Capture Their Despair
Edrisap.
Pairdes.
Riapsed.
Despair.
PROLOGUE: CAPTURE THEIR DESPAIR
Mahiru Koizumi woke up in a pitch black room. She was on some kind of seat against the wall, but she could not see anything even if she opened her eyes as wide as they could go.
Mahiru (Confused): Where am I?
Mahiru searched the floor for her camera. When she clasped her hands around the familiar shape and picked it up, she noticed something.
Mahiru (Confused): Is that a bulb of light?
Mahiru looked closer and noticed that the bulb of light she saw was her camera lens. She put her face to it and was able to see clearly.
Mahiru (Excited): Oh, so this is where I am!
Mahiru (Disturbed): A... bathroom stall?
Surely enough, Mahiru was in a bathroom stall. The doors around her were a bright shade of red and the floor was a basic white. She quickly snapped a photo.
Mahiru (Thinking): It's strange that I'm in a bathroom stall, but the stall itself isn't strange. How did I get here?
Mahiru kept the camera up to her eyes with one hand and opened the stall door with the other. The bathroom wasn't any more strange than the stall, as Mahiru observed, just having more stalls and a row of sinks and mirrors. There was a curve in the architecture of the room to Mahiru's left, possibly leading to the exit. She snapped a photo of the bathroom. But Mahiru noticed that she looked different in the mirror.
Mahiru (Confused): I have... an ahoge?
Surely enough, there was an ahoge in Mahiru's head, the same color as her bright red hair. She looked a bit odd with the camera up to her face, but she didn't care as she snapped yet another photo.
She wasn't sure why she was snapping photos so much. It was just strange to wake up in a bathroom, so Mahiru wanted to document the moment.
She examined the mirror a bit more when a window appeared in it. It seemed to look like a profile screen.
Mahiru (Confused): Huh? Is this some kind of game?
Mahiru took a picture.
The screen showed a mugshot (she wasn't sure if was one, but it looked like one considering how she was just staring into her soul) of Mahiru with a few stats about her. It only made things more confusing.
~~~
FULL NAME: KOIZUMI MAHIRU
NICKNAME: MAHIRU
ULTIMATE: PHOTOGRAPHER
SERIES: DANGANRONPA
~~~
The first three statistics Mahiru already knew, but the fourth one? What did it mean by what series she was in? What was Danganronpa?
All of these things Mahiru pondered as she heard another stall door open. She whipped around to see another girl standing there. Mahiru quick took a picture before realizing the flash was on.
The girl had bright red hair in two ponytails and a headband with a green blob on it. She had bright green eyes and was wearing some kind of school uniform - Mahiru could make out "Suzuran Junior High" embroidered on it. The girl was holding an apple that somehow hadn't rotted.
But the thing Mahiru noticed was that the girl didn't need a camera to see the world around her. Was she lost? Did she see Mahiru? Did she notice that a stranger just took a picture of her?
??? (Mad): Why are you taking pictures of me? And why do you have that camera? Don't you know it looks weird on you?
Oof. The girl did notice Mahiru. And she was very vocal on her opinion about her.
Mahiru (Neutral): I'm just recording the scene. Nothing special.
Mahiru heard a faint ringing noise in her right ear.
Mahiru (Listening): Do you hear that?
??? (Blunt): No.
Major looked around until she saw waves coming from the mirror, like sound or light waves. She took a closer look and saw another bio, but with stats about the girl.
~~~
FULL NAME: ANDŌ RINGO
NICKNAME: RINGO
ULTIMATE: ACADEMIC
SERIES: PUYO PUYO
~~~
Mahiru (Confused): Puyo Puyo?
Ringo (Defeated): I shouldn't have played another Puyo game.
Mahiru (Confused): Another what game?
Ringo (Shrugging): Puyo game. When my friends and I pop Puyos, we travel to different universes.
Mahiru (Confused): What are Puyos?
Ringo (Excited): They're these little blob things - when you put four of the same color together, they pop!
Mahiru (Thinking): Sounds like some sort of game... like some sort of video game.
Mahiru (Neutral): Where are we now?
Ringo (Bruh): I woke up in a bathroom stall, do you expect me to know?
Ringo (Worried): I should probably go looking after my friends, though. Who knows what situation they could be in?
Mahiru (Confident): I'll help you. Maybe we could figure out our situation more.
The duo walked out of the bathroom into a white hallway with the occasional broken light. A few glass shards were on the ground. Mahiru took a picture of the scene.
They carefully walked through the hallway. There were a few doors, but they only lead to more bathrooms. Mahiru sensed that something bad would happen. She thought she had a memory like it, but she just couldn't recall it.
They reached some kind of lobby where a girl in a pink dress and a dog were sitting.
Mahiru (Neutral): Are these your friends?
Ringo (Shaking Head): I don't know them.
??? (Joyful): Hello there!
?? (Neutral): Hey.
??? (Joyful): How are you on this fine day?
?? (Neutral): Stuck in a bathroom building. How are you?
The dog elbowed the girl.
Mahiru (Confused): Um, we're good, thank you.
Mahiru quick took a picture.
?? (Shocked): Are you some kind of blackmailer? Are you going to sell me to the IRS?
??? (Confused): IRS?
?? (Disturbed): You don't know what the IRS is?
Mahiru felt a ringing in her ear again, this time the left. She looked around in search of a mirror and saw that there was none in this room.
Mahiru (Hurried): Sorry, gotta go!
She ran off to the nearest bathroom, looking around for a mirror.
Oof.
She went in a men's room.
Mahiru didn't bother taking a picture of this room and instead looked at the bios that appeared on the glass.
~~~
FULL NAME: ISABELLE
NICKNAME: ISABELLE
ULTIMATE: SECRETARY
SERIES: ANIMAL CROSSING
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): What if the thing Ringo said about alternate universes is true? What if the series we are in is the name of our universe?
Mahiru (Disturbed): Then what universe are we in now?
Another bio appeared.
~~~
FULL NAME: SAKURA
NICKNAME: SAKURA
ULTIMATE: BASEBALL CHAMPION
SERIES: WII SPORTS
~~~
Wii Sports? That was an odd name. But at least Sakura was human. Or was she?
No. Her hands were floating. Of course she couldn't be human.
Suddenly, someone climbed out of the sink. He was wearing clothes that looked like those of an archaeologist, with a fedora to top everything off. Mahiru didn't take a picture because she didn't think guys were as fun to take pictures as than girls, but it was still a strange moment.
??? (Disturbed): Who the hell are you?
Mahiru (Confident): Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate-
??? (Skeptical): Don't you know this is a men's room?
Mahiru (Assertive): Why are you hiding in a sink when you could be protecting the girls from danger?
??? (Neutral): I didn't see anyone else here.
Mahiru (Neutral): Well, I don't see anyone in here, but outside there are a few people. Ringo, Isabelle, Sakura...
??? (Neutral): You don't have to name everyone. I can meet them when I climb out of this sink.
He proceeded to climb out of the sink and walk away.
Mahiru (Confused): That was strange.
Mahiru felt a ringing in her ear again. She looked at the mirror to see a new bio up.
~~~
FULL NAME: HENRY "INDIANA" JONES
NICKNAME: INDY
ULTIMATE: ARCHAEOLOGIST
SERIES: INDIANA JONES
~~~
Hmm, an archaeologist. Maybe that would be useful in case there were relics lying around the bathroom building.
Mahiru (Laughing): Why would there be relics in a bathroom building?
Mahiru heard a stall door open... again. Surely enough, there was a boy who looked like a dog - or was he a cow?- standing there. He was holding a skateboard in one hand.
??? (Skeptical): What are you doing here?
Mahiru (Neutral): Looking around.
??? (Skeptical): Don't you know this is a-
Mahiru (Tired): Yes, I do. It's hard to explain.
She heard a ringing in her ear again and looked into the mirror.
~~~
FULL NAME: MAX GOOF
NICKNAME: MAX
ULTIMATE: SKATEBOARDER
SERIES: MICKEY MOUSE
~~~
Mahiru (Confused): Mickey Mouse?
Max (Neutral): Oh, him? He's a friend of my dad's.
Mahiru (Curious): Who's your dad?
Max (Neutral): Goofy Goof. He's always acting, well, goofy, and embarrassing me to no end.
He held up his skateboard.
Max (Joyful): But skateboarding makes me forget all my troubles!
Mahiru nodded.
Max (Curious): Why do you have that camera? You know you can see without it, right?
Mahiru didn't want to answer, but she didn't want to tolerate Max's nagging, either.
Mahiru (Solemn): When I take the camera off, I can't see anything.
Max (Neutral): Try taking it off right now.
Mahiru walked out of the bathroom. She didn't want to put up with Max anymore. But then again, her hands were getting tired from holding her camera up to her eyes...
??? (Offscreen): MY LEG!
Mahiru ran to a place that looked like a cafeteria, where a fish was holding its leg, a granny was holding a gun, and a little girl and a little boy were sitting off in the distance.
?? (Cackling): That's what happens when you try to take my gun away!
? (Smug): I told you Mudbloods don't stand a chance!
???? (Confused): What's a Mudblood?
? (Dark): Only Mudbloods don't know who they are.
Mahiru took a picture of the cafeteria, reluctantly because there was the boy and the fish.
The cafeteria had white walls and floors like everywhere else in the bathroom building. The floor had black and white checkers on it and the tables were only made of birch wood. The counter had a black top and there was a door leading to the kitchen.
???? (Curious): Who's she?
? (Neutral): Most likely another Mudblood. I don't care.
Mahiru felt a ringing in her ear again and slipped away when nobody was looking. There was a mirror above the kitchen sink, so she looked through that.
~~~
FULL NAME: FRED THE FISH
NICKNAME: FRED
ULTIMATE: LEG INJURER
SERIES: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
~~~
Mahiru (Giggling): I know it's not nice, but his Ultimate is so strange!
~~~
FULL NAME: GRANNY WITH A GUN
NICKNAME: GRANNY
ULTIMATE: GUNWOMAN
SERIES: MEME CULTURE
~~~
Mahiru (Confused): Meme Culture? What's a meme?
~~~
FULL NAME: DRACO MALFOY
NICKNAME: DRACO
ULTIMATE: PURE WIZARD
SERIES: HARRY POTTER
~~~
This was getting weirder and weirder.
~~~
FULL NAME: AGNES GRU
NICKNAME: AGNES
ULTIMATE: UNICORN FANATIC
SERIES: DESPICABLE ME
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): A lot of these series names feel so random yet fit so well...
No more bios showed up.
Mahiru turned around to see two guys talking to each other in French, one of them wearing chef's clothing and the other wearing boxing clothes. Mahiru didn't speak French, so she couldn't understand what they were saying.
They noticed Mahiru and stopped talking.
??? (Confused): Bonjour?
While Mahiru didn't speak French, she knew enough to understand that "bonjour" meant "hello".
Mahiru (Unsure): Bonjour?
They began to speak in French, but Mahiru couldn't understand.
Mahiru (Unsure): Non Français. English.
It was very poor grammar, but she tried.
?? (Joyful): Oh, we can speak English.
??? (Affirmative): Oui.
Mahiru (Neutral): Oh. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Mahiru felt a ringing in her ear again and turned to the mirror. New statistics appeared.
~~~
FULL NAME: GLASS JOE
NICKNAME: JOE
ULTIMATE: TERRIBLE BOXER
SERIES: PUNCH-OUT!!
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): Makes sense...
~~~
FULL NAME: ALFREDO LINGUINI
NICKNAME: LINGUINI
ULTIMATE: HUMAN CHEF
SERIES: RATATOUILLE
~~~
Mahiru (Disturbed): "Human Chef" makes him sound like a cannibal...
Mahiru (Neutral): You know, Joe, you're a boxer. You can protect the girls.
Joe (Sheepish): I don't think I'd get that far, considering my talent...
Linguini (Reassuring): Don't worry, Joe. You're not that bad, at least I don't think.
Joe (Neutral): My score is 99-1.
Linguini (Blank): ...
Linguini (Muttering): And I thought a rat controlling me was bad.
Joe (Confused): Quoi?
Linguini (Confused): Quoi?
Mahiru decided to walk away and explore the bathroom building some more. She went into a hallway with a sign hung from the ceiling.
STUDENT QUARTERS
<GUYS
GIRLS>
Hmm. So her room was on the right. She heard three people talking and walked further down the hallway to ask them who they were.
There was a duck, a man in plumbing clothes, and a princess talking.
??? (Joyful): Well, if you ask me, I've got a whole gold mine in my safe at home!
?? (Joyful): I literally own a gold mine!
? (Bored): Don't listen to him, Scrooge. He may have a gold mine, but that doesn't mean he doesn't abuse the Shy Guys that work there.
Scrooge (???) (Confused): What are Shy Guys again?
Mahiru felt a ringing in her ear and tried to find her room.
The hallway was white like every other room in the bathroom building, with a giant metal plate at the end. Each door had the name of the owner and a pixelated sprite of them on it. Mahiru eventually found her room and opened the door.
Her room seemed familiar in a way. Maybe she lived here once. She took a picture of her room and went into the bathroom to look at the mirror.
~~~
FULL NAME: SCROOGE MCDUCK
NICKNAME: SCROOGE
ULTIMATE: MISER
SERIES: DUCKTALES
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): A miser... a rich one indeed considering his conversation with that plumber guy...
~~~
FULL NAME: WARIO WARIO
NICKNAME: WARIO
ULTIMATE: MILLIONAIRE
SERIES: SUPER MARIO
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): Wario Wario? A strange name.
~~~
FULL NAME: PRINCESS DAISY
NICKNAME: DAISY
ULTIMATE: SECONDARY PRINCESS
SERIES: SUPER MARIO
~~~
Mahiru (Thinking): Daisy and Wario come from the same universe, so they must know each other, right? I guess.
Mahiru (Thinking): If Daisy's the Ultimate Secondary Princess, then who's the Ultimate Primary Princess?
Mahiru heard a ringing, but it wasn't like when the mirror was telling her to view another profile. This sounded like *ding dong bing bong*, and it seemed like something the others could hear.
??? (Joyful): Welcome, students! Please come to the lobby for a special announcement! If you don't come, you'll be punished!
Mahiru thought that voice was familiar in a way... She pushed the thought aside and made her way to the lobby.
Everyone she had met before were standing there. Instead of the reception desk Mahiru had seen before, there was a stage as white as everything else. There was a cloud of conversation swarming around the room.
After a long minute of waiting, the stage exploded. Everyone braced for impact, but there was no debris from the explosion.
A teddy bear climbed out of the hole, one side black and one side white.
Mahiru (Shocked): This bear seems so... familiar...
The bear looked at everyone.
??? (Excited): Welcome to Hope Resting Stop! I am your headmaster, Monokuma!
Mahiru (Thinking): I know this bear, but I can't put my finger on where I saw him...
Ringo (Skeptical): This is a resting stop? There's enough bathrooms to serve everyone in Suzuran! Might as well call it a bathroom building.
Monokuma (Irritated): If you look outside, it's a resting stop!
Monokuma (Crazy): Oh, wait! You're not allowed to leave!
Scrooge (Irritated): When can we leave? I have a giant pile of money to attend to!
Monokuma (Joyful): It's simple! You don't!
Everyone had mixed reactions, usually containing surprise and anger.
Daisy (Bored): Are you sure we can't leave?
Monokuma (Thinking): Well, well, well, it seems someone doesn't want to accept their perfect life already...
Monokuma (Neutral): There is a way to get out, though.
Wario (Excited): How do we get out? Tell us! TELL US!
Monokuma (Neutral): It's quite simple.
Monokuma (Neutral): The only way to leave this place is to...
Monokuma (Crazy): KILL ANOTHER STUDENT AND GET AWAY WITH IT!
The room went into an uproar upon the announcement.
Mahiru (Thinking): I-I think I've been in a situation like this before...
Max (Shocked): Nobody's gonna kill each other!
Agnes (Worried): I don't wanna die!
Indy (Confident): We'll find a way out - alive.
Fred (Pained): MY LEG!
Monokuma (Irritated): Very well, then. Be that way.
Monokuma (Laughing): Let me assure you that one of you will snap and kill to escape this place!
And then he disappeared. Everyone was silent.
Joe (Worried): ...What are we going to do?
Granny (Crazy): Kill! That's what we're going to do!
Indy (Irritated): It's best you stay silent.
Mahiru (Blunt): I recognize the bear.
Sakura (Accusative): What, are you working with him?
Isabelle (Reassuring): We shouldn't jump to conclusions. What do you remember?
Mahiru (Thinking): I think I remember being in a situation like this... and that bear was controlling it.
Mahiru (Neutral): I don't remember anything else.
Daisy (Confident): Well, Scrooge, Wario, and I found a hall for rooms. There's a room for each of us and an extra room on the girls' side with a blank plate.
Daisy (Disappointed): We tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge.
Ringo (Tired): I'm pretty tired. What time is it?
Sakura (Neutral): 9:59.
Indy (Neutral): We should probably go to bed. That way, we can figure things out tomorrow.
*Ding dong bing bong*
Monokuma (Joyful): It is now 10pm, nighttime! All areas of the rest stop except for bathrooms will be locked and water will be turned off in a few minutes. Dream dreams of murder tonight!
Scrooge, Wario, Daisy, and Mahiru led the rest of the class to the dormitory hall, where everyone filed into their rooms. When Mahiru walked into hers, she felt ringing in her ear again.
Mahiru (Curious): What does the mirror want now?
She went into her bathroom and looked at the mirror again. Instead of a profile, there were words.
Mirror: Greetings, Mahiru.
Mahiru (Confused): Is the mirror... talking to me?
Mirror: Yes. I know about your situation before and I want to give you a second chance.
Mahiru (Confused): Second chance? What did I do wrong the last time?
Mirror: It will come to you eventually.
Mirror: I'm from the outside world, and I am communicating with you through the rest stop's mirrors.
Mirror: Only you can hear the signals and see the information I give you. Not even Monokuma knows about me.
Mirror: Do not tell anyone about me. Your life is already at risk now and you don't want Monokuma after you.
Mahiru (Unsure): ...Okay.
Mirror: When you hear a ringing in your ears, look for a mirror so you can receive information.
Mahiru (Neutral): One more thing.
Mahiru (Curious): Why is it that I can only see the world through my camera?
Mirror: ...I am not sure.
Mirror: Regardless, you should probably go to sleep before Monokuma gets suspicious.
Mahiru nodded and exited the bathroom. She climbed into bed and took the camera away from her eyes, being shrouded in darkness again and drifting to sleep...
PROLOGUE: CAPTURE THEIR DESPAIR - END
STUDENTS ALIVE: 15/15
TO BE CONTINUED 📈