Chapter Text

My eyes widened in fear as the syringe was plunged into my neck.

My body felt light as a bright light shone in my eye.

Slowly but surely, memories I’d come to accumulate began draining from my mind.

My mind... went blank.

...

My eyes snapped open, the bright light above me injuring my vision. I screamed, closing my eyes again, kicking and flailing as I tried to get the things they did to me out of my head.

Something was wrong. I couldn’t remember the voices, or who they belonged to- only that something went wrong during the ‘erasement process’ and I was completely conscious for most of it.

My name is Kaiyo Sycamore. Of my three brothers, I am the only one who had been accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy. My talent, of course, is one I am not as proud of.

I am the SHSL Bottler. I make bottles. Cutesy little plastic ones, decorated with lavender and other things. I’m the best at what I do, mostly because the competition’s not exactly firm.

Nice to meet... whoever this is.

Of course, at that moment, I was petrified. The room I woke up in was completely foreign to me, even without the things I’d experienced beforehand. I felt like I’d been violated. Part of me didn’t even want to sit up from the bed I now lay on, almost as if I was hoping I’d just pass out again and find myself somewhere completely different.

My hand shook as I pushed myself upwards, looking around at the room. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I’m sure it wasn’t a dorm room, or at least a room designed to look like one. The fact there was another bed on the other side of the room made me feel like I was back in Hope’s Peak...

Where was I now?

Getting up finally, I saw that something was left on the desk for me. It appeared to be some sort of tablet, sleek black in design and colour with little red scratches in it. I turned it on via the button on the left, seeing if it worked, and to my surprise it did.

The map of the facility was already open when I turned on the tablet. The map itself looked like a kid had drawn it, with colourful drawings and child-like pictures to mark each area. It even gave me an exact location of where I was- I was in a bedroom, the second room on the bottom of the dormitory, marked by both mine and someone else’s initials. Looks like I’d be sharing a room with another person.

Suddenly, the sound of something smashing echoed through the hallway outside, followed by loud cursing and the shovelling of glass-like objects. I scurried back to my bed, frightened by the noise like a mouse. It took a lot of time before I realised what I was doing was extremely cowardly, something I wasn’t used to being, so I gathered my courage and walked towards the door, placing the tablet on the table as I went.

I poked my head out the door. I was afraid, obviously; so many loud noises makes me believe that I’m in trouble. However, when I see the person who the noises belong to, I realise I may not be in as much trouble as I first assumed.

Standing at the end of the hallway, quickly cleaning up the shattered vase he knocked over, was a rather stout man, dressed in a fine purple suit. He was slightly shorter than me, being around five foot, with corn yellow hair and piercing blue eyes that darted back and forth. I emerged from the room finally, making sure my shirt was buttoned correctly.

I hated interacting with strangers, but I hated being alone more.

“H-Hello?”

The man shot bolt upright. “A-Ah! Hello, hello. Nice to meet you.”

Immediately, I regretted my decision. As rude as it seemed, I turned around, testing the door again, finding it had locked behind me. The man strolled up with confident swagger, adjusting his frilly neck thing and putting on a bold smirk.

“Well, well. Who might you be, beautiful?”

I swallowed. “K-Kaiyo Sycamore.”

The man gave me a look up and down. I felt his eyes linger on my body for far too long.

“Well, Kaiyo, my name is Kanji Jocoshini... recognise the name?”

No, no I did not. I stayed silent, hoping he’d catch on.

“... I’m the SHSL Jeweller.” Kanji removed a diamond looking crystal from his back pocket. “My family are all Jewellers... I just happen to be the best of the bunch.”

I looked around, not exactly sure where he was going with this. “R-Right... Um, I’m going to look around.”

“You sure? You want some protection?” Kanji raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’ll be fine.” I huffed, walking in the opposite direction. The hallway I walked down was vast, with eight doors lining either side. As I made my way to the stairs at the end of the hallway, I heard a snickering behind me, and I turned to berate Kanji for laughing at me.

Of course, that wasn’t who was laughing. The man I met eyes with was leaning on the wall next to what I assumed was his room, a matador-style cloak draped over his left shoulder. He was watching a compass swivel slowly, but before I could ask him about it he’d flicked the lid closed and put it in his shirt pocket.

“Oh, hello.” I felt far more comfortable introducing myself to him. “Who are you? Sorry, I didn’t see you ask I walked past...”

The man was rather thinly-built, but while Kanji was confidently creepy he was confidently brave. He moved in, shaking my hand and smiling peacefully. He also had blonde hair, but while Kanji’s eyes were blue his were blood red.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Shui Ninigata. I’m the SHSL Cartographer.”

“SHSL... what now?”

He laughed. “I make maps.”

“Oh! Um, I’m Kaiyo Sycamore...” I felt a blush beginning to build on my cheek. “I’m the SHSL Bottler.”

Shui gave me a confused look. “... SHSL what now?”

“I make bottles.”

We shared a laugh, something I’d thought was only true in fantasy. A blush emerged across my face, one that I tried to hide immediately. “Um, so... do you have any idea where we are?”

“Not a clue.” He had his tablet on him, looking at the map. “This damn app is like a fifth grader was given a pen to scribble with. I’ve met pretty much everyone else, bar a couple... You being one of them.”

“Oh, well, we know each other now.” I adjusted the bottle hanging around my neck, pushing the cork down a little further. “I’d be happy to walk with you as we look for others. But, before we do, I do need to use the restroom.”

Shui nodded, pointing to the door directly on my left. “Through there.”

“Thanks.”

I entered the bathroom, looking around quietly, but someone else was there with me. I heard the woman’s sultry voice before I saw her face.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life... John, 3:16.”

The woman turned to me, tucking both her arms into a sort of revenant style gown. I waved, trying my hardest to be friendly.

“Tell me, my child... have you heard that one?”

“Um, no, sorry... I’m not religious.” I looked up and around at the rest of the place. “... Why are you reciting it in a bathroom?”

“I simply heard you enter and thought to introduce my talent first.” She flicked her hair out of her eyes and adjusted her reading glasses. “My name is Tanaki Sainadu. I am the SHSL Nun.”

Honestly, she looked like one. Despite how I usually imagined nuns- elderly, with habits, and stern yet understanding gazes- Tanaki didn’t really fit any of it, yet still managed to make me think of her talent in a positive light. She was red-headed, the hair falling to her shoulders, with a pair of silver rimmed reading glasses that brought out her bluish eyes. Her outfit consisted of a sort of weird looking robe type thing, with the cuffs done up yet still big enough for her to slip both hands inside each one. It was difficult to describe.

“Um, I did come in here to use the restroom, so...” I put my hand on the door to the nearest toilet, wondering if she was going to watch me. Luckily, she took that as a sign to leave, heading out to give me some privacy.

After doing my business, I walked back out, prompting I was ready to go. Shui led me down the corridor, telling me exactly how the place seemed to work.

“From what I can tell, there’s a machine in the next hallway that logs entrance and exit into the bedrooms. The stairs don’t lead anywhere unlocked, I’ve checked, so the only way in and out of the dormitory is this hallway.”

I followed Shui into the hallway in question. He pointed at the sensor, and then past under it, showing that the monitor on the right wall had detected him exiting. I walked through, too, but for some reason the machine didn’t detect me. It only took a few seconds for Shui to realise how I’d done it.

“Ah, you don’t have your tablet.”

“Oh, uh, yeah...” I looked back. “I left it on the desk in the room I woke up in.”

“In that case, we’re going to have to find your room-mate.” Shui pointed to his tablet. “This thing is like an omnicard. It does everything- stores information, unlocks doors, the like. Come on- let’s see if we can’t find her.”

I walked with him into the next area- a rather weird looking area, made to look like a garden of some sort. A fountain sat in the middle of the room, a single lotus flower drifting amongst the spouting water. A girl was watching out a black-tinted window at the end of the room, both hands and face pressed against the glass. I walked over, ready to make my introductions while Shui stood back.

“Um, excuse me...”

“Oh!”

The girl spun around, her dress spinning with her. It was hard to classify her outfit as any given style- she seemed to be wearing just whatever she could put on this morning. She wore a dark grey vest over a light grey shirt, a blue midriff sewn onto the dress, with a skirt that hypnotised me with blues and yellows. She even wore black tights with red hearts on the knees. Despite all that, her face was rather normal, with crimson red eyes being the only thing that caught me off-guard. Her hair was brown, only slightly darker than her skin tone, with a blue flower hair pin lolling a red ribbon down her face.

I completely re-thought my idea of my introduction. “H-Hi... my name is Kaiyo, and-”

“Oooo!” Suddenly, she squealed, cutting me off. “Oh my God, you’re so pretty!”

Immediately, my blush returned. “Uh... t-thanks?”

“Ah! I should say my name!” She twirled again, striking a pose. “My name is Ini Itinora! I’m the SHSL Country Singer!”

Behind me, I heard Shui gasp and look away. I gave him a look to see he was deep in thought, a scowl painted on his face.

“What’s your talent?” The way Ini spoke dragged me back to look at her. “Is it as cute as you?”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Um... I’m the SHSL Bottler.”

“Oh, a bottler!” Ini paused. “What’s a bottler?”

“I make bottles.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Then, an awkward silence broke. My eyes wandered to the window she was looking out of.

“Oh!” And suddenly, she was speaking again. “Have you seen outside? It’s really pretty!”

I took her word for it, heading over and looking outside. My heart dropped when I saw exactly what the entire place was built on- it was built on a massive tree, and we were sitting on top of the canopy of a vast jungle. I toppled backwards.

Great. I hated heights.

“Oh, are you okay?” Ini asked, crouching to meet my eyes. “Did you get scared?”

“I-It’s... nothing. Just a little vertigo.” Ini helped me up, much to my embarrassment. “Okay, I’m going to go look elsewhere, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am! I hope to see you again!”

Ini returned to the window, pushing her face against it again, while I stormed quickly back to Shui’s side.

“... This place, is...”

“Built amongst the trees of a jungle, yes. Look out any window, and you’ll get the same idea. Come on.”

Shui’s entire tone had changed. He’d once been friendly, but the second I’d talked to Ini he’d closed in on himself. I could tell why, mind- the girl seemed a little too happy to be in the situation we were in, like she’d woken up in a wonderland of her own creation.

Nevertheless, we continued, albeit at a slower pace. I followed behind Shui as we walked to a door on the far right of the garden, a glass door waiting for us there. He pushed it open, letting me go down the corridor first.

At least, on the map it looked like a corridor. I almost toppled down the steep staircase after my first step out. Shui managed to catch me by my neck cloth, choking me in the process, but it was a fate better than falling down the flight of concrete stairs.

“W-Wha?”

Shui stood next to me as I trembled. “Watch your step.”

He trotted down the stairs, and I followed, not really knowing what else to do. The door at the bottom of the staircase was also made of glass, which I pushed open soundlessly, and felt my eyes light up when I realised the room itself was made of the same material.

I swear, I heard Shui groan as we approached the girl watching the fish in the aquarium. I made a small attempt to alert her I was approaching, to which she looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“H-Hey... everything okay?”

The girl nodded. “Yes. Everything’s fine...”

“Why are you crying?” I asked warmly. “Is it something you want to talk about?”

“Oh, these aren’t tears...” She turned to face me finally, showing her outfit to me. Well, I say ‘outfit’- she could’ve fooled me. The only way I knew she was even an Ultimate was the badge on her shirt.

A massive red warning sign.

“Um... my name is Yanayashi Hollings. I’m...” She paused at her talent. “Well, I’m not... really... good at anything.”

Shui walked over. “Yanayashi, are you really still here?”

“A-Ah, yes!” She looked around, immediately trying to find an escape route. She seemed absolutely terrified of Shui. “I-I just wanted to look at the fish some more! I promise I’ll do what you say, just... later...”

Shui crossed his arms. “Yanayashi...”

“What? Am I missing something here?” I looked between the two of them as Yanayashi used me as a sort of personal barricade. “Why are you two so... aggravated on each other?”

Shui tutted. “Well, if you must know... this one was the one I met first.”

“A-And I...” Yanayashi stroked her hand through her right side of her head, matting down dirty brown locks that fell to her rear. “I might’ve... accidentally... spilt water on the map he was working on...”

“... Care to tell me your talent?” I asked, turning to her.

“Um, sure... I’m the SHSL... Disaster Student.” She spoke it so quietly I almost asked her to say it again. “I-It... It means...”

Shui answered for her. “It means she failed every class, every exam, to the point where Hope’s Peak took pity on her and let her in as an Ultimate.”

I flinched at how harshly he’d put it. “Hey, that’s...”

“It’s... not just school, either.” Yanayashi rubbed her hands together. “I’ve tried everything... I gave up studies a while back, so I thought maybe becoming ‘cool’ would be a better idea... That hasn’t really worked out.”

Well, that explained her dress code. Her light blue shirt was buttoned incorrectly, with one of the sleeves seemingly ripped off to reveal her bandaged left arm, and the short half of her head had been dyed black. Or, maybe her hair was originally black and the brown side had been dyed? Who could say?

She played with what I assumed was meant to be some sort of choker around her neck, tied in a double knot instead of a bow. “So, um... are we done here?”

“Ah, um, I’m Kaiyo Sycamore.” I realised I hadn’t introduced myself. “I’m the SHSL bottler.”

“... What’s-”

“I make bottles.”

She giggled slightly. At least I got the joke off... Whatever it was.

Shui drummed his fingers on his forearm. “Alright, come on, Kaiyo. We’ve got other people to be around.”

The way he said it... it was like he was insulting her.

“Oh, um...” I looked between the two of them. “Okay. I’ll see you around, Yanayashi!”

We both walked off, leaving the girl to her own devices. As we headed up the concrete staircase again, I felt like I needed to question him.

“Hey, what the hell was that about?”

Shui looked back, still climbing the stairs. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why did you talk like that to her?” I got flustered, amazed at the arrogance that he was showing me suddenly. “That girl seemed really sweet. You can’t just speak like that to people.”

“I can to her. She doesn’t care.”

My jaw dropped, and I stopped working. “W-What?”

Shui reached the top of the stairs, waiting for me to catch up. I did as he was expecting, walking up the stairs towards him, looking up into his dark red eyes. I don’t care if he was taller than me- he was making me angry.

“Don’t be such an asshole.”

Shui shrugged. “If that’s what you want to call me.”

After getting into the garden once more, Shui pointed to two doors I hadn’t seen before. One was made of iron bars, while the other was made of the regular wood. Not one to enjoy the spooky side of things, I put my hand against the regular door and opened it, revealing it was the Canteen.

I’ve never felt so intimidated by a man in my life.

Of course, Shui was more than happy to introduce me. “Mutsuko, this is Kaiyo. She’s a little afraid at the moment... do you mind introducing yourself?”

The man named Mutsuko was wearing a mask that was reminiscing of a skull, donned a bowler hat with a plush skull in it and had grey hair that fell to his ankles. He was strong, stronger than anyone I’d ever met before, but somehow still wore a brown suit that covered the main parts of his body. His fingers were tied with little black sticks which he dangled about playfully.

“... Mutsuko?”

“Yes, yes. I heard you, Mr. Ninigata.” He stretched, flexing as he did so. “My name is Mutsuko Mandolin. I am the SHSL Witch Doctor.”

I swallowed. “M-My name is Kaiyo Sycamore. I’m the SHSL Bottler.”

He gave me a weird look as his grey eyes looked at me from inside his mask. “My apologies... I’m not sure what that would portrayal.”

“... I make bottles- look, a witch doctor! That’s pretty cool!” Conversation flies quick when I’m worried. “Hey, I’ve had back pains for a while... any home remedies?”

Mutsuko takes one look at me and then pokes me in the chest. “I shall blame your developing body on that.”

Once again, I found myself blushing, this time in embarrassment. “R-Right, of course, why didn’t I think of that...?”

Shui was lucky to jump in and save me. “Hey, we’ll see you around, Mutsuko. I’ve still got to introduce her to everyone else.”

“But of course- I am simply interrupting you with my silly accusations.” Mutsuko motioned with his hand to the area beyond. “Go right ahead, Miss Sycamore.”

I did as he commanded, feeling rather flustered after being poked in the chest. Entering the kitchen and looking at all the pots and pans. There was another person in the room, too, doing pretty much the same as I was.

I’m going to be honest; my first impressions of the man weren’t exactly strong.

It wasn’t that he was ugly- far from it. It was just... he was licking his fingers as Shui and I approached. He was wearing a rain hat too, one decorated to look like a mushroom. It was rather cute, despite the fact the man was wearing an open button-up shirt that revealed his six pack. I thought I was going to have to nickel and diamond my way around his tough-guy demeanour...

Then, all bad doubts washed away when he spoke.

“Oh, u-um, Shui... you brought another...” His face went red. “Good god, she’s pretty... Uh, hello, ma’am! Nice to meet you.”

For the first time, I felt actually confident in speaking. “Nice to meet you too. My name is Kaiyo... I’m the SHSL Bottler.”

“Oh, I don’t know what that means...”

I sighed happily. “It means I make bottles.”

“Oh, of course!” He started rubbing the back of his neck. “Silly of me to assume it was anything else... Uh, my name is Yuta Roominush. I’m the SHSL Mycologist.”

“Ah, so... you study mushrooms?” I asked, remembering the word from my studies.

“Yeah!” He chirped, almost as if he’d expected me to ask what the word meant. “They’re really interesting! They grow up in the dirt to become big and strong- we have a lot in common!”

I assumed he meant him and the mushrooms, not me and him. “Oh, okay. That’s interesting. We’ll have to talk about them later on...”

Yuta nodded enthusiastically. “Y-Yes, we should!”

Luckily, I left him in a good mood. Unfortunately, that was as friendly I could be in this situation, mostly due to the fear of the strange situation I found myself in. Shui led me out the kitchen’s second entrance and down the hall, past all the doors I felt like we should’ve entered. Then, at the end of the hall, he dropped a bombshell on me.

Shui shook his head. “Alright, we’re done here.”

“W-Wait!” I rushed after him as he headed the other direction of the lounge. “Why are you leaving? I haven’t met everyone yet...”

“Yeah, that’s the point.”

I was gobsmacked. He just... walked off, leaving me to my own devices. I didn’t know why- I was still in shock at that point.

I think it was the man inside the lounge that made him turn away.

He was quite eccentric, even immediately. “Mind over Body, Body over Soul... Ah, welcome my child. How may I help you?”

“J-Just introducing myself.” I looked back to the door, wondering why Shui had chosen now to leave of all times. “My name’s Kaiyo Sycamore. I’m the SHSL bottler...”

The man hummed, nodding. “Ah, a bottler. Truly a wonderful talent for such a wonderful young lady...”

“You have no clue what a bottler is, do you?”

“Not even the slightest hint.”

I groaned into the air. “I make bottles!”

“Ah... My name is Ori Toni. I am the SHSL Purist.”

I swear, I saw his eyes glint with a devilish light. Besides the black ponytail, Ori was completely bald, his grey eyes staring me down from his five-nine height. His tie-dye tank top was littered with colours, revealing a tattoo on his right arm that seemed to incorporate every single common symbol known to mankind. He wore bright white bracelets, shined to the point I could see my face in them, and held up a pair of bright purple shorts with a coloured twisted belt in yellow and pink. He even had a small pouch of something in a brown pocket protector.

I felt like I was looking at the God of colour, but his personality was far from Godly.

“So, what brings you to this room, my child?”

“I-It’s Kaiyo...” I rubbed the back of my neck. “And I’ve told you, I’m just introducing myself.”

“Yes, I know. But what brings you here, exactly? To this very room?”

I swallowed. “My feet?”

Ori seemed to smirk at the joke. “Allow me to explain- we are all here for a reason. For some, it is fate; for others, it is faith that their God shall protect them. I am here because I was told to by the lord above.”

My eyes narrowed. “Have you met Tanaki? You two might get along.”

“No, she obeys a different God to me.” Ori looked back to me after looking to the sky. “My faith lies in the Winds themselves, specifically Aeolus. Perhaps we can speak of them sometime?”

I never felt my legs walk so fast to the exit. “Yeah-I’ll-See-You-Around-Bye!”

The door closed, and I let loose a breath I’d not even known I’d been holding.

Suddenly, Shui’s disappearance made sense.

I headed down the hallway, looking through a glass door into an aviary. Birds chirped away inside, the room designed to have an open top to let the birds in and out at their own disclosure. Glass, thatch crossings, the area was made to be as open as humanly possible. I didn’t really want to go in, however, mostly due to the fact the area has a glass floor too, and the area was still built on a massive tree. Instead, I walked to the next room on my journey.

I read the door’s tag. It said ‘music stage’- there was definitely someone inside, because I could hear them singing. I couldn’t believe my ears as I cracked open the door to the stadium-style area, with the woman in the middle singing her lungs out.

I recognised the song, too. She spotted me walking down the aisle and stopped herself, ready to speak to another newcomer.

“That song... ‘Ave Marie’, right?”

Immediately, she was on me like a hawk. “Y-Yes, that’s it! Finally, someone recognises it... I’ve been trying to perfect the pitch since I got here, and you’re the only one who recognises it!”

I climbed onto the stage with minor effort. “It’s not a common song...”

“It’s not common because it’s Opera.” She sighed. “Everything I sing tends to go under the public’s noses because it’s not dubstep or country.”

I couldn’t help but feel my eyes scan her entire body. She was incredibly well-developed; her body stuck out from the other girls I’d met so far. Something told me she wasn’t trying to hide it either, because she wore a low-cut orange shirt that exposed her midriff as well as a bit of her chest and a sunny yellow skirt that barely went to her knees. Apart from that, she wore fancy white gloves that went up to her elbows. Her dazzling black hair fell to her upper back and her eyes were silver, sparkling as my eyes locked onto them. She giggled, noticing I was ogling her figure, and my face lit up red once more.

“Keep your eyes above the neck, darling.”

“Trust me... I’m trying to.”

She finally extended her hand. “Sun-Sing. I believe you can guess my talent.”

“SHSL Opera Singer?”

She paused. “Ultimate Opera Singer.”

“SHSL Opera Singer it is.”

I hated that word- Ultimate. It made me think of some guy labelling you the best, giving no one else a chance. ‘Super High School Level’ sounded way better, because then other people could hold the title, too. It’s not just her, mind- Though it’s been written ‘SHSL’, everyone else says ‘Ultimate’ too. I’m the only one who pronounces it that way... but I changed it for the sake of consistency.

“I’m Kaiyo Sycamore, the SHSL Bottler.” I shook her hand. The look on her face was enough to continue my words. “I make bottles.”

“Ah, that should be obvious...” Sun-Sing helped me down from the stage as I went to find other people. “Stay safe, Kaiyo! There are weirdoes out there.”

Oh, how I wish I’d met them all already.

The second I stepped out of the room, I overheard a weird shout. I looked left, seeing that a pair of people I hadn’t seen before were deep in an intense conversation. They were beginning to head into the Aviary, so I rushed to catch them beforehand. However, the second I heard the conversation they were having, I slowed to the pace of a turtle.

“So we’ve still only got three people in common, then.”

“Seriously?! You telling me you wouldn’t fuck the brains out of that bitch?”

“Sure, she’s fit, but I doubt she’d even know how to do it well. She probably can’t even-”

I cleared my throat, alerting the pair of them to my location. Immediately, one of them went shrewd, smiling at me like a shark, while the other ducked for cover to hide his face like a rat caught stealing in the night.

I didn’t even really want to introduce myself to them. “... Who were you talking about?”

“Ah, no one you’d know sweetcheeks.” The man standing tall and prideful spoke like he was about to sell me drugs in an alley. “It’s nice to meet such a pretty face. My name is Taihen Atlas, and I am the SHSL Adult Artist.”

“Adult... Artist?” My eyes widened. “T-There’s a talent for that?!”

“Yeah. Pays a shitload, too!” I’d soon learn Taihen had no control over his vocabulary. “Perverts flock to me from near and far. They’ll be willing to chuck a couple thousand my way if I draw them up a scene to their specific fetish.”

I swallowed. “And... you?”

I was referring to the other guy, who had attempted to escape into the bathroom. He stopped dead, looking back at me like a deer in the headlights. Unlike his raunchy associate, he didn’t seem to enjoy the idea of talking about sexual deviance with a female.

“U-Uh... I’m Winnego Escudo. I’m the SHSL Masseuse.”

Of course, such a word was able to make me float to him more. “My name is Kaiyo Sycamore, the SHSL Bottler.”

Taihen was shorter than Winnego, while Winnego was shorter than me. Taihen wore rather classic get up, consisting of a light blue shirt and dark blue jeans, a studded belt holding them up. He wore black gloves with a triangle cut out on the back on the hand, revealing skin underneath. I’d tell you his eye colour, but I couldn’t see it- he hid his eyes under a thick fringe of brown hair, which just drew you to his shining white teeth instead. It was rather disturbing to say the least- if he hadn’t told me his talent my first guess would’ve been ‘car salesman.’

Winnego, however, seemed far more appropriately dressed. His get-up consisted of one key feature- a blue bathrobe style gown, tied over his left shoulder by a single orange button while the other arm was covered by a sleeve. He waved at me as I walked off, his soft-looking brown hair flopping to the side. It had a yellow streak in it, too, making him look slightly childish.

And the first sentence I heard as I rounded the corner?

“Absolutely. One Hundred and Ten Percent.”

“That’s four we agree on, then.”

I sighed. What a piece of work...

The next room on my journey was one I’d seen the plate for. The Gym- despite what I was expecting, I breathed freely and walked inside. It seemed like a standard gym you’d see in the city. There was a boxing ring, a couple of punching bags, weight machines and treadmills. One of those treadmills was active, but the person in question wasn’t running on it. Perhaps he was taking a break.

However, I was more interested in the one going apeshit on the punching bag. They looked over their shoulder at me, and I instantly recognised them.

“Holy shit...” I couldn’t control my excited volume. “I-It’s you! You’re...”

She smiled, turned to me, and struck a confident pose. “Yes, it is I! Lanzo Satan, the SHSL Lightweight Boxer!”

Lanzo Satan, referred to as the ‘Iron Rose’ in professional boxing, was standing before me and I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was one of the most successful lightweight boxers in the whole of Japan. What was she doing here?!

“Um, if y-you don’t mind me asking...” I tried to keep myself calm. “W-What are you doing here? You’re so much older than all of the others I’ve met so far...”

It was true- Hope’s Peak Academy usually only picked up fresh students, around the age of 18 or 19. However, according to the records anyway, Lanzo was 24, which was not only above the entering age but even above the age of someone in the school’s programme. The oldest you could be was 22!

Lanzo smiled smugly. “Well, it’s nice to see someone got their facts straight. Yes, I am older than you lot- but that doesn’t mean I came to learn.”

That could only mean one thing. “Oh my God... you’re a teacher?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

My heart exploded. One of my favourite people in the world just called me ma’am. I melted then, fangirling over her like I’d met her in the street.

Lanzo simply waited for my little episode to be over. “So, what’s your name, jumping bean?”

“Ah!” I cleared my throat. “My name is Kaiyo Sycamore! I’m the SHSL Bottler!”

“Ah, a bottler... what now?”

“I make bottles.”

“Ah, that’s obvious now I think about it.” Lanzo cracked her fists. “Well, if you need me, I’m going to go find a shower in this weird place. See you around!”

I watched her go, trying my hardest to cool my head. Suddenly, however, the other person in the room swaggered over, a dirty smirk on his face.

“I take it you’re a fan?”

“Y-Yes... sorry, you probably saw a lot of that.”

“Humph.” He didn’t seem interested in talking, despite the circumstances. “Well, Kaiyo, I’m surprised to see you in a place like this.”

My heart went cold. “I-I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

“Oh, come now!” He extended his hands outwards. “You don’t recognise me? Wananta Edonis, the SHSL Farmer? Not ringing any bells?”

Honestly, from the look at him, I wouldn’t have been able to tell his talent. Sure, he wore the straw hat, but he didn’t wear anything else relating to his talent- he wore a grey lab coat with blue surgical gloves, a white belt and a dark brown pair of chaps. A lighter brown t-shirt covered his upper half, and his hair had been dyed purple. Bright yellow eyes stared at me as I tried my hardest to remember who he was.

Finally, he smirked, laughing. “Ah, I got you!”

“You... got me?”

“Yeah... I don’t know who you are.” Wananta struck a relaxed pose, scratching the back of his head. “I just heard your name from when you spoke to Lanzo.”

Well, at least that made sense. “Oh, ha-ha...”

I slugged his arm playfully. He smiled widely, shrugging.

“I love playing with people. It makes life easy.” Wananta patted my shoulder. “Alright, I’m off too. You wanna come with?”

“No, I’m alright.” I smiled, happy to be in his presence. “I’ve got other people to meet.”

“Fair enough.” He walked out, waving as he went. “See you when I see you!”

The second he left, I felt a strange fear crawl up my spine. I couldn’t tell why, but something was making me retreat into my mind. I didn’t want to leave the room.

I was having a panic attack.

Before I could stop myself, I was hyperventilating. Things began running through my mind that I knew weren’t true, but I couldn’t stop them. I saw them all dead; everyone I’d met so far, dead on the floor, terror carved onto their faces. I cried out suddenly, running from the room and slamming directly into the door across from me.

And when I did, I looked up to see a graveyard.

“W-What?” I stood up, frozen in utter fright. “What is...? What?”

The second I laid my eyes on her, however, I felt my stomach drop.

“W-Wha?!”

The woman looked back at me. “Oh, hello. Can I help you?”

My hands shook. I was having a hard time trying to figure out where the woman’s face ended and her scars began- the entire right half of her body was covered in a mixture of burnt skin and scabs, her right eye milky and grey. Still, she gave me a broken smile as I walked in, approaching the topic carefully. My eyes drifted down, her button-up shirt buttoned up to the best of its ability to contain a chest bigger than any of the other girls so far. She was missing her left arm- it ended at the elbow, tied closed with bandages. She wore a skirt that went down her knees, but it wasn’t the clothing that concerned me- right now, I was standing silently in front of a disfigured girl. It was very rude of me.

“I, uh... Um...”

Releasing a sigh, the woman saved me. “Yes, it is rather sad, isn’t it?”

“I’m so sorry!” I could only apologise. “I just... I’ve never seen anything like... this...”

To my surprise, she laughed. “Yes, I suppose I should get a bigger shirt...”

I laughed timidly at her attempt at humour. It wasn’t until then I realised what she actually had pinned to her shirt- a Purple Heart, awarded to those who came back from the war wounded. I tested my knowledge.

“Um... I suppose you got like this in the war? Thanks for serving our country...”

She laughed again, shaking her head, flopping her brown hair everywhere. Of course, the left half of her hair was Chargrilled, black strands of burnt hair striking her shoulder firmly.

“No, I was never in the war.” She played with the Purple Heart. “My grandfather was, however. He worked for the US forces... lost both his legs. Handed it down to my father after he died, and then my father passed it onto me after the... accident.”

She swallowed, holding her smile barely.

“My name is Hibachi Longings. I’m the SHSL-” She stopped herself, clearing her throat. “F-Former, SHSL Fire-fighter.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Immediately, I wanted to know more about her- how did she get like this? Why was she so playful? I know for a fact if I ended up like she was, I wouldn’t try to be happy and smiling all the time. The words I spoke next escaped my mouth before I could stop myself.

“H-How...?”

“How did it happen?” I hadn’t seen it before, but Hibachi’s left eye was watering slightly. “Well, I don’t exactly remember when... it’s all a blur. All I know is that the family I rescued paid my medical bills with the financial aid they received, and are happily living and unhurt. The mother writes letters every month to check up on me.”

I was gobsmacked. I was looking at a damn hero. “Thank you.”

“T-Thank you?” Hibachi looked up. “Why the thank you?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “Just... thank you.”

Hibachi nodded. “You look shaken up. What’s wrong?”

“I’m... panicking. It’s a new situation, a-and... And I’m not used to being around so many strangers, and we’re in a tree, and...”

Hibachi hummed glumly. “It is a weird place, isn’t it? Why is there a graveyard up here? None of the tombstones are marked, either...”

I looked at all the tombstones, each one blank. There were ten in total, which was ten more than I wanted to see.

“D-do you think... there are people under them?”

“I doubt it,” Hibachi responded correctly. “Now, come with me.”

I followed her before asking the question I should’ve. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to the medical room.” Hibachi waved. “I need to find some burn medicine for this arm of mine...”

“W-Why should I come-”

Then, I realised I should just shut up. We walked back into the hallway, the fake grass swapped for the wooden floor once more as we went slightly past the gym and to a room with a white door.

We entered, and Hibachi looked around. “Huh... she’s not here.”

“She?” I asked, walking to the backroom, marked as ‘medical storage’. “Who is she?”

I walked into the room, and then found myself ducking as a bottle of pills flew past me.

“What on Earth is this stuff?!” The woman yelled angrily. “This isn’t Tranquiliser! This is Steriliser! Who labelled these bottles? They should be fired immediately!”

I got up off the floor with Hibachi’s help, seeing the girl had tossed the bottle over her shoulder. She was busy scratching at a bottle’s label, tearing it away with a sharp fingernail, before uncapping the top and pouring strange coloured pills into her hand.

“Goodness me... These people really don’t care about our health...”

I didn’t really know what to say as I met the woman standing in front of me. I honestly thought she was a boy for a second. It was the outfit, mostly; I’m not used to seeing suits on females. She wore a bright blue overcoat with the sleeves removed, and an orange tie was tied and tucked into the collar of the white shirt which was tucked into dark grey trousers. She was paler than the others with pinkish eyes and a weirdly purplish-grey hair colour. She wore a face mask, too- the ones that doctors wear while doing surgery. I’d soon find her talent wasn’t far from that.

“Ah, Hibachi. And a new person, I see...” She spotted me before I spoke. “My name is Akari Tanaka, the SHSL Pharmacist.”

I watched as she tipped her hand and placed all the pills she’d been examining back into the bottle.

“Ah, that would make sense as to why you’re here... My name is Kaiyo. I’m the SHSL Bottler.”

“Hmm...”

Before she could say it, I said it for her. “I make bottles.”

“I know what a bottler is, stupid.” She scratched under her chin. “Why did you say ‘Super High School Level’? That title’s been outclassed for many years.”

“Long story. Basically, I don’t like the word ‘Ultimate’. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you-”

Before I could continue, an announcement rang over the tannoy system. I waited, listening close for someone to finally explain what was going on.

However, the voice that came from it sent a chill down my spine.

“Mic check, one two... Hello there. Will you all make your way to the garden? I have an announcement to make. On the double, people... I don’t want to be patient.”

The voice was... cold. Whispery. I looked to Akari, and then to Hibachi, who shrugged and walked past me to talk to the pharmacist about her burn medicine. I was no slacker, but the voice alone was enough to make me wonder if I should skip the meeting.

Of course, my fear was outweighed by a calming thought- if everyone had received the announcement, I’d be with people I’d already met. I straightened my back and left for the garden.

Down the corridor and up through a hallway, I arrived at the fountain as we’d been instructed. It was right in the middle of the garden, where I’d met Ini- she was now splashing at it with her hand, humming an unfamiliar song. I pushed past Kanji, making sure I was in the front row to see what exactly what going on.

The lotus flower inside spun from Ini’s fingers. “Look at this... Isn’t it beautiful?” She got up, walking to the gathering crowd’s side, leaving the water slowly calm itself.

Shui had appeared next to me, a scowl on his face.

I rubbed my finger across my chin, as confused as I was afraid. “Well, if we were told to meet here, that can only mean one thing, right...?”

Suddenly, the water ruptured open as something in monochrome colours sprung from it like an Olympic gymnast. I heard a few people yell in surprise as we were rained on, and I backed away as the figure uncurled like it was hatching from a cocoon.

It shook itself like a dog, the white fur matted by the fountain water. The sleek black metal simply shone in the light, reflecting a blazing red crevice of an eye. Everyone had the same look of confusion as it finally spoke for the first time.

“Hello, Ssstudentsss.”

We all stayed silent as the creature pulled itself onto the rim of the fountain, making himself as tall as I was. I felt my throat dry out. I couldn’t speak.

Why did it have to be a snake?

“My name isss Monomodo. I am the head teacher of this academy.” He chuckled evilly, striking a wondering pose. “You are all here becaussse-”

I swear, I flinched just because Shui decided to speak at that moment.

“Because you wish to host a killing game.”

I looked to him, surprised. “W-What? Shui, what are you-”

Then, I looked back at Monomodo, seeing his face had contorted into a vicious snarl. “YOU.”

Shui simply smirked back. “Me.”

Akari stepped in. “Excuse me, what is happening? Why do you two know each other, exactly?”

“Simple.” Shui pointed with an authoritive finger. “This thing has been terrorising Hope’s Peak Academy for many years... I am here to take him down.”

“What?” Ini leant into the picture, literally. “I don’t even know your name!”

Monomodo hissed. “How do you do it, Holmesss...?”

“Your name is Holmesss?” Ini asked, obliviously.

Shui groaned. “No. My name is Shui Ninigata.” He turned his back to Monomodo, addressing the crowd, which I must say was a rather ballsy move.

Wananta narrowed his eyes. “Suddenly, I’m more interested in this guy then our apparent captor. Who are you, exactly?”

“I told you who I am. I am Shui Ninigata- I work for Future Foundation.” Shui removed the compass from his pocket. “I am part of a specialised team that has been tracking down Monobears for the good half of two years. He is a Rouge AI, created from the remnants of a Diseased Mind...”

Shui looked back at Monomodo, who simply waved.

“A Diseased Mind that I myself had once claimed as a friend.”

Tanaki butted in a little. “And you are telling us this... why?”

“I am taking responsibility.” Shui removed a photo from his front pocket, showing it to us all like it was a family heirloom. “This should jog your memories, at least a little.”

We all pushed in, desperately trying to see what he was talking about.

On the photo was... well, it was us. I recognised every face in the picture; granted, one was much different now than it was in the picture, but it was obvious who it belonged to. I even saw myself, standing on a cabinet to make myself taller in the crowd.

Yes... the others I’d met. They were there, right now, looking on at the camera or at each other with wide smiles. To say ‘memories came flooding back’ is wrong- it was like memories sort of just popped in my head like I’d been shot. I gripped my head, stumbling back into Taihen, who caught me as I dropped to my knees.

Shui sighed, tucking the photo back into his pocket. “Poor girl...”

“W-What did you do to her?” Lanzo stood in front of me, protecting me.

“I didn’t do anything,” Shui shrugged. “Like all of you, her memories were erased of our time spent together. Unlike you lot, however, she was awake during the process- meaning, her memories can be recovered. That’s what’s happening now.”

I screamed out. “This isn’t helping my memory! This is just causing me pain!”

“It will.”

Mutsuko pointed at Monomodo, who was just sitting and waiting. “As for that thing... what does it want us to do?”

That gave Monomodo the perfect thoroughfare.

“Why, I want you to kill each other, obviousssly!”

Silence. That was all he received as an answer. Shui was the only one who seemed distressed rather than piss-your-pants terrified. As such, Ori decided to turn to him for comfort.

“T-This is a joke, right?”

Shui shook his head. “Trust me. The words this creature speaks are very, very true.”

“But why?!” Lanzo yelled. “Why is he doing this?!”

Shui smirked. “Good question... go ahead, Monomodo. Why are you doing this?”

Monomodo responded quickly. “Why, to plunge you into Dessspair. Not everything hasss a reassson, dear Lanzo... not everything hasss a ssstory to tell behind it.”

“You’re lying!” Winnego yelled back. “You’re just trying to scare us! Nobody here would commit murder- no one!”

Tanaki nodded in agreement. “To turn on your fellow man is... outrageous. It is written in the ten commandments.”

Throughout all of this, I was six feet under in my own mind. Memories were flooding back like Shui had broken a dam in my skull. All the things I’d been stripped of, all the things I’d experienced with the others... it was like I was reliving them all in the span of ten seconds.

The photo he’d shown me... it was the first thing we’d ever done as a group. I remembered everything. The day Hibachi got disfigured, the night of Ini’s first major concert, the day Kanji made us all necklaces with our birthstones on them- I remembered it all. I even remembered the prom, the one where Shui and I spent the entire night talking about how silly it all seemed.

Two years of memories, in the span of ten whole seconds.

And suddenly, I remembered the last thing once more. My class had been visited by a group of dark uniforms. They told us we were being chosen for ‘the Hope project’ and pounced on us, injecting us all with tranquiliser.

It was too much. I dropped to my knees, ignoring Monomodo as he explained the rules of the ‘killing game’. I scanned the other students, stood around me like statues as they continued to look on palely. Not one of them seemed like the people I’d gone to class with.

I was the only one who knew the things we’d done before.

The only one... except Shui.

“Now, with that out of the way... I think it’sss time to pull out the thorn before it becomesss a fessstering wound.”

A mounted machine gun came out of the fountain. It whirled and twirled outwards, pointing its seven loaded barrels at Shui.

Shui was the only other person that knew what happened to us.

And I was about to lose him.

“Everyone ready? It’sss-”

“STOP!”

I rushed in front of Shui, attempting to barricade the line of sight between him and the gun, like it’d do anything. If nobody was convinced the situation was real, they sure as hell knew now. I shook with terror as the red dot sight continued to point at me.

“... What are you... doing?”

Shui sounded surprised, for good reason. I shook my head as if me being there was enough to stop what was about to happen.

“No!” I yelled at Monomodo, who just sat there with strange looking eyes. “You can’t do this! He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

Monomodo scowled. “You dare defend thisss ssscum?”

Winnego, panicked and flighty, yelled at me too. “Y-Yeah, girl! Just move! This isn’t worth dying over!”

“That shit’s gonna be mounted with hollow point...” Taihen rubbed his chin. “It’s going to go through both of you. Don’t ruin that perfect body of yours... come, just-”

“What the hell are you guys saying?!” I yelled suddenly. “You’re just going to let him die?! He’s trying to save us!”

“How do we know he is telling the truth?” Mutsuko said, pointing a large finger at me. “He could just be lying to make us feel better.”

“Plus, he hasn’t treated us the best...” Yanayashi claimed, rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, he kind of... openly insulted all of us...”

Shui snarled, realising his ‘lone wolf’ persona was coming back to bite him.

“He called me a Diva,” Ini chuckled.

“Told me my artwork was subpar,” Taihen said through gritted teeth.

“H-He didn’t like my singing...” Sun-Sing responded meekly.

I continued to stand there, listening to everyone rattle off what they’d said to him. I swallowed, but stood my ground, making sure the gun wasn’t tracing through me.

“That’s...” I suddenly gained newfound confidence. “That’s beside the point! He’s a human being, just like all of us! He’s fought to be a student of Hope’s Peak... he didn’t do this to himself!”

I looked to anyone- Anyone. Anyone who my words were affecting, even in the slightest.

“... Hibachi.”

The woman looked up, her eyes still cold. “... Yes, Kaiyo?”

“What difference is this to what you used to work with?” I hated what I was about to say, but I needed to convince her somehow. “If Shui was in a burning building, would you let him burn?”

Hibachi looked shocked; rightly deserved, of course, but at least she understood what I was saying.

“Shui is a human life,” I repeated. “You can’t just throw it away. What little does our own matter if we can’t help his?”

I looked to Shui. He seemed... well, he seemed to be contemplating something. What it was, I wouldn’t know for a while, but at that moment I think he realised the direness of the situation.

“Kaiyo... please, step aside.” Shui placed a hand on my shoulder. “This isn’t your fight.”

“Well it isn’t yours, either.”

Suddenly, Hibachi was standing in front of both me and Shui. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see her face, but the way she stood was the stance of a woman who was about to risk it all. I’d done the same stance many times.

“You are our enemy.” Hibachi pointed at Monomodo. “Everything you have told us proves that fact. I won’t allow you to touch Shui... he is a human life.”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ini skidded into the frame. She took front point, despite Hibachi’s sudden worry. “Shui must’ve worked hard to get here, and so did I! I’d hate to see him cut down like this... so I’m not letting you do it either!”

Then, in stormed Mutsuko, towering above all of us. “If Mr. Ninigata is to die tonight, then that bullet better be ready to travel some distance. Otherwise, it’s stopping at me.”

Monomodo, whose face I couldn’t see, just stayed silent. From ahead of me, I heard the gun lowering back into the fountain, followed by a sigh of relief from Hibachi, thus meaning Shui was safe.

When everyone else got out of the way, I realised Monomodo was... pouting, or at least trying to. He seemed genuinely sad that he couldn’t kill Shui, which just dug the situation under my skin that much more.

“You really wisssh to defend him... ssso be it.”

Kanji ruffled his neckpiece. “I don’t think you should’ve done that...”

“Why?” I said accusingly. “Did you want him to die?”

“No, I didn’t! I just-”

“He jussst knew better.”

Out of nowhere, the gun sprang from the fountain once more, locking its sights on me.

“W-Wha? What?”

“Ssstupid girl.” Monomodo pointed at a familiar looking device, rasping the clawed hand on it like a loan shark. “Did you not even read the rulesss? It was on your Monopad.”

I gulped, shaking my head. “I-I thought it was just a map...”

My voice cracked on the final word. When it was pointed at Shui, I knew I was defending someone. Now, I was looking right down the barrel of the very thing I stood in front of before, and I was petrified.

“Don’t judge my lisssp, but I’ll read rule 7.” Monomodo cleared his throat, like he was announcing a winning lottery number- which it was, to him.

I felt my heart go cold.

“Any interruption to an execution, either by accident or on purpossse, ssshall result in punissshment.” Monomodo chuckled. “Looksss like today isn’t your lucky break, Kaiyo.”

“W-Wait, no-”

“Asss your involvement was the reassson my execution wasss cancelled, I ssshall ssselect you for the punissshment role.”

I looked around. The red dot sight pointed between my eyes. “This is wrong! I haven’t done anything wrong... have I?”

“Asss sssuch, Miss Kaiyo Sssycamore... your punissshment ssshall be my example to the other ssstudentsss.”

“No, no... No, no, no, no, no...” I whimpered, feeling tears squeeze out of my eyes.

“Hey man! The hell’s your problem?!” I heard Winnego shout at Shui. “That girl saved your life! Say something!”

I looked back at Shui, waiting for him to save me. All I saw in return was... Malice. A strange mixture of despair and volatile anger. He stood out of the way, arms crossed, waiting me as the gun whirred to life.

“Let the recordsss ssshow!” Monomodo raised his claw into the air. “Thisss isss what happensss when you defile me!”

Finally, I snapped. “Shui! Help!”

Shui sighed, and then looked away, leaving me to face my punishment alone.

“FIRE!”

The gun revved into action.

...

A single bullet fired from the gun, and went straight through my shoulder. I cried out, dropping to my knees immediately, placing a hand over the bullet hole. Tears poured from my hand as I looked up at Monomodo, who had recalled the gun to the water and slithered forwards to me.

He grabbed my face in his clawed hand, forcing me to gaze deep into Monomodo’s red, glassy eye.

“Ssstrike One.”

And like that, it was over. Everyone who wasn’t cemented in place rushed to my aid, trying their hardest to keep me stable, to which I just collapsed to the floor and waited for them to stop.

Monomodo finished with us then. “Alright, ssstudentsss! Have a day.”

With those words, he leapt back into the fountain, revealing it was far deeper than we’d initially thought. He disappeared from view, leaving all of us to ponder what he’d said that day.

Luckily, it was Taihen who broke the ice. “What a load of horseshit!”

Shui rubbed his nose. “You say that now. You need to remember, this killing game shtick has being going on for over ten years. You’ve got sickos all over the internet who watch this twenty-four-seven. Some of them are probably that ‘audience’ you love to talk so fondly of.”

Taihen’s smile returned. “Well, they get to watch me first hand draw first hand, then. Think of it as an added bonus.”

I was still on the floor, blood oozing from my shoulder. Shui eventually looked down at me as everyone else went their separate ways, either to the kitchen or to the bedrooms, leaving me, Shui and Hibachi behind.

“What are you still doing here?” Shui asked sharply.

“I’m making sure this girl is okay,” Hibachi responded calmly. “Sweetie? Are you alright?”

I swallowed, not able to respond. Shui did it for me, luckily. “Leave her gather what she remembered, Scars.”

Hibachi growled. “I don’t appreciate the nickname, Shui.”

Shui didn’t listen to her, kneeling in front of me. “Kaiyo. Snap out of it.”

I blinked. “W-What... is going... on?”

“It’s alright, Kaiyo. I’m here.” Shui put a hand on my shoulder, stopping the blood. “Do you remember everything now?”

“I... I do.”

“Then you remember what I told you? That night we got claimed?”

“... I do.”

Hibachi looked around nervously.

“Get up.” Shui helped me up, standing tall. “Keep moving forward. That’s the only way we’ll live on.”

I nodded, the voice almost echoing in my head as I heard it once again. “Keep... moving forward.”

Hibachi smiled. “So, what now?”

Shui chuckled.

“Now... we survive.”

“... Can’t really do that without medical attention, Shui.”

PROLOGUE- END 16 Students Remain.