Chapter Text
Prologue. Welcome To Dangan Island!
Super Danganronpa 2: False Hope
08:25 AM - Monday ?? ????? 2009
That day wasn't just a typical day for me... The first day of the school year. A day that most high schoolers dread... but not me. Although I was a little nervous, nothing could sour my mood. Why? Because that day was my first day at Hope's Peak Academy!
That building, that name, was much more than a school to me. It was a symbol, the progenitor of Japan's finest students and graduates. I had never intended to go there but... who could deny the opportunity?
Every time Hope's Peak Academy is mentioned, it's not long until somebody says...
‘If you attend that school and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life’. It isn't an exaggeration either, some of the world's biggest influencers and key leaders are alumni of this school.
It is a government-funded school for the privileged elite of society that are considered talented. The grandiose building is smack-bang in the middle of Tokyo as if it's ruling over all other nearby facilities. That's why Hope's Peak is truly an Academy of Hope.
There are two criteria you must meet in order to attend this school... One, you must be a current high school student. Two, you must be the very best at what you do. Unlike other schools, it scouts students from all over Japan that are particularly better at something than any other teenager in the country.
The only way to get in is if the school scouts you itself... Now, because of the talents of those who are chosen, the students of Hope's Peak Academy are called Ultimates. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start with introductions right?
"I'm probably not the most impressive person you'll meet at this school... But I'm not gonna say I don't deserve to be here. You can call me
Kum!£0 6n4§!m@................"
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start with introductions right?
"I'm probably not the most impressive person you'll meet at this school... But I'm not gonna say I don't deserve to be here."
"You can call me Kumiko Koyama, I was scouted by Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Debater.
That's why nothing can sour my mood although I am a little nervous..."
...!
Wait, why was I nervous? I had no reason to be nervous...
Nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous nervous
Nervous about how I always ruin everything I get involved in. That's why... hope...
My life was plagued by that word and that school... I couldn't avoid it no matter what I tried...
Kumiko Koyama
??:?? ?? - ????? ?? ????? ????
A door? What is this door?
Where does it go? Is it safe inside?
Is this Hope's Peak? I was just about to...
No, it doesn't matter, I have to get going.
I have to hurry or I'll be late...
I have to go through the door...
"Hey, look, another student has arrived." A girl with a Galaga hair pin spoke. She had pink mauve hair that curled outwards and sat at a desk inside the pristine classroom. It had four columns of four desks. They were those basic wooden ones that can open at the top to store school supplies.
The girl with a Galaga hairpin looked at me as if she was emotionless, but I still felt the warmth I would feel if someone had smiled at me. Her face was dull when it came to expression but still managed to give off the aura of an innocent high school girl.
"..." The world went blurry for a while, as if what should've been solid colour was now small fluttering pixels in front of my blue eyes. I squeezed them shut and trailed my hand along the wooden doorframe.
"Are you alright?" A blonde girl with a posher voice than what I've ever heard spoke up. She seemed like she had been taken right out of the American Barbie Doll factory.
"Yes, sorry, I'm fine. Um... Who are you guys?" I stumbled through the doorway looking at the fifteen other students in the room. However, out of all of them, a girl standing in front of the desk the dull girl was sitting at spoke up.
"We're students at Hope's Peak Academy, I assume you're a freshman too?" The girl had red hair that was cut short to fall just under her ears and wore an orange strap attached to a camera over her shoulder. I looked up at the other students before saying...
"Oh, yeah... I am... right." I brushed my cold hand under my jaw to push my black loose braid over my right shoulder. My red nails caught on a loose hair before I tugged my hand away.
The room was filled with... a varied array of students. Two girls who seemed impossibly perfect, a blonde taller guy with an air of superiority around him, another girl who couldn't bring herself to stop fidgeting, a girl in a bright orange kimono, a guy who look like he could rip my head off with his hands, a girl with a sword on her back, a short chef... and another group at the back of the classroom I couldn’t even begin to describe.
With tense, awkward arms, I gently made my way through the crowd of people and in an attempt to seem calm and normal... I sat on the desk second closest to the entrance and hugged myself as my arms instinctively wrapped around my midriff. No, not sitting at the desk, I sat on it. These should all be Ultimates, right? They're probably a lot more skilled than being able to say fancy words in the right order.
The entrance to the classroom was to my right now and the girl in the orange kimono was to my left. She had blonde hair tied into extravagant yet childish pigtails. Stood nearby was the fidgeting girl, with long chopped purple hair framing her face and back.
"You're the last student to arrive, so I think we should begin the discussion." Another regal and powerful voice cut through the air of the classroom. I glanced over my shoulder to confirm the tall blonde man with glasses was the one who spoke.
"Last to arrive? How do you know?" A girl with colourful and oddly styled hair spoke up with a curious yet already impressed voice. Her outfit was very punk rock.
"There are only sixteen desks in this classroom, and this girl is the sixteenth student..." The man folded his arms proudly, as if he was the only person here who could do basic mathematics. "It's obvious if you think about it...!"
"And just what are we gonna talk about?" A short boy wearing what I could only assume was a cooking outfit spoke up. His voice was off but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.
"First, I need to confirm something. Out of everyone here..." The blonde student adjusted his glasses, his blue eyes scanning the crowd of teens before drifting over to the doorway.
"Who goes there?" The girl with a sword and silver hair shifted her red eyes in the direction of the door too, tensing. I followed their gaze, noticing the door opened to reveal another boy. He had somewhat short, spiky brown hair and green eyes.
"...Huh?" The boy muttered, his face was clearly paler than it usually should be. I wonder if he had ran here because he was late. Late? Late for what?
"Ah! I guess there weren't sixteen students after all!" The punk girl laughed in amusement, the boy with blonde hair cleared his throat to recover his pride.
"Sixteen students? Ah, then... you're all...?" He trailed off, the obvious end of his question hung in the air. Ultimates. Clearly being late wasn't the pressing issue on his mind but I couldn't quite infer what it was yet.
"See for yourself. We're all freshmen, too." A boy with bright pink hair hidden beneath a black beanie was stationed at the back of the classroom, near the grey lockers. He was also wearing a vibrant yellow-y jumpsuit... odd.
"I assume... freshmen like us have been gathered in this classroom." The girl with the pink backpack spoke calmly once more. She assumes? She's either not paying attention or smarter than she lets on.
"Uhm, how about you come inside instead of standing in the doorway, we won't bite." I nonchalantly flicked a curl of hair behind my ear, giving the boy a toothy grin. He clearly looked traumatised so I thought some familiarity would calm him down but he looked even more horrified after I spoke.
"Huh— Oh, yes, of course...!" He quickly rushed into the room as if I'd threatened his family for compliance. Maybe my attempt at humour made him feel embarrassed? Boys are weird.
The boy closed the door behind him and sat in an open seat at the back of the classroom. As he passed me, I moved my hair back to its original position. In truth, I hate my hair being behind my ears, I just do that to look friendly and make people want to listen to me.
Eventually, I stopped stalking the new boy as my head could only look over my shoulder so much. Instead, I looked forward, resuming my focus on the wise-guy of our class.
"Why are we all gathered in this classroom, anyway?" The boy inquired from behind me, starting to relax in his self-assigned seat. "No one said anything about coming here, so... is there, like, an entrance ceremony or homeroom happening now?"
"Actually... we were just about to discuss that matter." The blonde guy responded, clearly still baffled at being wrong earlier. Though an extra student is weird.
"We were?" The girl in the kimono tilted her head, her voice matched her appearance nearly perfectly.
"Yes, as I was about to say earlier... I wish to ask something of you all." He clarified in a cool tone, his serious, analytical look from earlier returning.
"Ask what?" I piped up, crossing my legs and folding my arms, as if it would physically protect me from any verbal damage this question could do to me. I've never liked being asked questions. Sometimes the adrenaline from having a good answer is fun, but most of the time, they make me anxious.
"Is there anyone who actually remembers how they came to this classroom?" The class went deathly silent at those words, I felt myself immediately searching the room for someone with a look that said, 'What kind of question is that? Of course I know.' However, every single face met me with the mirrored expression of waiting for someone else to answer.
Not one person raised their hand.
"So before you realised it, you were in this classroom... Then everyone here is in the same predicament..." He continued after a prolonged silence. "No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural. Even you stupid-looking ones would agree, right?"
"I-It sure is strange. Nobody actually remembers how they came here..." The redhead tapped her chin with her fingertip, becoming increasingly nervous. "...Hey! What do you mean, "stupid-looking"!?"
"The moment you set foot on campus, you felt a strange dizziness, and now you're here and you don't know why... That is what I experienced before I arrived here. Am I correct in assuming that's true of all of you?" I looked around before nodding in response.
"Ha! I don't know what you're so worried about, but that doesn't sound like a huge deal..." The tall beefy guy scratched the side of his ear as he spoke calmly. Not a huge deal? I suppose some people getting pre-show jitters for attending Hope's Peak isn't too odd... but is it possible everyone is feeling weird?
"...What do you mean?" The neon guy questioned.
"I mean it's a minor problem." He clarified, folding his arms around his broad chest. "Instead of trying to figure out why we're here, we should try to figure out why we can't leave..."
"Huh? Whaddaya mean we can't leave?" A girl wearing a white blouse and red tracksuit pants raised an eyebrow, her eyes widening even more. Huh? Can't leave? Curious, I spoke up.
"Do you mean... we can't leave the school or... this room?" Everyone stared at me and then back at the muscular guy in confusion.
"Eh! S-Seriously!?" I observed as the short chef pulled and pried at the door to open it but to no avail.
[*Clatter-clatter-clatter!*]
"I-It won't open! I can't open it!"
"A little while after I got here, I tried to leave to use the restroom... but that door wouldn't budge at all!" The tall guy spoke again to the room's disbelief. A guy like that couldn't open a door smaller than him?
"Even with all my might, I couldn't open it! It'd be absolutely impossible for all of you..." I seriously don't doubt that, I wouldn't risk breaking my nails trying either way.
"Eh? What do you mean you couldn't open it? Why? That's not possible!" The blonde girl in the kimono spoke up, turning around in her chair to face everyone else.
"S-She's right! It's impossible!" The new guy butted in. "Because... when I went through the door, it opened normally... It wasn't locked at all...!"
"Though I don't understand what forces are at work here..." The girl with silver hair straightened her already formal posture, her red eyes analysing from behind her glasses. "...There's no denying that we have been trapped inside this classroom."
"Did somebody lock the door? There's no way a door can only be opened from one side." I suddenly became aware of how my body was positioned. I shifted nervously again, trying to calm the ripple of worry in my heart from turning into a tsunami of dread.
"She's right, I've never heard of a mechanism capable of locking a door in such a bizarre way." The blonde guy agreed with me while he played with his glasses thoughtfully.
"So? Just cause you haven't heard about a way doesn't mean a crazy maniac couldn't have come up with a way." I looked over at a shorter guy with rosy cheeks and nodded to show that I understood. My intuition is telling me to stay on his good side.
"M-Maybe we're... getting mixed up... in something dangerous?" The neon guy tugged on the back of his beanie nervously.
"Or perhaps... Doesn't it make more sense to think that this is the entrance exam?" A tall boy with a white shirt and sickly pale skin suggested.
"...The entrance exam? You mean, Hope's Peak Academy's?" The new guy gave the taller boy a sceptical look.
"But... according to Hope's Peak Academy, no such entrance exam exists." The perfect girl positioned her hands in front of her torso, gently tilting her head.
"They may say that publicly, but it's possible that this is actually a special entrance exam." The pale boy continued, travelling towards the centre of the classroom.
"Ah, you're wrong. This is not an entrance exam."
"What was that just now?" The blonde guy tensed. A high-pitched almost... an innocent voice echoed throughout the room. As if a dozen speakers were placed underneath the floorboards of the room.
"Who's there?! Where are you?!" The strong guy stepped forward, as if to protect everyone yet he clearly had no idea where the threat was coming from.
"It sounds like it came from behind the teacher's desk..." The Galaga girl pointed out, standing up from her seat. Behind the teacher's desk?
"Alright! I see everyone has arrived! Let's begin!"
"What... is that...?" The posh girl gasped out with wide eyes, her face paling rapidly.
"Um... It looks like a stuffed animal..." The redhead scratched the back of her neck. Her voice sounded oddly calm.
"That's right, I am a squeezable soft stuffed animal Magical Miracle Girl ⭐Usami... A.K.A Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your teacher. Nice to meet you all!" What stood before us... was a pink rabbit?
"H-Huh? Am I hallucinating? Am I the only one who's seeing this?" The short chef gripped either side of his face with his hands.
"Nah, I see it too..." The neon boy looked like he was about to keel over as his sharp teeth gritted.
"H-Hold on...! Let me process this first!" The short boy yelled at... 'our teacher' before turning to the rest of us. "Um... what do you guys think? I-I've never seen a stuffed animal that can sing, dance and talk before..."
"I-It's probably just remote controlled or something... Don't act like such a p/ssy over a child's toy." The boy in the black suit muttered, also quite taken aback by the situation.
"E-Even if it's remote controlled, doesn't it look too lifelike...? That's pretty advanced for a toy..." That was the most the neon guy has spoken thus far, maybe he's into mechanisms or something?
"Its movements aren't the issue right now. Based on what it just said..." The blonde guy began.
"It must know something about our situation, right?" Throughout all the chaos in my mind, that was all that could escape my dry mouth. I felt my heart beating faster and faster as I tried to deduce exactly how dangerous this 'toy' was...
"Of course I do! I'm the lead teacher of this school trip!"
"School... trip...?" The blonde guy questioned, as if she'd suggested going to the beach or something. "Hey... what do you mean, school trip?"
"A group of students go on a chaperoned trip with a lead teacher. It's the biggest event of the school year!" The pink plush rabbit cheered, although her face remained creepily monotonous. The biggest event of the school year? What about the rest of the school though? Why were the hallways empty? Why don't I remember how I got inside the school?
"W-We're not looking for such a literal answer..." The new guy protested, staggering his way to the front of the classroom.
"Now let's depart for the fun school trip!"
And just like that we 'departed' from the school. Usami raised her comically sized wand, waving it around, causing a pink glow to aluminate the classroom. Just as I felt myself being lured into the spectacle of lights, the walls of the classroom I was once sure were completely sound and strong, fell apart like a stage set.
I looked around and saw sand? Crystal water and tall palm trees towering over me... Instinctively, I wanted to claim it was all fake, some sort of projected illusion until the blaring hot rays of the sun hit my skin. My blue eyes squinted to adjust to the brightness... I was at the beach? Ironic.
"Huh...? Is this a beach?" I inspected the sand and looked out to the ocean surrounding me. Blue sky, white clouds, blue water, white waves... Yup, this is definitely a beach... but how did I get here exactly? I was just at Hope's peak. Where is the rest of the building?
No matter the excuse or explanation I could come up with, this situation was just... abnormal. Wrong, in every way. Every hypothesis I came up with had a dead end... You'd have to break the rules of physics to pull this off. Then, I heard a voice from behind me.
"Um... Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What!?" The chef shrieked, desperately running his hands through his hair and looking even more scared than the neon boy.
"Are you kidding me!? This is a joke... right?" The neon boy grabbed his head, his pink eyes were full of terror. Never mind. He's just as scared as the chef.
"Wh-Where are we!?" The punk girl tugged on her vibrant hair in panic, her bright pink eyes flooding with tears.
"Huh!? Wh-What's going on!?" The redhead covered her mouth with her hand, completely covering her horrified face.
"Everyone! Please stay calm!" Usami raised her hand to capture everyone's attention, as if we weren't already looking at her. "There's no reason to panic! Seeeeee? Look around!" I peered back around my shoulder, facing the ocean to check if I was seeing things... or if it was just paint on a wall I hadn't noticed.
...But the water was still there, the waves were still moving, there's no way it was fake.
"Feast your eyes on this beautiful ocean... It's like your heart is being cleaned, isn't it...?" So it is real... "It washed away everything... even all the bad things..." Usami said soothingly, like I was in a meditation class or something.
"Hold on, give us the details...! Where in the world are we?" The silver haired girl stepped forward, her hand itching over to the bamboo sword on her back. Her red ears pierced through the happy rabbit.
" 'Where,' you ask...? Well, obviously we're... 'Out where it's better! Out where it's wetter!' Out by the sea!" Usami replied in a sing-song voice, the tune sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn't recognise the words.
"I-I understand it's the sea, but... what are we doing here!?" I turned to look at the purple haired girl, she was shaking again and her eyes were also pouring small tears down her soft face. However, someone else caught my attention once again... the new guy.
"..." He was staring blankly at Usami, growing paler as she spoke.
"You know... your throat's gonna get hoarse if you keep screaming like that." Usami replied with the concern and sternness of a tired mother.
"But... we were just at school and now we are by the sea... This is impossible..." The posh girl interjected, placing a comforting hand on the shaking girl, who flinched away.
"Please do not worry. The school trip has just started. That's all!" Usami opened her arms welcomingly, in a way that made me even more tense...
"But, like, why are we on a school trip all of a sudden!? You totally skipped alllll the stuff that comes first!" The punk pointed at Usami shouting loudly.
"Exactly, I came here today to attend Hope's Peak... I assume that's why everyone else is here as well." I spoke up. Everybody, except the new guy, nodded in agreement staring angrily at the baby pink rabbit.
"Ah, Hope's Peak Academy... I seeeee, I seeeee... You don't say..." Usami tilted her head staring at the floor- well sand. "You guys are feeling unsure about Hope's Peak Academy. Then, in that case... Please forget about Hope's Peak Academy! That's why we're having a school trip in the first place!" She waved her paws in the air celebrating her previous statement.
"The hell do you mean we should forget about it!?" The short blonde yelled from the crowd.
"Hey... what are you? Just what are you scheming?" The taller blonde guy, the one with glasses, stepped forward with his fist clenched.
"Wha-Wha-Whaaat!? I'm not scheming anything! I'm doing this for everyone's sake! I'm praying from the bottom of my heart that hope will grow within everyone's hearts!" Everyone's sake...? How is this for us? Wait, hope? Maybe the rabbit was associated with Hope's Peak. But still, a school trip…? How did we even get here? My head hurts...
"There's nothing dangerous on this island whatsoever! So please, there is no need to worry at all!" Usami giggled in delight, did our confusion amuse her?
"Island...? Did you just say 'island'?" The unknown boy in the green jacket spoke again.
"Wait, we're on an island?" I asked the rabbit.
"Yup, and it certainly is beautiful. It was prepared just for us, an island free from other people and danger." So this island is uninhabited...? That isn't exactly sound for a school trip protocol, what if someone gets badly hurt or... worse.
"Perhaps... you brought us to this uninhabited island to make us kill each other...!?" The guy in the jacket spoke up again with a horrified look. My classmates looked at him, surprised he would even say such a thing out loud but for some reason I didn't think his suggestion was abnormal at all... It makes sense to be paranoid, I guess, especially with strangers all around you.
"Ha-wa-wa!? K-Kill each other!? Nuh-uh! No way! Bloody business like causing violence or inflicting pain is a big no-no on this island!" Usami shook in fear and… maybe with anxiety at his words, even worse than the other girl was. "Even the word 'kill'... Just saying it horrifies me! Kyaah! So scary!"
"Then... What is this "school trip" you mentioned? What do you intend for us to do on this island?" The guy with glasses questioned.
"All right! I shall announce it to everyone right now!"
"While you all relax on this island paradise, you must get along and strengthen your bonds with one another! That is the main rule of this heart-throbbing school trip."
"You went through all of this trouble... just to watch us... get along with each other...?" I questioned the rabbit even though she ignored me and continued to talk.
"Spend these peaceful and relaxing days nourishing hope and lazing about, free from pain, free from suffering... Truly, this lovey-dovey heart-throbbing school trip is..." I crossed my arms in an agitated manner, as it would make her stop talking. If she says heart-throbbing one more time...
"...everyone's heart-throbbing homework!"
...
"What the hell does that even mean...?" The extra student muttered, so he was listening but his face wasn't reacting to anything in front of him.
"Now then..." Usami continued, blissfully unaware that one of her 'students' looked like he was witnessing the end of the world. "Let the heart-throbbing school trip begin!"
It goes without saying that I still wasn't completely sure what she was talking about. At least I wasn't in any immediate danger. The media will have a field day with this story once they find out Ultimates have been taken to an isolated island by a stuffed rabbit.
My eyes travelled back to the extra student. Even though he was standing right next to me, he didn't acknowledge my presence. Then he suddenly dropped to the floor, there was no reaction, no sound... He just fell...