???

"Is the school ready?"

A man with slicked back hair and narrow glasses stared at the person across from him who was too giddy for what they were about to do.

"Yes, it is," the man answered, "are you sure you want to go through with this? The world isn't the same as it was back then. Officers will surely look for them."

The person clicked their tongue. "That is if they find us. Which they won't, right?"

The man almost shuddered under the person's intense gaze although they were younger than him. It was like a challenge as if it was up to him to make sure they indeed did not get caught.

"Of course." The man cleared his throat. "All of the students are in their rooms. They'll wake up in about an hour."

"Great. You should go practice then since you'll be in my place for a while. What fun is hosting a game if I'm not playing in it?"

"But if a student decides to kill, what would happen if they targeted you?"

The person stared them down. "Do you really think they'd get the upper hand on me?"

The man gulped, knowing what the person was capable of. "Not at all."

The person stretched then glanced out the window of the classroom the two stood in as the sun rose; the start of a new day.

"Puhuhu, this'll be so much fun." The person then turned to the man with starry eyes. "What do you think about the laugh? Did I do it right?"

The man was definitely not going to say anything that would upset the person so instead they smiled and responded.

"It was perfect."

*.               *.                *.                  *.                 *

Masaru Yamaguchi's pounding headache was accompanied by a bright glare when he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a smooth ceiling with a fountain light shining down on him.

Masaru was lying on his back before he sat up abruptly and took in his surroundings. The room he was in looked like a fancier version of a college dorm that had a small bathroom and two suitcases at the foot of the bed which he guessed belonged to him. Although he had never seen or lived in this room before, it already looked to be decorated.

There were posters of mystery films and tv shows hanging on the beige walls but he did not recognize any of them. A black jacket hung on a coat rack along with a hat while a few more items sat on the wooden desk to his right.
He stood on wobbly legs then made his way over to it, looking down at the objects: a magnifying glass, a pen and notepad, and a golden pocket watch.

Masaru was not surprised considering what his talent was but then looked over at the singular window that was bolted shut by a metal slab.

"Weird," Masaru commented then coughed from how dry his throat was. He looked around for any source of water but found nothing.

The room was pretty spacious for a dorm and the closet across from the bed was filled with clothes similar to what he was already wearing. Masaru walked over to the standing mirror and looked at the clothes in question. He wore a black long sleeved button downed shirt with light blue jeans. Black boots occupied his feet and a silver necklace hung from his neck with a silver ring at the end. Masaru then looked at his reflection and observed his dark eyes and black bangs that fell before his eyes.

Masaru brushed his hair out of his way then glanced over at the white door. He didn't know exactly where he was but guessed it was most likely a school so he figured he should explore the rest of it.

Masaru opened the door then stepped out of his room. A sage green hallway stretched out in front of him with several more white doors and decorative paintings. The hallway was sort of an L shape and his room was at the corner of it. Two doors were to his left and the rest were on both sides of the hallway before him.

Masaru closed the door behind him noticing the name plate at the top with a chibi picture he assumed was supposed to be him. He began to walk forward seeing how the rest of the doors also had pictures of the person on them.

Once he got to the end he entered a large space with a chandelier above it. Anyone would have thought this place was a mansion if not for the two classrooms labeled 'computer room' and 'home economics'. There was also a room labeled office which looked to be locked and located next to two large doors. Masaru stepped closer to the doors noticing that they were the entrance to the school but they were also bolted shut by the same metal that covered the window in his room.

"Hello?"

Masaru turned around to see a girl emerging from the economics room and approaching him with a relieved expression.

"Finally, another face," she breathed out then pointed back at the classroom she came from, "I was just exploring the place while I waited for the opening ceremony."

The girl's brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail under a green cap with a white flower on the front. Her hickory eyes were enhanced by the glasses she wore and she also wore a green collared crop top with brown shorts. There were black biker gloves on her hands with a brown backpack on her back while her boots looked similar to Masaru's.

"I'm Mizuno Okimoto," she introduced herself and stuck out her hand, "the Ultimate Hiker."

"Masaru Yamaguchi, the Ultimate Detective," he said simply. It took him a second to notice her hand before he shook it.

Mizuno's eyes lit up. "Detective? That's so cool! I could never really get into the whole mystery genre but I admire the people smart enough to figure out those sort of things."

Masaru only nodded. "Where is everyone else?"

Just as he said those words another door opened down the hallway he came from and a student walked out. The person blinked in confusion before they spotted the two and walked over.

The guy had black hair that fell to his shoulders and light black eyeliner under his eyes. He wore a long black coat with silver designs on the sleeves, a dark gray scarf, and spiked black shoes.

Masaru already didn't like the looks of him but the guy gave a small smile.

"Is this Hope's Peak?" He spoke with a Russian accent.

Mizuno nodded although she looked a bit sick. "Don't know why they would name it after that place but yeah it is."

Masaru was confused by what she meant but didn't question it for now.

"Other than that, are the windows in your rooms also blocked off?" Mizuno asked.

The guy's eyes widened. "Yes, they are!"

Masaru nodded as well and Mizuno tapped her chin. "That's weird..." she mumbled.

The guy agreed then introduced himself. "I am Toma Nikolaev. Ultimate Bird Keeper."

The other two introduced themselves back then Masaru raised an eyebrow.

"The Ultimate Bird Keeper?" He questioned and Toma nodded proudly.

Toma pointed back to his room which Masaru noticed was next to his. "My room has a cage filled with my crows and magpies. I don't know how they got here but..."

"Cute," Mizuno commented right as Masaru spotted someone jogging towards them.

"Hey!"

The person did not come from the dorm's hallway but from the hallway near the computer room. It was a guy with fiery red hair who wore a bright orange tank top with neon green shorts. He had matching orange sneakers and brown fingerless gloves on his hands along with golden earrings.

"So, this is where you guys are?" The guy spoke with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Mizuno asked him.

"The others are all waiting in the gym. I knew there were three people missing."

Mizuno gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. "Oh my god, are we late?"

The guy shook his head. "Nope, the principal still hasn't made an appearance yet so you're fine. Anyways, I'm Arata Hisao, the Ultimate Volleyball Player."

After the three said their introductions, they all followed Arata to the gym's brown doors. Once he opened them, Masaru saw the rest of the ultimates who all looked unique in their own way and many voices shouted out to them.

"Is this everyone?"

"About time! What were you all doing?"

"Did any of you see the Principal? I'm tryna go back to bed."

Mizuno and Toma went to go join the others and Masaru figured he should get aquatinted with everyone in the mean time.

Introductions

Nao Nakayama- the Ultimate Chess Player
A girl with long black hair that fell down her back and red painted lips. She wore a dress; the top blood red and the bottom black with red flowers. There was a red bow on the top of her head, a golden necklace around her neck, and she wore black heels. She seemed sort of snobby and had a self righteous attitude.

Asya Neyzi- the Ultimate Makeup Artist
She has brown skin and a beautiful soft pink hijab wrapped around her face. She wore a light brown sweater with white diamonds on it, black tights, and brown boots. There was a pink cosmetic bag in her hand that she always brought with her wherever she went and her face was obviously covered in makeup but it was done perfectly almost to the point where you couldn't even tell. She gave off influencer vibes but was pretty cool.

Shoji Isao- the Ultimate Hacker
He had black hair that was hidden under a black beanie and was short in height. He wore a hoodie with a tiger on the front and torn black jeans. He looked stand offish and preoccupied in his own mind.

Margot Gibbs- the Ultimate Surfer
A girl with blonde hair and clear blue eyes. She wore a long sleeved white shirt and blue Jean shorts with a plaid yellow jacket tied around her waist. She also wore white sandals and sunglasses on top of her head. She seemed laid back and approachable.

Kaneko Yanagi- the Ultimate Snake Charmer
A pink snake was wrapped around her shoulders which was probably why no one was in close proximity of her. She had dusty pink hair; half of it up in a bun, black lipstick, and pink heart shaped sunglasses. She wore a pink knitted sweater jacket with a white top underneath, a black skirt, and pink and black boots. She seemed to be a bit of an airhead but was super sweet.

Herb Sowle- the Ultimate Drafter
A guy with curly ginger hair and black glasses. He wore a black collared shirt with white plaid lines and brown jeans. He looked down at his silver watch and seemed a bit shy.

Valini Bhatt- the Ultimate Swimsuit Model
The girl had flawless brown skin, curly black hair all tied up in a cute bun, and golden hoop earrings. She wore a black one piece bathing suit with a turquoise skirt and matching flip flops. It was obvious she had a lively and friendly personality.

Matsuyama Michio- the Ultimate Columnist
He had brown hair with curtain bangs that fell to his neck and wore a brown coat with a black top and black jeans. He had a nice smile and looked very responsible. He gave off a comforting aura.

Priscilla Azumi- the Ultimate Curator
She had short black hair and pink lips with silver earrings. She wore a purple wrap dress and lilac flats. A sophisticated aura surrounded her and you could tell she was extremely smart and calculating.

Winona Masuya- the Ultimate Allergist
A girl with sandy blonde hair; half of it in a high ponytail, and brown eyes. She had on a white and blue apron dress with blue sandals. She was very welcoming and very kind.

Seto Hamasaki- the Ultimate Masquerader
He had brown hair that stopped at his shoulders and golden eyeshadow. He wore a fancy black suit and black slacks with a golden watch. He was a bit of a drama queen but seemed pretty friendly.

Umeda Susumu- the Ultimate Game Designer
He had green hair, red circular sunglasses, and black earrings. He wore a black hoodie with green pixels on it, green shorts that matched his sneakers and an orange drawstring bag on his back. He looked a bit lazy but fun to be around.

*.                 *.                  *.                   *.               *

Masaru didn't think his brain could take in any more names or talents and was glad when a bell rang which meant the ceremony was starting. He expected to see a line of teachers and supervisors walk in but instead the stage in front of them started to rise just a bit. What happened next was not something he expected.

An object jumped out from behind the podium on the stage and stood on top of it. Everyone fell silent as their eyes laid on the thing that began to speak them.

"My apologies for keeping you all waiting!" A high pitched voice rung out, "but now that I'm here, the fun can finally begin!"

Masaru stared at the bear in front of him that looked more like a plushy. Its colors were black and white except for the one glowing red eye that almost seemed to stare right at him. Confused murmurs spread around them but Masaru was silent with a sickening feeling as if he's seen this thing before.

And if that were true then every moment from now on would be true hell.

*. *. *. *

Hello! 👋 I hope you enjoyed the prologue. 🪷
Which ultimate is your favorite so far based off of description alone? 🔍