Prologue (Part 1)
Kowai:
-And then I wake up, still in the seat of the plane, tangled in the seat belt. I shove my glasses back in front of my eyes, rather than halfway down my face. I blink, trying to clear the spots in my vision, and find myself staring right at someone’s boob window.
“Hey, you awake? Don’t make me give you mouth to mouth, please.”
…
This is probably one of the people I’m meant to get to know, so I figure I should make a good first impression. Don’t want to be pegged as the “weird kid” for the rest of my time here.
I manage something that sounds sort of like “Uhhh…” So much for first impressions. Still, they seem satisfied enough, and move out of my personal space, and holy shit, they’re tall. Like, six foot tall. It’s a little weird though. Staring at them, I get the weirdest sense of deja vu, like I’ve seen them somewhere. Before I can finish that thought, Boob Window starts talking again.
“Oh, thank god. I thought you were dead. Any injuries?”
I shake my head no.
“Good, good. The plane crashed pretty bad, and we can’t find the pilot, but everyone seems to be fine. Come on, we should probably get off here before something implodes.”
I clamber gingerly out of my seat, stepping over various wreckage in the aisles. The whole plane seems to be on a tilt. As I step onto solid ground, I realise that half the plane was tilted. The whole damn thing's split in half, and the cockpit is smoking. There's absolutely no way we're leaving on that.
As my feet touch ground that doesn't feel like a kiddie slide, I look around at the other people around me. I swear there are at least three people who are over five seven. What is this, the tall people club? Save some for the rest, honestly.
....Around the smouldering wreck that was the plane, it's...... grassy, like a small clearing, surrounded by trees.
Weird. I could've sworn we were going to the city.
I decide I should probably make a quick check of everyone here. See who might be a decent friend, and who to avoid. In the corner, I notice a brunette boy in neatly ironed red knitwear arguing rather overly passionately with someone slouched on a log, who looked like they slept in their outfit. They're fiddling with some kind of console, looking like they're having a great time riling Knitwear up. Avoid, both of them. I don't need assholes like that around me.
Near the plane, a pink haired girl, wearing some fashion style that I think might have been called...... lollipop? No, that isn't it. The one with puff sleeves and pinstripe skirts and petticoats and frills. She's being looked over intently by an absolutely jacked girl with a long braid down her back, and- holy shit, is that a hammer on her belt? Yep, definitely a hammer. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
A little further along, a larger group are discussing something, probably our current situation. What else would there be to talk about, tree bark?
I move a little closer, trying to hear what they're saying. Nearest to the tree line, a stocky, rather short brunette guy with glasses is talking excitedly at an elegant looking girl in a shawl, who's smiling fondly. I lean a little closer, trying to discern what he's on about.
"......And you can see here where an insect has made their home, a woodlouse, by the looks of things, see how the bark's been eaten away?" Glasses Brunette is saying, gesturing excitedly at a piece of wood in his hand. I don't believe it. Tree bark.
In the grass, a couple of girls are making daisy chains, one dressed like she's going to one of those LARP things, the other already with several daisy chains in her massive afro, and slipping one onto her wrist, conversing on something about...... spells? Did I hear that right?
....Moving on.
A group of seven are standing in the grass, talking. A gaunt redhead, their knuckles bandaged, and their hair swept to one side, crossing their arms, looking like they're dwelling on something, oddly calm for someone whose plane back home has crashed irreparably. A nervous looking girl with a lilac bob, chewing on her lip, glancing around furtively. A lively looking girl with massive green buns in her hair. And-
Oh. My.
The boy next to them may be one of the most perfect specimens of humanity I think I have ever seen. He's tall, and lean, like a swimmer, in a little cropped, sleeveless hoodie that shows off his- he has abs. I don't have abs. He has abs. And this shiny blonde hair, like sand on a beach, tied up into a long ponytail with a rainbow scrunchie. I wish my hair looked like that. I'm blonde, sure, but it looks more like straw. And speaking of rainbow accessories, I don't think I've ever seen anyone who could properly pull off those stripy socks like he does. I can't decide if I want to be him or be with him. He's beautiful, there's no other way to describe it.
I barely have time to register anything else when a dark red and grey blur slams into me, with a happy squeal.
“Kowaaaaaiiiii!”
And the next thing I know, I’m being death gripped by my best friend, who is rapidly talking at me.
“I thought you were dead, Ko-Ko. You didn’t wake up even when I screamed in your ear! I’m glad you’re not dead, though. My life would be a lot more boring if you died.”
As I try (uselessly) to gently pry her off, Boob Window sighs, trying to stifle a giggle. “I see you two know each other…. I guess we should all do introductions?”
They take a minute to bring everyone over, then begin.
“Alright, everyone. I know this situation isn’t… ideal, but I think if we all stick together, we can-“
”What, rebuild the bloody plane? In case you didn’t notice, it’s sort of split in half.”
…It seems the short log sitter has decided to leave Knitwear alone for a second. Fabulous. Boob Window continues on, though.
“As I was saying, we can probably manage to work through this. So! I reckon we should get to know each other a bit. How about…. Name, pronouns and….. I’m assuming we’re all ultimate students here?”
There’re various sounds of agreement from the group.
“Right, awesome! Name, pronouns, ultimate! I’ll start. I’m Dai Azami, the Ultimate Model. Pronouns…. It changes pretty often, but I’ll go with they/them for now.”
Well, it’s nice not to have to call them “Boob Window” all the time, at least.
Dai gestures around to all of us. "So, who's next?"
Beautiful boy speaks up.
"Daiki Miura, he/him. I'm the Ultimate Free Diver. Nice to meet all you."
God, even his voice is hot.
"....Kiyoshi Takahashi. Ultimate Interior Designer. I'm male."
Wasn't expecting Knitwear- Kiyoshi- to speak up next, but I guess everyone who answers is another time I don't have to.
"Riku Takeshi, Ultimate Blacksmith. She/her, they/them, I don't really care."
Well, I guess that explains the hammer.
The pink haired girl Riku was holding speaks up next.
"I'm her girlfriend, Satou Atsuo. Ultimate Baker, I use She/her. Here's to hoping we can get along!"
Green hair buns.
"Ikuye Sasaki, Ultimate Game Show Host. She/her, as well."
Tree bark guy.
"Haruko Akiyama, Ultimate Naturalist. Like, plants and things, I have got the "so why are you wearing clothes" spiel way too many times. He/him, I guess."
Shawl girl.
"My name is Kinuye Kaneko, the Ultimate Weaver. I identify as female, I suppose."
The girl with daisy chains in her hair.
"Chouko Hayashi, Ultimate Witch! I'm a girl too!"
The girl in the LARP outfit.
"June Yōsei, Ultimate Dungeon Master....... Um....... She/her..."
At this, the person who was sitting on the log butts in. "Dungeon master? Like, the kinky shit?"
June looks flustered, and I could swear even the fake elf ears she's wearing go red. "Ah, no, like..... Like Dungeons and Dragons. The role play game?"
The person exhales. “Right, well, I guess I oughta go next, since I’m here. Kiko Abe, Ultimate Gamer. Use whatever pronouns you want, I truly do not give a shit.”
Dai frowns. “Don’t you mean Kiko? Like, as in “casino”?”
"No, I mean Kiko as in light. I think I know how to say my own name. Besides, you're not bloody Daee, are you?"
Well, that's an amalgamation of sounds I never want to hear again.
The redhead with bandaged knuckles talks next.
"Ryo Shimizu, Ultimate Bartender. I'm nonbinary, so......" They shrug.
"I"m-I'm Mei Mitsuki, Ultimate Matchmaker! Um...... I'm a girl," Lilac hair says.
At last, I feel the death grip on me release, and the human barnacle I was previously attached to waves cheerfully at everyone. "I'm Chi Yeuri, the Ultimate Horror Fan! She/her."
It takes me a second to realise that everyone is staring at me. Oh. Right. It's my turn. Joy of joys.
"I..I'm Kowai Akumu..... Ultimate Horror Writer...... He/him."
Everyone seems to be eyeballing me. Again. Probably because I just sound like I sort of copied Chi's talent. They probably think I'm lying about it. Lovely, just great. Granted, I sometimes feel like I am. My first drafts certainly aren't very "ultimate". I guess, technically, my first drafts are a dream diary. But still. Bad. To be completely honest, if Chi hadn't been encouraging (pestering) me for years, because apparently my writing was "the only shit good enough to reeeallly fuck my fight or flight up good" (her words, not mine), I probably would've quit writing after the first book, taken the royalties and gone to buy a mansion or something. The things we do for our friends, huh?
I'm slowly brought back to reality by the sound of voices. Someone, Ikuye, I think, is saying something about going to look around. I don't see what there is to see, as far as I can tell, there are a few buildings of varying sizes surrounded by a dense forest. Like, dense enough to block anyone from even entering dense. Although Haruko looks like he's considering it. Most of us move to the path away from the crash site, albeit with some grumbling. Weird how there's a path from the exact point that the plane landed, but honestly, we have bigger proble-
.........
. Is that a teddy bear? I used to sleep with one of those. Mister Fluff-face, you will live forever in our hearts. I wouldn't let this bear anywhere near my neighbourhood, though, much less my bed. It has this weird split, monochrome look. And the cute, fluffy white half isn't fooling me, buddy. I see the little malicious glint of your little beady eye, that empty damned smile. Yeah, I don't trust this bear in the least.
Chouko, however, seems dead set on grabbing this stupid bear and forcing it into a tea party or some shit. And to be completely honest, I don't think I've ever seen a stuffed animal look so completely offended. And then, to everyone's bewilderment, the damn thing speaks. And it's not a pleasant sound, either. Like something out of one of those creepy kids' shows. "Hey, will ya get off me, ya stupid little hippie?! I ain't ya teddy bear, ya hear me?!"
Daiki butts in, hands raised slightly in surrender. "Woah, woah, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. We don't think you're any kind of stuffed toy. Maybe we should start with an explanation? We're the-"
"Yeah, yeah, ya the Hope's Peak LGBTV society or whatever."
I can practically see the wince on Dai's face. "I think you mean LGBTQ plus..... And we're meant to be at a pride parade in Glasgow. You know, in Scotland? But our flight crashed, so we could really use some help." Dai frowns, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow" "Wait, how do you know who we are?"
The bear proceeds to let out an atrocious sounding set of giggles. "Upupupu! Yeah, I know who you kids are. And don't worry, you're exactly where you're meant to be!"
.....What?
"What?" Riku echoes my thoughts, her voice dangerously low, her hand brushing the hammer at her hip.
"Did you kids not read the fine print on those contracts you signed? Geez! That's pretty irresponsible, ya know?!"
At this, Riku practically smashed the little shit's skull in. "How about you cut the bullshit and find a phone, because apparently, all of ours have gone missing, I checked, so we can leave and get back to our fucking trip?!"
"Leave?' Oh, crap, it was giggling again. "Well, you can't just leave already, I haven't even introduced myself!"
Ryo groaned. "I'm sure you're gonna tell us."
"I'm Monokuma! I'm the mayor of this little village you see around you! You better get reeeeaaal comfortable, 'cause you'll be spending a looooot of time here! Okay, all of your time, technically."
"Well, how about you spare us a hint? That's real cryptic!" Ikuye's acting her cheery game show host persona flawlessly, but I can see the way she's picking at her pink nail polish.
"First of all, cut the "I run my show, so I'm gonna boss ya" crap. This is my game to host, bush hair!" Monokuma continued, "But if you're really that eager to reject my hospitality, then fine! . Apparently, you people get unbearably antsy all cooped up, so I'll let ya have a way out."
Chi smiles through gritted teeth, her hands clenched into her pinafore. "How about you cut the stupid bear puns, stop talking like the exposition for a second rate slasher, and tellus, huh?"
"Geez, alright, alright! It's dead easy, a real piece of cake! If you're that desperate for the out, all you got to do is kill one of your fellow clubmates!"