"Hey friends!" Monomi said, twirling around on the stage. "It's only 10:51 A.M.!" She cheered.

"Uh. Monomi? Why does the time matter? We're trapped in this giant building and being forced to murder each other!" Mitsuo yelled. Monomi jumped down off the stage, twirled again, and hugged him. When she pulled away she smiled.

"Trust me Mr. Hamasaki, I will make sure you all will be okay. Just remember, at noon, we have lunch. At six, it's dinner. Any time before ten is breakfast!" Monomi cried, twirling again.

"Hey Monomi, what's in that door over there?" Reginald asked, pointing to a green door.

"Oh! That's the lounge!" She said, running over to the door. She pushed it open and we all crowded in the small opening. I felt myself being shoved in by the crowd.

The inside of the room was about the size of the cafeteria. Four soda machines were scattered around the room. One had a black one on it, another had a white one. One had a black two, the last had a white two. Upon closer inspection, the black one machine had the sodas I found in my refrigerator.

The second black one had some I wasn't familiar with. "Saionji's Peach, Koizumi's Cherry, Tanaka's Black Licorice, Komaeda's Watermelon, Nanami's Ginger Ale, Pekoyama's Vanilla, Twogami's Pineapple, Hanamura's Banana, Mioda's Raspberry, Tsumiki's Blueberry, and Nidai's Fruit Punch." Akiko read over my shoulder.

"This is a room I made, so you guys can chill!" Monomi said, giggling slightly.

"Alright!" Ashikaga said, laying back on the couch.

"Now everyone, please meet back up here at noon so we can have our first lunch as friends!" She cheered. Everyone left the room, minus me, Ashikaga, who'd fell asleep, and Reiko.

Reiko pushed a button on the black two machine and got a can of Nanami's Ginger Ale. "You know Mr. Tatsuo, this girl looks familiar, except she's got honey colored hair, and not pink." She said. "She looks like this one person on a can of soda that was in my fridge." She said. She opened it and took a drink of the soda. "It's not that bad honestly." She said with a shrug.

"So, Reiko..." I said. "How are you dealing with everything?"

"Hmph. Obviously I'm stressed. I'm often looked to for leadership, seeing as I'm a natural leader." She said. "I only hope that I may help some people here survive."

I was shocked by her words. "Do-Do you really think we're gonna kill each other?" I asked her.

"Well, I trust almost everyone here, but I wouldn't put it past someone." She said glumly.

"Well... What about me? Do you trust me?" I asked.

She looked at me, staring into my deep blue eyes. Her green eyes shined as she began to speak.

"Mr. Tatsuo, I believe we'll get along fine, as long as we don't pass any boundaries set by the others." She said.

"Uh, that didn't answer my question." I said, confused.

"Well, I guess this will. When I was four, my mother became principal of an elementary school. She forced me to go to work with her. There I learned so much from her." Reiko said. "I learned how to watch over groups of students. And my mom's number one rule, always have a right-hand man." She said.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I mean someone I can always count on. Someone who I can trust to have my back, because I'll always have their's." She said. "And you seem trustworthy, so I want you, Mr. Tatsuo, to be my right-hand man." She said, smiling.

"Alright." I said. Honestly, I was excited. Reiko Muranaka seemed like the kind of person anyone could trust. She radiated security, and hope. Maybe with her watching us, we can escape.

"Anyways, Mr. Tatsuo, please go and check on some people here. I'm sure they're freaking out by this point." She said, walking to the door.

"Hey, Reiko." I called to her. She turned and looked at me. "You can call me Aisho." I said. She smiled. "Very well Mr. Tat- Aisho." She said, correcting herself. "I must be on my way, however." And with that, she left.

I walked out of the lounge soon, and saw another set of doors. These, leading to what I assumed to be the kitchen. I pushed open the doors and saw Akira and Maya sitting on one of the kitchen counters, talking.

"Oh, hey Aisho." Maya said, cheerfully. She waved at me, motioning me to come over. "So, how are you?"

I'm supposed to be asking them these questions. I thought to myself. "I'm okay... And you two?" I asked.

"FUCKING TERRIFIED." Akira screamed, letting her hair cover her face. She parted it enough to let one of her brown eyes look out. "A psychotic bear just told us we have to MURDER another student to escape, and you wanna know how I am?" She said, looking down.

"Hey, Aisho." Maya said. "If you don't mind, I'm having a small session with Akira. Could you come back later, perhaps?" She asked. I nodded and walked out. I ran into a familiar face.

"Oh, hello Aisho Tatsuo." Hotaru said, pushing a piece of his pink hair back beside a piece of his blue hair. "I'm doing excellent, before you ask."

I was shocked. How did he know what I planned to ask him? "Uh. How did you know-" I began. He cut me off.

"I overheard you ask Maya Shinohara and Akira Miyamoto." He said, chuckling to himself. "Hey, come with me." He said, grabbing my arm. I tried shaking his grip, but he had a tight hold on my arm. He yanked me out of the cafeteria, and into a smaller room beside it.

Inside were multiple items on aisles and aisles of shelves. A small toy machine sat in front of the doors, ready for someone to twist it's knob, and get whatever it would give them. A vending machine sat in the back, full of small trinkets. And on the racks sat clothing. Shirts, pants, shorts, dresses, shoes, socks, undergarments, hats, earrings, jewelry, you name it, they probably had it.

"Isn't this place wonderful?" Hotaru asked, grabbing a shirt off the shelve. He stared at the small, brown haired boy on the cover before setting it back on the shelve. "Y'know, these people obviously have some meaning." He said. "Teruteru Hanamura isn't some celebebiry, that I know. But he's had to have done something of importance, or else, he would not have a shirt dedicated to him." Hotaru said.

"Hotaru, not to be rude or anything, but what are you talking about?" I asked. He laughed. "I dunno Aisho Tatsuo, I like to ramble on and on about things of no significance." He said. "I guess that's what happens when your talent is nothing of any value." He said, laughing.

"What? Everyone's talent has some value to it." I said.

"Not when your talent is the Ultimate Poet, and you've only ever wrote one poem." He laughed. "Not that it matters. Anyways, Aisho Tatsuo, pick an item from the gift shop. It's my treat." He said. I was confused, but I picked up a small statuette of Sayaka Maizono, the girl on my shirt.

"Ah, Maizono. She's done something important as well. She's on the soda cans." He said. He pointed to one of the Maizono shirts. "She's on shirts, she has a statue of her. Her outfit is available in the store... She did something as well." He laughed as he set a golden coin on the table.

"I'll take that!" Monokuma laughed as he popped up from behind the counter. I jumped back, but Hotaru seemed unfazed.

"Oh, sorry about that Tatsuo, did I frighten you? Good!" He laughed. "Now, seeing as you weren't around when I handed these out, these are MonoCoins, use em to legally purchase stuff from the shop!" He laughed.

"So, we're being forced to murder another student, but it's not allowed to steal?" I asked.

"Nope! You're murderers, not thieves!" He laughed again. "Anyways, I put ten MonoCoins in your room already, so purchase whatever you want. You'll soon find out how to earn them though." And with that, he disappeared.

"Hey, Aisho." Hotaru said. "Who do you think will die first?" He asked.

"I... I um. What?" I asked. I was dumbfounded. Hotaru just asked me who I thought would die first, and I was just supposed to answer like it was normal?

"Personally, I believe it will be Takeo Gushiken." He said, walking to the back of the shop. "I hate banana, but in honor of Mr. Hanamura..." He said, pressing the button to get Hanamura's Banana Soda. He opened it and took a sip of it with a smile.

"Y'know. It's not bad." He said, smiling. "Anyways, if you'd please, we can go back to our original conversation." He said, taking another sip. "I believe Takeo will either die first, or be a murderer. Due to high already disliked status, and his volatile nature." Hotaru said.

"Dude, why do you feel the need to talk about this?" I asked. "It's a horrible thing were being forced through. And, while I thank you for the figurine, would it be alright if I left, I'm not comfortable taking bets on who died first." I asked. He nodded.

I walked back up the flight of steps, my Sayaka Maizono figurine in hand. As I ascended up the first floor, I ran into, literally, ran into Kazuko Hachimitsu. She fell over and groaned. I held out my hand and helped her up.

"Oh! Hi Tatsuo-kun!" She cried. I rubbed the back of my head. "You, do know you don't have to use honorifics after people's names, right?" I asked. She frowned.

"My mommy always says to use honorifics for those you care about!" Kazuko cried. "Unless you hate me and don't want me to use them..." She said, looking at the floor.

"Oh! No no! I was just saying IF you didn't want to use them!" I said, laughing nervously.

"Yay! Tatsuo-kun!" She cheered. She ran over and hugged me, laughing as she picked me up and spun me in circles. "How-how did you-" I began. She interrupted me. "Oh Tatsuo-kun, I'm much stronger than I look!" She cried, running off down the steps.

I made my way up to my room, twisted the key to unlock the door and set the figure down on my counter in the kitchen. I plucked up the MonoCoins laying on my table and walked out.

I decided to go into the kitchen again. When I finally made it, I found Kumiko Sugawara and Toshio Ashikaga in the cafeteria, making something.

I walked over. "Hey guys." I said. Sugawara smiled warmly at me. "Oh, hello Mr. Tatsuo. I assume you're doing well." She said, smiling. I nodded and she went back to cooking.

"Sup dude!" Ashikaga said, laughing. "You look like a leprechaun with that hoodie!" He said. I noticed his eyes were different, as if they were black instead of the dark brown they normally were.

"Hey! Toshio Ashikaga, stop acting like a hooligan." Kumiko said, scolding him. "I told you, I'm Tom!" He screeched. "I'm Tom, the Ultimate Bully!" He said, laughing like a maniac.

"Uh. Is Toshio okay?" I asked. Kumiko frowned. "I don't know! He interrupted me while I was making a sandwich and he said he was a Mr. Tom, the Ultimate Bully." She said, grabbing her scarf in frustration.

"Hey, do you want me to help?" I asked. "I can make the sandwich for you, if you want." I suggested. Kumiko grinned. "Oh thank you, Mr. Tatsuo!" She cried, wrapping her arms around me. She frowned and pulled away. "I'm-I'm sorry Mr. Tatsuo. That was unprofessional." She mumbled.

"Hey! It's fine." I said. "I'll just, make your sandwich." I said, walking over to where she was standing. "I hope it's not a bother, but Monomi asked me to help make lunch. We're making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches." Kumiko said, smiling.

"It's no problem at all." I said, grabbing the jar of peanut butter. The last thing I remembered was a burning pain, before I felt myself blackout.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey Aisho." I heard a voice. I turned to look and see who had called for me.

"Oh, hey Aimi." I said. She smiled. "Listen, Aisho. Can I borrow that journal from you?" She asked. I could feel my face redden. "My-My journal?" I asked. She nodded.

"You know, the one you wrote in about me, Ms. Muranaka, Ms. Akiyama, Ms. Sugawara, Ms. Hachimitsu, Mr. Tsukino, and Mr. Brazier in!" She giggled.

"What?" I was shocked. "How-How do you know about my journal?" I questioned. She giggled. "You know why!~"

I felt myself run at her. I grabbed her arms and shook her. "Why?!" I screamed. "Why?!"

"You know exactly why!" She screamed back. Her eyes rolled back. Her hair shrunk back into her scalp and turned pink. Her shirt turned white, except for the pink splotches on the back.

"Now." She said, her voice that of a demonic nature. "Wake up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke in a small room. I looked down and saw the green hospital gown over me. The white blanket was pulled up to my stomach, and a small wrap was placed around my head. I looked around the room and saw small posters on the wall. One of which had a tree branch where Monomi was hanging onto it with one hand while the words "Just Hang in There" was wrote above it in bright, yellow letters.

I looked away from the poster and saw a black T.V., hung in the corner of the room. It was on some kind of sitcom about two sisters with different personalities, one being a fashion girl, the other being a soldier.

Beside my bed was another bed. To my surprise, it was being used. Katashi Yamauchi laid beside me, watching the T.V.

"Hey, Katashi." I said. He turned to look at me. His skin was puffy, his eyes almost swelled shut.

"Oh, hey Aisho." He grumbled. The door into the hospital room opened and Kumiko Sugawara walked in. "Oh! I'm deeply sorry Mr. Yamauchi, I had no idea about your peanut allergy. Katashi tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding more like a wheezing noise. "It's aight. Don't worry about me." He said. "I ain't gonna die over a peanut."

"I deeply apologize still. And Mr. Tatsuo, I apologize over what happened in the cafeteria. Mr. Ashikaga, or Tom, hit the row of pots above you, and caused one to fall and knock you out." She mumbled. "It's actually been about two hours since you were rendered unconscious."

"Hey, it's fine. You couldn't have done anything about it." I said, smiling. "Once again, I apologize." She said, smiling.

"So, Katashi, you're allergic to peanuts?" I asked. He nodded. "I didn't even know, but I reckon I am." He mumbled.

We ended up talking for almost an hour. Before the clock struck two, Monokuma rushed into the room.

"Puhuhuhu, Yamauchi, you're gonna have to stay tonight until the swelling goes down." He laughed. "And Tatsuo and Sugawara, you can leave. Plus, visiting hours are OVER!"

"Uh, Mr. Monokuma, visiting hours usually end at five." Kumiko said. He laughed at her. "Disobeying rules could result in a punishment!" He sung.

"Y'all can go. I'll be just fine here." Katashi said. We nodded and walked out, leaving Monokuma and Katashi in the hospital room.

"Well Mr. Tatsuo, I believe I shall go to find Mr. Ashikaga and see what he's up to." She said, smiling. As she walked away, I felt... disturbed. I felt a weird feeling, as if someone was standing behind me, but when I turned, I saw nobody.

As I made it out of the hospital room, which was connected to the apartments, I felt someone grab my shirt and pull me back. I tried to gasp, but they covered my mouth.

My assailant held a kitchen knife to my throat. I felt the pressure of the sharp blade dig into my neck. Before it could slice anything, I tilted my head back. It connected with my attacker's nose, and they fell back, the knife scattering across the floor. I ignored the pain and turned.

Aimi Wakahisa stood up and gasped for air. "My-My nose!" She screamed. "Oh my god! Aimi? Why were you trying to kill me?" I screamed at her. "I-I was dared to scare you." She mumbled, blood running down her face. "I wasn't gonna kill you!"

I pulled off my hoodie and handed it to her. She wrapped it around her nose. "Listen, I'm sorry Aisho." Aimi sighed. "It was only supposed to be a cruel joke."

"Hey, it's alright." I said. "Well, it's not. But, I'm over it." I mentally slapped myself. I could've stopped at "its alright."

"Anyways, here. Lemme help you to your room." I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. We began to walk up the first flight of stairs.

"So, Aisho. How are you feeling about everything?" She asked. I smiled. "I'm doing just fine. I'm scared, in all honesty, but I'll be fine." I told her. "What about you?"

"I'm scared. I'm terrified that I'm gonna die. So, honestly, I've tried to be on good terms with everyone. I don't wanna make enemies." Aimi said. "If I make enemies, I'm more likely to die." She gloomily said.

We made it to her apartment when she handed me back my hoodie. "Um, sorry there's so much blood on it." She mumbled. "Hey, it's fine. Your nose was bleeding, and it was the only thing I could give you. You can keep it for now though." I said. She smiled. "Alright, I'll try to clean the blood off it first before I return it." She said.

I grinned and returned to my room. I looked through my closet and in the back, I found it. My satchel. I scooped it up and opened it. My journal was gone, obviously being placed under my mattress. Murder by the Shore by Touko Fukawa was still present in the bag.

I opened it up and began to reread it. I honestly loved the book so much, every time I read it, I lose myself in it. Time completely disappeared. Before I knew it, I had finished the book again.

I was missing everything else in my bag, minus the first-aid kit, which was in the bag. I ran into the bathroom and found my hygiene kit. But no matter where I looked, I couldn't find it.

"Where- Where is it?!" I cried. My mom's mirror was gone. It was in the bag the last I saw it, but it was gone. It couldn't have vanished into thin air. I sighed and sat the bag down on my bed. I rushed out of the room and ran into the cafeteria.

"Hey Aisho, you're late. Again." Reiko said. Everyone, minus Katashi, had gathered in the cafeteria again. "It's lunch time." Kumiko cheered.

"Upupupu! Before you dig in, lemme say something!" Monokuma said, popping up from nowhere. Monomi sighed.

"So, you guys probably noticed that you were missing a few things, am I right?" He asked. Some nodded, others looked around in confusion.

"Like, take Tatsuo for example. His momma's mirror is missing." Monokuma laughed. "If you wanna get what you lost back, all you gotta do is kill someone!" Monokuma laughed. Monomi gasped. "You big meany!" She cried. Monokuma stopped laughing.

"Lil Sis, you shouldn't argue with your big brother!" Monokuma cried, punching Monomi. She flew across the room and out of the cafeteria. Everyone gasped.

"Now, anyone else have any comments to say about me?" He asked. "Good, see yah later bitches! Don't forget to kill!" He cried, disappearing again.

I took a seat next to Reiko and Akiko. "Hey guys." I mumbled. "Hey, what took you so long?" Akiko asked. "I was rereading my favorite book, Murder by the Shore, by Touko Fukawa." I explained. Aimi sat down at the table and smiled.

"I think I've read it before." Reiko said. "What's it about?" I grinned. Telling people all about books was my specialty.

"Well, it follows the protagonist, Hidou Fukui, who's a fisherman's son. His parents were brutally murdered by someone, and he wants to find out who, so him and his sister, Tora Fukui, investigate. In the end, he turns out to have a second personality and murders his sister before committing suicide." I explained. Reiko and Akiko gasped. Before they could say anything, Monomi rushed back into the room.

"Friends, do not worry! I am okay!" She cried. "I'll be rrrriiiight back!" She disappeared into the kitchen, and reappeared with plates of food.

"Here's your dinner!" She cried. I smiled and took a plate.

Takeo Gushiken sat next to Aimi. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked. Akiko and Reiko shook their heads. I, on the other hand, was nervous about him sitting with us. Last time I spoke to him, he assumed I was gonna kill him.

"So... anyone here like video games?" He asked. I was shocked, needless to say. Akiko and I nodded. Reiko only shrugged.

"Have any of you played 'Box it Out!'? It's this super old game that was only in a few arcades." He said. "You play as Boxer Brute, this boxer who's out for revenge when his parents were murdered. He rises through the ranks in boxing tourneys until he's number one."

Hearing Takeo talk about video games was really, odd. He seemed different from his normal, violent attitude. It wasn't that bad. Suddenly, the entire table was in a conversation about video games.

Akiko said her favorite game involved this guy in a green tunic with a sword. Aimi said she usually plays games that involve some kind of sports theme. Reiko said she likes board games, and the whole table laughed. Everyone was getting along, and everyone was happy. I found myself smiling at them.

After dinner, I took my plate into the kitchen and washed it. The doors opened behind me, and Akiko walked in. "Hey, Aisho. Can you meet me in the garden tonight, around ten?" She asked. I nodded. She washed her plate quickly and walked out. I finished washing mine, and returned to my room, where I fell asleep on the couch.

I was awoken when I heard a voice come over my monitor in my room. "Night time hours are officially in use!" Monokuma cheered. I looked over at my clock and gasped. It was ten o'clock. I jumped up and darted down the stairs, passing people who were returning to their rooms.

I darted outside and ran to the side of the apartments where Akiko said the garden was. "Hey, Aisho. Glad you could make it." She grinned.

"Hey Akiko, what was this for?" She smiled and picked up her metal trowel. The worst scenarios I could imagine came to mind. What if she wanted to stab me? I panicked.

"I just needed some help planting these roses." She said, placing a small pot of white roses in between us. She smiled and handed me the trowel. "Care to help?" She asked.

I dug the hole for her, and she'd plant the flower. Then we'd move down the row of dirt, and repeat the cycle. Eventually, we finished the entire row. "Hey, thanks for the help Aisho." She said as I stood up. I helped her up and smiled.

"It was no problem." I said. "We should probably go back to our rooms, seeing as it's almost midnight." She said. I gasped. "Has it really been two hours?" She nodded.

We walked back inside, and up to the second floor. She put her hand on the doorknob and smiled. "Goodnight Aisho." She smiled. "Goodnight Akiko." I said.

I walked in to my apartment, being very careful to lock the door behind me. I took a quick shower and laid down on the couch. "Hopefully tomorrow won't be so bad." I said to myself, before falling fast asleep.