Danganronpa: SHIFTED – Prologue

@Druwcapa – 2019 – Full Prologue – Revised in 2026

Darkness.

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

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

I think it’s best to 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 Ultimate Despair. She trapped 15 students in the old school, and began a killing game in which only 6 of them survived. Years later, one of those students –who some still 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 classmates 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.

Memopo: Erhm… Hello..? – I said, opening my eyes, and trying to understand the situation.

Memopo: Somebody…? How… did I get here..? – I thought, before immediately realizing something strange.

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

Memopo: And… why am I here?! – I already started thinking about the worst, because, you know, I’m a woman. There’s no reason for me to be here, right? I stood up.

Memopo: I-Is this…. some sort of kidnapping? What happened to me?! Hello?! –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…!

Memopo: …Makoto..? Makoto Hiroma? – I asked the familiar voice.

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

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?

Makoto: Memopo! You’re… here, too.

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

Makoto: H-Hey… Memopo.. do you.. 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.

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

Makoto: 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.

Makoto: Do you want to investigate this together?

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

Memopo: Well… 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! – He told me with a smirk.

Oh, I see. I mean, he was sitting next to me, but I didn’t know the others. It would have been strange if just the two of us inhaled that thing, though.

Memopo: …Yeah, that makes sense. But we need to be careful, or something bad could 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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Memopo: Makoto… can I ask you something..? 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….

Makoto: 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.

Memopo: Hm, really? Alright… that’s a relief. Wait… Where are we? – We stopped, when we discovered the place in which we were.

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

Memopo: A mall…? An abandoned shopping mall…?!

Makoto: 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?

Memopo: Hmm…? Hey.. Makoto… look! – I pointed at another person exiting some kind of store, which seemed like…!

Makoto: What..? – He looked at the person I was pointing at, and confirmed my question – 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!

Makoto and I both ran in her direction, but before she could turn around… another person came right after her.

???: Oh.. for fuck’s sake! At last, more people are inside this mess! – The blonde haired boy with those retro clothes and Miya looked at us.

Miya: Yes! Oh my-YES! Aki! It’s Memopo and.. the hairdresser guy!

Makoto: It’s Makoto. And I’m glad we found you two, we finally aren’t alone! – He said, as he stopped holding my hand.

Aki: Yeah, yeah, whatever… I refuse to believe that Miya and I were trapped here! – Aki said, with a disgusted look. – Like, look at us! We were supposed to go on a field trip! Not some kind of…!

Miya: 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.

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

Aki: Girl, the hell? 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 answered Makoto, still with the annoyed look in his face.

Makoto: Ah. Ok then. So… can you guys help us investigate? We’re trying to find some kind of exit or at least more of our classmates, with you guys helping us, this could be way easier!

Aki: I mean, yeah, sure, I guess? There’s nothing else for us to do anyway. Like…

Miya: I don’t know if I can help… b-but I’ll try! – Miya said with a smile in her face, in a failed attempt to hide her fear.

Aki: If it helps, I heard a scream coming from the right a few minutes ago, but since I was kinda trapped in that store with her, I didn’t do anything.

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

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

Makoto: Ok! I think we should go, Memopo… – Makoto touched my shoulder, and after a quick wave to the duo we walked into the direction Aki mentioned.

Hmm… the fact that the doors are unlocked and that we’re in an abandoned mall seems to be linked to each other, sure. But still… why are we here, anyway..? It… it almost looks that old… No, that can’t be it. I couldn’t stop thinking about that, so we kept moving forward, until…

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

As we went towards them, I tried to remember some of their names and…

Teru: Hey, guys, there they are! Memopo and Makoto! – Teru Tozumi, the Ultimate Bowler jumped from his chair, and pointed at us. He’s always excited, just like Makoto. Maybe they’re trying to find our classmates, too?

Chokakku: Oh, nice. Even more people. Congrats, you found us. – Chokakku Dokuita, the Ultimate Chocolatier on the other hand… 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.

Hajime: O-Oh, geez… at least we now know most of us are safe! Did you two find anyone else…? – Hajime Nohara, the Ultimate Zombie is actually one of the nicest people here, he truly cares about others and he gets nervous around new people, I immediately feel bad about him being in this kind of situation.

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

Maki: I don’t think it’s weird.. you see, Chokakku was all alone when she woke up, but Teru and I woke up together. I think Hajime woke up alone as well? – Maki Kin, the Ultimate Clown answered him in a kinda serious yet frightened tone. She’s a sunshine to be around, but I feel like the situation is too weird, who wouldn’t be skeptical?

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

Makoto: Thanks, Hajime! We’re happy you guys are safe too! Right, Memopo?

Memopo: 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 our quick reintroduction, they went back to chatting. To keep things cool, we both sat down next to them.

Memopo: Hey… can I ask you all a question?

Teru: Yeah! What’s up?

Memopo: Well, I was wondering: when you woke up, were the doors in your rooms locked or not?

After a quick glance… everyone proceeded to give 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 mall… The person that did this probably wanted us to find each other. But… why, exactly? What a weird kidnapping.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that. Maybe my theory is right, who knows? Shortly after that, we heard another voice coming.

???: Hello you guys? Hellooo? 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, even sleeping mid class sometimes! But we all know that his passion for games is otherworldly. One year, he spent 9 months creating a game only for himself and another classmate! It was a math game, meant to help them study!

Chokakku: So Hoshi is here too, huh? Juust great, ughhh – Chokakku bumped her head into her arms.

Makoto: 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 I just mentioned.

Haruka: Aha… Hello, everyone, I really cannot believe what is happening right now. It’s so weird, haa…. Well, I am extremely happy that most of you are safe. But I still wonder where the others could be…

I guess we can consider her being one of our classmates, she has her seat and all, but… she’s more like a substitute teacher for us in a way?

Her discipline method is extremely dynamic, and even if her appearance is somewhat strange for a student at our grade, she is very talented and does her job like no one else! Just like Hajime, I feel pretty bad knowing that she’s involved in something like this, she really doesn’t deserve this.

As Haruka and Hoshi settled down, Aki and Miya went on to join us.

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

Hoshi: But now… neither a nice goat lady in a dress to help us…. or a lizard scientist… I’m so emo…

Aki: Ugh, whatever, weirdo. What’s going on here? Why are you all sitting down?

Miya: Aki, look on the bright side, our beautiful Haruka Nikada is here! She can guide us to safety!

Haruka: Haha, thank you, Miss 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, hah…

Haruka: Still, since we’re mostly present as of now… my fellow students, I have an announcement to do.

Chokakku: What… like, right now?

Haruka: Yes, Miss Dokuita. Look, I know that this seems quite bad at the moment, I know we weren’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!

Teru: 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 same direction that Haruka and Hoshi appeared at.

Teru: …or not, what the fuck?

Aki: What the fuck indeed!! That’s the same scream I heard from inside the store! – Aki pointed at the direction, with some others nodding as he said it. As a matter of fact, some of them did hear the scream before as well.

Memopo: So what are we waiting for? What if it’s one of the others?! I say we should go investigate! – I jumped out of my chair, with quick glances, we all decided it would be best to move together. Safety in numbers, after all.

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, not only that, but also those weird yellow TVs. Even so, the walls are cracked, and covered in what seems to be fresh paint… it almost seems like someone tried to renovate this place 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? What the…

???: H-Hey you all!! You’re here..! A little help? Ugh, my hands… – It was… Kiyohara Inuma, the Ultimate Lumberjack. He is also one of our classmates, of course. And his hands were incredibly hurt, jeez. There’s also others here! Maybe our full class?

???: Hmm… as expected, it appears that we aren’t the only ones here after all. Alas, better than nothing, I’m sure. – And there she was, Nia Tsukiyama… the Ultimate Psychologist. She is exceedingly calm for someone in a kidnapping situation, as always trying to be rational. The only reason she was even on this Field Trip was to observe us outside of school.

???: Yeah… and bud, we told ya you need to stop punching everything. This is hopeless, ya know? Man, your hands are horrible. – 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.

???: Huh? Everyone is here? That’s nice, that’s nice. – Joshua’s best friend, Maisake Saihara. She is exceedingly quiet and because of that most of us don’t even know her actual talent. I remember her saying something before but… being completely honest, I forgot.

Teru: Wait-wait-wait, what happened to him? – Teru asked, and they remained silent for an uncomfortable period of seconds.

Kiyohara: Erhm.. I was scared, y’know, trying to find some exit… I called for help, but no one came so… I tried punching the wall… then I remembered I am better with axes than fists. – Kiyohara was visibly embarassed, fidgetting around with his bloody hands.

With a quick inspection…. the walls do seem pretty thick and the front door seems locked by some iron grates. He really did this for no reason, after all.

Miya: So then… everybody is here? Then this has to be a kidnapping! Right? That’s gotta be it!

Hoshi: Sure but… why would someone even try to kidnap us? And why this weird building? – Hoshi seemed to wait for an answer, but nobody had one.

Haruka: Wait… before we continue, there’s still two of our classmates remaining, right? Why aren’t they here..? – Haruka said this, and she’s right, there should still be two of them out there!

Aki: Oh, no, please, Haruka, I think they aren’t here. Shiroga and Zero, right? They didn’t come to the Field Trip, so don’t worry about that.

Nia: Actually, they’re here, yes. We found them lying around some strange doors right up ahead, it’s kinda strange because it’s exactly sixteen of those doors.

Makoto: Excuse me..? But they didn’t come, why are they here?!

Nia: That I cannot answer. They seemed fine, but… – And right before Nia finished her sentence…..

???: ”But… they’re still unconscious.” Is that what you were going to say say..? Well… somehow I got caught in this mess before you guys. Shiroga’s here too, by the way – ….Huh?

Teru: What?! So however did this… why did they kidnap our whole class?! You don’t think…?!

Maisake: That.. it doesn’t makes sense. It seems similar to it, but…

???: Actually… we were trying to find an answer to this for a while. So sorry!! – The last one, Shiroga Nesumi, the peculiar Ultimate Unlucky Student. Just like Zeto said., she’s also here They’re the closest people in the class, and they’re always together. Maybe that’s the reason the kidnapper wanted they here? But…

Shiroga: We were here hours before you guys came in, and we 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! I mean, not like I would like for any of us to be here, and–

Chokakku: OH FUCK, SHUT UP! Look, I don’t know what’s happening but… what’s wrong with you people?! Why is everyone so “glad” for everyone?! We have been kidnapped for fuck’s sake! I just want to go home! – Chokakku yelled at everyone.

Hoshi: ….Yup yup… she’s right! We need to focus, everyone! …Everyone…?

Makoto: Well, we’ve been trying to do that for a while, Hoshi. And all we’ve managed to do was finding each other, nothing more.

Shiroga: That’s right! Now that Zeto and I are fully recovered, we need to continue the investigation! That 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.

Nia: Hmm… so what do we do, then? It seems like everyone originated from a different part of this building, and yet no one found an exit.

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

Joshua: Yeesh, he’s right. our muscles are nothing compared to those grates, man. And I pride myself on these muscles!

Maki: So… what do we do now? – Maki questioned the room, and once again, no one said a word, it seems like everyone already tried something to break away from this place… yet everything was unsuccessful.

Maki: Ah… I don’t have any ideas, either…

Makoto: Wait. Everyone… what about that red door right there? Maybe we can go to a different floor.

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, or decoration from this abandoned place. You know, like the plants I’ve seen before or the strange food court with only two food stalls and sixteen chairs.

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

Maki: So… maybe someone really tried to do something to us! We… We’re going to die here!!!

Maisake: No… maybe.. maybe.. If this door works, we can use it to go upstairs… right?

Makoto: That’s like, literally what I said. Am I being ignored for no reason here?

Haruka: Miss Saihara is right, but… how shall we know if that door actually works? If this place is abandoned, the elevator should be currently collapsed, or out of commission, no?

Makoto: She’s right? But I was the one- whatever, man.

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

Nia: Hoshi, don’t press the big red button that screams danger, that’s survival 101…

Hoshi: We need to try, people! You’re all just… worrying and worrying! Let me do something!

Aki: Let him, if he dies, he dies.

Hoshi: Eh… s-should I really? Heh, now you’re all scaring me…

Kiyohara: Hoshi, just- come back, we can brainstorm some other ideas, or…

Chokakku: No, let him, I want him to die. Go, Hoshi!

Hoshi: Huh?! I should go?!

Zero: Just press the damn button.

He touched the button, barely pressed it…. and…

Hoshi: A-AHH..AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! – He fell down on the floor.

Chokakku: Bitch fucker

Memopo: W-WHAT?! How on EARTH did he get shocked by this red button?!

Haruka: Mister Nakanaka! Are you hurt?! – Haruka also screamed, while everyone ran by his side. Well, mostly everyone.

Chokakku: Okay, I can’t even lie, this is probably the funniest thing I’ve seen all day. – How the hell can she laugh at a moment like this?!

Hoshi: U-Ugh… what… the… hell… just happened..? No clue but I… hated it… – He seemed okay, after all. He probably fainted for a few seconds before waking up.

….As soon as he expressed his distate, however… the elevator door opened, and from there, it came…

More smoke came from there… the smoke filled the entire room… no one could see each other, again… but then…

???: Attention everyone…! It seems like everyone finally finished their introductions, so… – A robotic voice came from somewhere, it seemed to be below us, but also around us?

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

Aki: I’m here, I’m here-ack! Stop stepping on my foot, that hurts! Ack! You’re doing it again!

Miya: I’m not doing anything! Ack!

???: Kehehe… pardon my intrusion… I’m just trying to find a place where it’s safe to start…

Memopo: Who… who are you?! What’s going on here?! – I asked.

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

Joshua: Darn it, where are you? Stop doing this kind of crap! Face us all or let us go!

???: Well… it’s finally time… for my appearance! – Finally, the voice stopped at one place, seemingly in front of the red door and the smoke finally started to dissipate, leading us to see what was in front of us all along.

A black and white robot appeared. His round face, rectangular body with a big, red sphere in the middle of it. Two floating hands matching his sides, and a yellow antenna ball.

This… is who kidnapped us?

Monobot: 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.

Hoshi: …A… a talking robot?!?! How there is a fully working, fully functional robot in here?! And he’s not even a sexy one with legs!

Chokakku: SHUT THE FUCK UP, OH MY GOD, SHUT THE FUCK UP, OH MY GOD-

Monobot: Keheheheheh… I AM a sexy robot… in my own way..! I’m your new headmaster!! – The Monobot thingy started talking again.

Miya: H-Headmaster..?! But.. we aren’t at our academy anymore, how could you be our “headmaster”?

Monobot: Well, I don’t see your problem here, Miya Dafinu.

Maisake: How does he know our names? Ok, I am kinda worried now. This situation is starting to get to me.

Aki: WOMAN. JUST now?! This thing… looks disgusting! This robot is going kill us!! – Aki yelled at her.

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

Memopo: Not right now? What do you mean by that? And why did you kidnap all of us?!

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

Chokakku: Field Trip? But this isn’t a field trip, what is your problem right now? – Chokakku really started to heat up. I noticed that some others felt the same way.

Monobot: …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!

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

Monobot: Aaaand this field trip… has no expiration date!!

Aki: What the fuck.

Hoshi: W-WHAT?! – Hoshi screamed – What do you MEAN no expiration date?! Are you saying you’ll keep us here forever?! – Geez, that must be hard for him. first an electric shock, now this Mono-robot… he must be terrified.

Nia: Hey, calm down. He must have said something wrong. You shouldn’t let a stranger stress you out like that.

Monobot: 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!

Nia: Oh. But what about food? Or cleaning our clothes? There’s no way we could live here. – Nia composed herself before replying to him. Even someone like her is getting annoyed by him.

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

Monobot: 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?

Makoto: But what about our family? Our family is going to notice our absence! There’s no way your plan is going to work! – Makoto also seemed a little nervous, but he was trying to keep himself calm.

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

Monobot: …Keheheheheh….

Kiyohara: …W-What are you laughing at..? – Kiyohara immediately lost his composure.

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

After Monobot laid those heavy words, chaos ensued.

Hoshi: W-What?! No-no-no-no-no… what do you mean by that?!

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

Teru: Y-Yeah, what is your problem?! H-How can you say that to us! This is not some kind of good joke!

Memopo: Explain everything! How does no one know where we are?!

Monobot: It’s simple, really. Everybody thinks you’re all on a beautiful amazing field trip, full of hope and safety! And this place right here is kinda… nowhere to be found! Y’know, deep into the forest and everything.

Maki: Nowhere to be found..? But.. but it’s a mall! Sure, it’s old and rusty and decaying and falling down to pieces, but… it’s a mall..!

Monobot: An abandoned mall! Kehehe! 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…

Zeto: No. This can’t be it. – Zeto was visibly upset. It’s understandable, after all he did spend a longer time here than us.

Monobot: Huh? What do you mean, “no”?

Zeto: Because… Shiroga and I, both of us were at home. There’s no way our parents wouldn’t notice our absence.

Monobot: Keheheh, oh, Zeto. Dear Zeto.

Monobot: Don’t worry about that either! I left a note in both homes with your handwriting! Yay, technology and forgery!

Monobot:It’s kinda convincing, really, I just said you guys changed your mind, wanted to go, and once the bus came around, you two simply went on! Simple as that! Keheheheheheheheheh!

Zeto: Then, our parents must be really dumb, which they aren’t, by the way, to be convinced by this! Stupid ass fuck…

Shiroga: 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: … – Zeto –

Maisake: …You all… calm down. – Maisake? –

Hajime: M-Maisake?! What do you mean? H-How can we calm down?! We… we are trapped in here!

Maisake: …I don’t think so. I don’t think what this robot is saying is the actual truth. How can we know for sure that we can’t go out? Or that we can’t find a way out of this place..? – Maisake glared at Monobot, as if she was daring him.

Monobot: …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!

Chokakku: A way? Explain it to us, right now!

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

Monobot: It’s very simple, I know that!

Maisake: What do you mean? Just spit it out!

Monobot: You just need to kill each other.

Monobot: Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! Keheheh!! 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.

Hajime: Huh….?

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

Hoshi: W-WHAT?! K-KILL EACH OTHER?!

Hajime: I… I DON’T WANNA BE KILLED! THERE’S NO WAY! Y-YOU MUST BE KIDDING!

Miya: No.. Nooo… NOOOOOO!!! T-THIS CAN’T BE IT! PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE JOKING!!

Monobot: Keheheh, I’m not joking, really!

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

Teru: No… but… Why KILLING?! T-There must be another way, right?! There must be!

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

Memopo: But… We can’t murder each other, we are friends! We are classmates!

Monobot: What did you say? – Monobot asked, confused.

Makoto: Yeah… YEAH!! We won’t kill each other! We’re the Ultimate classmates! No one would kill each other!

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

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

Aki: That’s right, you sick, stupid fuck! We are not going to kill each other, just because you’re saying we need to!

Monobot: Keheheheheheh…. Keheheheheheheh…..

Zeto: Here it comes… what are you laughing at, fool?

Monobot: 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…

Nia: Alone..? We… We are not alone, you must be lying, stupid machine.

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

Monobot: You aren’t? Let’s see…

Monobot: Your parents don’t know where you all are… You are all trapped in a dangerous abandoned mall, with me, Monobot, as your headmaster, you don’t even know who is actually responsible for all this… 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 are all 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 think you are safe in this place… you aren’t. Because I know everything about everyone. And there are cameras around everywhere.

I am Monobot. Your headmaster for this field trip.

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

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

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

Your parents, the police, the academy, 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 fuck”, call me whatever you want, anything.

I’m the one, the only, the leader and headmaster of this place. And I can destroy every single life of yours if I wanted to. Or if I was allowed to.

Keheheheheheh…. Keheheheheheh…!!

……….

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

….Because he’s… he’s right. 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.

Monobot: Hmm… It seems like I convinced everyone, am I right..? Oh golly, I am doing a great job here! And it’s only day 1! – He had an intoxicating happiness that felt disgusting to watch, to hear.

Nia: You’re the devil…. Absolutely devilish… – Nia was frightened. Like every one of us, she was frozen due to shock.

Kiyohara: H-How… can someone do this…? – Kiyohara also was frightened, but that’s to be expected.

Hajime: A-ah…. Hah, I… I don’t wanna…..

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

Hajime: …I DON’T WANNA DIEEEEE!!!! I WANNA GO HOME, AND MEET MY FAMILY….. I… I DON’T DESERVE THIS!! – He fell down, the scream piercing every single one of us, proceeded by his cry. Hoshi went to help him.

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

Aki: I… I can’t believe this… I will NOT believe this! This… This stupid fuck…. I’m… I’m gonna KILL YOU!! – He screamed, and ran into Monobot’s direction, but…

Aki: H-huh?

Maisake: Hey, don’t. – Maisake grabbed him by his arm, and held him tight.

Maisake: Settle down… Everything is going to be okay… I… No… We need to think about our actions right now.

Chokakku: H-How can you stay calm in a situation like this…? Are you fucking insane?!

Maisake: I’m not calm, not at all… I just… believe.

Memopo: Believe? What do you mean…?

Maisake: 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.

Joshua: Y-You are insane, girl…

Joshua: But… you’re right. We-we can’t let him get us..

Hoshi: Yeah… yeah. She’s right. She is pure determination! – Hoshi says, coming over with Hajime, who at this point went from crying to sobbing.

Hoshi: Yeah, we need to be together…! Even though it’s kinda nightmare-ish. Freaky stuff, frankly.

Monobot: This is getting kinda boring… so I guess I’ll just end it right there. Before I go, though, I will just give you all this! – His red sphere opened up, and out of there, it appeared…

Haruka: Cellphones? I realized mine was missing a while back but… why do we need this? And right after you scared us?

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

Maki: Phono… bot? What’s this trash, exactly? – Maki felt a bit more relaxed after hearing Maisake’s words, you could feel from her voice.

Monobot: Nuh-uh, not trash! It’s your daily phone, of course! and also, everything you need to survive this field trip!

Miya: S-Survive..? We… can survive?

Monobot: Oh my, you’re so annoying. Well.. not necessarily…

Monobot: 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!

Memopo: So… what are you saying is… in order to live here, one needs to have these phones? – This is kinda stupid, after he explained everything, but I felt like asking.

Monobot: 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!

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

Monobot: And 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.

Monobot: 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 – Revised in 2026

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