Chapter Text
Hope's Peak Academy. The shining bastion of hope that most youth in Japan dream of attending when they get older. Unfortunately for most the process of being accepted isn’t as simple as passing an extra rigorous exam. There were only two requirements.
You must be a high school student.
You must excel at a certain talent.
It could be anything, from baseball to photography to even being in a biker gang. Nothing was off the table. However you could not apply, you needed to be scouted to be permitted to join the elites. Truly being considered talented enough to join Hope's Peak was one of the greatest honors that could be bestowed upon a high school student. It also opened up so many doors. People who graduated from Hope’s Peak grew even further then before, becoming the leaders and pioneers in their fields.
And here you stood, at the front of the school.
God
You-
You…..
You have been through this before, haven't you?
The world began to blur together, the blue sky caving in on itself to darkness, you looked up at the remains of the sun and took in a breathe.
You were ready to get to your happy ending already.
You blinked as you looked around the black void, gray streaks shooting past you in the darkness and your head turned until you noticed the door to class.
Was it Wednesday? You kind of hoped it was, your mind wandered to what specialty class it might be as you walked towards the familiar pale yellow wood and placed a firm hand on the handle, giving it a firm yank open.
The light pouring through the classroom windows was so blindly white, it almost looked as if you were in a blank void. 14 students were placed in the room and you looked around. Four of them you recognized immediately.
Byakuya Togami, the heir to the Togami Cooperation there was not a person on the planet who did not know who he was with his ruthless image. The weight he had gained made him look friendly than you might have expected though.
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, next in line to the the Kuzuryu Yakuza Emperor, you had heard passing breathes about how ruthless he was, feared just as much as his sister. He looked…. oddly child like in person though, despite the pout.
Nekomaru Nidai, he had been in charge of taking your dad's favorite college baseball team from zeroes to heroes. Despite his large amount of muscle and sharp features, if he was good at his job he probably wasn't that scary.
Lastly Princess Sonia Nevermind, the fact she had been accepted to Hope's Peak Academy had been all over the news. It was exciting to meet her in person, you had heard her to be very kind. Besides, Princess like to read, right? Perhaps she would enjoy Night Razor!
That made you realize something.
"Where is my suitcase!" you exclaimed, you had the weight of your shoulder bag on you, but- you had a suit case when you came to Hope's Peak. You swore you did.
Your exclamation startled the group who all looked to their sides, expect one: a pink haired girl sitting in the middle. It appeared to all but her that they hadn't even considered where their bags had been.
"Ibuki's Guitar!!!! Where is Ibuki's Guitar!? a girl with hair in cones with patterns of blue and pink and white on her looked around before she grabbed a pink hair boy wearing a jump suit, beginning to shake him violently.
"Why do you think I would know!?" he yelled out.
"It appears, not all of our items are missing," a girl who looked like a white rabbit with her twin braids and large red eyes, as she tugged on the black bag on her back.
"I have my camera," a red hair girl with freckles dressed in a plain fashion noted as she held it up. "But, it would be stranger if I didn't have it."
"Did someone try to rob us!?" a childlike girl in a kimono exclaimed, her blonde pigtails bouncing as she stomped her foot on the ground in an angry pout.
"Should someone dare to steal from me…. the price would be eternal," a taller boy declared, his arms crossed as his scarf shifted in unnatural patterns as it crumbled and rumbled like something was inside.
"It is hard to think anyone would be bold enough to rob all of you," a cute boy with fluffy white hair said, a polite smile on his face.
"Fuck, god dammit my cash was in there!" a girl with red shorts exclaimed, as she put her fingers into her hair, clenching her skull.
"That is not important right now, the bigger issue is why we can't leave," Byakuya's voice boomed over the crowd. "If we cannot get out of here, our possessions mean nothing."
"That… is true," you said and you began to slink around the classroom, moving to the back and pressing yourself next to the white haired boy. Your mind was racing with so many things, and you tried to find something to focus on.
You looked around the room, looking at the backs of everyone as you let out a long hum. Your head turned down to your bag and poked inside. There was none of the school supplies you had packed, and you didn't have your laptop either: and your books….
"I didn't have these in my bag," you mumbled as you grabbed the two inside. You had So Lingers the Ocean by Toko Fukuwa and then, ugh- The Seven Challenges.
Time to Time, which as much as you adored your favorite book hadn't been in your bag, neither had…. The Moving Tale of the Marvelous Meandering Mannequin Man? You brow furrowed as you flipped the leather bound book in your hand. You cracked open the first page.
Dedicated to my Beloved Atlas: I hope that only fortune finds you and you bask in the happiness you deserve - Algernon
You flipped to the next page, and it was blank. The rest of the book was too. Your mouth fell open as you studied it. It didn't, have any publication information on it, not even a logo. It was like a hand bound journal more than a book.
The white hair boy had been looking at you, studying you like a puzzled fox, before above the murmuring you heard the door sliding open.
Everyone was facing the door as-
as-
You felt like Cupid had gotten a head shot on you. Your mouth fell open and your pulled a hand to your chest, staring at the dazed boy who had just walked through the door.
He was- you- you couldn't breathe, he was so handsome.
He had tan skin that was pale as his head panned around the room, his mouth hung open in a daze and his nose scrunching around his faint freckles. He was dressed in business causal and a tie your eyes would drift to, but they mostly remained focused on one point: his green eyes.
They were a stunning shade of emerald green, he did not seem to notice you as you became utterly enchanted by them.
What- in the world?
You were all for good love at first sight plots in your story, when it was called for but- you- who was this boy? How was this- you had to keep your feet planted because you wished to run up to him and hug him, to scream a name you did not know.
"Who goes there?" you love struck daze was broken when the rabbit girl spoke up in a tone that made you jump.
"Ehhh-" he barely got the sound out.
"Are you okay? you look pale-" Sonia said as she held her hands by her dress, tilting her head at the newcomer through the classroom door.
"Ah, um…."
"Hey could it be, you are also a freshman at this school, right?" the girl with freckles had said.
"Then you're all…?"
"See for yourself, were all freshmen too," the boy who had been shaken about said. You hummed and looked between them.
"I assume….freshmen like us have all been gathered into this classroom," the girl with pink hair spoke.
The boy walked in and attempted to put something in his stride, but he awkwardly shuffled towards the back of the class and took a seat near where the the cloud haired boy and you had been perched on the wall. "Why…. are we here? Shouldn't there be an entrance ceremony or something?"
"That is what we were about to discuss before you arrived," Byakuya said as he looked down. "All sixteen of the seats are filled, I think it is time we start trying to figure out what is going on."
"Well what are we gonna talk about!?" Ibuki asked as she perked up. "I don't think we have any leads!"
"We might not, there is something I need to confirm with everyone," Byakuya stated as he peered around the classroom. "Is there anyone here who remembers how they actually arrived at this classroom?"
It felt like he had dropped a glass cup in the room as everyone stood in shock, realizing they had no memories of it. Your mouth fell open and you closed it.
That would have given whoever plenty of time to steal or switch out stuff, you supposed. Your fingers traced the leather work of your new mysterious title.
"I see, so before you realize it, you all were just in the classroom…. then we are all in the same predicament. No matter how you look at it, it;s unnatural, even you stupid looking ones would agree, right?"
"It's…. concerning that is for sure," the red haired girl agreed before her hands wandered down to her camera, she began to tab through her photos and her nose scrunched. Then her head shot up. "What do you mean stupid looking!?"
"The moment you set foot on campus, you felt a strange dizziness, and now you're here and you don't know why. That is what I experienced before I arrived here. Am I correct in assuming that is true for all of you?"
"That happened to me to…."
"Ya- it was kinda like nausea," the girl with red shorts noted as she let out a hum.
"It seems….. it seems to connivent to be coincidence."
"So you're saying it is not just a coincidence, then. Meaning we can only speculate on who is responsible for this."
"Hah! I don't know what you're so worried about, but that doesn't sound like a huge deal," Nekomaru was picking earwax out of his nose, and flicked it perfectly into the trashcan. "I think the bigger problem is the fact we cannot leave."
"We can't-" the rabbit hair girl took a pause. "Leave?" she asked.
"Whaddya mean by that?" the girl with red shorts asked as she snapped her head towards the door.
"A little while after I got here, I tried to leave to go take a shit," perfectly acceptable amount of information to drop in the first conversation. "But that door wouldn't budge at all!"
"A one way rabbit hole, then…" you said as you looked towards the door.
"Pretty much, even with all my might I couldn't open it!"
"I saw the oaf try! He was yanking and tugging and no matter what he did he couldn't budge the stupid thing!" the girl with pigtails exclaimed.
"What!? That isn't possible! When I went through the door, it opened normally, it- it wasn't locked at all!" the handsome boy exclaimed as his breathe started to quicken.
"Though I do not understand the circumstances, but there is no denying we have been locked in this classroom," the rabbit girl said as she glared towards the door.
The sense of panic began to fill the room and you let out a hum. "Well, who came in first?" you asked and held up a finger.
"That would be me," the pink hair girl raised her hand. "I came in here…. about an hour and 15 minutes ago…. I think…." she put her hand on her chin as she looked away, trying to consider. "Before you came in."
"And how often have new people been entering the room before are supposed," you gestured at the handsome boy. "16th student?"
"Hmmm…… well…." the pink hair girl pointed to the nurse, who jumped away from the gesture. "She came in next about three minutes later, and then him closer to ten or so. After that…. everyone came in about every 10 minutes in a set of pairs. You came 15 minutes later."
"Is it possible this is a sort of Hope's Peak Entrance exam?" the cloud hair boy suggested.
"According to Hope's Peak, no such exam exists," Sonia pointed out as she tilted her head, her eyes flicked towards the cloud hair boy and you couldn't help but look between them.
They both seemed to eye each other, but nothing was set with them.
"They may say that publicly, but it's possible this is actually a special entrance exam."
Your eyes went towards the window, as blue skies suddenly popped into existence as the sunshine dimmed.
"Ah! You're Wrong! This is not an entrance exam!" a sweet voice called from the podium and everyone was facing the front of the classroom.
A tense air hung over the room as everyone turned towards the source of the voice, the teacher stand.
Hopping on top of the podium and doing a little twirl, her ears and nose twitching was a magical girl rabbit.
Your mouth fell open. "It's…. a white rabbit…." you looked towards your rabbit hole and blinked.
"What is a stuffed animal doing here…?" the red head asked.
"That's right, I am a squeezable soft stuffed animal," the bunny agreed. "Magical Miracle Girl Usami!!! A.K.A. Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezbly soft teacher!" she pulled out a staff and pointed it forward, it looked…. like a magical girl staff. "Nice to meet you all!"
"Ah there is lead in the hats and asbestos in the walls," you mumbled to yourself as you held up a hand.
"What the fuck!?" Fuyuhiko yelled, as he gritted teeth. "Is this some kind of prank? Being fucked around with by some stupid toy?!"
"We should not be using such foul language!" the supposed teacher guiding this drug trip exclaimed as she looked around.
"I-I think this is real," the nurse stood on shaking legs.
"It does not…. look particularly dangerous," the rabbit girl noted as she looked it over, she did not appear to be leading her guard down, her hands twitching with honed instincts should she require them, but she doubted that.
"Looks can be deceiving, considering the case of Ted Bundy," Sonia said as she looked at the rabbit. "But it does not look dangerous."
"I am nothing like a dangerous serial killer, I promise!" Usami declared. "I am just your lovable, snuggle and cute lead teacher of this school trip!"
"School trip?" Byakuya asked as he clenched his fist. "What do you mean, school trip!?"
"A large group of students go on a chaperoned trip each year with a lead teacher! It's the biggest event of the school year!"
The handsome boy blinked his gorgeous green eyes. "We were not looking for something so literal."
"Now let us depart for the fun school trip!" the bunny waved her wand before she tapped the bottom onto the ground, and the room fell apart, letting in the sounds that seemed as if they had been on mute.
Your eyes went wide as you looked around, your hands expanded out. It was…. it was a beautiful beach! You had seen the blue skies dotted with clouds and the bright sun, but somehow you failed to notice the palm trees and the ocean waves!
It was the beach!
The sudden summer air made your chest fill with joy as you looked around in wonderment.
"What…. the hell is this!?" the handsome boy exclaimed, his arms held out as he swung his body around.
"This is- this is a joke, right? Like what he said!?" the pink hair boy exclaimed as he pointed at Fuyuhiko.
"Wh-WHERE ARE WE!!!" Ibuki yelled out.
"Huh!? What's going on!?" the freckled girl looked pale as she looked around.
These people were way too freaked out about this. You looked over at the camera, that concerned you a little bit but other than that. This, for now- was nice.
"Everyone, please stay calm! There is no reason to panic!" the Bunny put a hand by her head and looked around so curiously. "Seeeeee? Look around! Feast your eyes on this beautiful ocean, it's like your heart is being washed clean, isn't it??? It washes away all…. even bad things."
You were not expecting to hear desperation from the rabbit.
"Hold on!" Peko was ready for her sword, her opinion flipping in a moment. "Give us details on where we are exactly."
"Where, you ask?" Usami asked. "Well it's obvious, Out where it is better, out where it's wetter, out by the sea!"
"I-I understand this is a sea, but w-why are we here?!" the nurse asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You know, your throat is going to get hoarse if you keep screaming like that."
"But… we were just at school and now we are by the sea… this is impossible."
"Please do not worry, the school trip has just started! That's all!"
"But, like, why are we on a school trip all of the sudden!? You totally skipped alllll the stuff that comes first!" Ibuki yelled as she pointed an accusing finger.
"She is right!" Hajime let out a gasp as he looked like a frightened mouse in a cage. "We are suppose to be attending Hope's Peak Academy!"
Hope's Peak Academy.
His voice saying those words hit you for some reason.
You stood there and could hear people talking around you, and things….. came to your mind. Dark nights, bright days and a fountain with a bench. Blurry images one after another, none of it made sense and you saw people you never had before, but…. some in this group, you thought, your eyes moved around.
"Kill each other!"
The words from a raspy voice broke through your blurry senses. Kill- killing- death- killing- you could see red.
Red. Red. Red.
Thunk
You were yanked out of your thoughts when your head turned to the handsome boy, who had completely collapsed into the sand. You gasped and you dropped to your knees right besides him, checking his breathing, heart right and- "he is just in shock," you said allowed as some other peopled turned their head to look at him.
"Well-" Usaumi stared at the teenager who had just passed out in the sand, having flopped down like a bag of flour. She put one of her paw like hands over her mouth, tilting her head. "Everything is perfectly safe here! So he will be fine!" she declared as she began to pull out things that looked like phones, and she waddled up to everyone: handing them one of the devices.
An e-handbook.
You clicked on it and tapped around, before shoving it into one of your pockets.
"Your goal on this Heart Throbbing School Trip is to collect Hope Fragments!" Usami explained. "There are some rules which can be found on you handbooks, be sure to read them over carefully!" she explained holding up her paw. "I trust you all to form all sorts of fun memories here! Feel free to explore the island, you will find everything you need on this island paradise!" she assured. "Yep, yep!"
then she was gone, simply fell through the floor and despaired.
You blinked as your head went from her back to the boy you were kneeling over.
"What…. are we going to do?" the red hair girl with freckles asked.
"Find away to escape, obviously!" the pink hair boy exclaimed. "I am going to go see if I can find anything that can be repaired, see ya!" he said before he was the first one to wander off the beach.
"Well I am sure as hell not hanging around here with you bastards," Fuyuhiko cursed as he clenched his fists, before following the way of the pink haired boy.
Byakuya let out a long sigh. "I think taking a look of our surroundings and trying to figure out where we are would be best. I will be off, do not be useless," he hissed at everyone before he wandered off next.
"Man I am getting hungry, I wonder if this place has any food!" the girl with red shorts exclaimed as she wandered out.
"Hmfp," the tall boy with the rustling scarf said little as he departed from the area, attempting to have a cold air about him as he did so.
"I will be off and I shall see if I find anything important," Sonia declared in a definitive tone, she gave everyone a short curtis before she departed from the beach.
Nekomaru looked around before his face turned pale, and he was off at a sprinting pace. "I AM SO DONE HOLDING IT, I GOTTA SHIT!!!" he exclaimed.
The nurse slinked away before she was trailed by Ibuki, who seemed to be skipping after her. The girl with freckles glanced around at the shrinking crowd.
"I…. suppose I will start searching as well, to be useful," she said and she adjusted the lens of her camera nervously.
The girl with blonde pigtails didn't bother with a goodbye and nor did the rabbit girl as she seemed to despair into the beach landscape somehow.
the pink haired girl stood tilting her head as she looked over at Hajime.
"Do you think he is going to be okay?" cloud haired boy asked as he tilted his head.
"It just… a lot going on," you said as you looked down.
"I…. think I am going to go….. unless you need something," pink haired girl said as she looked at you and you shook your head.
"It should be fine," you said and watched as the pink hair girl left… it was odd, you…. swore she looked familiar.
She sort of looked like….. she could have been…. no that was jumping pretty far, wasn't it? Well, maybe you could ask.
"Hmmmmm….." the white haired boy looked down at the both of you. His arms closed tight around himself and his fingers dug lightly into his skin.
It was odd, sitting here on the beach with these two….. the waves crashing and the light breeze on your face as you glanced between the cloud haired boy and the handsome boy, feeling….
whole.
"I….. sort of want to explore the island," the cloud haired boy before he looked back down at the other one.
"I will stay with him, we will catch up when he wakes up, or…. you can come back first with a water bottle," you said with a small laugh.
He smiled. "Alright, I will do that. My name is Nagito, by the way."
You smiled and introduced yourself. "It is nice to meet you."
He smiled at you, his hands in his pockets as he turned away, and headed towards the path away from the beach.
It was just you and him now.
You swallowed as you looked down at his face as he slept peacefully in the sand. You bit your bottom lip as you reached down, and ran a hand over his face.
"….. we made it…." you whispered to.