Chapter Text
The atmosphere had suddenly gone from cordial to tense in the small, white walled meeting room. Not that it was unusual--no, this type of workplace hazard was standard fare for the staff of season 53. With being the most innovative form of television entertainment on the market, the brand’s reputation was riding on their latest venture. Sure, Danganronpa had an award winning track record of keeping the brand fresh throughout the years, but the teenage demographic was notorious in demanding more. The current experiment in viewership novelty was virtual participation. The idea of actually bringing the viewers into the ultimate school wasn’t a new one. Revolutionary camera technology via the Nanokumas had tested well in the focus groups and had added a second wind to what many would consider an ancient reality series.
What the new Killing 1 Bot v.0 would do this season would set the tone for future endeavors: the viewers themselves would decide where the storyline branched out at critical trial moments. It was genius really, Danganronpa was literally running itself with how far the company had progressed technology-wise.
But what the staff of Danganronpa argues about on a near daily basis is the same squabble you’d have over figuring out what’s for dinner tonight. Motives. It’s always motives.
Team Kuma--the specialized team that operated and voiced the mascot, Monokuma--usually butted heads with the development team. Long time staffers with tried and true knowledge on what made “emotions run like blood” and yen pile up in the bank accounts were the very core of what made the show’s spirit. This elite group of people was what the fans knew as Monokuma.
“I know we’re all excited about testing K1B0 this season but we still need to give Monokuma a Plan B in case the storylines for our characters go off the wires.”
“Why do we always have to give this bear motives? The participants this season are going to deliver--this one guy has been watching the show since he was in diapers, he’s all in.”
“Yeah, and you made him the wimpy straight laced detective…”
“Hey! I wasn’t going to break his heart, he was begging me. He had his own detective themed execution planned out, how adorable is that? But I gave him a lot of space for character development. He’s either gonna be the surprise sick freak of the show or the most relatable protagonist we’ve had in awhile. It could go either way.”
“What about the others?”
“Last season’s winner is fine doing a cameo; agreed to getting nixed ASAP since we have him en route for the photo shoot in Fiji. The young woman playing Tojo chose the prime minister backstory--you know that character is absolutely primed to kill if we go ahead with the trial two motive. Look, at the very least our Korekiyo is a walking talking creep show out to get our most loveable girls. He wants to do a double kill, even signed on it.”
“...Fine, but we need something fresh--the hope and despair theme has gone on for ages, I’ll admit. My team and I don’t want a classic Makoto showdown anymore. Did you watch the Fanclub’s reaction to the promo for season 53 online yesterday? They’re already placing bets on who’s Team Hope and who’s Team Despair.”
“I know, I know...Those two words are so overused that I can’t help but cringe whenever I hear my 18 year old say them.”
“So, honestly, Team Kuma wants to shift the perspective a bit. It’s not about causing chaos for the sake of chaos--that’s just old news. Let’s go blank slate: we’re going to make them question reality itself--the existence of Hope’s Peak, the outside world, themselves--just everything. We’ll make it about truth and lies. Teens love that shit.”
“So you did read the character bio for our Ultimate Liar then!”
“Of course we did! The dev team does fabulous work. If we can all get on the same page once in a while, we will.”
“I’m getting teary-eyed, can you tell us how great we are again?”
“Hey if we get the bonus from meeting our viewership goal this year I’ll make out with you anywhere, anytime.”
“Wait, there’s an issue…”
“What now?”
“Shouldn’t we have the Ultimate Liar as the protagonist? Just running with the truth and lie theme here...Or switch him out with Tsumugi for Mastermind? At least for the final reveal?”
“With the theme being truth and lies...Having the Ultimate Liar as Mastermind is just...expected. Expected is not in our vocabulary. Besides the cosplay routine is totally new territory for us!”
“I mean...why not have him and the detective play off each other then? Maybe multiple protagonists?”
“Don’t you remember what happened for the 50th anniversary celebration? We brought out all the fan favorites as protagonists for each trial and it was a complete mess.”
“God, just handling Junko’s six personalities alongside the Monokuma bot gave me the worst migraine.”
“But...I didn’t write any inner monologue for the liar. I can’t do protag script writing now, there’s no time! Plus the detective always gets more airtime anyway. In my opinion, the more cryptic the liar character is the better. How about this--let’s go with the truth/lie theme and shake it up a bit. Switch out the Ultimate Liar’s title, make it something smartass. Like, Ultimate HR Specialist, or whatever.”
“Funny.”
“...and have one of Korekiyo’s potential victims as a protagonist to balance out the detective. We need higher female viewership anyhow.”
“I’d say the bossy blonde is perfect. We didn’t write much for her other than ‘positive role model, likes music’.”
“Wonderful. Excellent. Done. But we were supposed to have been discussing Monokuma motives…”
“Oh right..that.”
“So, we’ve got the backstory motive for the planned Tojo incident. Anything else?”
“Oh! I just got the best idea! We’re still running with the Love Hotel gimmick for the pervs right?”
“Full steam ahead.”
“Fans absolutely love when we take a bland, one dimensional character and transform it into a full fledged person. What if we take the word transform literally here? It can be Monokuma’s ace up the sleeve if nothing juicy pans out. Maybe even comic relief---have him use Usami’s cupcake wand.”
“You mean transform like Hajime/Izuru style? I don’t get it…”
“No no. Transform like: monster style. Something classic, something deadly. Something with sex appeal. Do it early on before the participants fall into despair mode.”
“You know, that’s got to be the dumbest suggestion I’ve heard in a long time.... I love it!”
He was dreaming right? This had to be a horrible dream. There was no way a useless “Ultimate” like himself could even be here with fifteen other students, trapped in something called a prison school.
He shook his head briefly and sighed, hoping to lift what felt like a heavy fog from his brain.
The concerned gaze of the other student who had been oddly stuffed into the locker next to his fell upon him. Why was it that he and Kaede Akamatsu had been put into lockers, side by side? It felt staged and his detail oriented mind was kicking into overdrive.
“Saihara-kun, I don’t want you to worry. We’re going to figure all of this out, together.”
She gave him an infectious shy smile. Something about her drew him in against his better judgement. Ever since that traumatic case of his he’d been wary of people. Even offering to do simple robbery cases to get rid of those horrible accusatory eyes burning into his soul. His uncle had praised him, telling him that doing what was morally right wasn’t always easy. Logically he understood that, yet he’d even taken to using a cheap black baseball cap to put a physical barrier on people’s faces. The resolution of the case had just been pure luck--or maybe it was more like bad luck.
But what had earned him the title of Ultimate Detective was following his gut instincts. Being virtually abandoned by his parents, he had always respected his uncle. He’d often follow him around as a young boy, wanting to be near him. His uncle would often tell him that a first hunch is often the best clue. So if Akamatsu said to trust her, well he’d just have to trust her.
Monokuma’s announcement of a game revolving around killing had sent the students into a tailspin of emotions. This was completely sick! Just what was the point of all of this? And for that matter, how had any of them gotten here in the first place? The only silver lining she could think of was the young man next to her. With an Ultimate Detective on their side they’d find a way out for sure! If nothing else, Kaede Akamatsu was a positive thinker. After all, she wasn’t called the Piano Freak for just giving up on the piano right?
A heavy sigh brought her out of her thoughts.
There was something about Shuichi that brought out a wave of protectiveness in her. It felt like being unable to let go of a precious vibrato note in Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor”...
She had to be strong. Not just for herself, but for him. He needed to believe in himself and she needed to believe in him. What good was a pianist for in this dangerous situation anyhow? Kaede put her best convincing smile on her face and reassured Shuichi. It’ll have to do for now.
“Kaede…”
She turned around to find Rantaro approaching her, a determined look on his face. Out of everyone, Rantaro was strangely the only one who had a sixth sense of the current situation. But how could that even be? He couldn’t even remember his own talent!
“I’d be careful if I were you. I was just thinking what you said back there to Monokuma would’ve pissed off whoever’s running this. They’re going to come after you, with everything they’ve got..you can’t be so straightforward, Kaede…”
As Rantaro turned to leave, Shuichi interjected. “Rantaro! For an amnesiac you sure have a lot of sound advice. You knew that there were sixteen of us in total. You knew exactly what the monokubs wanted from us. You obviously know something about all this.”
Shuichi had a nervous look in his eyes as his cheeks began to redden, undoubtedly feeling abashed with his uncharacteristic action. That determination...Without a doubt, Kaede knew Shuichi was not the pushover he claimed to be. Not in the slightest.
Rantaro laughed gently at Shuichi’s insinuation.
“You would think so right? But so far it all just feels like lucky guesses.” He brought his finger to his chin in contemplation. “You both were the last to arrive at the gym. Where did you first wake up?”
Shuichi looked over to Kaede, his face getting redder by the second.
“Well, Shuichi and I were inside separate lockers in the same classroom upstairs. Someone had to have put us there but we just don’t know who.”
Rantaro blinked in surprise. “You were...inside of a locker? That’s surprising.”
“It is? Where were you then?”
“In my dorm, on my bed.”
Shuichi looked off to the side, disappointment on his face. “If we have ultimate labs then it would make sense to have our own rooms. Our captors want us here for the long term it seems.”
“Yeah.” Rantaro folded his arms as he continued. “That’s why I told Kaede it wouldn’t be that easy to escape this place. We’re well provided for: food, shelter...we’re here for the long haul. Or possibly the short haul, depending how you look at it…”
“Don’t say that!” Kaede shook momentarily from her sudden outburst. “We can’t just give in like that!”
Rantaro sympathetically looked at Kaede. “I’m sorry Kaede, I really am, I don’t want to alarm you but...I don’t want to give you false hope either.”
“Rantaro, sorry to pry but, umm when we first met you, you asked if we had possibly been kidnapped, is that right?”
Rantaro’s eyes flicked over to Shuichi in curiosity. “That’s a good memory you’ve got there Shuichi. Yes I did. I was thinking it was a likely scenario for us. Group hypnosis and brainwashing, well, it seems a little out there--but I’d say this situation is a little out there as well.”
“Well, what if...What if I said that I remember being kidnapped?”
Kaede looked over to Shuichi in shock. Did he just lie to Rantaro? Shuichi’s face had gone from a flushed pink to a deathly pale white. She moved a little closer to him, just in case he was going to hit the floor.
“Is that so?” Rantaro didn’t look like he was buying Shuichi’s lie. Whatever Shuichi was trying to do, Kaede resolved to help him. She had more trust in Shuichi than Rantaro at the moment and that was good enough for her.
“It’s true Rantaro,” she grabbed Shuichi’s hand and rubbed her thumb across his knuckles affectionately. The action itself seemed to calm him. She looked at Rantaro apologetically. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. Shuichi had a very bad experience; he hasn’t gotten over it I’m afraid.”
“No. Of course not.” Rantaro shifted a little, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Being kidnapped while walking home from school is a traumatic experience. I was with two of my sisters at the time.”
Shuichi’s eyes widened. “You were?”
A vague memory of shadowy figures immediately floated in Kaede’s mind. When it began to fade out, she cried out in pain as she gripped her head. In a rush, Rantaro and Shuichi steadied her by the upper arms.
“Are you all right?” Rantaro softly asked.
“There it is again…” Kaede mumbled.
“What? What do you mean there it is again?” A small panic edged Shuichi’s voice. “This happened to you in the classroom before!”
“Kaede listen to me. This might sound strange but, did you see yourself with some kind of helmet on your head?” Rantaro bit his lip, looking afraid of Kaede’s potential answer.
Kaede gasped as she looked at Rantaro with frightened eyes.
“Yes,” she said in a hushed voice. She quickly grabbed Rantaro by both shoulders.
“Rantaro please, please tell us what you remember. When I think about it all, all I can be sure of is music. I remember growing up practicing piano, winning competitions...But I can’t remember where I lived. I don’t remember my friends from school. I’m not sure if I have siblings. I can’t even remember my mother’s face!”
Kaede’s eyes were brimming with tears as she hung onto Rantaro. The declaration sent a wave of shock into the young men.
Rantaro’s mouth was agape. “You can’t even remember that? Are you the same Shuichi?”
Shuichi swiftly replied. “No. No, I’m an only child, living with my uncle…”
Shuichi looked at Rantaro, fear clearly visible on his face as his voice wavered. “Rantaro, there’s something horribly wrong with all this. You know there is. If there’s anything you might know to help us, we need to know. We’re all in this together so we need to work together...Somehow. I need to believe that.”
Rantaro looked at Shuichi and Kaede for a long moment. In Kaede’s mind it felt like time had crawled to a stand still. Shuichi reached for Kaede and she hugged him tightly, afraid to let go.
Rantaro’s eyes shut as he stood still and heavily swallowed before he spoke.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. But you both need to promise me you’ll tell no one else. Otherwise I may just kill you both. That’s a legitimate threat. I don’t care for being betrayed.”
The tone of his voice was harsh. But they needed to face this harsh truth head on, together. Shuichi and Kaede looked at each other for a second before replying in unison.
“We swear.”