I can remember it like it was just yesterday. As I rushed to play the School Festival with the rest of the band, Gitah on my back, I sent a message to the me that wondered what would happen at the beginning of high school - "The me of that day - you don't have to worry".

But I was wrong.

While playing in After School Tea Time was the best time of my life... there was something that the me of that day would have to worry about one day. Because as happy as it was when I reached the auditorium and played... bad times were to follow.

So to the me of that day... just be ready... because one day, you're gonna have to face despair.

Hope's Peak Private Academy.

It all seemed to happen so suddenly. When I got home Monday, there was a letter waiting for me, and one for Ui, too! It said that we were chosen for a trial run at the new academy, and were to report there tomorrow morning! I was so excited, I tried to call up Mio-chan, and Mugi-chan, and Ricchan, and Azunyan, but none of them picked up. I decided to just tell them tomorrow. I'm so excited about this!

"Looks like, this is the place, sis!" Ui's smiling face came into Yui's view, now. Yui was looking up at the school. It was a truly massive building, dwarfing all the other buildings in the area, though surrounded by quite a bit of trees and fields as well.

"Ui... isn't it amazing?!" Yui asked excitedly, looking up it. "I can't believe we both got chosen to go here! How do you think that happened?"

"Well, I, um..." Ui looked a bit confused. "I had wondered myself about that..."

"I know it couldn't have been because of academics, because well, I didn't do so good last semester..." Yui sighed sadly. Her mood quickly picked up. "Maybe they chose me on musical excellence!" Her mood immediately deflated again. "But then again, I think Mio-chan and Mugi-chan and Azunyan would've gotten the call too..."

"What about Ritsu?" Ui asked.

"Oh, well, maybe Ricchan, too..." Yui replied, taking in the thought. "I mean, I know this is just a trial, and it's supposed to be one of the best schools, but... I don't think I want to be apart from the Light Music Club." Yui pondered, looking up at the building once more. "I mean, maybe if I could recommend them... or- hey, Ui, do you think this school is co-ed?!" Yui blurted out, changing gears. "Do you think maybe boys go here too?" She asked, smirking.

"Um... I'm not really sure..." Ui looked around, apparently caught off-guard. "Well, we've been standing out here for a while, do you think we should go in?"

"Yeah, let's!" Yui giggled and dashed for the door, with Ui following in tow.

That was the worst thing we ever could have done.

Before she knew what happened, Yui suddenly found herself waking up. "Huh... where am I...?" Yui wondered groggily, looking around. "I don't remember falling asleep... huh? Ui?" She looked around. There was no trace of Ui anywhere. "Ui? Where are you? UI!"

Yui stood up and looked around. The classroom was like none she'd ever seen before. The windows were bolted shut with over-sized screws all over. The confused Yui continued to peer around the room. As she looked up towards the ceiling, she noticed...

"A camera?" Yui asked. "Are we being filmed?" Yui ran up to the camera and started waving. "Hello, can anyone see me?" She asked. After a few seconds of this, with absolutely no response, she stopped and sighed. "Guess not... oh, I need to find Ui!"

Yui started heading towards the door. She made a sudden stop as something caught her eye. Looking over to the front of the room, on a large desk that was presumably a teacher's desk, she noticed a piece of paper. She picked up and looked it. It seemed hastily-written, almost child-like, with a similarly child-like drawing of a school. She began to read it aloud.

"Congratulations on enrolling. A new term has begun. A fresh start. This school will become the world you girls live in... You girls? Oh, guess that means there's no boys here..." Yui griped, looking annoyed. Her annoyance faded within seconds and she went on. "At 8'o clock, assemble at the gym for the transfer students' entrance ceremony..." A look of confusion crossed her face. "They're gonna have an entrance ceremony for transfer students? Guess that's just because this school is fancy then..." She looked up at the clock on the wall, which had the long hand pointed at the 8, the short hand pointed slightly past the 12. "Oh, no, I'm late!"

Now hurrying through all her actions, Yui pushed open the very large door in the front of her and stepped out in the hallway. The entire hallway was quite elegant-looking, with a black and white checkered floor. However, the lighting was purple, giving the hallway an eerie glow. She looked around for a moment, then made her way across the floor.

After a few moments, she found herself standing in front of a large pair of doors, with a sign clearly marked 'Gym' above it. She opened them.

"Well, well, well, look who's late as always!"

Yui looked up. "Huh? Ricchan?"

Yui gasped in surprise. As she looked inside the gym, she saw only familiar faces.

The owner the voice Yui heard as she walked in, Ritsu Tainaka, stood in the gym. "About time you decided to join us! It's only..." She looked up at the clock on the wall. "Four minutes past eight. You're getting a little better than usual."

"Sis, what happened to you?" Ui asked. She was standing in the gym, besides Ritsu.

"I... I wo-"

"You woke up all of a sudden, didn't you?" Yui's attention was pulled to the right, where her childhood friend, Nodoka Manabe stood. "It happened to all of us as soon as we entered the door. Though, we all managed to still get here in time." She added playfully with a smirk.

"I'm sorry..." Yui responded, bowing.

"But doesn't this seem a bit odd?" The fair-haired keyboardist of After School Tea Time, Tsumugi Kotobuki walked closer to Yui, Ui, Ritsu and Nodoka. "All of the transfer students who were asked here... were only us, who are all friends. How did that happen?"

"THAT'S the odd part to you?!" A panicked voice shouted. It was that of Mio Akiyama, the bassist of After School Tea time. She was trembling a bit, looking extremely uneasy. "We suddenly woke up in classrooms and we don't even remember falling asleep! Something's wrong here!"

"Aw, c'mon Mio-senpai, I say we gotta roll with the punches and see what happens!" A cheerful and energetic Jun Suzuki said, running up to Mio. The younger of the bassists smiled. "After all, all of us coming together, sounds kinda cool, doesn't it? Now we don't have to stop spending time together while we're here!"

"And you girls don't have anything at all to worry about, because I was asked to report here as a teacher during the entire time!" A mature-sounding voice chimed in. Yui looked over to see Sawako Yamanaka, their homeroom teacher standing there. She gave a smile and a wink to the students.

A surprised Yui smiled. "Sawa-chan, you're here too! And Ricchan, and Mio-chan, and Mugi-chan... Ui, Nodoka, Jun-chan... that just leaves..."

Sawako smiled and took a step to her right, revealing that behind her was the youngest member of After School Tea Time, Azusa Nakano.

"Azunyan!" Yui ran up to Azusa, who let out a gasp and tried to run, to no avail as Yui grabbed onto her and started rubbing her face against her kōhai's. "What were you doing hiding behind Sawa-chan?"

"Trying to keep away because I knew you were gonna do that!" An annoyed Azusa exclaimed, pulling herself away from Yui. "With everything that's going on, is this really an appropriate time to do that?"

"But what would I do without my Azunyan energy...?" Yui whined.

"Sorry to interrupt..." Nodoka's voice caught the attention of everyone else. "But I think it's time we start finding out... well... something. Mio's right, this isn't normal... something's going on... why would all of us be the ones picked?"

"I suppose if they just chose Light Music Club members, that would explain six of us..." Mugi thought aloud. "But that doesn't explain why Jun-chan, Nodoka-chan and Ui-chan were all picked, too..."

"Maybe everything the Light Music Club touches really DOES turn to gold!" Ritsu chimed in, smiling gleefully. "Those three were just caught in our shining aura of greatness!"

"No... something's going on... I just know it!" A panicked Mio said, wrapping her arms around herself, still trembling.

"Calm down, Mio-senpai, it's okay." Jun walked up behind Mio and reassuring put a hand on her shoulder, only for Mio to suddenly scream out in surprise, Jun flinching from being startled in turn.

"If nothing's wrong, then... why is my phone gone?!" Mio shouted. "I had it with me when I came, but now it's gone! Why would it be taken from me!"

"Relax, Mio." Ritsu replied calmly. "I'm sure you just dropped it when you woke up in the classroom. You didn't notice because you were scared. After all, I-huh?" Ritsu reached into the pocket. "Huh? Mine's... gone too?"

The rest of the girls began searching their pockets, only to find that each of them couldn't find their phones.

"What's... going on?" Jun's happy disposition suddenly faded.

"I knew it, this is too weird..." Azusa looked at the rest of the group. "We should've known something was wrong!"

"Girls, relax!" Sawako interrupted. "I'm sure everything's going to be alright, we just have to get to the bottom-"

She was interrupted by loud feedback, presumably coming from the speakers set next to the podium on top of the stage. A strange voice followed.

"Mic test! Mic test!"

The group all looked to the front of the gym.

"Ah, I'm sure you can all hear me. Welcome, transfer students- and one very special transfer teacher! Let us begin the entrance ceremony!"

The group all fixed their gazes to the stage, their faces in varying emotions from Mio's pure terror to Jun's curiosity. The room went silent for a few seconds, and then, out from behind the podium came...

What appeared to be a stuffed toy.

It looked like a bear, only half was white, and half was black. The white half looked like a normal toy, however, the black half had ominous, misshapen eyes, and a long, unnerving grin.

Mio gasped. "What the...?"

"Is that a stuffed toy?" Mugi asked, wearing an expression of shock that matched that of the others.

"It looks like something Ritsu-senpai would own." Azusa interjected.

Ritsu shot Azusa an annoyed look. "What are ya, nuts?"

"I am not a stuffed toy!" The bear began to move, speaking in the same voice they heard from the podium. He stood up. "I'm Monokuma, principal of this school!"

Mio let out a loud scream and ran behind Sawako, trembling.

"It's... it's moving! And talking!" Yui gasped, pointing at Monokuma. "I don't know whether to be scared or wanna give it a big hug!"

Ritsu's annoyed look was now turned to Yui. "Really?"

"I assure you, you don't want to hug me!" Monokuma responded. "I would've added it to the rulebook, but you're the first student who's ever wanted to. And I'm assuming the last as well. Now, let's get moving. Stand and bow!" He ordered, doing the same. "Good morning to you all!"

None of the girls responded, still staring at the baffling sight in front of them.

Monokuma shook his head. "There's usually at least one person who joins in. Anyway, you nine are so full of hope. It's why I chosen you for this transfer. All eight students live such happy lives, and enjoy every minute of every day. Sadness is almost a foreign concept to you. However, while that distinction does not go for the tragically unmarried Yamanaka-sensei-"

Sawako let out an offended gasp. "Why, you..."

"Please, hold all questions to the end!" Monokuma interrupted. "Where was I? Oh, yes, I've chosen all of you because you've never felt despair. And it's why I've chosen to have you live within this school."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'live'?!" Nodoka asked, her voice starting to become panicked.

"As for how long you will be living together... there is no time limit!" The group all gasped at Monokuma's words. "You will live here for the rest of your lives!"

Any semblance of positivity immediately disappeared from Mugi's face, her eyes widening from the last words she heard. "The rest... of our lives...?"

"Don't worry, our budget is even larger than Kotobuki-san's family fortune, you will all be well-accommodated for no matter how long you stay!"

Jun skeptically shook her head. "This is a joke, right? You can't expect us to really believe this?"

"But wait..." Ui looked deep in thought. "All of the windows were bolted shut... and there were cameras everywhere... maybe... this is real!"

"You are correct!" Monokuma interjected. "Now, I know you're all still young... well, except for Yamanaka-sensei, of course."

Sawako gasped again, looking even more angry than she did the first time. "You're pushing it, furball..."

"And I understand you don't want to live here forever. You all have bands to play in, and Manabe-san's got some big academic future, and of course Ui-chan's gotta be there for her sister at all times, as well. And there is a way you can leave. If you follow just one simple rule!"

"I... I really don't like where this is going..." Mio whimpered.

Monokuma leapt off his podium, doing a flip, landing on his feet and holding up his arms triumphantly. "The only way for any of you to leave the academy... is to kill someone else!"

They all gasped.

"W-what?!" Yui exclaimed.

"It really doesn't matter how..." Monokuma began, walking around the girls, who all moved away as soon as he came near. "Bludgeon them, stab them, beat them, burn them, strangle them, shoot them, come up with any way you want, be creative, the options are endless!"

Any expression that resembled anything other than pure terror had disappeared from the faces of all nine girls. They stood in shock, staring at Monokuma, clearly struggling with what they were hearing.

"The satisfaction I feel from seeing those actions is immeasurable! I can't achieve it by any other way, not even killing, myself!" Monokuma continued to walk around the horrified girls, in an almost comical fashion. "Should I paraphrase one of your songs? Whenever I see a despair-driven murder, my heart goes doki-doki!"

Azusa was now trembling herself, much as Mio had. "This... this is unreal! It's sick!"

"A situation full of despair, where the hopes of this world attempt to kill each other... I can't imagine anything better! In a previous experiment, the students locked into this academy had their memories of knowing each other wiped. It made getting them to kill each other a bit easier, but, the despair they felt was... not all it could be. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful, but I see potential for so much more! You knowing one another, being so close-actually, don't you think it's kind of weird that your entire social circles are only each other?"

Mugi marched up to Monokuma. "How could you think that any of us would even consider doing something like that?! It's... it's unfathomable!"

"I'm not saying you have to..." Monokuma continued. He began to walk back towards the podium. "As of now, this academy belongs to the nine of you! You're free to do as you wish! Have all the fun you want! Just remember, if you tire of this new life of yours, you know the way out! Now, please enjoy your stay!" He leapt up onto the podium, then back behind it, disappearing.

They all stood in silence, seemingly searching for the words to say. None came out, as they all stood there wordlessly. They were interrupted by a soft thump. The group looked over to see that Mio had fallen on her knees, shaking uncontrollably, tears forming in her eyes.

"What... what are we going to do...?" Mio struggled to verbalize, between the trembling and the fact that was she clearly holding back tears.

Ritsu rushed over to Mio. "C'mon, get up. How on earth are you gonna take that seriously?" She began to help Mio up to her feet. "That stuffed toy tells us to kill each other, and you think one of us is gonna go off and do it? Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Mio."

Mio sniffled and wiped the tears that were starting to come down her face. "But... how are we gonna get out of here?"

"Don't worry, Mio-chan, we'll figure out something." Yui came dashing up to the two of them. "I'm pretty sure the last thing anyone's gonna do is k... k... I'm not even gonna say it, 'cause we're not gonna do it!"

Sawako straightened her glasses. "That may be, but there's a lot about this whole situation we have to find out about... especially if we plan to get out. I think we should look around."

"Alright, but who's going to go with who?" Nodoka asked.

Ui looked surprised at this suggestion. "What do you mean?"

"I think I know what she means..." Jun began. "She meant that we should go together in case... one of us is thinking about doing it!"

"Nodoka-chan, how could you think that?!" Yui exclaimed.

Nodoka looked shocked, as did everyone else. "What?! No! That isn't what I meant at all! I just meant that... well, this whole situation is crazy. We need to be as careful as possible."

"But... now that you mention it..." Ritsu began. "It is kinda funny how your mind went to that... got anything you wanna share with us, Jun?"

Jun let out a little noise. "Hey, what are you trying to say, Ritsu-senpai?"

"I'm saying that out of everyone here, we know you the least..." Ritsu started to walk closer to Jun. "And it seems suspicious you'd just come out and say that..."

"Stop, stop!" Yui came running up between them. "Don't fight!"

"Yui's right, that's enough." Sawako firmly said. "I guess I'm going to have to be the one to take order in this situation. We're going to get out of this situation, but we're not going to get anywhere if you all start bickering. So, come on, let's get going, we'll start investigating. There's got to be a way out of here."

A few hours had passed. The door opened to a fairly large room, with several tables inside. Nodoka, Ui and Jun walked in.

"Wow, that was exhausting." Jun complained, dropping into one of the seats. "All that searching and nothing..."

Nodoka followed, sitting down at a chair nearby, a water bottle in her hand. "Hey, at least we found the ktichen, Yui will sure be happy." She smiled a little before starting to drink out of the bottle.

Ui sat down last, a look of concern on her face. "Still, everyone's taking so long to get back, I hope everyone's still alright..."

"Relax, Ui." Jun said. "We went in groups of three for our safety, so, I doubt anything's gonna happen."

"Yo!" In through the door entered Ritsu, followed closely by Mugi, and a forlorn Mio closely behind.

"Hey guys." Nodoka greeted them. "What did you find?"

Ritsu plopped into a seat, looking annoyed. "Well, the one thing we didn't find is an exit... everything's sealed completely shut!"

"Come on, Mio, it's okay." The group looked over to see Mugi attempted to cheer up Mio, who still looked completely mortified. She wasn't even looking up, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"No... it's not okay..." Mio struggled to say.

Ritsu shook her head. "She's been like this the whole time. I mean, I know she's always been a bit of a 'fraidy-cat, but we just can't seem to get through to her that we're not gonna take that stuffed animal's threats seriously."

Jun gave Mio a reassuring smile. "C'mon, Mio-senpai, it's all gonna be okay!" She said, not noticing the annoyed look she was receiving from Ritsu. "Well, we've got some good news, we found the kitchen!"

"Oh, is that where you found that water bottle, Nodoka?" Mugi asked, taking a seat beside her.

Nodoka nodded. "Mhmm. There was a ton of food, and it said that it was replenished daily. So, at least we won't starve as long as we're in here."

"Did someone say a ton of food?!" Everyone looked over to see that Yui had arrived, with Azusa and Sawako.

"Oh, hey, Yui." Nodoka greeted her. "So did you three find any clues to how we'll get out?"

Yui dashed up to Nodoka. "Please, tell us about the food, first!"

"Don't you think what you found is a little more important than that?" Ritsu asked.

Azusa shook her head. "Well, the answer to what we found would be... not all that much."

"You either?" Mugi asked.

Azusa shook her head. "Mm-mm. We did search a bit in the extended part of the gym area. it's got a full pool and lots of exercise equipment, and a bunch of classrooms, but... no exits. The windows were totally sealed, and the doors too."

"I know, that's what we found, too." Nodoka said. "It's strange, the kind of reinforcing they have here, it's like what they'd have in bank vaults and other extremely secured locations. I can't imagine how someone could successfully put it in a school."

Mugi nodded. "Ritsu, Mio and I found the library while we were looking around. There was a lot of books, but we didn't really look at too many of them."

Mio spoke up timidly. "By-by that she means that we wanted to look in some of the books for clues, but Ritsu thought it was going to be boring..."

"Hey, we're trying to get out of here, books aren't the most pressing issue right now." Ritsu retorted. "Besides, books are more Nodoka's sort of thing."

"So, enough about that, tell us about the food!" Yui asked excitedly.

Nodoka let out a little sigh while smiling, shaking her head. "Here we go... well, it had a whole lot of food, and there was a little note there that said it's replenished every night as soon as the doors to the kitchen close."

Yui's face dropped at this. "Ohh, they close the kitchen at night?!"

Mugi nodded. "Yes, our handbooks said something about night time." She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the handbook, a small electronic device. After pressing a few buttons, she pulled up something on the screen. "The time period from 10 PM to 7 AM is called 'Night time'. Some areas will be off-limits during this time."

"You know, I've been meaning to look through my own..." Ritsu reached into her pocket, pulling out her own handbook. "It's no cell phone, but it's kinda nifty."

"Ohh... no midnight snacks..." Yui interrupted. Her excitement was completely drained from her. But almost instantly, it returned. "Oh, but Ui's here, we can have Ui's cooking every night!"

Ui smiled. "Yep, we sure can!"

"But don't you think she's gonna get tired of cooking for us everyday?" Azusa asked, a bit bewildered by Yui's excitement.

"Oh, but Ricchan's here, too! She's a good cook, too! Oh, are there any cakes?!"

Azusa let out a sigh. "Yui-senpai, don't you think there's some more important things to discuss right now?"

"Oh fine, Azunyan..." Yui pouted. "Well, we found that we all have our own rooms. We looked around mine a little. The bed was super-comfy!"

"She actually fell asleep while we were inspecting her room..." Azusa shook her head. "Sawako-sensei and I had to wake her up again... that's why we're so late..."

Nodoka smiled and chuckled a bit. "Actually, we only got back a few minutes ourselves, so you're good."

Sawako walked over to the tables, taking a seat. "So, most importantly... none of us found any clues as to how to escape from here?"

Jun shook her head, her expression now more concerned. "No... whoever did this was super-thorough... even the entrance to the roof was screwed shut with those giant screws. I guess in the morning we take another look?"

"Ohhh, but we've looked for hours!" Yui whined. "Let's go to the kitchen and eat!"

Ui walked over to Yui. "Sis, I think Jun's right. But... maybe we should be looking for clues as to who's behind this, too, in case we still don't find an exit."

"Actually, there was one more thing we found that might interest the rest of you." Sawako interrupted.

A look of pure amazement came over most of the girls' faces, as they found themselves standing in front of another large room, filled with musical instruments. Several guitars and basses hanging from wall-mounted stands, several keyboards on shelves, two drum sets on separate parts of the room, as well as other various instruments distributed throughout.

"Look how many there are!" Mugi excitedly rushed over to the keyboards.

"I... I don't believe it..." Mio quietly uttered, looking around at the instruments.

Ritsu put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "All those guitars and only two drum sets? How cheap can that toy be?"

"Cheap? That's the thanks I get for this bounty of instruments?"

Most of the girls let out a yell as they realized Monokuma was now standing right by them.

"What the... when did you get here?!" Ritsu asked.

"Upupupu, such an irrelevant question, Tainaka-san." Monokuma walked over to the instruments. "As I told you all before, this is your world, and as most of you are musically talented, I supplied you with ample instruments. Please, make some wonderful music. But don't forget- when the music stops, and the band breaks up, you're gonna need to get out! Besides, there's only two drum kits, but plenty of drumsticks!" He motioned towards two buckets by each of the drum kits, each were indeed filled with many sets of drum sticks and brushes.

Ritsu lowered her face down next to Monokuma, giving him an angry look. "Orrrr... how about I use the drumsticks over there to beat the stuffing out of you?"

"It seems that someone didn't read the rulebook, did they?" Monokuma asked. "Acts of violence against principal Monokuma are prohibited! Last time, someone was stupid enough to try it and wound up with... well, I'll let you use your imagination, unless one of you girls are willing to try it!"

They all glared at Monokuma, who gleefully turned and walked away.

"You all have fun! I'll be watching!"

And just like that, he was gone.

"Intense..." Jun remarked, breaking the brief silence.

"You girls have been through a lot, maybe it's time we all get to our rooms and get some rest before tomorrow." Sawako said. "We can fool around with all these instruments then."

"Oh, but first we gotta eat!" Yui added.

Ritsu shook her head. "Again with the food?"

"I can't help it, Ricchan, I haven't eaten at all today!"

"Actually, I don't think any of us have." Mugi added. She smiled. "I say we all go eat something before we turn in for the night!"

"That's the spirit, Mugi-chan!" Yui excitedly raised one arm.

"Shall we, then?" Ui asked, leading the way out of the music room. The rest of the girls hurriedly followed.

The meal came and went, and night came. Sawako and all of the students were in their beds. All but one...

Ritsu wandered the halls by herself, changed into her pajamas. She walked down, passing by the rooms, each clearly marked next to the doors. 'SUZUKI', 'NAKANO', 'MANABE', 'KOTOBUKI', 'HIRASAWA, YUI', 'HIRASAWA, UI' and then finally, 'AKIYAMA'.

Ritsu knocked lightly on the door. "Mio? Are you in there?"

There was no response.

She knocked again. "Mio?" Ritsu turned the doorknob. "It's locked..."

There was a click as the doorknob turned on its own. The door opened and there stood Mio, still wearing her uniform. She was wearing an expression of pure distress, tears flowing freely down her face. "R...Ritsu..."

"Mio, what's wrong?" Ritsu asked, looking concerned. "I know you were upset about this whole thing, but..."

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Mio screamed, burying her face in Ritsu's shoulder. She began to bawl hysterically. "What... what if we never get out? I'm gonna be the first one someone goes after!"

Ritsu looked at her crying friend with concern, giving her a light pat on the head.

The two sat on Mio's bed now, Mio apparently having calmed down a bit. Ritsu sat at the edge of the bed. She looked down at the floor. "Look, Mio... we're stuck in a bad situation right now, but we're gonna find a way to beat this. Come on, can you really picture Yui or Mugi as a master murderer? It's just silly!"

Mio wiped the lingering tears from her eyes. "I... I know but... I'm... I'm scared, Ritsu, okay!" And just like that, the tears started again. "I mean, I would never do anything to hurt anyone, but... but... what if someone else doesn't feel the same!"

Ritsu sighed a little. "I... I kinda know what you mean... I've worried a little too... but you know what, I really don't think it's gonna happen." Ritsu stretched herself out a bit, laying down on the bed. "I mean, c'mon, if you had to pick one of the nine of us to do anything, I'm thinking everyone would pick me, right?"

"Ritsu!" Mio said in surprise.

She shrugged. "Hey, I'm just being honest. Look, I'd be the first person they'd suspect, and I'm at least level-headed enough to not do something like that. So, please, Mio, stop worrying. The nine of us... well, we got too much living to do. I mean, as much complaining as Sawa-chan does about not having a boyfriend, we haven't exactly lit up the world of high school dating, have we?"

"You... really think of stuff like that?" Mio asked, looking surprised. "I just tried to focus on our music the whole time..."

"Hey, if we're gonna get out of this situation without losing our minds, we gotta stay motivated, right?" Ritsu asked. "I mean, c'mon, if we stay here all our lives, or, more unlikely, end up biting the dust, that means we'll be virgins our whole lives!"

Mio gasped, immediately turning bright red. "Ritsu!"

Ritsu smirked and looked over to her. "Hey, got your mind off being scared, though, huh?"

Mio giggled a little. "Yeah, that sure did!"

Ritsu sat up again. "Cheer up, Mio, it's gonna be okay. Nothing's gonna happen. Besides, think you've felt enough 'despair' for the nine of us today. I'm sure that psychotic bear's already got his fill."

Mio smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess so... thanks, Ritsu."

Ritsu smiled, giving her a peace sign. "Just... keep in good spirits, alright?"

"Alright. I-I will!" Mio replied, looking happy for the first time since they arrived.

The door to Ui's room opened as she stepped out. It was the next morning, and Ui looked ready to go, dressed in her uniform again, and looking in good spirits. "Am I the first one up?"

One of the other doors opened and out came Jun. "Morning!" She said, greeting Ui.

"Oh, Jun-chan!" Ui said. "Are you the only other one up?"

Jun shook her head. "No, I heard a few people earlier while I was getting ready... I think it was Sawako-sensei, Nodoka-senpai and Mugi-senpai." She suddenly looked lost in thought. "No... wait... I remember now... the noise that first got me up... Yui-senpai!"

Ui looked shocked. "Sis got up first?"

The door with the sign marked 'NAKANO' next to it opened up. Azusa came out. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Oh, hey Azusa." Jun greeted them.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Well, actually, Jun says that sis was the first one to wake up."

"No way!" Azusa looked just as surprised as Ui. "Wait... maybe she ran to the kitchen to stuff her face."

"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" A voice behind the three of them suddenly asked.

Azusa let out a startled yell, flinching back. "R-Ritsu-senpai!" She shouted, struggling to catch her breath. "Don't scare us like that!"

"Yeah, seriously..." Jun added.

"Well, should we go check it out?" Ritsu asked.

Ui nodded. "Yep! That sounds like a good idea."

The group walked down the hallway. "Oh, just one quick stop." Ritsu walked over to the door with the sign marked 'AKIYAMA' and knocked a few times. "Mio? You awake?"

"Y...yeah..."

"You gonna come out?"

"No..." Mio's voice answered. "I'm gonna stay here for a while..."

"Oh come on, Mio, I thought you were feeling better!" Ritsu said.

"I'm sorry... I was... but... I couldn't get any sleep... I'm still kind of scared..."

Ritsu shrugged. "Oh, Mio... but don't you want to try out the instruments?"

"Maybe later..."

"Well, alright then." Ritsu said. She turned to the three younger girls. "Shall we then?"

"No... no way! It can't be!" Jun found herself saying moments later.

The four stood in front of the kitchen, staring at the sight of...

No sign of the kitchen's usage whatsoever.

"Sis didn't come eat breakfast?" Ui gasped. "You don't...you don't think?!"

"Something's very wrong..." Azusa looked extremely concerned.

"Wait, what's that sound?" Jun asked, noting that there was indeed a noise coming from somewhere else in the building.

"Is that... a guitar?!" Azusa said.

The four took off down the hallway. After a few moments, they found themselves in front of the music room, and there was Yui, playing with a guitar that looked just like Gitah.

"Hey, you're all here!" Yui greeted them happily. "I just couldn't wait to try out the guitars, so I got up early and came down here!"

Mugi was seated close by, a keyboard on a stand in front of her. Sawako and Nodoka had taken seats elsewhere in the room, apparently observing.

"You... got up early to play?" Ritsu asked. "Well... now that you mention it, I've kinda wanted to try out one of those two drum sets..."

"I know, why don't we all play!" Yui excitedly said. "Mugi's here, Ricchan's here, Azunyan's here, Jun, you can play the bass, and Ui... um... there's an accordion there! You can play it, right?"

Ui looked a bit caught off-guard from being put on the spot in such a way. "Well... I guess so, I've tried it a little... and I did used to play organ so I guess it's similar..."

"And Sawa-chan, Nodoka-chan, you guys can join in, too!"

Sawako smiled. "That's nice, but I think I'm gonna sit this one out. You girls have fun."

"And I don't play any instruments." Nodoka added.

"Oh... well, you can sing, Nodoka! Come on, try it!"

"Well... I guess I can give it a try... alright, Yui, I'll sing."

"Wait, but where's Mio?" Mugi asked. "Is she still sleeping?"

"Mio's still feeling a little... upset about the whole thing." Ritsu responded as she sat down behind the drum kit. She reached over into a bucket close by, grabbing two drumsticks. "I'm sure once she hears us she'll want to come join us!"

"Oh, before we start..." Azusa interrupted. "The kitchen really was restocked! When the four of us stopped by the morning, everything we used was returned. I mean, it's good that it was, but it's troubling, because it means that maybe everything Monokuma said... well, it might be more and more likely..."

Sawako shook her head. "I doubt it. So the furball, or, whoever's controlling the thing, put a few potatoes and some rice back after we went to bed. I wouldn't be so quick to call it a miracle. It's just part of its trick."

"I'm still a little surprised we're gonna be playing at a time like this, though..." Azusa thought aloud as she looked over the guitars. "Oh!" She found one that looked exactly like her Mustang. She continued talking as she took it off the wall. "I mean, shouldn't we be concentrating on trying to figure out what's going on here?"

Yui stopped playing around with her guitar for a moment. "Yeah, I guess we should, but... well, playing will help us clear our heads! No matter what problems we were having in the club room, whenever we got on our instruments and played, we felt better after! I'm sure after a good couple of songs, we'll have a clear mind!"

In the process of setting up a mic stand, Nodoka smiled. "I can't vouch for that process pesronally, but it does sound like you've got a good point there."

Mugi nodded. "Mhmm! Yui's right! I'm sure once we play we'll have clearer minds and we'll be able figure out what we're going to do!"

"So, everyone ready?" Ritsu asked as she tapped the various cymbals of the drum kit with her drumsticks.

"Yeah!" The other girls replied in unison.

"Sure thing!" Ritsu raised her drum sticks and tapped them together. "1... 2... 3... 4!"

Yui and Azusa began a guitar riff, with Jun coming in with a bass line. Yui, Azusa and Mugi sang into their mics. "Hey! Hey! Come with me! Hey! Hey! Come with me! Hey! Hey! Come with me! Hey! Hey! Come with meeee!"

Nodoka stepped up to the mic. "Hora waratte, hora minna, de seishun desho sawaijao!"

"Come on!" The other girls sang.

Nodoka went into the singing as the fast-tempo song began. "Yume kakeru kibou no kotae shiritai nara koko ni kite yo / Tanoshii koto aru kara junbi wa ok? Issho ni kouuuu!"

The tempo slowed down momentarily, before a drum roll from Ritsu sped it up again.

"Osanpo kibun de toukou chuu, kaban goto wasurete kyuu kaabu! Jugyou wa mada mada jobansen, zenzen wakatteru wakatteru furi!"

The tempos lowed again.

"Kyapaooobaa suru mondai mo aru kedooo-"

"Daijoubu sa" The other girls sang.

"Rakii de kaiketsu dekiru yo, hora egao d,e hora minna de, seishun desho abareche!"

"Come on!"

"Kokoro tasu ureshii no kotae wakannai nara tsukureba ii nee kotae awase shiyou, atsumattara saa issho ni ikouuuuuu!"

"Hey! Hey! Let's be happy! Hey! Hey! Let's be lucky! Hey! Let's be lovely!"

"Coooooome wiiiiith meeeee!" Nodoka vocalized.

"Come with me!"

The girls looked at each other happily for a brief moment. Then they heard a clapping. The eight of them looked over to the entrance to the room, where they saw Mio standing.

"That sounded... really great!" Mio said. She was dressed again, and though she had clear marks under her eyes from where she had been crying, it seemed that she was in good spirits.

"Mio-chan!" Yui went running up to Mio. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah..." She smiled. "Ritsu picked up my spirits for a while, but I just kept worrying so much all night long... but... hearing you guys play... it made me so happy again!"

"Why don't you join us then, Mio-senpai?" Jun asked. "There's lots of basses, we could give the next song some serious power!"

"Alright, it sounds good." Mio walked over to the rack of basses. "Oh look, they have one that looks like Elizaba-I mean, my old bass!" She quickly corrected herself, turning red.

"So, what should we play next?" Ritsu asked, playing her bass pedal casually.

"Oh, Mugi-chan, do you want to sing Honey Sweet Tea Time?" Yui asked.

"Sure, sounds good!" Mugi replied.

"Let's not take too long, okay?" Sawako asked. "I'm still starving!"

Yui looked like she had a full-blown epiphany. "Oh my gosh, I forgot how hungry I was!"

"Well, let's make this last song a good one then!" Ritsu said, looking around at the rest of the band. Mio was plugging in her bass and Nodoka returning to her seat next to Sawako. "1... 2... 3...!"

Little did any of us know that would be After School Tea Time's last performance...

"Sis? Sis, wake up!"

"Mm..." Yui groggily groaned, turning over. "Ui?"

"You didn't wake up as early today, huh, sis?" Ui was standing next to Yui's bed, already dressed.

"Yeah... I guess I ran out of excitement..." Yui sat up, her hair frizzed, eyes half closed. "Oh, but I still wanna play some more today!"

"Well, then, let's get moving! We had such a good time yesterday we didn't really look for any clues... we need to get some idea of what's gonna happen before too much time passes... I mean... we don't want to be in here for too long..."

"Alright, Ui, I'll be ready in a few minutes!"

The door to Yui's room opened a few moments later, and soon a fully-dressed and energetic Yui joined Ui. The two Hirasawa sisters started down the hall.

"So, what should we do first?" Ui asked.

"I'd say we get some food! I'm starving." Yui said. "Then let's have Mugi make us some tea. Then we'll practice a little. Then-"

"Sis! We have to start looking for clues!"

"Oh, alright..." Yui's good mood deflated a little. "So what do you want to-AHHHHHHHHH!" Yui let out her scream as loud as she possibly can. Ui's face quickly contorted to one of pure horror.

The two entered the kitchen, both shaking and unable to get a single word out at the sight they saw.

There was blood on the floor, and on the walls. And laying down on the floor, back against the wall, lay Azusa, completely motionless. Her neck was pierced with a deep wound blood pouring from it, soaking her shirt. The blood trailed down her upper body to her solar plexus, where there was a second gory wound, with a large kitchen knife still jammed inside of it.

Yui fell to her knees. "Azu... Azunyan..." She crawled over to Azusa. "Azunyan?!" She picked up Azusa's arm, but it fell motionless to her side. There was not a sign of life to be found. As the realization of just what happened dawned on them, both sisters' eyes immediately welled up. Quickly become hysterical, Yui stared down at the lifeless Azusa, her devastation becoming apparent by the second. Finally, she screamed out "AZUNYAAAAAAAAAAN!"

"So, we have our first casualty... and so much quicker than I thought it would be..." Monokuma sat in front of a computer screen. "This is getting very interesting..." He sat, looking at a picture that was slowly zooming out. It was a picture of Yui in a classroom. But in the classroom, the only person in the picture with her was Azusa.

Survivors
08 People

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If you review, please feel free to share your guess for who the culprit was. Thank you for reading!