Chapter Text
“…”
“…”
“Are you just going to stay silent this entire time?”
“Is there any reason I shouldn't? I don't even want to be here, unlike you godforsaken lot.”
“I mean, everyone has their reasons.”
“And yours are as stupid as everyone else's. I mean, do you even realize why you're here? You're-”
“Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Any advice then, from one protagonist to another?”
“…You shouldn't have come here. By the end of all this, we'll both almost definitely be dead.”
“…Nah. I like my chances.”
“If you say so.”
TEAM DANGANRONPA PRESENTS…
Episode Zero:
"Once in a Blood Moon"
The first thing that stands out to me, before I even open my eyes, is the cold. It passes through the velvety blankets I'm wrapped up in and seems to grow even cooler the more I try to ignore it.
Seriously, where am I, Antarctica?
Ignoring it doesn't do any good, so with a sigh, I open my eyes and throw off the blankets. Automatically, I get up to open the door and-
Bump into… a wall? I might be bad with directions, but I definitely know my way around my bedroom even if I've only been in Japan for a handful of months.
Oh God. This isn't right. The wallpaper, the layout, the door — none of this is right. It takes a minute for the obvious conclusion to come to me: this isn't my room.
And that opens the floodgates of panic; after all, if this isn't my room, then where the hell is this? How'd I even get here? Why??
I rack my brain for answers and get nothing. There has to be some reason this is happening, but I can't think of anything and I can't remember and I can't-
Vaguely, I register a knock from somewhere. Probably a door. An exit, if only from this room.
Okay, just calm down, have a look around and- there! Right next to the bed, a long mahogany door stands nearby. I unlock the door and turn the knob.
Behind the door, there's some green-haired guy with a striped blue shirt and a fur-lined parka standing under the frame. I bet he's probably feeling a lot warmer than I am.
???: Finally up, huh?
Edgar: Uh, yeah, how'd you know?
???: You weren't the only one here knocked out. I think all of us were actually. Now we're just trying to figure out what's going on.
Edgar: It would be nice if I knew literally anything here… like your name. Who even are you?
Rantaro: Forgot to introduce myself, huh? Sorry about that — the name's Rantaro Amami. I'm the Ultimate Adventurer.
He flashes me a languid sort of smile as he says that. I wish I could be that at ease in a situation like this.
I try to act calm like him as I introduce myself, the words coming out without me even having to think about it.
Edgar: Edgar Reich. I'm supposed to be this year's Lucky Student…. if you could consider anything about this “lucky”.
And I don't even have the accent anymore! Looks like all those Duolingo lessons actually came in handy!
Edgar: So where is everyone anyways?
Rantaro: They've all mostly gone their own ways. Although… I think there is someone that hasn't come out yet.
Edgar: Wait, how do you know?
Rantaro: Well, you're the fifteenth person here if we include myself. Don't Hope's Peak classes usually have sixteen?
I'm about to ask what Hope's Peak is when the information instantly seems to pop into my mind. Of course it's only now I'm starting to remember.
Honestly, how did I even forget Hope's Peak? It's basically the most famous school in the entire country — rumor has it once you're in, you're set for life. Of course, they only accept mega-talented high schoolers, except for me.
If Rantaro's right about this, does that mean everyone here is an Ultimate? I guess that sort of explain things, though not by much.
While I think about all this, I notice Rantaro leaving and realize that it's time to wrap up this train of thought. Following him into the hallway, I take it all in for a second.
It's a luxurious place with chandeliers and silver-plated doors, everything seeming to be in some shade of white or blue except for the doors. Talk about a winter wonderland.
One of the plates glimmers with light that catches my eye and I realize there's a name engraved into it.
Edgar: …Who's “Sumire Mizuno”?
Rantaro goes silent, eyebrows scrunched as he tries to come up with an answer. If he doesn't know her, then I'm assuming she must be our mysterious sixteenth student.
Only one way to find out!
I swing open the door, thankfully already unlocked, and walk in. This room is identical to mine and I can't find any major differences… I can’t find Sumire either. I do a quick scan of the room and notice another smaller door on the opposite wall, the word “Bathroom” written on the door.
Edgar: Uh, Sumire? You here?
The bathroom door opens and with quivering steps, Sumire finally steps out. With her puffy white coat and blue dress, her outfit seems sort of fitting with this place. She briefly returns my gaze before staring down to look at the floor.
Sumire: S-sorry… I just p-panicked a little when I woke up here…
Edgar: Nah, it’s alright! To be honest, I’m still a little freaked out.
My voice trails off as those unbidden worries of mine return. Thankfully, I don’t have much time to dwell on them as Rantaro joins the conversation.
Rantaro: It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Though for what it’s worth, it doesn’t look like we’re in any danger yet.
Sumire: “Y-yet”?
Rantaro: …It doesn’t hurt to keep an open mind. Anything could happen after all.
His posture is still casual despite the frankly unsettling statement he’s just uttered. Anything could happen, anything bad, and—
Nope! Not thinking about that right now! I’ll think about that later, when I actually have some substantial answers.
Edgar: [louder] But anyways! Your talent! [normal volume] Rantaro’s told me everyone here is an Ultimate. I’m the Lucky Student, what about you?
Sumire: I-I’m the Ultimate Ballerina. Sumire Mizuno… I guess y-you already knew my name though.
Edgar: So do you wanna tag along then? We’re… um-
Rantaro: Investigating. I’m not really sure if there’s an exit yet, but I think we should still try to learn as much as we can about the place.
Sumire: [nods] Th-that makes sense.
She clings to Rantaro’s arm as the three of us enter back into the hallway. I guess I can’t fault her. This is a pretty stressful situation after all.
With Rantaro slowing his pace down to match with Sumire, I guess I’m line leader now. Now where to go… to be honest, I don’t have much of a destination in mind. The three of us walk aimlessly down the hall until we eventually reach the room at the end of it.
The aroma of food wafts through the air as soon as I enter, the reason why immediately becomes clear as I realize where we are now: the kitchen.
A girl with short blue hair and a shorter boy with a red T-shirt stand near the oven, probably waiting for whatever they’re baking to finish, while another guy with star-shaped sunglasses sits at the table with his feet up.
Star: Hey, are you here for the muffins too? Sorry to disappoint, but we aren’t done yet!
Blue: Well, I’m not quite sure if I’d say “we”…
Red: He did help out for some of it! He found the almonds, didn’t he?
Blue: Oh, right… come to think of it, we never did tell Takashi and Keisha we found those.
Star: [shrugs] I’m sure they’ll figure out soon enough.
Edgar: Wait a minute, who?? I am so confused right now.
Star: We still need to introduce ourselves? You’d think with how famous I am, I wouldn’t need to keep doing this. Looks like I need some better PR…
Daichi: But yeah, the name’s Daichi Hideyoshi, Ultimate Philanthropist and head of “MiraiBrite”. Is that ringing some bells?
Honestly, no?? From context clues, I can guess that “MiraiBrite” is supposed to be some sort of philanthropic organization, but I’m still hung up on the fact that he’s a kid too ?? Where is he getting this money from? Not to even mention the fact he looks more like the Ultimate Tourist than a philanthropist.
Rantaro nods in recognition, so he must at least recognize Daichi.
Hitomi: I guess I should introduce myself too then! I’m the Ultimate Optometrist, Ha- Hitomi Maiako!
She toys with her cloth headband as she says this, watching us intently. What I’m wondering is why she isn’t wearing those glasses she has clipped to her shirt. Is it for the aesthetic or something else?
Sumire: Oh! I-I think I know you — y-you’re the one on all those c-commercials, right?
Hitomi: Uh, yeah! I didn’t expect the clinic to get as famous as it did for the contacts, but I guess it got me a talent.
Edgar: What contacts?
Sumire: Sh-she made these eyedrops that b-basically work like contacts. M-my mentor uses them!
Hitomi’s smile briefly flickers, but it remains as she elaborates.
Hitomi: Not just that! I’m also able to give diagnoses and mostly know how to use all the necessary equipment.
Edgar: …Mostly? Is that legal?
Hitomi: [face reddens] Well, my dad helps out sometimes but I usually know what I’m doing.
Daichi: [nudges Red] How about you, Minoru? Feel like introducing yourself?
Minoru: Oh, right. I’m Minoru Maeda, the Ultimate… [sighs] Ultimate Speed Eater.
He doesn’t seem too proud of himself as he forces those last words out. Is he ashamed of his talent or something? I guess when compared to the people in this room, I can understand why he’d put himself down like that.
The mood sort of dampens as he says that, the smile sliding off even Daichi’s face as we don’t quite know what to say to that.
…Yeah, this is just awkward now.
I inch towards the closest door and slip into it, being met with a mind-boggling sight: every wall is lined with shelves that reach the ceiling, each and every one of them containing canned food.
Curious, I grab one off a shelf and- canned tamales ? That exists??
???: So you’ve found ‘em too, eh?
I turn to see a guy with shades and a leather jacket smirking at me. I guess this is the “Takashi” Hitomi mentioned earlier. Actually, if I peer behind Takashi, I can see a girl with a jacket draped over her shoulders examining some cans too — that must be Keisha.
Edgar: I guess. Any other crazy canned foods to show me, Takashi?
Takashi: Wh- huh!?
He’s so shocked the shades almost fall off his face, though he manages to fix that quickly.
Takashi: I didn’t tell you my name yet! Are you the Ultimate Clairvoyant or something?
Edgar: Maybe. How about you?
Takashi: Ahem! Well, I am the Ultimate Pyrotechnician, Takashi Akahono! I’m sure you’ve already heard of me though, I’m a pretty cool dude after all.
He puffs out his chest as he says that, with a thin grin that reminds me of those bad boy characters from cheesy rom-com movies. Or maybe a pigeon. I let out a small snicker.
Takashi: H-hey! What are you laughing at?!
Keisha: To be fair, it is hard to take you seriously a lot of the time. Especially when you start breaking out honorifics like “Keisha-sama”.
I have to let out a full laugh this time.
Edgar: Damn, why not call her “Keisha-ojousama” while you’re at it?!
Takashi: H-hey! It’s nothing to laugh at, she deserves the respect!
Keisha: I’m flattered, but we’re all peers here. I mean, we’re already on a first-name basis.
Edgar: Speaking of names, I’m Edgar Reich, this year’s Lucky Student. Could Keisha-ue possibly grace us with a proper introduction?
Takashi: [shoves me] All right, I get it .
Keisha: [tersely] Keisha Abbas.
Edgar: And your talent?
She sighs, frowning a little as her expression seems to grow a little more tired.
Keisha: I don’t remember. And I know how suspicious that might sound, God knows I’ve been getting enough of that already, but I swear I know as much as any of you.
…Well, at least she admits it’s suspicious? She looks genuinely troubled though, so I guess I believe her here. For now. There isn’t a reason not to trust her, right?
Yeah, that’s just the paranoia talking. God, I really need to get over myself. It’s not like anything is going to happen…
…Right?
Edgar: I believe you.
Takashi: Of course! Why would she even lie to us?
Keisha nods, though she still continues to frown.
Is there something else bothering her?
Edgar: Are you feeling okay? You look… stressed.
Keisha: Honestly, not really. I’ve been thinking a lot about our situation and from what I’ve seen, it isn’t pretty.
Takashi: What is it then?
Keisha: Well, I’ve been wondering — why is it all canned food exactly? A lot of money clearly went into this and we even have a couple of fridges in the kitchen, so why get all this canned food instead?
That’s a strange question, but a valid one the more I think about it. This is a lot of food and we have a lot of options too, as I could see with those canned tamales, but she does have a point with the fridges.
Keisha: Canned food is nonperishable and it lasts a really long time-
Edgar: Hold up, are you implying this place is supposed to be a doomsday bunker or something?! That sounds crazy!
Keisha: Well, that’s one reason why they might want to keep us here. But what if the danger doesn’t come from outside? What if it’s already here?
…Well, that doesn’t sound sinister at all.
Keisha: After all, this place is both underground and well-stocked — if anybody’s looking for us, this would be the perfect place to hide us. Not to even mention the memories we’re missing-
Takashi: Hold on, “memories”? What memories?
Edgar: Yeah, I remember everything! There isn’t anything I’m forgetting…
At least I don’t think so.
My stomach lurches at that thought, the idea that somebody just reached into my mind and stole those memories from me-
I try to stop thinking about it, but I can’t , not while Keisha’s still clinically listing it all out like this doesn’t involve us too.
Keisha: We don’t know how we got here, or who’s behind this. Isn’t it suspicious we don’t know either of these things?
Takashi: So what’s going on? Who’s behind this??
Before anybody can respond to that, the door to the pantry creaks open again and Sumire. pokes her head in through the gap.
Sumire: U-um, guys? Th-the muffins are ready.
Edgar: All right then, let’s head over!
Forcing a smile on my face, I walked out the pantry with the others to see pretty much everyone I’d met so far at the table. A plate in the center of the table held a mountain of almond muffins, and Daichi already had one in his mouth.
Daichi: [slightly muffled] Look at the fruits of our labor! They’re delicious!
Minoru: Hehe, glad you enjoy them!
Daichi: If we get it off here, you think I can bribe Hope's Peak to make you the Ultimate Baker?
Hitomi: Why is bribery the first thing that comes to mind?
Rantaro: You sure you don't want one, Minoru? I'm sure you spent a lot of time making all this.
Minoru: No, I'll just… wait for everyone else. Isn't for better with company?
Takashi: Yeah, where'd they all go?
Edgar: We can find it together. I still haven't met everyone yet, so I was planning to do that soon. [turns to Rantaro] You still up to complete that investigation?
Rantaro: [shrugs] Sure. Sumire, you'll be fine without me, right?
Sumire: Y-yeah. Th-there's a lot of us, after all. I-I'll be fine!
I take that as my cue to exit, Rantaro following behind me shortly afterwards. Now that we're out of the kitchen, I finally have some time to think by myself.
And boy do I have shit to think about: Keisha's talent, her predictions, this entire situation. How does she even tie into all this anyways?
There's no way she's just a normal girl, not when she doesn't even have the luxury of remembering what her talent is. Why would our kidnapper do that?
Is her talent… dangerous? Even so, dangerous for who ?
I know I said I trusted her before, but the more I look back on it, the less sure I am that's really the right decision, even with how smart she is.
(Maybe a little too smart for her own good.)
She's certainly right about one thing though: whatever reason we were brought here for, it can't be a good one.
And something tells me that this won't end well.