Byakuya looks around him, a tight frown already etched into his face. He, along with the other students, were surrounding a fairly large table. There wasn't enough room for fifteen chairs, so they all had to stand.

"Every day, after Junko's arbitrary 'Night Time' ends, we will hold a meeting here." Byakuya says sternly. "Attendance is mandatory. No exceptions. Now, will the first group give a report?"

Kiyotaka stands up from his chair, arms stiffly hanging at his sides like a soldier. "Sir! We have collected a multitude of crates that we have stacked in the corner to your right! These crates are filled with canned food, bread, and empty gallon containers! Chihiro has also brought in a microwave!"

"Y-Yeah, and I also found this." Makoto says, holding out his hand to Byakuya. Everyone's eyes suddenly shifted to him, and a few surprised mutters were heard. Kiyotaka could only stare at his hand in shock, eyes bulging. "I think it's a swiss army knife."

The affluent prodigy takes it from his hand and stares at it for a while, before placing it on the table in front of him. "Very well. One thing that concerns me, however, are the empty containers. I suppose that we will have to fill them manually?"

"There's a sink in the kitchen, which was also where I found the knife. I also filled a bunch of those gallons up." Makoto says.

Byakuya frowns. "Junko had mentioned that Monokuma would be residing there. I have seen several water fountains throughout the hallways, but I doubt that Junko would leave them functional."

"I tried to drink from one, but the water was all brown and smelled funky." Aoi says. "And when I tried a different one, the water was the same! Do you think it's like that for all of the fountains?"

"Then that was her doing." Byakuya sighs. "Water will likely be a cause for concern in the future, I suppose. Sakura, would you carry one of the crates of gallons and fill them up at the sink? I would rather have everyone in attendance here in order to avoid confusion, but we should take advantage of the limited time frame that we have in order to stock on water."

"... Very well. I trust that I will be filled in when I return?" Sakura asks.

"Need you even ask?" Byakuya rolls his eyes. "Just get to the task. Ten minutes before Monokuma is released, return here."

Sighing, Sakura wordlessly grabs a box of gallons and quickly walks out of the AV room.

After a few moments of silence, Byakuya nods turns his attention to the luckster. "Makoto. Every day, at our meeting, you will be the one to distribute food supplies to everyone. This is a simple task, one that I trust that even you wouldn't be able to fail."

"M-Me?" Makoto stammers. "But, why-"

"Is there an issue?" Byakuya asks sharply.

"... I guess not."

"Second group. Report."

Sayaka steps up and takes a deep breath. "There's an incinerator room with a giant gate, but it's unlocked right now. Next to it, our dorms are laid out in two rows. I'm pretty sure that they all have the same layout and stuff. Also-"

"Okay, m-my turn!"

The idol blinks, stunned into silence as she looked at the person who interrupted her. It was Toko, and her face was flushed and sweaty. She quickly walked up to Byakuya and gave him a large, slightly crumpled piece of paper. "M-Master! I made you the m-map! I was sure to make it as perfect as possible for you! S-See, there's a legend, a c-compass, clear labels on everything…"

Byakuya glances over the map once before folding it and putting it in his jacket pocket. "Very well. It is satisfactory."

Toko swayed on her feet as a dark blush rose to her cheeks. "M-Master just complimented me…"

"I would like to add that I have found several of these hidden supplies that Junko had mentioned." Celeste says.

"Go ahead and show us, if you will."

"Certainly."

Celeste places several items on top of the table, eliciting shocked murmurs and gasps from her classmates. It was easy to guess what kind of supplies Junko would have hidden, but it was still surprising to see. There was a belt of grenades, a flashlight, another swiss army knife, a box of bullets, and more potentially deadly weapons.

Byakuya nods with approval for the first time that day. "I doubt that any of these could kill Monokuma, at least not easily. But they would make good work with slowing it down. Now, is there anything else from group two?"

After a small moment of silence, he looks up from the table. "Hmph. Very well, gr-"

"Yeah, yeah." Leon interrupts, rolling his eyes. "While you were sitting on your ass and doing nothing, Mukuro and I put a shit load of stuff in front of the gym doors. Like at least a ton. You're welcome, by the way."

"Swearing is not welcome in a school environment!" Kiyotaka snaps. He slams both of his hands down on the table, one eye twitching. "And neither are any of these weapons! These weapons endanger the very safety of our class!"

"Dude, we've got more to worry about than swearing here." Leon scowls.

Slowly, Kyoko reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls something out. "As I'm part of this group, I might as well add that I've found this." She says, placing a sleek black handgun on the table.

"H-Hey, is that real?" Hifumi asks nervously. "Aren't handguns banned in Japan? How could Junko have gotten her hands on that?"

"This entire situation is illegal." Kyoko deadpans. "I doubt that she had any trouble getting these types of weapons."

"Anyone else who has found hidden supplies, put them on the table." Byakuya commands. "Toko, take inventory."

"Y-Yes Master!" Toko says, hastily grabbing a piece of paper.

After some slight hesitation the students move forward, adding random items onto the growing pile on the table. The only sound in the room was the occasional clank from something being dropped, and Toko's pencil scratching her paper.

By the end of it all, the table was cluttered with random items, some of which seemed entirely useless. Toko shakily wiped a string of drool off of her list with her sleeve before handing it to Byakuya, who sneered in disgust but took it anyway.

After quickly scanning over the list, he folds it and puts it in his shirt pocket. "I will assign some of these items to people that I see fit. The rest of them shall remain here, and no one is to take them without my permission. Is that clear?"

Everyone nods silently, and Byakuya started handing things out. Kuwata got the belt of grenades, Mukuro got the gun and box of bullets, Chihiro received a broken laptop, Mondo got a metal pipe, Makoto was given a swiss army knife, and Byakuya gave himself another swiss army knife. After emptying a crate of food cans, the rest of the items were stored in it.

"Both Monokuma's release and the dedicated 'Night Time' are less than an hour away." Byakuya says. "Thus, I would like to address one more subject before ending our first meeting. When retiring to the dorms, I will have you share the room with another person."

At this, various complaints arose. But before they could grow, Byakuya slams a hand down on the table, quickly silencing them.

"If you have an issue with this arrangement, simply state it in a clear manner, and I will address it." He says.

"Yeah, I got an issue." Leon growls. "Why the hell do we gotta share rooms? There's enough dorms for everyone! What's the point?"

"Seriously?" Byakuya crosses his arms. "Do I need to remind you that Monokuma will be free to roam the halls? Obviously, the reason for these pairings is so that people can take turns keeping watch."

Undeterred, Leon presses on. "Oh yeah, smartass? How the hell are you gonna divide us into pairs when there's 15 people?"

At this, the affluent prodigy nearly facepalms. "Are you an idiot? One dorm is just going to have three people. It's simple reasoning."

One of his eyes twitch as Byakuya calls him an idiot, and it seemed like he was going to retaliate. Instead, he glowers and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Whatever."

"What about Sakura?" Aoi suddenly says. "Shouldn't she be here for this?"

"You will be her roommate." Byakuya says dismissively.

"H-Hey!" She complains. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"So, are you saying that you don't want to be her roommate?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then it's settled. Now that that's out of the way, everyone will find someone to partner with. They will be your roommate until one of you dies." Byakuya deadpans.

"D-Don't say it like that…" Chihiro mutters.

He doesn't even bother to respond. "Report your partner to Toko. She will record the pairings.

…

Makoto Naegi - Mukuro Ikusaba - Yasuhiro Hagakure

Aoi Asahina - Sakura Ogami

Celestia Ludenberg - Kyoko Kirigiri

Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Hifumi Yamada

Leon Kuwata - Sayaka Maizono

Toko Fukawa - ❤️ Byakuya Togami ❤️

Mondo Owada - Chihiro Fujisaki

…

After Mondo and Chihiro report their pairing, Byakuya claps his hands once, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "Aoi, you will wait here for the return of Sakura. Then, you will fill her in about what she missed. Understood?"

"Yeah, sure."

"The rest of you are dismissed. Feel free to do whatever you want…" Byakuya says.

"... Just try not to die."

*BANG*

Makoto tilted his head up to the ceiling as what sounded like an explosion resonated through his dorm room. When he looked through Hope's Peak's official website, he found that on top of having state-of-the-art locks, the dorms were soundproofed. Apparently, that wasn't true as he could hear the sounds of Monokuma presumably slamming itself onto the gym doors over and over again. He wondered if that meant this wasn't Hope's Peak after all.

… Or maybe Junko somehow removed the sound-proofing.

He had expected her to make an announcement over the school PA system when the timer ran out. But nothing ever came. The only indication that Monokuma was free were the frequent banging noises coming from the gym. It was loud enough to echo all the way to the dorms, and it served to spawn anxiety in him. It had been slamming onto the gym doors for over ten minutes now, without any pause.

Maybe, just maybe… It's trapped? Makoto thinks. Maybe there's enough of a blockade that it wouldn't be able to get out.

Deep down, he knew this wasn't true. He would normally think of himself as an optimistic person, but even optimism couldn't hide the fact that Monokuma would get out, one way or another.

The luckster was sitting with his back up against the side of the bed, which gave him a direct view of the room's entrance. It also let him hear the rhythmic breaths that was coming from both of them. Yasuhiro, who was sleeping on the floor near the foot of the bed, took in long breaths and exhaled all of it at once. Every time Monokuma made some noise, he gave off a small grunt.

Meanwhile, Mukuro, who was given the bed, slept in almost complete silence. Makoto could barely hear her soft breaths. Despite not having a blanket or pillow, (She let Yasuhiro have them) she seemed to be sleeping well enough. Even in unconsciousness, her posture was unnaturally straight, laying in an almost perfect line, with her hands by her side.

He looked down at the gun laying on the floor to his right. Mukuro had given it to him, as he ended up being the first to stand watch. Simply feeling its cold, heavy weight in his hands was enough to make his arms break out in goosebumps. He had never shot a gun before in his life, but when he told this to Mukuro, she simply shook her head and told him that he would be fine.

*BANG*

He wondered why Mukuro wanted to be his roommate. As soon as Byakuya had announced that they were going to be doubling up in rooms, she walked over to him and asked him if he wanted to share rooms. He wasn't complaining, of course - Having the Ultimate Soldier with him definitely made him feel a lot safer.

Maybe she thought that my luck would be helpful? Makoto muses. Or maybe she just didn't care, and picked me at random?

At least he knew why Yasuhiro wanted to be his roommate. He told him before he went to sleep.

"I asked Aoi to be the third person in her group, but she wouldn't let me after I called Sakura 'Ogre'. So who would be the next best person to protect me? The Ultimate Soldier!"

*BANG*

Makoto was amazed that the two of them were able to get any sleep at all. Right now, he felt too nervous to be sleepy, with the threat of Monokuma hanging over him. The fact that it was constantly banging on the gym doors didn't help matters.

"I just hope it stops before it's my turn to sleep… Maybe I'll have some luck then." He mutters under his breath.

…

As if Monokuma heard him, the banging noise abruptly stops. One minute passes. Then two, three, four, and five. Not a single noise came from the halls.

The thin cloud of anxiety that had settled over Makoto was quickly replaced with morbid curiosity. What happened? Did it fall asleep? Did it collapse, finally exhausted from its efforts? Or maybe…

Did it get out?

Taking a shuddering breath, Makoto grabs the gun and slowly rises from the floor. Slowly, he approaches the door. The blood in his head pounded and he could feel heat rise up to his cheeks. With his free hand, he slowly grabs and turns the doorknob and opens it. He winces as a slight creaking noise is emitted from the door.

I should stop. If it escaped, then it escaped. This is too dangerous.

Despite these thoughts running through his mind, the luckster pokes his head through the doorframe and looks around. No person or thing was in sight. He steps out of his room and closes the door behind him as quietly as he could. Not out of fear of waking his friends up, but rather at the fear of alerting Monokuma to his presence.

With careful steps, he slowly but surely makes his way to the gym, gun held out in front of him. He kept his finger on the trigger and tried to steady his shaking hands. The only thing he knew about the gun that he was holding was that it had bullets in it, and that the safety was off. And he only knew the latter because Mukuro explicitly told him so.

After what felt like an hour, Makoto finally found himself in front of the entrance to the gymnasium. One of the doors was still closed, and he could see heavy objects barricading it. Couches, tables, desks, and chairs were propped up against it. But its adjacent door was wide open. Heavy dents and claw marks decorated it. Most prominently, a large, gaping hole had appeared right in the middle of it. The hole was probably three inches in diameter. Strewn about the floor were various pieces of heavy furniture. There was a steel rod laying on the floor right next to the door. From the looks of it, that was probably the cause of the hole.

None of these details really mattered to Makoto though. As his mind processed what he was seeing his heart started beating faster and faster. Monokuma escaped, and he was nowhere to be found. He could be anywhere. There wasn't a pawprint, piece of fur, or any other piece of evidence on the ground that could indicate where he went.

Suddenly, he feels a pair of eyes trained upon him, boring a burning hole through the back of his head. He whirls around, and…

Nothing was there. The hall remained empty.

Makoto quickly starts walking back to his room, checking behind him every few seconds. Thoughts of Mukuro and Yasuhiro ran through his mind. They were asleep, and defenseless. He needed to get back as soon as possible.

As he rounds a corner, he hears a small scratching sound from behind him. It was quiet, but obvious. It was a noise that anyone could have heard, even if they weren't paying attention. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Hands tightening around his gun, he turns around and looks around the corner that he had just passed.

There was nothing.

He turns back around and continues his trek back to his dorm. It was just up ahead, no more than fifty feet away.

His footsteps were impossibly loud. They echoed throughout the hallway. It was as if he were playing a siren to let Monokuma know that he was here, here and available to kill.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a slight glint. He turns his head, breaths now heavy and labored.

Nothing. Again. It's all in your head. Calm down. Everything's fine.

His hands were shaking so much that he began to lose his grip on the gun, despite how tightly he was holding it.

Makoto walks the rest of the way back to his dorm.

He opens the door and looks around once more. Nothing was there.

He walks in and closes the door behind him.

Then, he looks at the clock. He was working about three minutes overtime for his watching duty. So after a few deep breaths, he wipes the sweat away from his forehead with his sleeve. He goes over to Mukuro and wakes her up. And when he tells her that Monokuma had escaped, she didn't seem surprised at all.

She simply takes the gun from him, stands up, and sits on the floor. Funnily enough, she was in the exact same position as Makoto - back against the side of the bed, facing the door.

Taking another deep breath, he lays on the mattress and closes his eyes. The bed was comfortable, even without a blanket or pillow.

Ten minutes later, he falls asleep.