I ran back to the others in my school swimsuit, jumping into the water with an excited shout. Gundham, Mahiru, Sonia, Ibuki, Kazuichi, Nagito, TeruTeru, Nekomaru, Peko, Mikan and I all swam in the water. Some building sand castles, others spraying each other with the salty water of the ocean.

"YAAAAAHOOOOOO!", Kazuichi shouted with glee.

"It's been way too long since I've been in the water...! Hey, Peko!", I shouted as I splashed her a bit. She blinked a bit, then playfully glared.

"This is war.", Peko mumbled as we began splashing one another aggressively.

"That's more like it, Amica! Haha...!"

"Yaaaay! The sea!", Mikan cheered as she played in the shallow water.

"Aaah, the water is so cool. It feels great!", Sonia giggled as she kicked the water and splashed around.

"Uah! Too salty! This water's too salty! It's not going easy on me!", Ibuki sputtered from her spot in the deeper area.

"Heeeey, I got some suntan lotion from the supermarket. Would anyone like a rub down?", TeruTeru offered.

"Oh! You're quite considerate! Now then, will you apply it right away?", Nekomaru smiled.

"Eh? Rubbing lotion on a muscular man...? All right, no problem! My tastes are pretty open, you know!"

"You seem a little *too* open... Like you're covering too many bases by yourself.", Mahiru muttered.

"Mmhmhm... I'll make sure to slather you with lots and lots of oil."

"Wh-What is this feeling of intense bloodlust!?", Nekomaru gasped to himself. Just as we played a little more, Hajime joined us, wearing his own school swimsuit.

"Heeeey you guys! Don't forget about me! Hey hey! Wait for me! Let me join in the fun!", Hajime called.

"Amico! Come, join us!", I signaled for Hajime to join Peko and I. "By the way, you look amazing in the swimsuit, Caro~", Hajime went red a bit, making me laugh. Just then, Hajime splashed me with a ton of water, making me fall back on my butt in the shallow water.

"That's what you get...", Hajime smirked.

"Oh, you made a big mistake, Amico...", I grinned as Peko and I attacked Hajime with the ocean water. We were having so much fun until... the sky turned dark out of nowhere.

"...Wait, huh?", Hajime stopped, looking up at the sky. We all stopped our fun to stare at the gloomy atmosphere.

It begins...

What has begun?? What is going on? It was sunny just a second ago...!

"What's happening...? These strange clouds... This doesn't look natural at all...!", Hajime ran to Usami, who was staring at the sky as well, fear clear in her beady eyes.

"Eh? Huh...?"

"Hey, what's going on? What did you do!? This is obviously not right! It was sunny just a few minutes ago!", Hajime continued as the rest of us got out of the water to stand behind him.

"Wha...wha-wha-wha... Wh-What is this!?"

"...Huh?"

"I didn't do anything... What is all this...? There's no way! Something like this shouldn't be happening!", And, at that exact moment... it happened. The screen that was attached to the palm tree sparked to life, showing a silhouette of an animal(?) behind static.

"Ahh, ahh...! Mike check! Mike check! Ah, ah! Ah, ah! Can you hear me, can you hear me?", the voice was so laidback and so gleeful that it seemed out of place. But, it was different than Usami's. As if an endless storm of spite could be felt raging behind that laidback voice... The moment I felt it, my body stiffened.

What is this feeling of extreme dread...?

"Puhuhu... Surprised? You were totally surprised! ...Riiiight? Now then, sorry to keep you all waiting for so long. Let's leave all this worthless entertainment behind... It's time for the main attraction! You guys better hustle over to Jabberwock Park!", with a click, the voice turned off.

"Could it be? This voice...! I-If this is... Oh, this is very bad. I gotta do something... It's all up to me!", Usami nodded with conviction, running towards the park.

"H-Hey! Wait!", Hajime called.

"Usami's gone like the wind, Amico... What even was that?", I whispered, scratching my head.

"I don't know..."

"It seems that...was an unusual occurrence...", Byakuya voiced his concern.

"It's best if...we go, too... Jabberwock Park, was it? Let's hurry.", Chiaki murmured as she followed Usami's trail. The rest of us went to go change, the others following Chiaki. As we arrived at Jabberwock Park, Usami's shouting voice could be heard sounding throughout the park. 

"Wh-Where are you!? Where are you hiding!?"

"H-Hiding? Who are you talking to?", Hajime asked. Just then, someone's laugh echoed around us.

"Puhuhuhuhu!"

"...Eh?"

"Hey-hey! Where are you? Show yourself!", Usami yelled.

"Ahhhh-hahahahahahaha!", with that joyful laugh, the person, or creature in this case, came out. A teddy bear jumped up on the huge Jabberwalk statue, landing on the pedestal. The bear's whole face and body are divided by the center into two parts. It resembled the Yin-Yang symbol, of which there is a balance between two opposites in a way similar to a "flow". Its right side was white and had the classic expression of teddy bear; While its left side showed a more sinister appearance. It was black, had a red, horizontal, jagged eye that resembled the Hope's Peak Academy logo and an evil smile. "Why, hello there! Thank you all for waiting! Long time no see guys! I am Monokuma! I'm the headmaster of this academy! Ahem, now that I have made my dashing appearance, the first thing I need to say is... This is so friggin' lame! Lame, I say! Lamer than the lamest lamesauce! Oh, wait. Lamesauce!? Is that tasty?"

What in the hell is this thing...?

"Just as I thought... It was you! But...how...? Why is Monokuma here!?", Usami growled (albeit, in a cutesy way).

Monokuma?

El Diablo...

I wouldn't say that just yet... wait, why am I answering these weird thoughts!?

Trust me...

"Aw shaaaadup! I'm livid, you know... And I'm about ready to barf thanks to your lukewarm attitude! Just what's with this "heart-throbbing school trip" crap anyway!? I'm bored! So hopelessly bored! This just ain't fun at all! You better knock off this farce right now! You've gotta make this, you know...meet the demands of the world. Nobody wants to see high school students living calm and peaceful lives. What everyone wants to see is... Other people's misery...and despair..."

"Uh, I don't think that's what everyone wants, Peluche...", I muttered.

"Wh-What the hell is with this stuffed animal...!? Nothing he's saying makes any damn sense...!", Fuyuhiko barked.

"What...what is going on? What is that thing?", Byakuya expected answers from Usami, who ran (more like waddled) towards "Monokuma".

"Be careful, everyone! Stay back and leave this to me! I don't know why Monokuma is here, but as long as I have this Magic Stick--", Usami got distracted for one second, that's when the new stuffed animal grinned harder.

"Yah! Opening!", Monokuma jumped at Usami and they both began to throw hands. After much struggle, Monokuma stood victorious, breaking Usami's wand. "Dun-dun-dah-dahhhhh! VICTORY!"

"Noooooo! My Magic Stick!"

"Now then, what to do after my flawless victory... First of all, you're too plain. White rabbits are faaaar too plain. Soooo, I'm gonna make you in my image! Aaah-hahahaha!", Usami was attacked again, this time turning Usami's angelic image into that of a child, diaper and all. Still a bunny, but her color palette was half white and half pink, similar to Monokuma's design. "Taaa-daaa! ALL DONE!"

"Wha-...! What is this!? I'm not supposed to look weird like this! Change me back to normal!"

"My, my... Defying your big brother's fashion sense. Is Monomi a little troublemaker?"

"...Big brother? Monomi?"

"Your current position is too wishy-washy, so I'm setting you to be my little sister, Monomi. ...Though it's only an external setting, after all."

"Wh-Why do I have to be your little sister!?"

"...Big sister, then? You wanna be the older sister that got separated at birth? Hmm, that doesn't really feel right... Yep, you're definitely more like a little sister. Soooo that's how it's gonna be... Monomi! From now on, if you ever disobey me, I will never forgive you!"

"H-Hey! I won't let you make up your own settings!", at "Monomi's" comment, Monokuma punched her, making her flop on the ground in tears. "UGYAAAAH!"

"Stupid fool! Do you think you can win against me!?"

"Owww! It hurts a lot when you punch me!" (A/N: Yeah, no shit, Monomi XD)

"How about that!? Now you've learned your lesson!"

Living stuffed animals fighting each other... Now I have seen it all...!

"Ugh...if only I still had the Magic Stick, I could have totally beaten that awful Monokuma..."

"Puhu! It's your fault for leaving yourself open! Even a one second opening is life-threatening on a battlefield."

"Hey...what's with this stupid performance...?", Fuyuhiko questioned with a grimace.

"Wh-Who friggin' knows...!", Akane huffed, blinking owlishly.

"But...it's obvious something bad is happening.", Chiaki stated.

"Whaa-!? What is this!? What's going on!?", TeruTeru asked.

"Ugh... *Sob!*", Monomi wept.

"I feel bad for the Coniglia... I mean, she's wearing a diaper now!", I reminded everyone.

"Huh? Yeah, now she's all weird-looking!", Mahiru hummed.

"Weird-looking...? She matches me now, you know! How insensitive...", Monokuma sulked.

"There's more of 'em!?", Ibuki trembled.

"Wh-What does this mean? What *is* that black and white tanuki...?", Peko murmured while reaching for her weapon.

"I'm not a tanuki, I'm a bear! I'm Monokuma!", Monokuma growled.

"I-I don't understand it myself, but...a new stuffed animal appeared? I mean...why is that stuffed animal even talking...?", Kazuichi seemed to be searching his brain for any sort of answer.

"Seriously, I'm not a stuffed animal, I'm Monokuma! The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy!", Monokuma introduced once more.

"Monokuma...?", Nagito echoed.

"Did you say...headmaster!?", Nekomaru raised a brow at Monokuma.

First a bunny teacher, now a bear headmaster...? And why is Monomi so scared of this thing? Yes, it is a bit creepy, but... Is that all there is to it?

Just wait...

"Regardless...it appears everyone has gathered. Now then, as the headmaster, I shall make a formal declaration! From this point onward, the killing school trip will now commence!", Monokuma declared.

Killing school trip...?

There it is.

"A school trip where everyone gets along has no stimulation at all! And it's so damn boring! Nobody wants to play a game like that! You guys agree with me, right! Sooooo, let's begin out killing school trip! Naturally, you guys are the contestants!"

Is... Is this thing serious!?

"K-Killing...contestants...?"

"Wh-What are you saying!? I will absolutely, positively not allow such bloody events!", Monomi puffed, but Monokuma kicked the poor thing. "Ugyaaaah! Owww! It hurts a lot when you kick me, too!"

"Jeez... Your brain sure is tiny, Monomi! How many times do I have to tell you? Pay attention this time. Except in manga, a little sister is never smarter than her big brother.", Monokuma growled.

"Ugh... Ughhhh...!"

"Now then, we got off topic for a while, so let's go back to the explanation of the killing school trip."

"Wh-Wh-What do you mean, "killing school trip"...?", Mikan stammered.

"Isn't it obvious? You guys are going to kill each other!"

"Kill each other...I see... K-KILL EACH OTHER!?", Kazuichi yelled out.

"Wh-What are you saying!? That's impossible!", TeruTeru rattled in fright.

"Well, don't you think it's kinda lame and boring that you can't leave the island unless you all get along? So I'm changing the rules! If you want off this island, then please kill one of your friends! And then, make it through the class trial without getting caught!", Monokuma explained.

"...Class trial?", Chiaki questioned.

"That's right! The class trial is the real charm of this killing school trip! If one of you gets murdered... The surviving members must participate in the class trial! At the class trial, there will be a showdown between the blackened killer and the other spotless students. During the trial, you'll present your arguments about who you think the blackened is. The outcome will be decided by popular vote and if you arrive at the correct answer... Only the blackened killer will be punished. The rest may continue their school trip. However...if you choose poorly...then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment. As far as the class trial rules go...that's all there is to it! Which means, if you kill someone and make it through the class trial, you get to live and leave this island. However, if you are found guilty during the class trial, then you will be punished. Puhuhu, it's a familiar but simple rule, right?"

Familiar...?

To me.

To you...? You *are* me, and I have never been through this!

You don't get it.

"You...keep repeating that word "punish" over and over. What's the deal with that?", Kazuichi asked.

"Basically...it's an execution!"

"E-Execution!?", Sonia choked.

"W-What the hell do you mean "Execution"??", I sputtered, finding my voice.

"The pleasing punishment that follows the class trial! This is one of the perks of the killing school trip. Puhuhu, what sort of spine-tingling punishments will we see? I can't help it, I'm already getting excited! There may even be some unique punishments, like impaling you through the head with a Thingamajig Claw! Ahem, any method is fine. Popular ones like bludgeoning, stabbing, strangling, and poisoning... To shooting, beating, running over, burning, bombing, slashing, drowning, electrocution, crushing, cursing... Please, choose whichever killing method you prefer. No time limit, so you can kill as you please... It's an All-You-Can-Murder Buffet... A theme park of murder... That's what this killing school trip is all about!", Monokuma cheered. I clutched my chest without realizing it. With each beat of my heart, a sharp, stabbing pain coursed through my body. I didn't understand...what was happening to me. Fear... that was what I was feeling... So strong I couldn't even try to cover it up.

"D-Don't fuck with me...", Fuyuhiko growled.

"Th-That's right! Who on earth would kill someone?", Kazuichi exclaimed.

"I'm not ordering anyone to kill. Whether or not you kill someone is entirely up to you. But be careful! Youth doesn't last forever! It'll be too late if you guys wait till you're in your forties to start killing each other!", Monokuma cackled.

"I-I don't believe any of this... I don't believe any of this... I don't believe any of this...", TeruTeru mumbled to himself.

"Wh-What if nobody ever gets murdered? Does that mean we'll never leave this island?", Mahiru faltered.

"Who knows!? Anyway, I'd like for you all to go through with this killing school trip in a healthy and positive manner.", Monokuma shrugged.

"W-Wait just a minute! Why do we have to do this!?"

"Well, it's obvious. There's a reason you all need to kill each other."

"...Eh?", Hajime looked so lost, the fear and anger in his expression spoke volumes.

"Hold on... You've been running your mouth for quite some time now... I don't want to get violent, but if I do, I have no idea what might happen!", Nekomaru declared.

"What, a fight? Do I need to beat the crap outta that black-and-white bear?", Akane smirked, her aura switching to something fierce.

"Who would dare try to kill...? I'll put a stop to it, with force if necessary.", Peko stated with newfound determination.

"If you keep saying stupid stuff, the athletes in our group are gonna lose their patience!", Ibuki threatened.

"Ah, is that so...? Well, I guess I expected this reaction... If you guys wanna do things by force, then I'll have to fight back with a little force of my own...", Monokuma mumbled.

"Force? What are you gonna do...!?", Monomi asked. At that, Monokuma raised his tiny paws to the sky and called out.

"Surge... O gods who dwell between light and darkness... In accordance with our contract, I summon thee now... Come forth, Monobeasts!", in that moment, the statue behind Monokuma cracked all over, releasing a bunch of large robots from within, representing 5 of the figures on the statue. A horse and the knight riding it, a serpent, a bird and a beast. They stood behind Monokuma, all their beady red mechanic eyelights pointed towards us. I was shaking all over, them moving an inch closer and I would have bolted. But I couldn't. I didn't know if it was fear or shock or an unholy mix of both, but I wasn't about to risk it by running. They would have gunned me down in second, judging by the actual weapons strapped to some of the robots.

I've seen lots of strange and surprising things since I first arrived at this island. But still...the phenomenon taking place right in front of me was blatantly out of this world.

You and me both.

"Huh...huh...?", Sonia tried to speak, but like most of us, she was still trying to find her words.

"Wh-Why...did the statue move?", Mahiru whispered in fear.

"That's no statue! They're Monobeasts!", Monokuma introduced happily.

"M-M-M-M-Monster!", Kazuichi shrieked as he fell flat on his butt.

"No, I just said they're Monobeasts!"

The strange thing about genuine surprise is that when it happens, your voice won't let you express it. In all my years of acting, I couldn't bring myself to act tough now or try to play this off... I...was forced to accept that. I couldn't grasp the reality of this situation, and when you can't define reality, you can't bring forth fiction properly...

No time to be a poet, William Blake...

"N-No...this can't be... This is just...too weird...!", Mikan stated while covering her eyes.

"Am I...having a nightmare or something...?", Fuyuhiko muttered to himself.

"Kyahaha! A nightmare, he says! He just admitted his brain is a total flower patch!", Hiyoko scoffed.

"Jeez... You guys sure are a skeptical bunch... If something doesn't fit within your narrow notions of common sense, you just deny it outright... How stupid. Ignorant cavemen are better than you all! Classifying events according to their genre is a disease of the modern age.", Monokuma shrugged.

"Everyone! Please stay back! I-I will protect everyone!", Monomi stood before Monokuma again. "Even at the cost of my own life...I will protect everyone!"

"Hurk! ...Huh? What's this? Blurgh... Ugh... Ah, I know! This is nausea! Your sickly sweet sense of justice makes me wanna puke! All righty then, it's decided! You'll be my example to everyone !", Monokuma declared, jumping on one of the flying beasts, the robot morphing its hand into a gatling gun and pointing it straight at Monomi. I knew that with the size of that thing, Monomi would be a goner, and with us standing behind her, someone was bound to get hurt. I didn't know what was happening to me, a force focusing all my thoughts and internal processes, made my voice escape me against my will.

"EVERYONE, JUMP TO THE SIDE!!!", the voice that escaped me was... the voice in my head. Feminine, maybe around my age. I didn't dwell on it in that second, because the moment everyone jumped to the left and right to avoid the area of fire, Monokuma went off on Monomi with the weapon. Millions of holes scattered across her body in seconds, leaving her nothing but fluff and tattered fabric. The only person who seemed to be hurt was Hajime, who hissed slightly at a graze to his cheek from one of the bullets. Everyone else seemed to be extremely lucky. We all stood up on shaky legs, seeing the aftermath of the violence. There was no blood, but the sheer destruction it caused and the idea of there being a chance that one of us could have been killed...

"Wah... Waaaaah... WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!", TeruTeru shrieked.

"Wh-What is that!?", Kazuichi yelled in fear.

"A-blub-blub-blub-blub... It's only the first stage...and Monomi is already dead...!", Ibuki sputtered, frothing at the mouth.

"I-Is that a demon...!? Or perhaps it's...a weapon from the future...!?", Gundham questioned.

"Monobeasts are dreadful weapons of destruction!", Monokuma stated as a matter of fact, and I honestly wouldn't doubt the thing for a second. The sudden appearance of a monster... Even though a life-threatening monster appeared, if I didn't have the urge to yell at everyone to get out of the way, not a single one of us would have to run away and most of us would have been goners. We had never experienced anything like this before, and had no idea how to deal with it.

"Puhuhu... That's right, this is what I wanted. This feeling of despair! Giving an example was totally the right call! Ah-hahahahahaha!", Unlike the exuberantly laughing Monokuma, we were completely frozen. As though we'd forgotten to breathe... We just stood there, horrified. We were powerless... No different than ants washed away in a storm.

"Now then, I believe I've made my point... Just so we're clear, you guys can't defy me. If you don't want to end up as fish food, you better not disobey me! Just so you know...I don't feel mercy or sympathy. Cuz I'm a bear, after all. An excuse like, "I got high off this tropical atmosphere," won't work on me at all! Also, in addition to the killing school trip , I've already updated the e-Handbook. There, the rules for the killing school trip are written, so you better read them thoroughly. Ignorance of the rules is no excuse, either. Well, that's also true of any society, really. Now then... Enjoy the remainder of this liberating and harsh school trip!", After he said his piece... Monokuma and his Monobeasts vanished before our eyes... In truth, I was just tired. What was going on in front of me was just a figment of my dumb imagination, probably.

Keep telling yourself that.

"Wh-What just...happened...?", Nagito mumbled.

"U-Um...Um... I-I...just won't believe it... That's it... That's all there is to it...", TeruTeru continued to mutter to himself.

"I-It'd be one thing if we were up against a human or even an animal... What the hell can we do against a monster like that!?", Nekomaru exclaimed.

"I-It's impossible... Why is something impossible happening...?", Kazuichi questioned.

"Well, it's not...really impossible. Those Monobeasts or whatever they're called are machines. Thus, Monokuma must also be the same... As long as they're machines... It means someone made them, and is controlling them.", Byakuya stated. Although he looked calm, his voice had clear signs of worry laced in it.

"Who could be responsible...? Why were we put into this unexplainable situation...",Peko mumbled.

"Hey, who is it!? Who!?", Mahiru snapped.

"Amica, yelling will not get us anywhere. If someone here did know, they would speak up... right?", I geared the question more to myself in that moment. I didn't want to doubt anyone in that second but I barely knew these people.

"Aha...haha, it could be anyone. It's not like I believe it anyway. There's no way I'd believe something like that. More importantly, are you guys hungry? Let's stop thinking about this and just eat.", TeruTeru offered.

"...You can eat first.", Chiaki shrugged.

"No matter how confused or upset you are, I don't mind. However, remember this... I don't know who in the world is orchestrating this but... We don't need to be cautious of those machines...or even of whoever's controlling them... More than anything, we must be cautious of... Ourselves. Being brought to a tropical island with complete strangers, and ordered to kill each other to escape... That creates fear in our minds, and the desire to escape that hopeless fear...is our worst enemy.", Byakuya explained as he eyed all of us. We all followed his lead, looking at everyone who surrounded us. We looked around at each other's faces... It was obvious from looking at their expressions. Everyone...was forced to admit the truth of what he just said. We had to be honest with ourselves and admit that we also had that potential . Only a student who kills a classmate can escape this island... Which means in order to escape this hopeless situation, we must sacrifice a person... However, there's a possibility that a killing may never occur. But... Although my hands have never harmed someone in such a way... Can I really say I won't just go insane and... No, there's no way I can know for sure. In this nightmare of a situation, I don't have the confidence to say that outright. Once you're suspicious of something, you'll start to be suspicious of everything... Even of yourself. That's why it felt so hopeless. That day became a day unlike any other. A day which held a more significant meaning. It was a special day... A very meaningful day full of despair . That was the beginning. The killing school trip had begun, and this tropical island was the stage.

CHAPTER 2, END!