[A/N] Spoilers for the mastermind and many plot elements of LDOD. This takes place in a VERY plot-relevant AU, which will become apparent almost immediately. Essentially, this is the School Mode/Island Mode for LDOD. Every character will get alternate Free Time Events; either with a different person than the first time, or with changes to their content based on the AU's circumstances. Additionally, two completely new sets of FTEs will be released for spoiler characters! Maybe I'll even add in some "Random Events." Have fun, my lovelies!

Ren

My eyes open groggily, and the world is a blur for a few seconds. Shit, where are my contacts? I can hardly see. Swiftly, I realize that I must be wearing them already, since my vision clears up. Following that confusion comes another, more intense confusion, because I'm somewhere completely unfamiliar. I'm slumped up against a soft couch in what looks to be some sort of fancy parlor. I swivel my head and find a ton of other people scattered around the room– I take the time to number them and count seventeen, not counting me. All but three of them are just waking up, like I am.

One of the three people who are alert walks to the center of the room and claps his hands twice briskly. He's got a charcoal grey shirt and sunset-orange colored pants. He looks to be in his early-to-mid twenties. "Good morning, my lovely duckies!"

A guy with silver hair stares at his own gloved hands and responds with a raised voice. "Am I dead?! You have to tell me if I'm dead!"

"Probably more likely that we were abducted. You gonna hold us up for a ransom?" a woman dressed in a magical girl costume responds. Wait, that's Aika– I mean, Joanie Moore!

The older guy chuckles. "No, this isn't a kidnapping. You all agreed to be here. I have contracts, if you need proof! But I'll try to keep the explanation somewhat brief. Hi! I'm Hibiki Iwai. This is my baby brother, Naruhito." A kid with a neon yellow scarf in a wheelchair waves politely once introduced. "And the guy in the race car helmet is our cousin, Gou Kita."

"Hey, guys!" This last guy seems the most familiar, though I can't place from where.

"You expressed that we are here voluntarily? Where is 'here,' and what is the reason we agreed? For that matter, why can I not recall that?" a girl in a shiny spandex costume asks. She tilts her head softly.

"Long story short! This is a simulation! It's sort of like a therapeutic vacation, of sorts? This building has been designed from the ground-up to fit your wish list! There's a movie theater for Joanie, a massive garden for Hachi, a state-of-the-art kitchen for Tozen! Plenty of exercise equipment, including specialized stuff. A giant library. A crap ton of video games! Basically, we tried to make a paradise for you. For as long as you choose to remain here, time in the real world will pass very slowly. You'll be free from your responsibilities. All we ask in exchange is that you socialize with one another."

"Where on Earth did you get the resources to do this? I don't fucking trust you."

"Honestly, that's fair. Thanks for the question, Keiji. I'll reward that with honesty of my own. Also, you're free to opt out of this if the following information deters you." He takes a deep breath and wrings his hands out. "Uhhh... so I was a low-level writer for Team Danganronpa when it went belly-up." Multiple of us gasp, but I think we're too invested to leave without hearing more. "I nearly lost myself in it, but because of my family, I avoided falling into despair, for lack of better phrasing. I only really stayed because I wanted to make the experience a little less awful for the people who signed up. I couldn't do much, but I tried..." Gou sets his hand on Hibiki's shoulder in a vouch of silent support. "Um! Point being. You all met each other through a talent enrichment program a while back, and Gou noticed that a lot of you... really struggle with stuff out of your control. So he enlisted my help. I was able to get governmental support to turn some of the tech into this! Sort of like SDR2's Neo World Program, but in real life! Naruhito and Gou are my right-hand men, helping me run this smoothly."

A red-head scoffs. "Cute, but this is real hard to believe, bucko. I think I'm gonna want to see that contract."

"Absolutely! Do you want the real-life version, or the simulation copy?"

"Huh? How would I see the real-life version?"

"Granting eject permissions to all participants," Naruhito mutters quietly.

"Thank you! Now, you can all go back to the real world on-command. If any of you want to leave the simulation permanently, that will be fine, too. In order for the simulation to actually end, everyone who decides to try it needs to unanimously consent to leave it behind for good, and we can't literally ALL eject at once without ending it, but aside from that, no consequences for leaving."

"So... we can dip out to the real world whenever, but in order for us to ditch this place all at once, we need to agree to let go of it forever?" a beautiful dark-haired girl summarizes.

"Exactly! What a smarty-pants! Now, anyone who wants to see the contract, come with me. Naruhito and Gou will stay here." About two-thirds of us follow him. I choose to stay behind. Honestly, I trust the others to tell me if something seriously suspicious is happening.

"Okay! This is probably gonna feel like a really long time for us, so feel free to go exploring the building at your own pace! We'll get you once the others come back." At Gou's insistence, we start to scatter, but he quickly rushes up to me and taps my shoulder. "Ren. I have something to tell you in particular."

"Whisper sweet nothings to me," I wink flirtatiously.

He laughs. "I missed you. But regardless. I want you to know that this isn't technically your real body. It's an avatar. And, like you wanted, we made it so that no avatar's skin can be impacted by UV radiation."

My heart skips a beat and I clutch at my forearms. "Y-You mean... I can go outside and not have to worry about sunburns?"

He beams, and it fills my heart with fondness despite hardly recalling him. "The sun can't hurt you here! Oh, but also. If, at any point, you want to try facing your fear for real, we can disable that setting. All you have to do is ask."

I fan my hand in front of my face. "Damn. It may be warm out there, but it may be hotter in here."

"Shut up, you relentless flirt," he teases, giving me a soft shove in the shoulder. I cackle.

"Hey. Um. I still don't 100% know that I can trust your story. But if this is all actually true... let me be the first to thank you for sticking your neck out for us and making this happen."

"Can I hug you?"

"Ah, what the hell. Why not?" He gives me a firm squeeze. Maybe this won't be all that bad.

After some investigating, I wind up playing video games with Gou, Naruhito, and some people named Wakumi, Haruto, Fujiko, and Hachi. A while later, everyone else shows back up. We stare at them inquisitively. They look among each other, as if asking who's going to report back, and a guy with a frankly adorable bow tie steps up. "We scrutinized that thing with a fine-toothed comb, and it doesn't seem dangerous at all. We can't even get seriously injured here." The pirate girl, Wakumi, grunts at this.

"Play-fighting is still allowed. You just can't break any bones or pull any muscles or anything like that," Naruhito clarifies. It seems to improve her mood greatly.

Fujiko plays with her hair. "So...? Does that mean we're all gonna stay, or what?"

"Is that alright with the rest of you?" a rose-haired girl asks.

None of us object.

As if to officially commemorate it, a tall, broad-shouldered guy who's holding hands with the redhead chimes in with a deep voice. "It's nice to meet all of you. Err... again."

A tiny, hoodie-wearing boy jumps up cheerily and waves. "I hope we all get along!"