Prologue - The Diagnosis: Despair IV

A rattle woke me up from my nightmare. But I only woke up to darkness. Nothing but endless, dark void smelled desperation. No, it was hopelessness. Despair concealed my entire body. I knew what was going to happen to me, since I volunteered for this. But some of my memories were missing. And the fear of obscurity pushed me into despair.

My whereabouts, who I agreed with… Even my name. Well, since it will lose its meaning now, why don’t you give me a name? What should my name be?

…

……..

……………..

Hmm…

That sounds usable.

I also tried to remember my appearance too, but the memory never came back. While in the dark, it didn’t matter anyway. So, feel free to imagine me as you wish.

Think of me as an extension of yourself.

Think of me as… you.

But unfortunately, I do know that I’m a girl. So, keep that in mind.

“Is everyone here?” A voice came from the corner. It was deeper, and soft. “There are supposed to be sixteen of us. Is there anyone else with me right now?”

“Can’t tell the number, but there are more than just the two of us.” A girl spoke. She had such a nice voice. Pretty confident despite being tied in the dark.

Or is she not tied?

“How about we make a head count?” A boy answered right next to me. His voice is much stronger than both of them. A booming voice that shivered me to the bones.

“How are we gonna know our turn?” This voice is much more squeaky. One could assume that it belongs to a child. Technically, we are all children at high school ages. At least with our current memory, this is who we are.

“The engine slowed down. Guess we are about to see it ourselves soon.” This should be the first guy. Gosh, it’s hard to tell without seeing anyone. At this point, all I hope for is to not get my vision to be erased.

Soon after, the shaking stopped. We could hear the front door shutting close and the footsteps around the vehicle.

“A-Are we sure that those are the one?” Another girl spoke for the first time.

“Now you mention it… I’m not sure.” Guy next to me continues to scare me with his strong voice. It is going to be fun to guess his future. He has the potential to be an “opera artist”. They only have to give him some elegance.

The doors opened.

“There should be sixteen of you. Now stand up. And watch your heads.”

— Donk!

“What did I just say? Jeez. This patch cannot survive for too long.”

“Okay. Now on marching steps. Please come forward and do not fall from the steps. I repeat: Watch out for the steps.”

“Ouch!”

One by one, we marched behind the voices.

Not knowing our destination.

Our whereabouts…

Even ourselves.

We know nothing than the fact that we should follow these guys. ‘Cuz we agreed on this.

We stopped after our footsteps echoed in a room. The door was shut tight without a warning. After a beep sound, the handcuffs that were tied in our wrists fell down on our feet. This way we could free ourselves from the blindfolds.

“Phew! We are finally free.”

“Ah! You guys are here too? I didn’t see you there.”

“Obviously you couldn’t. We are blindfolded.”

“Yeah, but still.”

“Are these all the participants?”

“The numbers fit the descriptions. Yep, that’s it.”

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

Here we are. Sixteen high school students in a room. But wasn’t that supposed to be a gym? Was I mistaken? The room was rather empty with a single desk. The ones they place as reception. Doors behind the desk were locked with cage bars. Where are we exactly?

Ding dong, bing bong

“Welcome, everyone. It’s so great to see you all in person, finally. I can explode from happiness.”

“We can’t see you! Where are you?”

“You don’t have to see me. I will show myself when the preparations are done and fine. It must be un bear-a-ble for you to wait to see my handsome face. Who can blame you? Upupupu! Since I have a face of a godly statue. Even better than La Génie du Mal.”

“Are you even a human?”

“Surely it’s the devil speaking from that noisy speaker.”

“How rude! And we didn’t even start yet. This new generation has no manners. Back when the first game was out, they had dignity, respect, mutual understanding between me and the oblations. I should fix your tones and teach you some respect! Since I’m an excellent teacher, it will take a flash of moment to straighten you out. Now, now. Before the introductions, please look at the camera and say despair.”

— Click-flash!

With the bright light blinding me, I lost all of my senses. Vision, hearing, thinking… My whole body tingled with a painful, sharp sensation from my nerves. Next thing I remembered was…

…..

………..

………………..

Huh?

Where am I?

“…”

“…….”

That’s a strange place for sure. But kinda feels familiar. I stepped out of the locker into the white room. Walls, ceiling, floor… Everything was white. As white as my memory. Where am I? Who am I? The voice in my head told me to sit down on the bench in the middle of the room. Well, that was the only thing here besides the empty lockers.

To get my thoughts back on track, I started to count the lockers.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

There were fourteen unlocked lockers including the one I just left.

Who did they belong to, I wonder? They were labeled with a tag. Each of them had a name written on it.

“Let’s see… Chuuyou Wanda, Harada Junpei, Ito Kaori… What about mine?”

It’s weird. My name tag was empty. Shortly after, I found a board pen inside the locker.

“No one would blame me if I wrote my name.” So, what’s my name?

…

……

Ah! You say that I’m you. That’s strange. But I accept that. So, does that mean you are me?

Huh? That’s silly. There is no way that I talk to myself like crazy. So you must be the voice in my head. Ok then my inner voice. Let’s write our name.

Hm…

Come to think of it, I also don’t remember how I look like. I looked for a mirror to check on myself, but the only thing I saw was…

…..

……….

………………

…………………….

…………………………………………

Hey! What do you see? Are we seeing the same thing? Guess so. Well, that’s settled then. From now on, we are the same.

— Ruttle! Ruttle!

“What was that noise?” It came from one of the lockers.

— Ruttle! Ruttle!

I got closer to have a look. Something was trying to open the locker. I turned the handle and…

“Waaah!”

Suddenly, a boy with a gloomy aura fell.

“Why are you so depressed? Are you one of these emos?”

“Ouch… N-no, I’m… Huh?” The boy stood up and looked around. “Where are we?”

“Here should be a locker room.”

“Yeah, I see that. But which locker room? There’s nothing else here.”

“At first, I assumed it was a girl’s locker room. But now that you are here, I’m sure of it.”

“Of what?”

“You sneaked into a girl’s locker room to peek at the girls while changing!”

“Of course not! Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. But how come you assume that I’m the one in the wrong locker room?”

“Eh?”

“Maybe it was you that sneaked into boy’s locker room.”

“What!? T-There's no way-“

“Haha! Just kidding. I know you didn’t.”

“Huh? How?”

“Because we were both locked into the lockers. Someone else had have done this.”

“You think so?”

“Do you have another idea?”

“No, I don’t.”

“By the way, I’m Maeda Tokiko*.”

“What?”

“The name, Tokiko**. Got it?”

(Seems like you are a little bit confused. In case that you missed the joke lost in translation, allow me to explain. In the first line, your friend introduces himself in Japanese as it goes: な、まえだときこ。Means Na, Maeda Tokiko. And he continues as follows: 名前だ。トキコ。Name da. Tokiko. Did you get it now? Such a funny friend. Maybe he is the Ultimate Punster, what do you say? Best way to find out is to ask him. Oh, how rude of me. I didn’t introduce myself. Well, it doesn’t really matter who I am, or what I am… But what I do is very important. If you are familiar with the game, then you should know me. I will be around to guide you on your journey in case that you need it. But my powers are restricted. Think of me as an AI assistant who is only good for explaining things in excruciating detail. Don’t worry, only when it’s necessary. Now then, let me leave you with your new friend so you two can know each other better. Before I go, one last thing. You have to find other Ultimates and make friends of them. Keep that in mind. I’ll explain it later when the time comes. All good for now.)

“What was that?”

“Is it too bad?”

“No… Never mind.”

“Yeah, I’m not very good with puns. They always miss…”

“So, what are you?”

“Isn’t that a bit rude?”

“No, I mean your talent.”

“Ah! I get it. Why didn’t you say so? It’s shameful to say but I’m the Ultimate Bad Luck.”

“Bad Luck? Is that even a talent?”

“Well, at first, they gave me the title of Ultimate Lucky Student, but I never considered my fortune a good one. So, I asked them to change it.”

“Why did you wanna do that? That’s stupid.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot. But let me put it in a different way: When I am late for the class after oversleeping, teacher takes a pop-quiz. All of my friends say that I was lucky to miss it, but on my way, I probably had caused three different car accidents including a track hitting me at least once.”

“Wow! Isn’t that… Extreme?”

“That’s why I proposed to change my talent. It never felt like a fortune in the first place.”

“Well, at least you remember yours. That’s great.”

“Eh? You don’t remember yours?”

“To be honest, I almost forgot how I looked like. So I’m waiting for my memory to recover. While I was searching for clues, you came out.”

“Oh, sorry to interrupt. I had no idea.”

“It’s fine now. The time will show.”

“Yeah, you are right.”

“By the way, do you think there are others in the lockers?”

“What makes you think that way?”

“Look. There’s still one shut tight.”

“You are right. Maybe we should check, just in case.”

“Good idea.”

…

……

……..

“What’s wrong?” My hands shook before touching the handler.

“Why don’t you open it?”

“Me? Why?” He seemed shocked. But if I told him the actual reason, he’d might be even more shocked.

“What if here is actually a boy’s locker room? I don’t wanna find dirty underwear.”

“I’ve told you, it’s not! Besides, boys are not that dirty.”

“…”

“…”

“………”

“*Sigh*, fine.” He held the handler and pushed it down. The mechanism unlocked. After the pulled the door to himself we saw another figure inside.

“You were right! There is a guy!”

“And dirty underwear hung! Close it back!”

“Hey! Stop it! We should get him out first.” Maeda helped me to carry the guy and we laid him on the bench. He seemed like a high school student just like us. He was wearing thick-rimmed glasses that nerds wear after staring at their hyper fixation for long hours. His clothes smelled like sweaty socks. That’s what happens if you stay in the closest for too long.

“Hey, can you hear me?” Tokiko the emo guy spoke to him. He seems to startle.

“Heeeey! Can you hear us?”

“Ouch! Don’t yell, you.”

“Ngh…..”

“Ah, he is waking up.”

“Ngh…..”

“…”

“…….”

“………………….W-Who are you guys?”

“Good morning princess.”

“You, stop that.” Tokiko doesn’t seem like a guy who understands from jokes.

“Ugh… I have a terrible headache.”

“Would you like to rest more?” Tokiko stepped back to give the guy some space. He sat down on the bench and looked around. The same curious expression he had when we were first awake.

“Where is this place?”

“Seems like a locker room of a facility.” Tokiko answered.

“If it’s gender based, then I’ll leave first.”

“I told you, that’s not important.” Jeez, he has such a temper… The other guys seemed a little confused but tried to keep a friendly smile.

“Do you guys know each other, per chance?”

“You see, we also just woke up.” Tokiko continued. “The rest of the lockers were emptied before we met.”

“I see… Then, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Shirakawa Masato. Ultimate First Aid Apprentice.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“It is true that guys can make friends in any circumstances.” I said.

“Haven’t we become friends as well?” Tokiko looked at me confused and disappointed.

“Well, you can say so.”

“Then, what’s that attitude?”

“Before that, may I ask you two something else?” Masato interfered.

“Sure.”

“Where are the rest?”

“Huh?”

“If all three of us came out of those lockers, that means there should be thirteen more people with us. Since the lockers are empty, I assumed that they left out but… Gues you haven’t tried that yet.”

“You can say so,” Tokiko answered. “It wasn’t long before you rumbled the locker. So we took you out before investigating the building.”

“Understood.”

“…”

“…”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Oh yes, sorry. I’m much better now. If you want, I can join you guys.”

“Yup, that would do. The more, the merrier, am I right?” Why do I feel like spotlight was stolen away from me? These two became so close in a short time. Kinda annoying.

We left the room to investigate our whereabouts and ended up in a white corridor. It was all white. Pure white, chalk white, alabaster, linen white. All the fifty shade of white you could imagine.

“This place is giving me creeps,” Tokiko said.

“It should be a type of hospital. Look.” Masato pointed at the walls.

“Are those observation mirrors?” I asked.

“Seems so.”

“Hey, do you think there are people watching us?” Tokiko’s words sent shivers through my spine.

The air of the room pressed down on me. Both the acrid chemical smells and flickering artificial lights made my head spin. It was too much. Everything was flat, monotonous, and painfully plain. Besides, how could it be that in this massive hospital, there was no one here but us?

A terrible feeling washed over me. A feeling of helpless despair clawed at me from every angle. I could almost see the eyes behind the observation mirrors, watching me.

The space between my body and the wall felt as if it had shrunk, as though I were being pulled toward it. The windows around me… they trapped me, squeezing me between walls that were supposed to symbolize a pure, hopeful future. It was as if I were being bounced back and forth like a ping-pong ball between those two expressions…

“I doubt it. From the look of the windows, they are pretty old and dusty. Even if there were people on the other side, they wouldn’t be able to see properly without cleaning it first.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes.” That was kind of a relief. Not the type that washes away your problems but it helps you to ease your mind before facing the danger.

“Let’s keep moving. I think I heard someone.” Tokiko walked straight to the other end of the corridor. While we moved forward, we passed by another perpendicular corridor that was exactly the same as this one. Seems like they are all an extension of one another.

We passed through an automatic door and ended up in another small building. It was much bigger and colorful than the previous one. That put my mind in ease with such a calm view.

“What is it?” Masato checked around.

“Again, there are sixteen doors with tags.”

“What tags?” Masato asked me again.”

“Some type of name tags that appear on each door. They were on the lockers as well. But this one doesn’t have words. Instead, it has a picture.”

“Picture?” Tokiko was surprised.

“Look. This one looks like you. Small and edgy.”

“Hey!”

“And this might be my room.” Masato stood in front of the door with his image. His door was dark green and had a giant symbol.

“What is that?”

“It’s the symbol of health and first aid. It means that whenever you are in pain, here is your address.”

“Does that mean, we can bother you anytime we have an ouchie?” He simply laughed off.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Hm?” A girl around our age approached us. She seemed like a character popped out of 80’s soap operas. Permed, bleached hair tied with an old-fashioned bow. She must have stolen her grandmother's plaid vest and try to style it.

“Are you also Ultimate students?” she spoke softly.

“Yes, we are. And you?” This Tokiko guy is really friendly.

“Um… I’m Chuuyou Wanda… If you ever heard of it, but I must be the Ultimate Writer.”

“Must be?”

“Yes… I-I can’t recall the original title since everyone in the family said something different. But this sounds like the closest to the original.”

“Have you checked the letter?” Masato asked.

“A-Actually, my parents framed and nailed it on the wall before I could see it.”

“Eh?”

“S-Sorry, it’s just… T-They were too excited that they forgot me. It happens sometimes.”

“This is not a sometimes occurrence.”

“W-What you mean?” She sounded surprised with my spurt.

“Nothing. It’s none of my business.”

“Um…”

“Anyway, we are also Ultimates like you.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.”

“I’m Shirakawa Masato.”

“You must be the medical student on the news.”

“What news?” I asked back to Wanda.

“*Choking baby was saved by the heroic student on vacation*. The young student who heard a commotion next to the pool showers and saw the eight-month-old unable to breathe. He ran over to help and managed to dislodge a skimmer cap from the toddler’s throat.”

“Eeeh? You did that?”

“It was nothing, really. To be honest, that was like a daily activity for me at that point.” Masato seemed bothered for some reason.

“Hm? Why is that?” Wanda asked.

“When I say daily activity, that means many careless families leave their young children unattended. Even at a vacation spot, leaving children that age unsupervised around materials that pose a chocking risk is completely reckless. Do you have any idea how many children I end up saving every day because of this? Honestly, it’s starting to really frustrate me.”

“Umm… You have a point. But… I still think that you are a hero.”

“Ahaha, thank you.” Seems like these two are getting along. Maybe we should leave them alone. I glanced at Tokiko for his reaction. Seems like we think the same.

After walking around I found a room without any signs.

…

“…”

…

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“By the way, where is yours?”

“… Must be this one.”

“Really? But there is no sign on it.”

“It’s fine. I know this is mine.”

“I don’t get quite well, sorry.”

“…” The door was pitch black with a graduation cap and books drawings. From this image, I can assume that I’m an Ultimate student, but what type of student?

“Hmm… Seems like you are the Ultimate Student.”

“Yeah, I know. We are all one.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. Look at this symbol on your door. If this is actually your room, that means you are the Ultimate Student. If memory serves right, I’ve heard each student’s talents before.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Then you must be the Ultimate Student.”

“Is that so…”

“…”

“…”

“???”

“So, what does an Ultimate Student do?”

“Well for that, you have to ask yourself.”

“That was helpful, really.” In another corner, there was a guy sitting on the floor while his hunched back has turned us. He seemed to have trouble with something.

“Tch!”

“Hey.”

“Ngh…

“Hey!”

“Yo, whas’s it? Can’t you see I’m grinding over here??”

“Sorry.”

“…”

“…”

“What? You just gonna stand there AFK until I’m done?”

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

“We are here for self-introduction.”

“Is that it?” I nodded. “*Sigh*… fine. This thing was bugging me anyway. Name’s Mitsugi Keijiro. Ultimate Hacker, Takedown. Y’know the guy that fried the city’s announcement network.”

“You?”

“Yeah, you can probs tell.” With his tangled long hair and dirty home clothes, he does look like a hacker from a Hollywood movie. And on top of that, he had a goatee.

“Hm…”

“What were you doing just now?” Tokiko asked.

“Was trying to ghost into this building’s Wi-Fi rig to scope out the mainframe.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Tracing our location.”

“What?!”

“I tried tagging the supercomputer’s IP —figured I could pinpoint our spot and see what kinda dump we’re in. Was talking to that shy chick over there earlier, since none of the guys actually bothered to get our sitch yet.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hm? It’s actually pretty simple. We’re in some freaky-ass building loaded with tech—electric crap, lights, the whole deal. But nobody’s running the place; the only occupants are us. Doesn’t that scream sketch to you? I don’t get how y’all just chilling, but before some random masked psycho yanks hidden machine guns outta the walls and sprays us, I’m gonna find some backup.

“You actually have a point. As expected from the Ultimate Hacker.” Tokiko answered.

“Seems like I’m the only sane one.”

“Well then, we’ll let you do your work.” I pulled Tokiko’s arm and dragged him away.

Seems like this is all for here. Maybe we should leave.

We continued on the white corridors. The tiles under our feet shone with the light above us. If you’ve ever been on arctics, there is a chance that you might get snow blindness from all the bright light reflecting from the white snow. Just like that, this corridor blinded my vision and gave me nausea from the lack of shades. Previous despair inside me was replaced by another eerie feeling.

We were marching endlessly down a monotonous, colorless corridor. Like lab rats tossed into a maze full of traps, we had been set loose. We did not know where we were going. We did not even know where we could go.

The half-dirty windows followed us like watchful eyes, as if trying to whisper the truth: you were thrown in here just to be observed. It wasn’t simply despair. No, it was something heavier — a suffocating sense of being caught. Yes, that was it. We were trapped here. It was as I had slipped into a lucid dream, and the world around me had begun to warp and buckle. This was how the rats must feel — confined, driven mad by walls they cannot see beyond. That’s where we were. In a hospital for the insane. And if not for the mad, then surely to make us go mad. What we observed and experienced was not fear or despair born of the unknown. It was the crushing weight of oppression.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“Yeah…”

“…” We continued along the white road until we came across a girl standing in the middle of a four-way intersection. She had a long white ponytail, short overalls, and shoes that matched her surroundings. The only thing that set her apart from the ground were the hints of purple in her clothes and eyes. She was in excellent shape, with prominent muscles and a tall, imposing physique.

“Hi, hi~!” She greeted us cheerfully.

“Oh, hi.”

“Whatcha doin'?”

“We are checking on other students.”

“Ah? Me too, me too!”

“Really? That’s great. Do you know where the rest is then?”

“We met some of them on our way already. Wonder if you saw them after waking up.” She looked confused after Tokiko’s speech. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Tachi-gran’mama Miyu!”

“What?”

“You mean, Tachibana Miyu?”

“Yes! Tachi-baba.”

“And what do you do?”

“Miyu is looking for others.”

“Yes, you already told that. But I meant-“

“Are you and Ultimate?”

“Yeaaah! Ultimate Acrobat. Are you guys Ultimates too?”

“Yes. I’m the Ultimate Student, and he is the...”

“The official title is Lucky Student, but I lean more into Bad Luck.”

“So, you guys are Ultimates?”

“Yeah, we… Just said that.” She started to look around as if she wasn’t listening.

“By the way, Miyu.”

“…”

“Miyu!” Tokiko yelled.

“Hm?”

“Are you listening?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know where the other Ultimates are?”

“Um… Miyu saw a guy… He was keep talking about- he knows how to cook so, him and Miyu came to kitchen. But- Snot everything is white and boring. Miyu liked her room but kitchen had snacks. Also, the guy disappeared in the kitchen after Miyu heard- Do you know this music? Dun duuun dudu dunnn~”

“I don’t understand what you are saying?”

“Miyu, where are the others?” Tokiko asked once again, looking directly into her eyes.

“In the kitchen.”

“Still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you here then?”

“…”

“…”

“……..” She giggled at the observation mirror.

“Is she okay?” Tokiko went silent before answering.

“She is a special case student.” This voice came from right behind.

“Masato?”

“You thought you could leave me behind?”

“No, we just thought…”

“It’s fine…” he chuckled softly.

“Hi, hi! Miyu is Tachibana Miyu!”

“Hi Miyu, I’m Shirakawa Masato.”

“Hiiii~!”

“Hi.”

“So, what’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing. She is just different than us.”

“How come?” I looked at Masato. He lost me already.

“She presents with traits suggestive of emotional developmental delay or divergence, that’s all.”

“So she is retarded.”

“Watch your language, lady.” Wow, he looks scary.

“Miyu is not!” Miyu also looks upset. So she was listening. “Miyu is special.”

“We are all special, here.”

“Hey, I think I got what they meant.” Tokiko said and then turned to Miyu. “Now Miyu, are you an inclusive student?”

“??”

“That must be a yes.”

“So she is r-word.” Now all three are upset. What’s so wrong with it? Since when did we stop using the words and decided that they are offensive? They are just labels.

“Maybe we should have a session with you, too. What do you say?”

“What session?” Miyu asked.

“Not for you, Miyu.” This guy is too smiley around girls. I should be careful.

“Oh, oh! The kitchen smells nice. Sniff sniff It’s sweet bun!”

“When you mentioned…” Everyone started to smell the air. It was coming from the right side. The sign said cafeteria and kitchen. That’s explanatory enough. Three of us entered the kitchen and saw more people sitting around.

This room didn’t match the rest of the style choice. It had brighter colors and more options. Dining tables were aligned neatly. Serving line was filled with various foods, including the sweet buns. Buttery, warm smoke mixed with the sweetness of vanilla and stroke my nostrils. They looked so fresh, almost as they were just baked.

A guy with fancy suit came in from the door behind. He was wearing a double-breasted linen jacket an ascot, tugged a rose on his chest. His hair was shining from all the hair gel sculpted his hair. With a proud expression, he placed a tray full of sweet macaron tower.

“And voila. Le Tour De Lavande and White Chocolate to cure your emotional dysregulations. The freshness of lavender will ease your worries and clean your mind while the white chocolate stimulates the circulatory system.”

“Wow, that looks and smells delicious.”

“Merci, for your compliment. This spectacular tower was made for our dear friend Miss Tachibana to help her regulate her negative emotions.”

“Did something happen to her?”

“Unfortunately, when we first woke up, she had just woken up a few minutes before I did. Poor fille must have been panicking without anyone else, trapped in a room. I witnessed her discomfort with my own eyes as she climbed on top of the lockers and curled in a spot that I could not reach.”

“Poor girl,” said Tokiko.

“And how did you manage to bring her back down?” Masato asked.

“In such a desperate time, I offered the only thing I’m good at. My one and only pride that brings nothing but joy to people in every situation: sweet buns.”

“So you offered her food and she came down?”

“Seems like sweet aroma helps her to calm her nerves down and allows a better communication.” Masato tried to reason this guy’s action. Well, it made sense.

“Exactement!”

“But where did you find the sweet buns in such place?” Masato continued.

“I simply made them.”

“Huh?”

“In a place which possesses a locker room surely must have another zone with kitchen utilities. And was I right? However, I never expected this place to have a grande cuisine in that size. That was a sweet surprise which is only fitting, for me to make a sweeter one.”

“You mean, you negotiated with Miyu so she would calm down.” I asked.

“That’s right. She must be here soon. Macarons are at perfect warmth, just worthy of her mouth. Not too hot, and fresh enough.” After a second look, they do resemble her clothes. She surely will be happy after seeing that. Was I too harsh back there? And she even understood me. Maybe I should go apologize at the first chance I get.

Others at the cafeteria were two very similar looking pair. Although, style-wise it is impossible to say that they can be related in any way. The girl was wearing ripped shorts and a tassel bustier with lots of bead jewelry. Some part of her body – including eye area and upper torso – had a different tone than the rest of her almond skin. Her hair was braided. On the other side of the table, there was a guy. Their faces looked similar but he was definitely a high ranking Shinto priests. Was he trying to convert her religion? I silently approached to hear their conversation.

“And then BOOM! The girl fell from the closet. I tried to get her off of me and look for your locker, but it was already empty.”

“I never thought you would be in there in the first place.” The guy looked apologetic.

“Me neither. If the girl hasn’t fell on me, I’d never thought you were here with me. Seriously, this place is giving me all the creeps. The acoustics of the building are almost catastrophically muffled and buzzing. Hey, do you remember when we went to the Doujou-ji play as kids? For a moment, I felt exactly like Kiyohime… like I was some kind of creature and they were trying to crush me. Of course, you wouldn’t know what that exorcism feeling is like, since you’ve always been on the other side of the deal.”

“You are wrong. Cleansing evil spirits leaves a bit of kegare that sticks to your spirit and ki. So I do know what that feeling is like. Still, it has nothing supernatural about what we are experiencing.”

“But you felt that, right? This place is creepy. Muuu~ I wanna go home already.”

“At least we have each other. So nothing bad should happen.”

“Yeah!” They seem to know each other. Maybe I should go and ask them.

“Hey.” They both looked at me. “Are you talking about the observation mirrors?”

“That’s right! It feels like someone’s watching us this whole time.”

“Guess there’s no… sneaky, mushy stuff for you then, huh?” All of a sudden, their faces twisted in horror and disgust, as if they had seen ghosts. “W-What?”

“She is my sister!”

“Ewewewew! What the hell? What’s wrong with you? Are you one of these creeps that fantasize about their sibling in the shower?”

“No, of course not. I just assumed that you were…”

“That’s worse!”

“The creep!”

“Sorry! My bad. I should have started with introductions first.”

“That would be a smarter act.”

“Ugh… I that was worse than the mirrors.” Girl shivered and hugged herself.

“I’m Aoi Teruhi. The Ultimate Exorcist. And this is my sister Rokujo. The Ultimate Musician.”

“You have a very talented family, I see.”

“You wouldn’t believe it but our parents are also Ultimates.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, they met as high school sweethearts and then had us.”

“So, you guys are twins? Identical or fraternal twins?”

“Guess.” Teruhi said with a smile just like his sister. If I didn’t know identical twins would have same sex, I could repeat my question.

“But isn’t that cool? The Ultimate Family. If I was your mom and one of you didn’t have a talent, I’d be ashamed of myself.”

“…”

“…”

“That was a joke.”

“Well, since our mom is the Ultimate Mother, that would never be the case.”

“She is a what now?” Rokujou continued.

“When they met, mom wasn’t an Ultimate. But they had an accident ending up with two new lives. Once the school heard this incident, they decided to take care of all of us and gave my mom the title of Ultimate Mother. This way she could both continue to school and keep us close.” I had no words to say to that.

“Anyway, the last thing I remember is that we were was cleaning the house with mom and the next thing is, we were locked in a room.”

“*Cleaning*?”

“Yeah. Spring cleaning, you know. My dad doesn’t believe in spirits but he also asked me to purify the house from the garden. But I don’t remember anything else after I stepped outside.”

“Me neither. I might have heard a noise from where you were at. Cuz, I do remember calling out for you. But again, once I stepped outside… Everything went blank. Ever since I can’t remember a single thing.”

“Mom must be worried sick. I hope that she is the one who brought us, and we just fainted there.”

“How can we both faint at the same spot?”

“Maybe we tripped on the same obstacle.”

“Hmm… That sounds possible.”

“Anyway, I’m glad we weren’t far from each other.”

“Me, too.”

“You two seem to have a closer sibling interaction.”

“You can put it that way.” Teruhi continued. “Our mom taught us to love and respect each other equally. We do fight sometimes, but a strange situation like this is not the time.”

“I was worried sick when I read his name and couldn’t find him anywhere. I thought, maybe someone kidnapped him. Or maybe he was never here and sent somewhere else. Regardless, the cause for concern has disappeared.”

As I felt their side Tokiko approached to me.

“Have you met them?”

“Yes, they are Ultimate Siblings.”

“Both of them?”

“Oh, I mean they are both Ultimates and siblings.”

“Now that makes sense.” He smiled awkwardly.

We left there and passed by Miyu. Shoot, I forgot Masato again. Oh, well… He can catch up later. On the opposite side of the crossroads there was another unite. It said waiting room.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong Tokiko?”

“As I suspected. We are at a hospital.”

“It was… obvious for a while.”

“But I had mix feelings that we might have be in an asylum as well. Wards seemed to be for in-patients. But if there is an open waiting room without bars separating them, then that must be a regular hospital.”

“Hey, do you think that we might, in reality, be sick?”

“…That’s a possibility.”

“In that casei which one is worse? Being mentally sick or possibility that we might die here?”

“Huh? What makes you think that?”

“Because! Look around. There is no one else, but us. And it’s not only me but everyone has that weird feeling that we are being watched. Maybe we are in quarantine and carry a deadly disease. If so, then we might just die here until they find how it does to us.”

“Let’s not think about that scenario yet. Everyone seemed pretty normal so far. Besides, we have an actual medic with us.”

“What’s more suspicious!”

“You might have a point. Still, let’s wait before we judge. No need to panic over something that might not even exist.”

“…” I had no choice but accept that. I couldn’t help myself but think about the worst case possible. Why on earth they were hiding from us?

We entered the waiting room. It felt more like an extension of the hallway; white, one-way mirrors, empty. But there were some couches scattered around. Some had a small coffee table with various magazine on top. I examined one of them. It was a popular fashion magazine called Red Ribbon. It was one of the most selling magazines worldwide. You have to be super important to be on Red Ribbon. Yet, there was a girl who was the cover of that so called magazine for the last three months. They had all three copies on the table so it caught my eye first. In a closer look, the girl was cute. Blond, blue eyes, fair skin, an excellent body with gigantic boobs. No wonder they chose her as the cover face for three months in a row. But the magazines were too old, all the writings had faded or stained.

“She looks familiar.” Tokiko said.

“Acquaintance of yours?”

“No way a girl like her would be friends with me.”

“Truly, you have zero fashion sense. She would have a heart attack if she saw what you are wearing right now.”

“It was in high demand in early 2000s.”

“Outdated.”

“Gghh!”

Here as well, we could see other Ultimates. One pair was on a different corner than the girl, so we checked on them first. Funny how boy and girl looked exact opposite. The guy looked so pale. His skin was liter transparent and had trouble sitting still. He hugged his cardigan and leaned his head on the girl’s hands to stay awake. She, on the other hand, was wearing a tie suit without its jacket. Was she a kind of helper or caregiver for this guy? He was definitely sick.

“Take deep breathes. Keep your eyes open.”

“Ugh…”

“Is he okay?”

“Can’t tell… He was extremely fatigue and laying down here. I was worried that he was having seizures but guess he just fainted.”

“Ugh…”

“So you are not his helper or something?”

“No, we met while I was exploring the area. He was already here, sweating bad.”

“Should we bring Masato to take a look?”

“Is he a medical student?”

“He is the Ultimate First Aid Apprentice.”

“That might help. Can you bring him?”

“I’ll go.” Tokiko ran out of the waiting room to find Masato.

“By the way, may I ask for a self-introduction?”

“Sure. I’m Itou Kaori. You might have confusions from the suit but I’m the Ultimate Bartender.”

“Bartender? At this age. Is it legal?”

“Let’s say they didn’t know for many years.”

“!!!”

“I managed to serve and earn until two years ago. Then, a cop busted our place and arrested all of us. Can’t say that I have a clean record anymore.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine now. Just a few more years and I can continue to work again.”

“You don’t intent to give up.”

“Why should I? That’s my life and only thing I’m actually good at. Besides, it’s not a big deal. It’s just mixing drinks and serving them. Everyone drinks alcohol, that’s not illegal. Bet those law makers drink those cheap beverages every night and call it a drink, but when it comes to my payment, it’s a huge no-no.”

“Look at the double standards.”

“That’s why I said!”

“I’m back!” Tokiko came back, but he was alone.

“What about Masato?”

“I lost him. I checked everywhere but couldn’t find him.”

“Hey, he’s waking up.” We waited for the guy to open his eyes.

“Ngh…”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… What happened?” He spoke softly.

“You were lying here for a while. I was quite worried.”

“How long?”

“I dunno, maybe an hour? Might be longer, ‘cuz you were already here when I woke up.”

“*Sigh*… Thank you for your concern. But this will repeat unless I get my medication.”

“What medication?” I asked.

“I have end-stage heart failure. That’s why I need continues treatment.”

“That’s horrible! Where can we find them?”

“Usually I carry all with me. But when I first woke up, they were missing.”

“We are in a hospital. They should be somewhere around. We can ask Masato anytime.” I suggested.

“Really?”

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Ugh… Harada Junpei.”

“Hold on a second. Aren’t you that hero kid?” Kaori asked.

“Wow. We have so many heroes here.”

“They exaggerate. What I do is not heroic, it’s common sense.”

“Can you fill me in, if you don’t mind?”

“I’m the Ultimate Donor. I donate things such as blood, plasma, bone marrow, organs… Since I wasn’t supposed to live long enough, it was the best to give anything healthy I had within my body. Never expected to survive this far. Therefore, I don’t dare to call myself a hero. Any kid in my shoes would do the same.”

“Harada-san…”

“It’s fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

“No, that’s fine. Glad to see you awake.”

On another seat, there was a girl in a cute dress. She looked like one of these royal family members. Kinda made me wanna be extra careful with my speech.

“Um, excuse me?”

“Hello. How can I help you?”

“We are here for a self-introduction and meet others.”

“Such an honor to pique your interest. I’m Munakata Noriko, the Ultimate Debater.”

“Debater? Like, you start argument?”

“Ohohoho, no you silly. I participate in championship debates and defend my argument. I’m not a dispute person myself, thus instead, I prefer to protect my argument.”

“Like, treating it as your client at court?”

“Oh, that’s an interesting analogy. I like that. t rather reminds me of one I came up with as a child — I’ve always found that weaving stories helps persuade others, though perhaps not everyone appreciated it as I did.”

“Well, I would.”

“I noticed it right away. I’ve always had a keen eye for people like you. Pleasure to be meeting you. Now, if you excuse me.”

Last place to see – or road to be explored – was waiting for us. Tokiko and I, after leaving the waiting room, turned the corner and found ourselves in a circular building.

Right at the center, there was an reception surrounding a weird looking teddy bear statue. There were two more corridors extending from the opposite side. But they were closed with cage bars. I tried to push one of them.

— Clink Clink!

Obviously, it was locked.

“I tried to force them already, don’t push yourselves.” The guy talking to us was pretty muscular. He had an intimidating look. I had to throw my head back to see his face high-up.

“Does it not break?” Tokiko asked.

“No, impossible. In any case, it is forbidden to damage the property anyway.”

“Forbidden? How do you know?”

“The rules were written on our tablets. Haven’t you read yet?”

“Tablets? We didn’t receive one.”

“Are you sure? Everyone here got one. Check your pockets.” After he said that, I felt the weight on my chest pocket. So it wasn’t despair I felt, it was this little thing. After I turned it on, it wrote Monobook.

“*Monobook*?”

“Must be a new brand. When you open the e-rules, it clearly states that damaging property is strictly forbidden and this action will be punished. I don’t know who wrote it why, but I wouldn’t mess with anyone especially when my enemy is invisible.”

I checked the rules one by one just to have a general idea.

1# Students must reside only in the designated area; breaking out is strictly prohibited.

2# "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 8 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

3# Monobooks are valuable items you should always carry alongside.

4# The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more students discover a body for the first time.

5# With minimal restrictions, you are free to use sanitary equipment at your discretion.

6# Violence against Chief Doctor Monokuma is strictly prohibited and any violation will result in an appropriate punishment.

7# New rules may be added if deemed necessary.

8# Once a murder occurs, all surviving students must participate in a class trial.

9# If the blackened student is caught during the trial, they alone will be executed.

10# If the blackened is not exposed, the remaining students may face execution, and the blackened is guaranteed to be discharged safely.

11# Any student caught damaging or destroying property or equipment without permission will face severe punishment once the killing game starts.

12# Sleeping anywhere outside your designated living area is strictly prohibited and will be treated as a violation.

13# Inappropriate behavior or misconduct toward other students without permission is not forgiven and will result in immediate execution.

“That’s…”

“Excessive. That’s what I thought when first read the rule. But there is nothing we can do. Rules are rules.”

“So we are trapped here until the help comes.” Tokiko said.

“Ah, what about hacking the mother computer? Does that count as rule violation?”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember. We met Takedown at the dorms.”

“You’re right!”

“Who’s Takedown.”

“He is the Ultimate Hacker. He was trying to find our location and call for help.”

“Understood. As long as he doesn’t damage anything, he should be safe, right?” The big guy continued.

“That’s… possible.”

…

“By the way, who are you?”

“I’m Inoue Naokuma. The record breaker boxer.”

“Inoue!? The Ultimate Boxer? I’m a huge fan!” Tokiko jumped in.

“AHAHAHAHAHA! Never expected to be locked with one of my fans!”

“I love your signature move, Peek a Boo-Boo! The way you hide your face under attack, slipping and dodging with super speed, is incredible! It looks like playing with babies, makes your opponent look so slow. You disrupt your opponent’s posture effortlessly, creating the perfect opening for your lightning-fast double punch! Then — BOOM! It’s so quick that the opponent can’t even cover up before it lands and their faces are utterly invisible from your punches! You are my hero!”

“AHAHAHAHAHA THANK YOU! It’s my pleasure to meet such an ardent fan like you. I’ll do better of my best from now on!” Are these real? Tokiko was literally breathing like a dog and this guy’s hearty laughs were making me rumble on my place. They are a good match for sure.