One by one, each student's face contorted in anguish as they got to the end of their video.

"What is this?" Umeda was the first to speak and rise from his chair, "this is... it's fake... it has to be... Monokuma!"

The bear popped back out and stood on top of Umeda's computer.

"You called?"

Umeda angrily reached out to grab Monokuma but Matsuyama jumped up from his seat to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Umeda seethed.

Matsuyama held the boy's arm firmly. "Violence against the headmaster is not allowed."

"You think I care!?"

"Do you want to die?" Masaru asked and Umeda grit his teeth.

"Tell me this isn't real," Asya's voice cracked, "tell me this is just edited."

"The only way you'll get an answer is if you graduate!" Monokuma said, too cheery for what was happening at the moment.

"This is ridiculous," Shoji said, "my parents never really approved of what I do anyways."

"So, you're just going to let them die?" Valini asked wide eyed.

"By the looks of the video, they're already dead."

"Do not say that," Mizuno scolded him, "just because your relationship with your family is poor doesn't mean we feel the same way about ours." She spoke strongly but Masaru could see the tears in her eyes begging to fall.

Masaru hated how he couldn't feel anything towards the video because he didn't even recognize the two faces that spoke to him. He wanted to cry and weep like the others but all he felt was nothing. Just a slight dull ache.

"See," Nao said observing her fellow classmates, "already formulating plans."

"Shut it!" Margot snapped on her then turned to Monokuma, "first you kidnap sixteen students then you kidnap their families? Yeah, the police are definitely not going to notice what's going on."

Monokuma was silent and stared at the girl before everyone's computer turned back on. Masaru looked down at his to see the same bloody room except this time the two police men who entered it were dead on the floor, their bodies torn apart. He heard the others gasp and figured they were seeing the same thing.

Masaru looked back up only to see that Monokuma was gone, leaving them to dwell in their own misery.

"I wanna go home," Winona sniffed.

Valini had tears streaming down her face and bolted out of the computer room which was now unlocked.

"I knew this wasn't going to be good," Seto said as his nails dug into his palms.

"We have to stay focused," Priscilla told everyone, "this is what that thing wants, for us to dwell in despair."

"Well, he's succeeded," Umeda spat out then was the next to leave and Asya followed after with tears running down her cheeks.

Matsuyama walked over to Priscilla. "Just give everyone some time. Whether or not this is real or fake, we still have no reason to believe otherwise."

Masaru walked out of the computer room before things got more depressing and Toma and Mizuno followed after him.

"What are you doing?" Masaru asked, looking over his shoulder.

Toma pointed to the room beside Masaru's. "Going to my room."

"Right," Masaru said then glanced at Mizuno.

"Do I need a reason to stand here?" She asked, eyes red and puffy.

Another light hearted bell rang out which interrupted their conversation.

"It is now 10pm," Monokuma's voice filtered through, "return to your dorms this instant. Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs biiiittteeee."

"Already?" Toma questioned.

Mizuno scoffed. "And now he wants us to go to bed after what we've just saw?"

"That's probably what he wants," Masaru said, "no one will get an ounce of sleep so the next day everyone will be groggy and delirious. Enough to the point where they might snap and end up killing someone."

Mizuno looked at him terrified. "I'm gonna... go to bed now."

Toma nodded and fled to his room as well.

Masaru's eyebrows furrowed at their behavior and he entered his dorm.
It was the same as when he left it. Now that a bed was in his sights, all of his adrenaline evaporated and now he felt like he hadn't slept in days. He got into bed, not bothering to undress and wondered if anyone else would be able to sleep. It was almost not fair that he couldn't remember anything about his family to feel the same despair as the others. Not that he wanted to feel despair at all but he just didn't want to feel so... alone.

......
A scene unfolded in front of Masaru's eyes.

The room he stepped inside was blurry and he blinked multiple times as an even blurrier figure approached him and stuck out their hand. No other features could be made out except for their leisurely smile.

"Would you like a challenge?"

*.                         *.                           *.                    *

Masaru bolted up from his sleep, slicked in sweat. He licked his lips thinking of the strange fleeting dream he had and threw the covers off of him. He guessed it was before 7 since the morning announcement hadn't gone off yet.

Masaru got up, walked over to the desk in his room and looked down at the items that were still there before picking up the pocket watch that sat there.

Unbroken.

Masaru titled his head and inspected the still ticking watch, wondering why it wasn't disabled like Herb's and Seto's. He shook the thought away setting the watch back down then picked up the notepad next.

Masaru thought back on what happened in the computer room. There was a strong possibility that those videos were real which meant there's a strong possibility someone will break. He tried to remember the ones that were affected the most and wrote their names down.

Umeda Susumu
Valini Bhatt
Asya Neyzi
Winona Masuya
Mizuno Okimoto

It was true that everyone was upset but Masaru picked the ones that stuck out the most to him just to be sure. He began to scribble down more notes on his classmates including their talents and personalities when the bell rang.

"It is now 7am!" Monokuma spoke , "get ready for another beautiful day!"

Masaru ignored the announcement and continued to write down more details until he was satisfied. Once he was done he prepared to take a shower but when he removed his shirt something on his body caught his eye. He looked down at his right forearm to see a tattoo of a phoenix with its wings spread. It bore no color and was outlined in black ink. He hadn't seen it til now because he didn't undress when he went to bed.

Masaru wondered where and when he got the tattoo while he changed into the clothes in his closet which were similar to the ones he wore before.

Masaru made sure to have the notepad and pocket watch on him when he stepped out of his room into a quiet hallway. If he didn't know that there were other people in this school he would've assumed it was abandoned by how eerie the air felt. He saw no signs of movement from any of the dorms and decided to make his way to the dining hall.

The dining hall was even more scarce because only four other people sat inside.

"Hi!" Mizuno greeted him happily, seeming to feel better, then turned back to Toma, "I told you he would come."

"I guess he's one of the smart ones," Priscilla commented and Matsuyama chuckled at that.

"Where is everyone?" Masaru asked although he already knew the answer to that question.

"They are probably too scared to come out," Matsuyama said, "I don't blame them."

Mizuno stood to her feet. "We can't just mope around forever. We should keep searching for a way out." She looked at the others. "I guess it's just us for now."

"I suppose so," Matsuyama said then gestured to the kitchen, "I'm sure we would all function a little bit better if we eat something. How does scrambled eggs sound?"

"You can cook?" Mizuno's eyes lit up.

Matsuyama laughed. "Of course, I can."

Masaru took a seat next to Toma as Matsuyama got to work. After the five finished their breakfast they prepared to search more around the school.

"Should we all look together or should we split up?" Mizuno asked.

"I prefer to work alone," Priscilla said and wasted no time in walking out the doors.

Mizuno looked to Masaru. "I guess we can—"

Once again, Masaru walked past her and went straight for Matsuyama.

"Let's go," Masaru ordered and Matsuyama raised an eyebrow but still followed.

Toma gave Mizuno a small smile. "It appears it is just us two."

Masaru walked in no particular direction but it didn't matter because his objective was not to explore the school. He only stopped mid stride when he felt that they were far from earshot.

Masaru turned to face Matsuyama. It was about time he try and find out what's wrong with his memory and felt the columnist would be the most helpful and reasonable one to confide in. Priscilla was smart as well but something told him she wouldn't be interested in his "problems".

"How is your memory?" Masaru asked which was probably not the best way to start off the conversation.

Matsuyama blinked. "It's good... thank you?"

"No." Masaru huffed. "I meant... do you remember details about your life? Like who your family is or what your favorite food is?"

"Yes, I do," Matsuyama confirmed, "can you not?"

"No," Masaru said, "only my name and talent."

"But those videos..." Matsuyama ran a hand through his hair, "wow."

Masaru looked to the floor feeling self conscious which is something he never felt.
"I wonder when I get them back- if I get them back, will I breakdown upon remembering who those people were in my video?"

Matsuyama pursed his lips at the touchy subject. "Maybe some of the others are experiencing the same thing—"

"They're not," Masaru cut him off, "you saw how everyone else reacted in the computer room."

"Don't worry too much about it," Matsuyama said and put a hand on the detective's shoulder, "I'm sure they'll come back eventually and if they don't we can.... Ask Monokuma?"

"Ask Monokuma?" Masaru repeated in disbelief.

"Well, if there's something wrong with your memory then he as the headmaster is responsible for giving you an answer to why. There is no rule stating we can't ask him questions."

Masaru slowly took Matsuyama's hand off his shoulder. "How about we hold off on that."

"Sure." Matsuyama chuckled.

"I also have another question," Masaru started, "are you well versed in the stories about Hope's Peak and the killing games?"

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I think I'm aware of the basics. Why do you ask?"

"It's just, I think I've seen that bear- Monokuma before. It's just a feeling but I'm sure it's connected to my memories."

"Well, I don't think that's such a shock," Matsuyama said, "considering the fact that you're a detective I'm sure you've dove into the Hope's Peak theories for yourself before."

"That does seem plausible..." Masaru could see himself being interested in the legends of the killing games.

"So, should we start searching now?" Matsuyama asked.

"No, thank you," Masaru said and walked away. He pulled out his notepad and made a section for people who he believed he could somewhat trust along with a section of possible memories.

As Masaru walked he felt someone grab his wrist and he turned around in self defense.

"Got you!" Mizuno said then held her hands up at the sight of Masaru's raised fist, "hey take it easy."

"Don't sneak up on people like that," Masaru scolded her, "especially in a place like this."

"Sorry," Mizuno mumbled and Masaru looked over her shoulder.

"Where's Toma?"

"He said he had to go feed his birds," Mizuno answered then watched Masaru continue to scribble in his notepad, "what're you writing?"

"Notes."

"About?"

"People here who I think are competent enough to socialize with," Masaru answered and wrote down Priscilla's name next.

"Am I on there?"

Masaru looked up at her. "What's your name again?"

Mizuno bawled her fists and bit her lip. "Mizuno Okimoto."

Masaru didn't write anything down and put his notepad away.

"I guess I'll grant your wish," he said, finally.

Mizuno tilted her head in confusion. "My wish?"

"It's just you seemed to really want to speak with me at times but I had... business to attend to. I'm free now."

Mizuno's face flushed red either in anger or embarrassment. Maybe both.

"I only acted like that because you were the first person I met. I thought that would've been enough reason for us to stick together." Mizuno crossed her arms. "I wasn't begging for your attention, you're not that special."

Masaru nodded then began to walk away but Mizuno followed after.

"W-we should still search for an escape though," Mizuno stuttered, "I'm just gonna make sure you don't slack off."

Masaru said nothing and the two walked off together.

"So, what do you think makes a competent person?" Mizuno asked after a while.

"People who don't hide and cry when things get worse for them."

"Then Toma and I should be on that list too!"

Masaru side eyed her. "Why are you still on the list?"

"I'm just saying..."

"You want me to add a hiker and a bird keeper to my list?"

Mizuno frowned. "What do our talents have to do with this?"

"Nothing," Masaru answered lightly, "why would you want to become a hiker anyways?"

"The adventure!" Mizuno perked up, "if you don't mind the bugs and the heat then I'm sure you'll enjoy it too."

"I do mind," Masaru made clear and Mizuno laughed.

Masaru and Mizuno grew a bit closer.

Mizuno fiddled with her hands. "Maybe if we get out of here I can convince you to..."

Mizuno's sentence fell short when they entered the dorm area and Masaru looked ahead to see five people standing around one person's door.

"Valini, are you in there?" Winona called out as Seto knocked for the third time.

Asya, Margot, and Kaneko were also standing there looking worried as well.

"What's going on?" Mizuno asked once her and Masaru came closer.

"Valini won't come out of her room," Margot informed them and Masaru got a dreadful feeling.

"Valini please answer if you're in there," Kaneko spoke next, "you're scaring us."

Soon, the rest of the students hiding in their rooms came out due to the ruckus along with Toma, Priscilla, and Matsuyama.

"What's with all the noise?" Shoji complained.

Nao stared at Valini's door. "It looks like someone's already started the game."

"Do not say such things like that," Toma said.

"Monokuma!" Winona cupped her hands to her mouth and called out. Seconds later, the bear appeared.

"What? Did someone finally bite the bullet?" Monokuma asked happily.

"Unlock the door," Asya ordered, "something could be wrong with her."

Monokuma tapped his chin with his paw. "Why should I?"

"Stop wasting time!" Seto shouted.

"Fine, fine," Monokuma grumped before playing with the lock. When the sound of a click came through Monokuma took his leave and Winona was the first to barge through the door.

Valini's room had turquoise walls and a black carpet. Her closet was filled with sparkly swimsuits and pictures of her at the beach were plastered around the room.

Masaru's eyes were drawn to the mass of black and gold covers in the corner where Winona fled to. Winona reached out a shaking hand to uncover what was under it only for her hand to be hit by a hairbrush.

"Don't touch me!" Valini yelled and swung her hairbrush once again causing Winona to back away. Valini tugged the covers closer to her chest and her hair bun was a mess.

"Geez," Nao said, clicking her tongue, "got everyone worked up for nothing."

"It's okay, Valini." Winona tried to calm her but Valini shook her head.

"None of this is okay," Valini snapped, "we're all lounging around while our families are dead!"

"You don't know that," Herb told her but she looked far from convinced.

"There is only one way we can find out," Valini said harshly which threw the students into shocked silence.

"I wouldn't even think about doing that if I were you," Masaru spoke and everyone turned to him.

"Why not?" Umeda asked, crossing his arms, "like she said, it's the only way, isn't it?"

"I am the Ultimate Detective," Masaru said confidently, "If any of you decide to kill, you will surely be found out. Committing a murder will only solidify your death."

"Wow," Nao said and rolled her eyes, "so cocky."

Masaru glanced at her. "And you're not, miss Ultimate Chess Player?"

"Can you all get out?" Valini shooed them away, "I'm alive, alright? Now all of you leave before someone tries to make sure that I'm not."

Winona frowned looking upset that she couldn't assure her friend then exited the room with the others.

"Great, I came out of my room for nothing," Shoji said and stalked off.

"This already feels like an endless nightmare," Seto sighed and looked over to Winona, "what was that stretching stuff you were telling me about again?"

"Aerobics?"

"Yeah. I need that."

Winona clapped and her spirits were slightly lifted. "Follow me!"

Masaru looked over at Margot who still looked stressed from the situation but when she saw his gaze she shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Sorry for hiding away like a coward this morning," Margot said to him, "I did come out to do my warm ups like I said before but after that I just..."

"It's not your fault," Masaru told her and what he said next surprised him, "I was being...insensitive."

"Maybe that's a good thing to be in this place," Margot said, "things will hurt a whole lot less."

The students started to disperse from the nerve wracking incident and Masaru hoped they all would heed his warning.

Masaru began to walk back to his dorm since it seemed no one would be doing much of anything today and he met Toma there.

"What are you doing?" Masaru questioned before realizing that the bird keeper's room was next to his. He'd have to remember that.

"I was in the middle of feeding my birds when I heard the shouts," Toma explained, "Pippin didn't get his lunch yet... do you want to come in?"

Masaru narrowed his eyes at the offer. "Are you planning something?"

Toma looked genuinely confused. "Planning what?"

"Never mind," Masaru said and stepped inside Toma's room.

Toma's dorm had gray walls and a bed with black covers. Like Masaru's room, it also had a desk but his was made of black steel.
Masaru looked to the right of the room to see just as the bird keeper said, a cage with two crows and four magpies.

"I would've never guessed your ultimate involved animals," Masaru spoke while Toma fed a crow a handful of oats.

"What ultimate did you expect?" Toma asked.

"I don't know, the Ultimate Necromancer?"

Toma blinked at him. "What is a necromancer?"

Masaru knew there was a reason Toma and Mizuno did not make his list.

Masaru and Toma grew a little closer... I guess.

Masaru found his way back to the dining hall which is the place he enjoyed most, to see Kaneko and Margot sitting together. Kaneko was blabbering on about something and Margot did not look afraid of her pet snake at all.

Shoji was also in the back sitting at a table with his head buried in his laptop while Umeda stood behind him chatting about whatever. 

When Kaneko saw the detective she waved him over but Masaru took one look at the snake in her lap and walked past their table. He made his way over to Shoji and Umeda instead.

"Monokuma allowed you to have your own computer?" Masaru asked, staring down at Shoji's black laptop.

"It's my property," Shoji answered, "besides that thing already tampered with it to make sure I don't have access to anything useful." Shoji then glanced around him and lowered his voice. "I guess he forgot that I am the Ultimate Hacker."

Masaru nodded then looked over at Umeda.
"I thought you would still be in hiding."

"I wasn't hiding," Umeda corrected him, "I- we all just needed some time. How are you so calm after watching your video?"

"Maybe he hates his parents too," Shoji commented.

"I don't," Masaru stated although he had no clue if that were true. He looked down at Shoji. "And why do you hate yours?"

Shoji put his hood over his head. "Just when I thought I'd be able to tolerate being around other people." Shoji closed his laptop and stood before departing quickly.

"Look what you did," Umeda said and hit Masaru's shoulder, "he was warming up to me. I could feel it."

"Sure," Masaru said and an announcement went off.

"It is now 10pm," Monokuma chirped through the monitor, "return to your dorms this instant. Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs biiiittteeee."

Masaru watched Kaneko and Margot wave to them before exiting the dining hall.

"See you tomorrow?" Masaru said and Umeda scoffed.

"Maybe," Umeda replied and the two guys went their respective ways.

Once Masaru closed the door to his room he went to go sit his notepad and pocket watch back on his desk. He hated how the day felt unproductive since everyone was in their feelings but hoped tomorrow would be a better day.

Masaru then looked to the unpacked suit cases that were still at the end of his bed and decided to open them. When he did his eyebrows furrowed at the sight of nothing. He observed the empty suitcases then looked over at his closet, putting two and two together. Someone must have unpacked for him...

Masaru didn't think more of it then looked down at his notepad and flipped to the page where he wrote down Matsuyama and Priscilla's name.

He then sighed before writing down Mizuno and Toma's

*. *. *. *

The last time Masaru woke up it was due to that strange dream he had but that wasn't the case this time. This time Monokuma's morning announcement startled him awake and he sat up groggily. He tuned out the bear's extra cheery voice, wanting to stay in bed and he drifted off again. His attempt to sleep more failed because minutes later the next sound that filled his ears was a terrifying scream.

Masaru heard footsteps next and threw the covers off of him before grabbing his notepad. When he opened his door he saw Arata and Toma disappearing around the corner. Not too soon after, another announcement played but this time it was one he's never heard before.

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, a class trial will take place!"

Masaru's eyes widened just a little and he rushed in the direction the other two guys went. He spotted them near the hall bathrooms, specifically the women's bathroom.

Toma and Arata were staring in horror as Winona stood in front of them just as horrified. Masaru walked over to the bathroom's entrance to see what they were looking at and he froze.

Right across the entrance, laid against the bathroom wall was the body of Margot Gibbs, the Ultimate Surfer.