The Killing Game Begins

I arrived at the gymnasium in a tangle of conflicting emotions, only to find that everyone had already gathered and was waiting for me. The place had been dressed up like an entrance ceremony — though I knew that in a few moments, Monokuma would come bursting out and a bomb would go off.

"See? Just like I told you, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠huh? It's a perfectly normal entrance ceremony."

Yasuhiro Hagakure declared this with a triumphant air. Looking at that sea-urchin hairstyle of his made my own scalp start to itch.

Anyway, if my memory served, after that sea urchin delivered that line...

"Heyyy, is everybody here~!? Then let's get this show on the road!!"

The sudden voice sent the students spinning around in confusion. Figuring I ought to play along and look startled too, I made a show of glancing about — and sure enough, Monokuma popped out from behind the podium.

"Whoooaaa! The doll is talking!!"

"Stay calm...! There's just a speaker inside the doll, that's all...!"

The startled students and Monokuma launched into a back-and-forth comedy routine, but I didn't have the luxury of paying attention. My mind was consumed with a single question: how was I going to stop the murders?

I was still wracking my brain when the students started shouting at Monokuma.

"What are you talking about... Live here for the rest of our lives...? That's a lie, right...?"

"I don't tell lies! I'm a good bear!"

A wild bear charging at you with its fangs bared would probably be more "good" than Monokuma. That said, Mukuro Ikusaba had a surprising talent for acting — the way she was playing along with Monokuma so naturally was almost impressive.

"Oh, and while we're on the subject... you're completely cut off from the outside world, you know?"

Monokuma kept rattling off more of his pointless jokes after that, but given the gravity of the situation, everyone wore grim expressions — everyone except the sea urchin, who still thought this was some kind of academy prank.

And then the atmosphere reached its breaking point when Monokuma laid out the condition for leaving the academy.

"W-What did you just say!? Kill each other...?"

"Why would we have to kill each other!?"

"Yeah, yeah! Cut the crap and just send us home already!"

The kids recoiled in horror and started arguing with Monokuma. Not that arguing with Monokuma would do any good. Come to think of it, Mondo Owada was about to...

"...That's enough. Outta my way."

Shoving aside the sea urchin who was still demanding they stop the hidden-camera prank, Owada charged at Monokuma, seized him by the scruff, and hoisted him into the air.

Any second now, a warning beep would sound and Monokuma would explode. But Kyoko Kirigiri would sense the danger and tell him to throw Monokuma, so there shouldn't be a problem...

Wait. Hold on. What the hell is this?

Kyoko Kirigiri was staring right at me. Honestly, that was kind of thrilling. Hnnngh... Kirigiri Noona... No — wait. At this point in the timeline, Kirigiri is supposed to pick up on the danger and tell him to throw Monokuma!

"Quit making those weird machine noises and say something already!"

This is bad. I don't know why, but if Kirigiri doesn't step in, Mondo Owada is going to get blown to pieces right there. That means I have no choice but to intervene.

"Throw that thing!"

"What...?"

"Throw the damn thing already!"

Whether it was the sudden force of my voice that got to him, Owada hurled Monokuma into the air. And the next instant...

With a thunderous blast, Monokuma met a glorious end in midair, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the students stared at the spectacle, dumbstruck.

Honestly, I flinched a little myself. I'd known it was going to explode, so I figured I'd be fine — but the unexpected variable had me so tense that I jumped when the bomb actually went off. Kirigiri had been staring at me this whole time, though, so I didn't let it show.

But seriously, why is she still staring at me even after a bomb just went off? At this point, even my favorite character is starting to get a little scary. I forced myself to look away from Kirigiri's unblinking gaze — and there was Monokuma, rising up out of the floor.

"Aww, too bad~ I could've turned you into a buttery pulp~"

"Wh-What the hell did you just say, you little shit...?"

Owada was furious, but Monokuma wasn't looking at him. He was looking at me. What? Is today some kind of special occasion?

Monokuma muttered this while looking at me, licking his chops, then dropped his gaze and addressed the group.

"Well then... last but not least, I'll hand out your welcome gifts."

Monokuma distributed electronic student handbooks to all of us.

Seeing an actual, working electronic student handbook had me genuinely excited — but the moment I remembered the situation I was in, the excitement drained right back out of me.

"And that concludes the entrance ceremony! Enjoy your abundantly gloomy school life! See ya~"

Monokuma vanished, and for a while, silence hung in the air. Once the students snapped out of it, they all started talking over each other in a panic — until our Kirigiri Noona stepped forward and took control of the situation.

"Everyone, remain calm... First, let us review what we have been told. Based on Monokuma's statements, we have been given two choices."

That's right. This school life offered only two options: spend eternity here without killing anyone, or kill someone and walk free. How despairingly, unreasonably cruel.

Togami snapped at the students who were still trying to deny it.

"Whether it is true or a lie is not the issue. The problem is..."

Whether anyone in this room had already taken those words to heart. Like that idol over there, whose expression had just gone rigid for a split second.

Once Togami finished speaking, the atmosphere grew even heavier, and the students started watching each other warily. Of course, I already knew exactly who would kill whom, so I just sat there fiddling with my electronic student handbook.

"So what are we going to do from here? Are you all just going to keep eyeing each other like this?"

She really doesn't mince words!

Kirigiri's barbed remark, aimed at everyone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠present, finally snapped the students back to reality.

They checked the school regulations and debated their meaning, but I already had all of that memorized, so I skipped the pointless discussion and kept thinking about Ikusaba.

As I thought and thought, a memory from a game I'd played years ago suddenly flashed through my mind. It was from the IF side-story novel that had unlocked after I'd cleared Super Danganronpa 2.

That's right... according to that novel... Ikusaba can be redeemed...

It was only a side story that came after clearing the sequel, but it was more than worth trying. In that novel, Naegi saved Ikusaba, redeemed her, and made her an ally.

Even among Ultimate students, Ikusaba's combat ability was top-tier. You'd need someone on Ogami's level just to stand a chance against her — that said it all. If I could bring someone like that over to our side, we'd be standing on incredibly advantageous ground.

Come to think of it, Ikusaba wasn't the only one I needed to worry about. There was also the blue-haired idol standing right in front of me. Maizono was the one who would kick off the killing game, after all.

But Maizono's murder attempt had several possible solutions — stopping the room swap, keeping her from seeing the motive video, and so on — so it would be easier to prevent than Ikusaba's death. Ikusaba, on the other hand, was destined to stand up to Monokuma and get killed by an unexpected attack. So of the two, Ikusaba was the bigger concern.

First, stop Maizono's murder attempt. Then, save Ikusaba the way the side-story novel did. I was in the middle of organizing my thoughts when—

"Guh...!"

A scream snapped me out of it, and I looked up to see Naegi flying through the air. In the game it had just been described in text, so it hadn't felt real — but he was really sailing.

After carrying the unconscious Naegi back to his room, we decided to split up and investigate the academy individually. All right. Time to see how closely this academy matches my memories.

Suspicious...

Kyoko Kirigiri thought this as she watched the boy walk away, having said he would explore the area on his own.

She couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but her instincts were telling her that the boy was unmistakably suspicious.

She hadn't felt anything unusual when he'd arrived last at the entrance hall and introduced himself in that awkward way. But when the two of them had exchanged introductions, something had clearly been off. The boy who had approached her had stared at her with a vacant look, then gazed at her with an expression that was deeply nostalgic and almost pitiable. When she had said she wouldn't reveal her talent, the voice that answered "I understand" had been unmistakably trembling.

And his behavior in the gymnasium afterward had been even more suspicious. He hadn't so much as blinked when a bear-shaped robot popped out, just sitting there expressionless and lost in thought. He hadn't reacted at all to the announcement that they had to kill each other, maintaining a perfect poker face. Then he had suddenly looked at her with expectant eyes, grown flustered a moment later, and prevented the explosion.

For a brief moment, she had even wondered if he was the Mastermind behind this kidnapping — but a mastermind capable of orchestrating something like this wouldn't be so blatantly suspicious and sloppy, so she had dismissed that suspicion to some degree.

But if he wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Mastermind, then how else could she explain his composure in this abnormal situation, and the way he seemed to know something about her — especially about her talent?

How much did he know about her? Did he know about a talent even she herself wasn't aware of? What allowed him to stay so calm in a situation like this?

What was certain was that the Ultimate Counselor, Kei, was someone she needed to watch carefully.

Kyoko Kirigiri remained lost in thought throughout her investigation.