Well… I was wondering… When you guys woke up, were the doors in your rooms locked or not?

Hmm… everyone had the same response. All their doors were unlocked after all.

So… my theory must be right, if all the doors are unlocked, and we’re in this strange shopping mall… Does that mean the person who did this… wanted us to find each other…?

I couldn’t stop thinking about that… maybe my theory is right, who knows..? Well, when I was about to say that, we heard another voice coming.

-H-Hello you guys? E-Everyone? Hey, hey! Geez! – It was a male voice, and everyone knew who this person was. –

Hoshi Nakanaka, the Ultimate Game Creator… so he’s here too? He is well known in our class for being the lazy one, he even sleeps in the class sometimes! But we all know that his passion for games are everything, one year, he spent 9 months creating a game only for himself and the another classmate! It was a math game, but surprisingly good! We saw our classmate play it in class, and everyone was shocked that such an amazing game was created by such a lazy guy!

-So.. Hoshi is here too, huh? – Chokakku said, and bumped her head into her arms. – Ugh…

-Wait, it’s not just Hoshi… there’s someone behind him! – Makoto pointed to the person, and he was right, there was another person, more precisely, Haruka Nikada, the Ultimate Teacher, and the one who played the game Hoshi created. –

I guess we can consider her being one of our classmates -because she has her seat and all- but she’s more like a substitute teacher for us and a good friend, not the professional one. Her discipline method is extremely good, and even if her appearance is somewhat strange for a teacher, she is very nice and does her job like no one else! I feel pretty bad knowing that she’s involved in something like this, she really doesn’t deserve this.

-Hello, my fellow students, I really cannot believe what is happening right now. Such a mess…. – She has a sad look on her face, If only I could help her… – Well, I am extremely happy that most of you are safe. But I still wonder where the others could be… – Haruka said as Aki and Miya came into the Food Court as well. –

-Heyy!! Aki and Miya!! You guys are here, too! Thank you Lord, now I can be assured that there’s not a giant fish boss right here to attack us! – Hoshi yelled at them.

– But now… neither a nice goat lady in a dress to help us…. or a lizard scientist… so sad..

-Ugh.. so loud. Why heavens is he here? – Aki was also disgusted by him. Sometimes him and Chokakku seemed like twins. –

-But.. look on the bright side, our beautiful teacher Nikada is here! – Miya was trying to be optimistic. – She can guide us to safety!

-Haha, thank you, Ms. Dafinu, I’m glad you like my presence. And I’m pleased that most of our class is safe and with no injuries whatsoever. But I also don’t know if there’s an exit for us. – Haruka said to Miya, and turned back to everyone sitting in the table.

– My fellow students.. I have an announcement to do.

-What… right now? – Chokakku said, with her head still in her arms.–

-Yes, Ms. Dokuita. – Haruka glanced into her. – Look, I know that this seems quite bad at the moment, I know I wasn’t expecting anything of this nature to occur, but we need to stay calm and close! Even if something happens, we can be together and supportive!

-…Yeah… that’s right…! Even if something is happening, it’s not like we won’t find a way out! We must stay together, no matter what!

-GR…GRWAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! – There was a loudly agonizing scream, coming from the place that Haruka and Hoshi came. –

-…Or so I thought.

-UGWWAh!! That’s it! T-That’s the same scream I heard from that store! – Aki pointed to the direction – I suppose some of you guys and gals and etc heard it too, right?

As a matter of fact, some of them did hear the scream before.

-So what are we waiting for? What if it’s one of our classmates?! – I said, jumping out of my chair – I think we should go!

So, everyone ran into that direction, hoping for the best. At the same time, I noticed something odd about this place.

…? That’s strange… there are cameras around us… and yellow televisions. But the walls were cracked, and covered in what seemed to be fresh paint… it almost seems like someone tried to renovate in here recently… I wonder why?

-GW-GRWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH….!!!!!

When we got there, everybody noticed that we were in the entrance. So that was a nice thing. But we also noticed…

…..Him…Punching the wall..? W-Whaa…–

-H-Hey you guys!! You’re all here!.. a little help..? – It was… Kiyohara Inuma, the Ultimate Lumberjack… he is also one of our classmates… but his hands were incredibly hurt, jeez. And also with some others..! – Ugh… my hands…

-Hmm… just like I said, it appears that we aren’t the only ones here after all. – And there was Nia Tsukiyama… the Ultimate Psychologist, she is exceedingly calm towards everything, and always tries to be rational. The only reason she was even on this Field Trip was to observe us outside of school. – Better than nothing.

-Yeah… and bud.. we said that you need to stop punching everything. This is hopeless, ya know? – Yup, Joshua Jazra, the Ultimate Cowboy, he is a transfer student, I don’t remember the place exactly, but his family always lived in the hot desert sun. He is very passionate about his talent. – Man… your hands are horrible.

…Huh? Everyone is here? – And… there she was. Joshua’s best friend. Maisake Saihara. She is very quiet and because of that most of us don’t even know her actual talent. I remember she saying something before but… I really can’t remember right now. – Hmm…. that’s nice. That’s really nice.

-Wait, what happened to him? – Teru asked, and they remained silent for a while – ….

-Erhm.. I was scared, y’know, trying to find some exit… and… I called for help, no one came so… I tried punching the wall… but… then I remembered that I am better with Axes than Fists. – Kiyohara said embarrassed.

Yeah…. the walls are pretty thick and… the front door is locked by some iron grates. He really did this for nothing after all.

-So then… everybody is here? Then.. This is a kidnapping! Right? – Miya exclaimed. – That’s gotta be it!

-Yeah sure but… why would someone even try to kidnap us? and why this weird building? – Hoshi asked, but no one had an answer. –

-…Wait… fellow students, there’s still… two of our classmates… right? Why aren’t they here..? – Haruka said this, and she’s right, there still should be two of them out there! – …If I remember correctly, Mr. Pannacota and.. Ms. Nesumi… am I right?

-Oh, no, please, Haruka, I think they aren’t here. – Aki replied Haruka. – They didn’t come to the Field Trip, so don’t worry about that.

-Oh, actually, they’re here! We found them lying around some strange doors right up ahead, it’s kinda strange because it’s exactly sixteen of those doors. Anyway, they’re fine, but.. – And right before Nia finishes…..

-”But… they’re still unconscious.” Is that what you would say..? – ….Huh? Zeto Pannacota, the Ultimate Lucky Student… he didn’t come to the Field Trip, neither did Shiroga Nesumi… why is he here? – Well… somehow I got caught in this mess before you guys. Shiroga is here too, by the way.

-H-Heh..?!?! – Teru yelled – So… however did this… wanted our whole class together?

-That.. doesn’t makes sense. – I said – .. Why did our kidnapper purposely get our entire class? Even Zeto and Shiroga?!

-Actually… we were trying to find this answer for a while. So sorry!! – …Shiroga Nesumi, the peculiar Ultimate Unlucky Student, is here as well, just like Zeto said. They’re the closest people in the class, and they’re always together. Maybe that’s the reason the kidnapper wanted they here? But… – We were here hours before you guys came in, and already tried everything, so we just took a quiet zone and tried to calm down for a while. I was really REALLY scared, but at least Zeto was there for me! Glad you guys are here! And–

-OH MY GOD SHUT UP! Look, I don’t know what is happening but… What’s wrong with you people?! Why is everyone so “glad” for everyone?! We have been kidnapped for goddamn sake! – Chokakku yelled at everyone – We must find a way out quick as possible! I just want to go home already!

-….Yup yup… she’s right! We need to focus, everyone! – Hoshi tried to support her, but no one cared. -… Guys…?

-Well, we’ve been trying to do that for a while, Hoshi. – Makoto exclaimed – and all we’ve managed to do was find our classmates!

-That’s right! Now that Zeto and I are fully recovered, we need to continue the investigation! This way we can finally get out of this abandoned, creepy place! – Shiroga was trying to cheer everyone up as well, she always had this bubbly and happy personality, even in a situation like that. – C’mon everyone! Let’s do this together!

-Hmm… so what do we do, then? – Nia started talking – It seems like everyone already came from a different part of this building, and no one found an exit.

-Yeah… and the entrance is locked too, like, really locked. – Kiyohara responded. – Those grates are really reforced, even Joshua and I tried together to break them. Nothing happened.

-Yeesh, he’s right. our muscles are nothing compared to those grates, man.

-So… what do we do now? – Maki asked, and again, no one said a word, it seems like everyone already tried something to go away from this place… but everything was unsuccessful. -…. Ah… I don’t have any ideas, either…

-…Wait. Everyone… what about this red door right there? – Makoto pointed at something that resembled a strange door, some of us didn’t notice it right away… at least I didn’t, I thought It was just another strange thing about this abandoned place. – Maybe we can go to a different floor?

-…Y-Yeah… but what if this just goes down..? – Hajime asked – I-I mean, I didn’t find any stairs or something, maybe this shopping just has this ground floor after all–

-Actually, while we were investigating, Shiroga found stairs going up, in the same place we were waiting. But it’s kinda blocked by some rusty iron grates, too.

Rusty….? But… those grates from the door doesn’t seems rusty.

-Rusty iron grates…?! So… maybe someone really tried to do something to us! – Maki started panicking – We… We’re going to die here!!!

-No… maybe.. – Surprisingly, it was Maisake. Everyone pointed the attention to her. – maybe.. If this door works, we can use it to go upstairs… right?

-…Ms. Saihara is right.. but.. how would we know if that door actually works..? If this place is abandoned, the elevator must be collapsed on the floor.. right? – Haruka made a point, again.

-..Well.. we need to try, right? If not, we probably will stay here for a long long time! Yup Yup, I’m going! – Hoshi stood in front of the elevator…. and…

He…. touched the button…. and…

-A-AHH..AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! – Fell down on the floor.

-…W-WhAt?! – I screamed, surprised. – H-How on EARTH did he get shocked by this red button?!

-MR. NAKANAKA!..  Are you alright?! – Haruka also screamed, while everyone ran by his side. –

-….U-Ugh… W-What… Just happened..? – Hoshi said, opening his eyes – Is it you…Sins..?

….At this moment… the elevator door opened, and…

…More smoke came from there… but this time… no one fainted… It was more of a… “suspense” kind of smoke… like a horror movie, or something.

The smoke filled the entire room… no one could see each other, again… but then…

-Attention everyone…! – A robotic voice, came from some strange place. – It seems like everyone finally finished their introductions, so…

-W-What happened?! Guys? Where are you guys?! – This voice… it seems like Miya was searching for someone –

-Keheheh… Do not worry, this time, I will not take anyone. – The robotic voice continued – Well.. not yet..!

-Who… who are you?! – I asked –

-…Keheheh… Keheheheheheheheheheh….. This game is going to be so much… fun!

-…Where are you? Stop doing this kind of crap with us! Let us go! – Joshua also screamed, but the robotic voice didn’t stop talking. –

-Well… it’s finally time… for my appearance! – Finally, the voice stopped, and the smoke finally started to disappear… but right after that… –

• 

A black and white robot appeared, in front of the entrance.

-You can call me.. Monobot. And I.. am your new headmaster…! Keheheheheheheh….!!

And there he was… the robot that would crush our sense of reality and turn everything into pure despair… Monobot.

-…A.. A talking robot… ?!?! – Hoshi exclaimed surprised – How there is a fully working robot here?! And he’s not even a sexy one with legs!

-Keheheheheh… like I said, I’m not just a robot… and I AM a sexy robot… in my own way..! I’m your new headmaster!! – The Monobot thingy started talking again –

-..H-Headmaster..?! – Miya was with a confused expression – But.. we aren’t in our academy anymore, how could you be our “headmaster”?

-Well – He replied – I don’t see your problem here, Miya Dafinu.

-How does he know our names? – Maisake also was scared, I guess I shouldn’t complain about that… – Ok, everyone, I am kinda worried now. This situation is really strange.

–JUST now?! This thing… Looks disgusting! This robot it’s going kill us!! – Aki yelled at her.

-Woah, woah there, bud. I’m your new headmaster, I can’t just “kill you guys”…! Not right now, y’see?

-Not right now? What do you mean by that? – I replied – And why did you kidnap all of us?!

-Hm, alright! I guess I should explain some things to you chumps!! – He seemed really happy, disgusting. – Ahem… I am Monobot, your New Headmaster of this field trip!

-Field Trip? But this isn’t a field trip, what is your problem right now? – Chokakku seemed really angry, I could feel that some others were the same way. –

-…..Like I was saying, this is our field trip! We don’t need another of those field trips in a camp or whatever, so, I prepared this one just of us! An exotic paradise, well, not really exotic, but a paradise!

-Ugh, he’s also really noisy. – Aki exclaimed. –

-Aaaand this field trip… has no expiration date!!

-….Uh.. Wh-

-………………………W-WHAT?! – Hoshi screamed – NO EXPIRATION DATE…?! ARE YOU GONNA KEEP US HERE FOREVER?! – P-Poor Hoshi… first an electric shock… now… this Mono-robot….. He must be terrified……

-Hey, calm down. He must have said something wrong. – Nia tried to calm down Hoshi – You shouldn’t be surprised that easily.

-Keheheheheh…. that’s the point, old pal! I took you guys into this place, and you chumps are gonna stay here, no escaping, just a regular field trip, forever and ever!

-….Oh. But what about food? Or cleaning our clothes? – Nia replied to him. She seemed really calm unlike the rest of us. – There’s no way we could live here.

-Yeah, she’s right, man! This whole thing doesn’t make sense! – It was Joshua’s time to counter Monobot – And what about school and stuff? We can’t stay here forever!

-Keheheheheheh…. don’t worry about those things…. I can take care of you guys all the time, so food, cleaning your clothes, etcetera, I will do it! This is fine, y’know?

-…But what about our family? – Makoto also seemed a little nervous, but he was trying to keep himself calm. – Our family is gonna go after us! There’s no way your plan is going to work!

• 

-…Makoto is right! – Kiyohara seemed a little more hopeful than before – Our family is out there! And once they discover that we’re missing, they will find us! Yeah, that’s right!

-….Keheheheheh….

-…W-What are you laughing at..? – Kiyohara started to feel nervous again –

-Ohh, it’s just….. .No one knows where you guys are. Keheheheh…!.

After Monobot said those words, everybody slowly became scared.

• 

-….W-What?! – Hoshi exclaimed – What do you mean by that?!

-T-There’s no way! – Shiroga was sweating. – Someone must know where we are! You mean robot!

• 

-Y-Yeah, what is your problem, dude?! – Joshua was also sweating – H-How can you say that to us! This is not some kind of good joke!

-…Explain everything! How no one knows where we are?! – I asked, confused. –

-…..It’s simple. – Monobot started talking – Everybody thinks you guys are on a beautiful amazing field trip, full of hope and safety! And… this place is kinda… nowhere to be found! Y’know, deep into the forest and everything.

-Nowhere to be found..? – Maki asked Monobot, she also was really scared – But.. but it’s a shopping mall!

-An abandoned shopping mall! – Monobot laughed. – You guys are trapped in here for the rest of your lifes! And no one knows where you guys are, either!

…Deep into the forest…abandoned shopping mall… it’s… really similar… to the shopping that I saw while we were on the bus! Maybe… just maybe…

-….No. This can’t be it. – Zeto was really angry –

-Huh? – Monobot was curious – What do you mean, “no”?

-Because… me and Shiroga, both of us were in our homes. There’s no way our parents won’t notice that.

-………Keheheh, oh, Zeto.

Don’t worry about that either! I left a note in both homes with yours handwriting! It’s kinda convincing, really, I just said you guys changed your mind, wanted to go, and once the bus were in your home, you guys just got on! Simple as that! Keheheheheheheheheh!

-U-Urgh… – Zeto was surprised – Then, our parents must be really dumb, which they aren’t, to be convinced by this!

-…H-How could you do this to us?! Why us, anyway?! There’s a lot of people who could possibly like that! I t-think… – Shiroga was trembling. –

-……….. – Zeto –

-..Guys… calm down. – …Maisake? –

-M-Maisake?! What do you mean? H-How can we calm down?! – Hajime, who seemed quiet, was also really scared. – We… we are trapped in here!

-…I don’t think so. I don’t think what this robot is saying is actual truth. – Maisake looked at Monobot, really serious – How can we know that we can’t go out? Or that we can’t find a way out of this place..?

-…Keheheheh… believe me or not, Maisake. It’s up to you to choose!

But… you guys can try a method to escape this place! I won’t lie about that!

-…A way? Explain to us, right now! – Chokakku ordered Monobot to explain –

-Keheheh… of course, of course. There is a way you guys can get away from this place…

It’s very simple, I know that!

-What do you mean? – Maisake asked, curious. – Just spit it out.

• 

-….You guys just need to… kill each other.

Keheheh!!

• 

Those words…. those malicious words… after he said that… everybody could feel each other’s fear. It was like a dark aura came into this place, and never left our hearts ever again.

This situation we were in…. this strange and abandoned place, the cameras, 16 students, it all came together. We… We are in a killing game, aren’t we..? Just like… the old Hope’s Peak Killing Game. It seems like everyone reached into that conclusion as well.

-….. Huh….?

-Yup, I, Monobot, declare the FIRST and UNUSUAL… Saiko’s Garden Shopping Mall Killing Game!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!

-W-WHAT?! – Hoshi screamed – K-KILL EACH OTHER?!

• 

-I… I DON’T WANNA BE KILLED! THERE’S NO WAY! – Hajime screamed too. – Y-YOU MUST BE KIDDING!

-No.. Nooo… NOOOOOO!!! – Miya also screamed – T-THIS CAN’T BE IT! PLEASE TELL YOU’RE JOKING!!

-Keheheh, I’m not joking, really!

Stabbing, Strangling, Squashing, Crushing, Drowning, Torturing…! Keheheheheheh!! It doesn’t matter! If you kill someone, you can leave this place!

-…..No… but… Why KILLING?! T-There must be another way, right?! – Teru was frightened. – There must be!

-Oh, poor Teru, like I said, it’s killing someone, or staying! There’s no other choice, y’know?

-…But… We can’t murder each other, we are friends! – I screamed, trying to counter him, too. – We are classmates!

-What do you say? – Monobot asked confused

-…Yeah… YEAH!! – Makoto became a little more confident. – We won’t kill each other! We’re the Ultimate classmates! No one would kill each other!

-Mr. Hiroma is right. Even if we are scared… No one would dare to kill one of us! How dare you to propose such thing!

• 

-…Hmmm… so what’re you saying is.. You won’t kill each other… because you’re classmates, friends, yada yada yada..?

-That’s right, you sick, stupid, robot! – Aki also became more confident – We are not going to kill each other, just because you’re saying we need to!

• 

-Keheheheheheh…. Keheheheheheheh…..

-…What… What are you laughing at? – Zeto also was very confused and still, very angry. –

-Yeah, yeah.. I mean… there’s noooo way, a bunch of people, trapped in a dangerous place, with people they just know from their class, afraid, alone and with a opportunity, try to kill each other… am I right? Keheheheh…

-A-Alone..? – Nia started to feel nervous too. – We… We are not alone, you must be lying, stupid machine.

• 

-Oh… “stupid machine”, “we are not alone”.

You aren’t? Let’s see…

• 

Your parents doesn’t know where you guys are… You guys are trapped in a dangerous abandoned shopping, with me, Monobot, as your headmaster, no one knows who put you guys here… Yes… yes…

And like the previous moment from not so long ago, the entire room became dark, and all we could see was once again, his glowing eyes. His terrifying eyes.

You guys are alone.

There’s no other person here who you could trust.

And even so… There’s a chance that one person tries to kill, too.

If you thought you are safe in this place… You aren’t. Because I know everything about everyone. And there is cameras around everywhere.

I am Monobot. The new Headmaster of this Field Trip.

And I am the only one who knows what every. one. of. you. are capable of.

I know your fears, your desires. I can give every last person in this room a gruesome motive to kill their friends.

So… you’re alone. You guys are going to die and no one will come to help.

Your parents, the police, no one knows where this place is.

And you can’t escape in normal conditions either. I’m your leader, and I’m the one who creates the rules.

It’s murder. And murdering is the only way for escaping this new life of yours.

I don’t care about your feelings, I don’t care if this makes me sound stupid or some SHIT. Call me “stupid machine”, call me “cringy robot”, anything.

I’m the one, the only, the leader and headmaster of this Field Trip. And I can destroy every single life of yours if I wanted to.

Keheheheheheh…. Keheheheheheh…!!

……….

At this moment… I frose. I couldn’t talk… I couldn’t scream… It was… pure fear.

….Because he’s… he is right… we… we are trapped in this place, and even if we are classmates… none of us have ever encountered a situation like this. We don’t know what any of us can do, and we don’t know everything about each other, everyone hides some secrets…

And… if no one knows where we are… then… then…

Everybody was deadly silent… this feeling… no… it’s not JUST fear… It’s despair.

-…Hmm… It seems like I convinced everyone, am I right..? – He said those words with the most happiness I didn’t expect to hear. – Oh golly, I am doing a great job here! And it’s only day 1!

-…Y-You’re the devil…. Absolutely devilish… – Nia was frightened. Like everyone of us, she was incredibly scared. –

-H-How… can someone do this…? – Kiyohara also was frightened –

-…Oh god…. I… I don’t wanna…..

• 

-H-Hajime…? – I looked at Hajime, and his expression was heartbreaking. –

-…I DON’T WANNA DIEEEEE!!!! – Hajime screamed, his scream was painful to everyone. – I WANNA GO HOME, AND MEET MY FAMILY….. I… I DIDN’T DESERVE THIS!! – he fell down, and started crying. Hoshi came to help him. –

-B-Bud… s-stay firm! We… we can’t let him… tell us what to do…

-………I… I can’t believe this… I WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS! – Aki’s face was also pure terror. – This… This stupid robot…. I’m… I’m gonna KILL YOU…!! – He screamed, and ran into Monobot’s direction, but… – H-Huh..?!

-Hey. – Maisake grabbed him by his arm, and held him tight. – Hey… Calm down… Everything is gonna be okay… I… No… We need to make this work…

-…H-How can you stay calm in a situation like this…? – Chokakku was terrified too – A-Are you… insane?!

-…I’m not calm… I just… believe.

-…Believe? – I asked – What do you mean…?

-I believe… that we are not going to fall by his tricks… If we are friends… We shouldn’t suspect each other… That’s what I believe.

-Y-You are insane, girl… – Joshua – but… you’re right. We… we can’t let him get us..

-Yeah… yeah. She’s right. She is pure determination! – Hoshi says, coming over with Hajime, who stopped crying a little. – Yeah, we need to be together…! Even though it’s kinda nightmare-ish.

-…… This is getting kinda boring… so… I will just give you all this! – His body opened, and there was…. –

-Cellphones? W-Why… why do we need… this? – Haruka asked him – Right… right after you scared us…?

-Keheheh, it’s not just “cellphones”, it’s my new brand, the Phonobot!

-Phono… bot? – Maki was relaxing a bit after hearing Maisake’s words, and asked. – What are these things..?

-It’s your daily phone, of course! and also, everything you need to survive this field trip!

-S-Survive..? – Miya also asked, a little more hopeful. – We… can survive?

• 

-Well.. not necessarily, but, there’s some rules you need to see in order to live in this place, and if you dare to break one of those rules, you will receive punishment! Also, there is some crucial info about everyone, a map, and your designated room! Cuz, sleep is more important than everything!

-…So… what are you saying is… in order to live in this place, you need those phones? – This is kinda unexpected after what he said, but I asked anyway. –

-Again, not a 100% chance of survival. But in order to get into some places you do need your own Phonobot! Like your dorm or bathroom!

-This… this is really messed up… – Joshua was still confused, but he grabbed his own Phonobot, and one after another, we grabbed ours. –

-Well, before I go, if you guys turn on your phonobots, it will display your name, so, if someone sees a random Phonobot chilling out there, it’s easy peasy to return!

After that, everybody went silent again.

-…Keheheh… Good luck, everybody! This killing game starts now! I’m hoping to find one of your dead bodies soon! And remember, you guys are all alone! – He said that in a joyful voice, and just like that, he disappeared.

When we were almost forgetting we were in such a dangerous situation, we looked at each other, despair and hope, both collapsed into pieces. And without even knowing what do we did to deserve this… or what will we do next...

Our Daily Life began.

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Full Prologue –

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