I'm Not A Furry, But...
“Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey—”
You groaned. Sleep was still fogging up your head and he was so much louder through the haze of senseless thoughts. You smothered your ears in your sheets. What was he doing?
Sharp claws dug into you through the fabric, “Hey, hey, hey, hey—!”
You tore off your blankets, anger overpowering pain. “What do you want?”
Monokuma snickered. “Wellllll, you haven’t hung out with anyone officially yet, right? Sooo, being the generous headmaster I am, I figured I’d give you a tutorial!”
You blinked. “The fuck are you on about?”
“Your first freetime event will be with yours truly!”
You crawled back under your covers. “Let’s start by leaving the island. You go first.”
“Hey, c’mon! I think I’m being fairly generous after you tried to brutally slaughter me!”
“Hey, same here, I have no obligation to do what you want,” A middle finger slipped through your sheets.
“Hmmmm? So that’s it, huh? My kindness ain’t enough for you? Then how about this?”
You felt his hard paw pressing down on your ribs. “This could be considered sexual harrassment, you kn—”
“Va-va-va-vulse!”
A weird tingling chill crashed through your entire body. What the hell?
With a manic cackle, he tore your covers off.
“Hey!”
“C’mon, get up! We don’t have all day!”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m covered in bullet wounds that you gave me!”
He cutely cocked his head, “...Are you, though?”
You jerked up your bandaged arm, “Um, obv—! …Huh?” You twitched your fingers, stretching out the muscles. You blinked. “It… doesn’t hurt anymore?”
“Duh, dummy! Since you’re not even gonna die from those I fixed you up so we can have a funner murder fest!”
“But—You can’t do that?”
“I’m Monokuma! I can do everything! Now, c’mon, you owe me!”
“What? No I don’t! You shot me in the first place!”
He put his paws to his mouth, “Well, I fixed you up, so what else are you gonna do? It’s not like anyone's gonna be up this hour!”
Your eye twitched. You wanted to punt him, but he was right. Your cottage was empty and the stars bloomed like fresh little fruit in the sky. Worst of all, you couldn’t even sleep it off, since you were no longer tired.
The last thing I’m gonna do is be stuck here with my own thoughts.
With a long sigh, you slipped out of bed.
“Puhuhu! Now that’s the spirit! Now let’s go—Let your tutorial begin!” With that declaration, he waddled out your door. You clicked your tongue.
You came to a stop at an oddly tall palm tree, some weird machine with his face embedded into the middle of the trunk.
You looked at him, cuing for him to monologue so you could get this over with. (And yet, you knew, you couldn’t just get it over with, because once it was over, nothing was left for you).
“This is a handy little thing I like to call the Monomono Machine! Insert a coin and it’ll dispense a present that your classmates may or may not hate!”
His arms elongated like something out of your nightmares, dropping a bunch of shining bronze coins in your hand. “Go ahead! Give it a try!”
You raised a brow. “This better give me something I can easily hurt you with, or else I’m just going to kick you in the bear balls.”
You put one in and out came an odd blue capsule. You opened it and a plume of smoke clouded your vision. When you could see again, in your hands was a cartoonish little doll head, its body elongated with a red switch at the bottom. You flicked it, and it started vibrating in your hand.
“...You just gave me a vibrating dildo.”
He cackled. “What’re you talking about? This machine operates on pure luck, kid! And congrats—What you have in your hands is a Kokeshi Dynamo Doll! Flip the switch and it starts shaking. It’s for kids!”
“It’s a dildo.”
“It’s a Kokeshi Dynamo Doll!”
You gripped the thing with your knuckles. “Show me your balls.”
“Woah woah woah!” he panted, “Getting a little rough there, aren’t we now? What… Just what kinds of indecent things do you plan to do to your headmaster with that…toy…!”
“Unspeakable, unholy things,” you glared, readying the thing in your hands like a sword.
Monokuma gasped, “Well, Jesus me! At this rate, I’m gonna hafta whip out another censor button! You’re driving away the children…!”
“Oh, I’m driving away the children? Says the guy getting off to the death of them?”
“Oh, please, I don’t get off to the death of children… You guys are basically adults! It doesn’t count. Anyway, I don’t want that thing, so try again.”
“What?”
“I’m your free time buddy, so you gotta pick a present that counts!”
“Yeah… No.”
He sighed, “Guess I should put those bullet wounds back, then, since no one needs my adorable presence anymore…”
“You are the worst guilt tripper I’ve ever seen.” Begrudgingly, you slid another coin in.
This time, the capsule revealed, ”what the fuck is this?” you dangled the pink ball in front of your scrunched face. Three holes were carved into the surface and it was held together by tacky green string. “...Is this a gag?”
Monokuma blushed, “My my my, it’s the perfect gift…! For you. Maybe you should take it for a stroll, see how it fits, puhuhuhuhuhu!”
“Why’re you painting me as some sex offender?”
“Why are you defending yourself like you’re not?”
“Because I’m not! God,” you rolled your eyes. It wasn’t like you’d never used a sex toy, but by Lord if these weren’t the trashiest things you’d ever seen.
“Tsk tsk tsk! I know what you’re thinking! You’re thinking of leaving to find a trash can for that stuff, right? Well, too bad! No leaving until you get something cool! After all, I gotta show you how it works!”
You groaned, quickly slapping another coin in. “Why can’t you have less excruciating game design?”
This time, out came a painting. It was oiled up with smears and various colors—pink, blue, white, black. The silhouette was vague and indescribable through the blurred style. Well, either it was the style, or decrepit with old age.
“Oh my oh my! No fair! How’d you get such a sexy woman?” He slipped it out of your hands, “Puhuhuhuhu! Good job! I’ll let you throw out your stuff now.”
“That was a woman…?” you muttered, before rolling your eyes and moving back to your cottage. You just wanted this garbage out of your hands.
“…Why’re you still following me?”
“Puhuhuhu! What do you mean? Now that I’ve got my gift, free time’s just begun!”
“…The fact you have parents that wanted to create you astounds me.”
“Hey, hey,” he wiped away tears, “even if I’m an unfeeling bear, don’t you think that’s a little harsh?”
You opened your cottage door, “Don’t talk like you have human rights. Go die.” You tried to shut it right in his face, but he teleported to the other side.
You flipped onto the bed with a loud groan.
“So, ask away! Anything you wanna know about your adorable little headmaster!”
You sighed. You were running out of solutions at this point. Frankly, the real reason you didn’t want to talk to him is because you didn’t want to be seen spending your time with a goddamn robot mascot. Like, out of all the people you could’ve talked to, it was some condescending animatronic. Wouldn’t that be humiliating? You were better than this! Sure, maybe the shooting thing was part of it, but in the end, you were all healed up so it didn’t really matter.
“…Alright. Nothing spoken in this room goes outside, you hear?”
He cackled. “I promise on my bear’s honor! Fingies crossed!”
“You don’t have fingers, but whatever. So, uh…” you weren’t feeling like trying too hard right now. “Why’re you doing this whole killing game thing in the first place?”
He whipped out his claws, “I told you. A fun killing game experience for us all! I want to see the despair sink slowly into your faces!”
You rolled your eyes. So cliche. “So why am I here, then? I get using Ultimates, since they’re important…”
“Spoiler territory, can’t answer that!”
So it is intentional…okay then. “Why use such a big budget on this?”
“Well, as a Monokuma, I aim to provide the highest quality services around! I can’t give you all despair if I slack out on my budget, now can I? Now that would be truly despairing…”
“…Are you jerking off to this?”
“Eyes on my face, not my right paw. Also, I have every right to not answer that question!”
“You legally don’t.”
He cutely cocked his head, “My my, what’s with the disappointed face? Feel free to tell your adorably passionate headmaster, after all. I only want the best for my students!”
You were flat on your back, staring at the ceiling. You shrugged, “You’re fucking boring, dude. Blah blah blah, suffering, evil, literally, get a life. I almost feel bad watching you. It’s the most predictable shit I’ve ever seen.”
“Puhuhu! Well, if that isn't the most hurtful thing I’ve ever been hit with!”
You pulled the covers over your head. “Then go despair or something.”
Another cackle. A weight slowly crawled over your arm. You wheezed. Why was he so heavy? You shuddered. Something weird brushed against your ear. “You’re so harsh to me… But that’s what makes it great, right? You know I’m not really going to leave— The fact I’m just talking to you right now says more than enough; doesn’t it?”
You instantly threw the covers off. Something soft thudded against the floor. It was grinning with manically bright skin, saturated eyes, glossy lips.
“...Who the hell are you?” you backed up against your headboard.
“Hm?” A clipboard and glasses suddenly sat on her arms and face. She pushed up the lenses. “I’m Monokuma, of course. Don’t tell me you thought I was just a bear?”
This guy… can shape-shift?
Well, you know he could elongate, but this was… Goddamit, how am I supposed to think straight with this fuckhead in front of me?
With a wide grin, s(he?) leaped up, shoving herself upon your arm. “What do you think? I make a pretty good woman, don’t I? Totally magnificent boobs, right?”
You didn’t break eye contact, “Uh…Sure…”
“So, since I’m so despairingly boring and evil, I’m sure a form like this would make things much more exciting!” Her lashes glinted in her smile. “Well? Doesn’t it make you just despair knowing you’re lusting after your very own headmaster!?” She suddenly threw her tongue out, red-nailed fingers crossing into something akin to a rock-punk motion.
You closed your mouth. “...No, not really. You’re right, though—nice boobs.”
She curled her hands at her chin, voice fluctuating to a grating anime girl. “I know, right? I mean, flash someone with these bad boys and they’ll practically be licking my heels!”
“What are you even trying to do?”
“Hm? Well, you know how it is, right?” With a sigh, she wrapped an aimless lock of hair around her finger, depressive mushrooms sprouting from her scalp. “Bored here, bored there, I mean, as a woman, what else is there for me other than to become a tyrant that forces pubescent kids to shank each other…?”
You lifted a brow.
Suddenly, she jerked you by the chin; long, sharp nails scraping your neck. You shivered. “You’ll make it entertaining, right?”
“What…?”
Her voice dropped, chilled, a slow crawl against the side of a tin can. “Strike one, sweetie. I won’t hesitate to put those bullet wounds back in. In fact, I’ll poke and prod at them and watch you bleed out on the concrete.”
Your eyes narrowed. “Do I look like your personal jester?”
She smiled, wiry, wide, cold hand sliding from your neck. She drew it slow, letting those nails turn your skin red and raw. “Oh, you will.”
You cracked a jovial grin, leaning backwards, “Listen, I may be a slut, but I don’t swallow bullshit.” You suddenly yanked her arm off and spun her backwards, digging your knees into the joints of her shoulders.
She grinned, lips pulled together in a sultry pout, “Oh my, oh my…! You’re taking me so quick…!”
“Scream like a bitch if you don’t want me to break your arm.”
To the silence, you pulled until you heard her shoulder pop.
“Hahahaha… hahahahahahahahahaha!”
She threw her head back with a feral look, tears brimming in the crystal pools of her eyes. You couldn’t help but pull just a little bit harder.
“God, I can’t wait to see you cry…!” She let out a whinnying cackle. “You know it, don’t you? You get it, right? We may have only met each other here for five minutes, but I know much more about you than you ever could me. You’re a monster, [Name]!”
She peered up at you through her bangs, eyes popped out, blue and searing. She was under you, utterly mangled, yet still had the gall to grin and smirk like a pretentious asshole.
“No one would ever love a freak like you, you know.”
You stepped on her elbow until it cracked in the other direction. Her scream was filled with excitement. “Stop wasting oxygen in my vicinity and tell me where the exit to this hell hole is.”
She laughed, tears spilling over from those wide, unblinking eyes. “Look at yourself right now. If you could see that look in your eyes—now that is a face not even a mother would love!”
You moved to her middle finger. “Where. Is. The. Exit?”
Her laugh was breathy and torn. “You can’t beat me, [Name]. Hell, you can't beat anyone! Whose side are you even on? Your classmates? I doubt it. You've always just been in it for yourself.”
Crunch.
“You think anyone will understand you, right now? Just what's going through that sad, pathetic little head? I know you—even your most pathetic of wants! This is all you’re good for!”
“You’re pretty good at annoying the shit out of people yourself.” You grabbed at her ring finger as harshly as you possibly could. She was shaking, but you couldn’t tell from what.
God, why wouldn’t she just scream?
She tilted her head back, lips sealed in a vacuum tight smirk. “No one will ever come to love you. I mean, you can’t even bring yourself to hate me right. You can talk, and talk, and talk about how much I annoy you, piss you off, how much you wanna twist my neck into little pieces, but in the end, the only one who would even take the time to understand you was me. Not your parents. Not your friends. Not your little flings or lovers or anyone you meet on that desperate chase for someone to accept you. Tell me, what do you offer to this world?”
You breathed out through a shivered grin.
“Well, I’ve been told I give a pretty decent blowy.”
With that, you yanked off her pinky.
“Ha! Haha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Her laughter spilled out like those sweet sweet tears. “GOD, THAT IS PRICELESS!”
Ding dong bing bong!
You closed your eyes.
No point in being angry, no point in being angry, no point in being angry
Slowly, you climbed off her. Off your sheets, off your bed, you met her on the floor.
“Um, this is an announcement from Hope’s Peak Academy’s Field Trip Executive Committee. Yoohoo! It’s time for your long awaited recreation activities! What kind of exciting activities await? It’s too late to—wait, that’s not it. I can’t wait to find out! We realize this is getting tedious, but for now, come and gather at Jabberwock Park!”
You scoffed. “So, Monokuma’s just a pre-recorded alarm clock?”
“Hmmmmm, maybe, maybe. Or, it could be a clone! Monokuma-no-jutsu! Actually, that does have quite the ring to it. Although…” she faced you with a teary-eyed pout. “Call me Junko?”
“Get the fuck out.”
“Oh? You’re not gonna try to pry anymore info out of your cute ol’ headmaster?” She pressed her fleshy red-and-green fingers together like some high pitched anime girl. “Gonna toss me out all broken and unsatisfied? I thought you said at the very least you were good at this kinda stuff!”
You sneered, feeling irritatingly tired and sick. “Kill yourself.”
“Tee-hee~! Goshers, you’re just the sweetest gal I’ve ever met!” She grabbed your hair by the fingers, the ones you should've fucking crushed; lidded eyes a mere hair away from your face. “You should be on your knees with gratitude, you know. I should kill you over and over and over again for how many rules you just broke.” She threw you back with a giggle. “Well, I decide the punishments for all broken rules, anyway. Isn't it funny? In these hard times, you're still the only one who's broken any rules! Buuut, since you got me all hot and bothered now, I’ll let it slide, just this once! Let it be known, though,” She slid a thumb across her throat, eyes suddenly turning to ice, “three strikes, you’re out.”
Without a sound, she was gone.
Your head thunked against the wall with a sigh, knees curling to your chest.
A slide and a bang.
“Hey there!”
Your head jerked to the window. “Tits on a stick—Nagito? What the hell!”
“I’ve been ringing your door for a while now! Guess you couldn’t hear it over all the screaming. Speaking of which, mind keeping your porn at, like, a five? I swear, I could hear that at the other end of the island!” He laughed.
“You were listening in, weren’t you?”
He laughed again, “Paranoid, much? I assure you I have better things to do with my time than eavesdrop on a Reserve Course Student’s fun time.” With that, he leaped off the sill, striding over to your door like he owned the place.
“Oh yeah? And what happened to that whole let’s not judge people by their talents leaf?”
He undid the lock. “I’m not judging you—I’m just stating facts. You’re a Reserve Course Student. If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would you pick? The nobody, or the nationally acclaimed prodigy?”
“Depends. How hot are they?”
He smiled. “I feel sorry for you, really. It’s not your fault some people are just worth more than others. Oh, nice place, by the way. Imagine how many people you could suffocate with all this stuff.”
“You’re even weirder than the Americans, with your units of measurement.”
He laughed, swinging open the door. “Either way, we should get going now, shouldn’t we? Since your bullet wounds are all healed now?”
You rubbed your fingers together and felt the way her soft skin bent. There was no way that was a magic trick—you broke Monokuma’s bones.
And you felt no remorse.
“For a stalker, you sure aren’t sneaky.”
“Oh, Nagito, [Name]...” Chiaki’s eyes immediately lifted from her console. Figured—this whole killing game kept your guard up too. Suddenly, her face went so still it was like she stopped breathing. “...You can walk?”
You shrugged. “Monokuma healed me.”
“He…. healed you?” Byakuya’s eyes narrowed.
“Hey, I don’t get it either. Dunno what you want me to say.”
“Since [Name] wasn’t going to die from the injuries, he got rid of them. It would make executing murder plans easier.” Nagito smiled. “…Well, I suppose his thought process was something like that.”
Kazuichi let out a long, shaky whimper. “That’s fucked up, man… This is seriously so fucked up…”
“Woah! You’re here early!” gasped Ibuki.
“W—What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not stupid enough to defy this guy… Who knows what he’d do to me if I was late!? I mean, we already know what happened last time…” his eyes flicked to you, but quickly buckled away under your gaze.
“Yup. [Name] went and got herself shot.”
“Nagito…!” Mahiru placed stern hands on her hips, “I can’t believe you!”
He recoiled. “S… Sorry… Did I say something wrong?”
You snorted. “Yeah, Nagito. For a skeleton in a cape, you sure are ballsy.”
“…It’s a coat.”
It didn’t take long for everyone else to rush over, except for Hajime. As Kazuichi articulated, no one was willing to defy someone with their lives on such stubby paws, after all. Byakuya kindly explained to Hajime why you were walking again.
“So. It seems we're all here,” he remarked, counting down each of your faces.
You rolled your eyes, “Again.”
“If you’re so upset, then don’t come,” scoffed Fuyuhiko.
“Seems your memory’s as lacking as your balls. There’s only so much penetration I can take in a day.”
“Ever tried the secret art of not being such a fucking bitch?”
“Woah woah woah dude, lighten up a little…!” You folded your arms, a growing smirk on your face, “Or should I say…heighten up a little…?”
He clenched his fist so hard red cracks splattered his eyes. “I’m gonna blast a hole straight through your fuckin’ head!”
Teruteru shuddered, “In any other scenario, I would’ve welcomed that with open arms…!”
“Right…” said Hajime, “Because what better bedroom position is there than lying in a crumpled heap on the floor with a bullet between your eyes?”
“That does sound rather appealing right now,” Nagito nodded.
You barked back in one of what might’ve been the greatest laughs of your time. Your classmates were ruthless—it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen. Well, it would’ve been.
“LISTEN TO ME, YOU PIECES OF SHIT!”
“…Fuyuhiko?” Peko pressed her lips into a thin line.
Nagito, on the other hand, acted like this was totally normal. “Hey, come on, no need to get so upset. We’re all friends here, after all…”
“Friends, friends, friends—by God, shut the fuck up!” His nose was pulled tight at the eyes, a red vein throbbing over his temple. “I will never be friends with any fucking one of you! Don’t you dare treat me like a kid! I’ll do it, okay? I’ll seriously kill you! I won’t hesitate to stick your shitty heads on pikes!”
“Hey, even if you’re trying to play some tough yakuza kid, that’s going too far!” Mahiru ground her fists into her hips.
“I said—”
You found yourself pulled by the neck again with an unflattering squawk. This time, however, a survival knife dug its tip straight through several layers of your skin.
“Stop acting like I’m some fucking baby.” He yanked you back with a harsh sting in your joints, blade glinting directly under your vision. “Oookay, this is what I’d consider ‘a little too much edge’,” you winced as he dug it into your throat. Cold sweat peeled under your skin. Your fingers twitched.
First bullet wounds, now stab wounds… I’m collecting a fucking set over here.
He jeered. “Since you guys didn’t seem to hear me, let me repeat it for you. Pay attention this time: I. Will. Not. Hesitate. To. Kill. You.”
“W—What the hell is wrong with you…!” Mahiru gasped, pale fingers flung around in a panicked fury. “Let [Name] go!”
“Yeah. This is cringier than Nagito’s speeches, and that’s saying something.” You smiled through a grimace, blood soaking into your collar. You had to admit—his patience was low, but his rage was admirable. If only he wasn’t regarding you like some damseled hostage.
Nagito made an offended face.
“T—This is extraordinarily unokay, Fuyuhiko!” Sonia made a poor attempt to firm-eye him. “We cannot hurt each other like this…!”
“You think you can intimidate me or something…? Look at who’s holding the knife right now, you dumbfucks!”
“Fuyuhiko…” Ibuki’s lips pursed into a line. Her eye contact was uncomfortably direct.
Byakuya scowled, talking low and pointed, “This is not a joke. You’ve gone too far— Put her down.”
“What the fuck did I just say…!” he almost barked out a laugh, coming to a slow, step-by-step crawl backward.
“Hnngh…” Shit. You squinched your eyes. You were getting lightheaded. The pain was kind of unbearable, bursting against the split ridges inside your skin like dynamite.
Does this guy… actually plan to kill me?
Did you underestimate him?
Ha… Hahahahaha…! Well played, yaku-kid! Well fucking played!
The blood rolled warm and sticky at your fingertips. You stumbled back, but that only made him jerk you up with the knife pointed deeper.
“T… This guy’s fucking nuts…! We’ve gotta run away while we still can…!” Kazuichi sobbed, hightailing on his heel before his body thudded into the concrete.
“How dare you…?” Mahiru had her foot on his laces, “You absolute coward!”
“Kyahahaha!” Hiyoko raised her hands to the sky, “Die, die, die! Slice her open like a stupid fat frog hopping its dirty feet all over the road!”
“Fuyuhiko, don’t… This isn’t…” Peko clenched her fists, “stop it!”
“Th… This man has gone mad under the scrutiny of the gods…!” Gundham bug-eyedly clutched at his hamsters under his scarf, “Malice, torture, rage… His soul has been corrupted into one of the man-eating demons found only at the very bottom barrens of hell…!”
“I don’t really understand what’s going on…” Akane cracked her knuckles, “But I’m gettin’ this really big urge to beat the shit outta that short blondie all of a sudden.”
“Fuyuhiko, I said…” Byakuya had a fist clenched, eyes dangerous as he took three large steps—nearing him, placating him? You weren’t sure. “Let. [Name]. Go. This is an order.”
The grip on the knife tightened. A slow, shaking breath hit the back of your ear. You shuddered.
Suddenly, he dropped you, and the knife. Mikan and Mahiru instantly went to crowd against you. Mikan slipped a roll of bandages out from her apron. Byakuya’s glare never left him as he picked up the bloody knife.
Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue, the curve of his back tense as he shoved his fingers in his pockets. “...This is stupid. I’m fucking out of her—”
“Um…”
Suddenly, Monokuma popped up in a blue suit and red tie. He was bashfully holding a paw to his hand. “Wow, wow, wow, things were getting pretty intense…! That was pretty disappointing! We almost had our very first murder on Jabberwock island… Oh well! I’m a patient guy. I’ll wait for an even better time!”
You glared at him so hard it hurt your eyes. He acted like you weren’t even there.
“B—Better time…?” Kazuichi sucked up snot and concrete dust. “This is the worst time, you freak! Get out of here!”
Mahiru pressed her palm against her scrunched face, “I—I’m gonna be sick… This is…this is all just…”
“…Hey, what’s with that outfit?” Chiaki lazily tilted her head.
“Ah, didn’t I say so in the announcements? It’s for today’s recreation time.”
“Wha?” You croaked from the floor.
“Yes! A single act show fit for a tropical island!”
With a rising, manic giggle, Monokuma popped himself onto the stage. “We’ve dallied enough! It’s time for the ‘Monokuma Big Laugh Manzai Love Show!’”
“Give me a break.” Gundham couldn’t even come up with his usual Shakespearean shit, arms only crossed with a mother’s disappointment.
He began with a most cringy greeting to start the night. Sometimes you swore you could hear sitcom laughter in the background. Thankfully, Mikan was able to patch your neck up during this time. It was incredibly stiff and you couldn’t turn your head, but at least you could sit up now.
The true motive of Monokuma’s announcement was soon made clear, however. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he just called us out here to waste our time, though.
"Someone here... selfishly stole your memories!"
"...Huh?"
“Not one of you guys remember how you arrived on this island, right?”
You made a shrugging noise. “Well, we were in a black void, until some door fucked it up.”
Monokuma chortled. “Oh, nothing messed up, because stealing their memories was all part of the plan, right? Oh, don't answer, I know you're in hiding, dear traitor.”
Dead silence.
“W… What are you saying…! Someone here...?"
“By the way, those memories they stole? They aren’t just some silly, cliched stuff like the details of your arrival here. Oh, no… There's someone here who took the several years you guys spent at Hope’s Peak Academy!” Monokuma wiped sweat off his nonexistent brows, thankful to have that hackneyed plotpoint off his chest.
You glanced down at your hands, closing your eyes against the blood pooling into the back of your bandages. You felt different from yesterday, (which was apparently something-many years ago) sure, but that definitely wasn't because you aged or anything.
And yet, there was this deepening puddle of loss in your chest. You felt like a pile of something carefully constructed slipped into the trash. You were the remnants of that effort—gooey and guttered over the ground.
Effort for what, though? You weren’t sure, and there were hardly any clues. Still, your instincts were getting all twisted again.
Hope’s Peak Academy…
Did I really have fun there?
Did you get to meet people? Enjoy yourself? Find someone that genuinely loved you? See the things you wanted to see, do the things you wanted to do? And, if you did…what was the point, now?
Eh. Whatever. If you didn’t remember, then no need getting caught up in it now.
“Upupupupu. Surprised? You guys aren’t actually freshmen! But you’ve all forgotten that, so you think you still are! Isn’t that just rotten?” No, not really. “And… it’s such a familiar plot device… is this plagiarism? It’s not even original!”
“W…What’s going on…?” said Nagito.
With a lively cackle, Monokuma shucked off his suit and hopped off the stage. “So, how was it? Did you laugh? Or perhaps, my comedy was too high-brow for you guys?”
You snorted. “Not nearly enough sex jokes.”
Teruteru trembled through his nod, “Well, I believe I second that…What a bland, tasteless, overly fictitious show…”
Byakuya glared, “Oy. What was that all about?”
Mikan started crying again, almost mixing tears with your wounds. They were just trying to trick her, make her look like an idiot, she mumbled. It was just yesterday when she stepped into Hope’s Peak, Ibuki shriveled. It was entirely impossible to take someone’s memories, Hajime justified, despite everything that’d happened in the last forty-eight hours. Denial, however, seemed to be the trendiest response among your classmates. Monomi did what she did best, urging for everyone to close their ears and look for hope.
“Nope, nope, none of this is a lie,” sighed Monokuma, before perking up with his usual villainous evil-doer cheer, “How else can you explain what happened? The moment you stepped foot into Hope’s Peak Academy, you felt a strange dizziness, right? Stuck on an island with seventeen strangers... Isn't it natural for one to be a rotten orange of the bunch?”
Chiaki gave him a tight glare.
“Sudden dizziness, huh... You mean… something many drugs can do?” you said. What kind of evidence was that?
“H… How did you know that…?” Hajime fumbled.
“Essentially, that’s when your memories broke off! Every moment, from then to when you woke up here, has been deleted!”
That itching sense of defeat was hardening under your ribs again. Just how much did you lose? No, what did you even lose?
Mikan hiccuped. “So… a really long time passed since then?”
“Shit! It’s all a load of shit!” If anyone was going to die first, it should be Nekomaru, so he would finally shut up. “It’s impossible!”
“Upupupupu… And why’s it impossible?”
“It’s just silly…” fretted Nagito, “Who could even believe such a thing?”
“Isn’t it just that you don’t want to believe?”
No, Nagito had a point. Logically, by all scientific evidence, everything that transpired here should’ve been impossible. This whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. Cardboard classrooms, magical islands, trans-species chickens, teleporting furries, several war machines… Perhaps it was impressive your classmates managed to absorb even this much. And yet, to Monokuma, it was all just some game.
Maybe, in the back of your mind, that was the only way you could process this, too. Just some stupid game. A game that you could progress and get out of. You were starting to understand, though, that wasn’t it. You were stuck in a gray limbo, where foggy, unclear silhouettes of the past waved—shattered from the path it should’ve followed. You wouldn’t get anywhere with these rules, all tailored to fit Monokuma’s needs. If you wanted to make progress, any real progress, you couldn’t let yourself be swayed by him. You’d have to break the game into scrap pieces.
Of course. How could you forget? Monokuma was an enemy.
The bear giggled, a pink tint rising to his cheeks, “Have no fear! This sweet, kind Monokuma is going to give you guys your memories back!”
Monomi shrieked—confusion and fear, you recognized.
“It’s just… that I have a condition…”
“This condition…” Chiaki’s lazy face broke.“You don’t mean…?”
“Upupu… Did you guess already? That’s right, I want mutual killing out of you guys! My one and only non-negotiable condition! You’re dying to know, aren’t you? You guys want to remember your lost school life, right? So, kill, kill, kill! Make it a murder to remember!”
Akane let out a callous growl. “Hey, asshole! I’ve let you say whatever’s on your mind way too long!”
“Oh? Why so angry? All I did was give you a motive out of the kindness of my heart. I mean, before now you guys were too scared to kill, right? Now you can justify it however you want!”
“G… Give me a break!” Byakuya threw back his chin, but it did not stop the falter in his voice. “Do you really think that anyone’s going to kill just because of such a delusional story?”
Do you really think no one’s going to die because you’re telling us not to? Just look at how Fuyuhiko’s hunched over in a puddle of shame.
“I don’t even believe your story about a stupid memory loss anyway!” cemented Mahiru.
“Maybe you don’t. But can you be certain there isn’t someone among you who does?”
“W… What do you mean…?”
You sighed. You knew it was easier to absorb one thing at a time, but still. Why were you stuck on an island with a bunch of idiots?
“You guys aren't focused enough on the big picture. You know nothing about each other. And that’s why… you haven’t even noticed the traitor among your ranks!”
Like… a spy?
A spy seemed pretty pointless with all the cameras around. It wasn’t like you knew anything about your enemy though. They could use a spy for anything, and if they were good, they wouldn’t slip up no matter how long you waited.
“Well, then let me give you a lil’ debrief! There are seventeen of you guys here, right? But, there were only supposed to be sixteen Hope’s Peak Academy students coming to this island! Isn’t that weird…?”
Your eyes narrowed. “Why are you telling us this? Isn’t this supposed traitor working for you?”
“Pupupu… Who knows? Maybe there isn’t even a traitor and I’m just getting you guys alllll riled up.”
“S—So, you just admitted it! You’re lying!” bursted Hajime.
“Well, I didn’t say that… Maybe I’m insinuating it’s a lie because there also really is a traitor? In the end, who knows? Who knows… Well, except me, of course! Pupupupupupupu!”
“What the fuck are you saying…!? What’s this talk about a traitor?” Fuyuhiko ground his teeth.
“It’s all nonsense,” assured Peko, despite the doubt on her face, “He is just trying to confuse us.”
Monokuma tried to circle back the doubt with ‘but who’s to say what your true natures are’ or some bullshit.
You massaged your neck, careful not to gush blood.
How stupid.
With a leap and a flip, he was gone.