Danganronpa: Once Upon an Smiling Priest

1. Students may reside only within the school. Leaving the campus is an unacceptable use of time.

2. 'Nighttime' is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.

4. With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

5. Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of surveillance cameras.

6. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes 'BLACKENED' will graduate, unless they are discovered.

7. Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.

These... rules…

My, aren't they something rather interesting, I must admit. More importantly, they left a bit more to the imagination than one might think at first glance.

For example, taking into consideration both rules two and three, it meant that a place for us to sleep existed somewhere in the building, which made me question as to why Hope's Peak would have such a thing. Unless of course, our captor added them while we were asleep. Although the segment regarding the off-limit areas… Hmm, well I suppose I'll get to it when I get to it.

The fourth rule was strange; if I was honest, it rang a few warning bells for me. It was one thing with being confident in keeping us trapped, the little I have seen so far tells me that such confidence was warranted, but to encourage us to sniff out the nature of this place seemed... counterintuitive.

There must be something more to it.

Rule five was to be as expected. Attacking the dual-coloured bear would be returned with the death penalty.

If I was being honest, the only point of interest for me about that particular rule, was the fact that the only other thing that was forbidden from inflicting any damage was the cameras, which opens a few possibilities.

Certain... alternative routes, detours to the final... destination, if you will.

loopholes if you will.

There was also what was likely the most important of all rules. Rule number six. In retrospect, it just looked like what Monokuma told us. Kill to gain your freedom, but… that extra part, unless they are discovered, sounds simple. But it can't be. Not from the bear. There was something between the lines in that little phrase.

But what could it...

! ! !

Ah! My smile widened slightly into something devious. I see... an eye for an eye, a body for a body. How devious of you.

Anyways, getting back on track. Rule seven was a safeguard for our captor, in case someone found these loopholes or one that would actually cause trouble for the Mastermind. Simple as that.

Overall, it was not that bad. Of course, there were some suspicious parts, but hey, they weren't oppressive 'By our current standards, of course', and neither were they an immediate threat to our safety.

Basically, all in all, something even one of these simpletons shouldn't have that much of a problem with following.

Again, by the standards of our current situation.

"This is bullshit! What the hell kinda rules are these!? I'm not gonna let them control ME!"

And as if on cue, Mr Owada proved me wrong. You know, I shouldn't have expected anything different from him. Oh well, we can always beat that out of him.

It wasn't like he had an option on that, though. Something Celes had no quarrels in pointing out.

"Well then, if you're so confident in your freedom, why don't you wander around the school without a care in the world and see the consequences that come of it?" Celes said with a slight smile tugging at her lips, hiding most of her mouth with a hand as small giggles left her lips. "Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules."

"But if he gets punished like what we saw before, I don't think there'd be a respawn waiting for him…" Mr Yamada nervously pointed out.

"Damnit, I know! I know, but…" Oh? What's this? It appears that their words were having an effect on the Gang Leader. "I… Ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head… when a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him."

! ! !

That was... unexpectedly deep of him. It seems his brother was quite the inspiration to Mr Owada. Good. We'll have a place to start off from in rehabilitation.

I heard a soft sigh echo close to me. Odd... when did Celes get so close to me? "You're a man aren't you Oberon-san? Do you know what he's talking about?"

Before I could respond to Celes's words someone else spoke before me.

"…So what?" Mrs Enoshima said nonchalantly.

You're ruining the mood woman.

"I've made a ton of promises that I still have to keep, that's 'so what'!" Mr Owada said, almost growling before his usual shouting came back. My oh my, he and Taka would be quite close friends. "I can't afford to die here!"

"None of that made much sense to me, but you are saying you will follow the regulations, is that correct?" Celes asked while twirling her hair in her fingers.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess you could say that…" Mr Owada seemed out of it for a moment. Though he quickly recovered with a nod.

There was silence for a few seconds before Mrs Maizono brought up another important point.

"Hey, um... I have a question. For regulation number six... What do you guys think it means exactly?"

"Ah! You're talking about the second half, right?" Mr Naegi chimed in. "Where it says 'unless they are discovered'? I was wondering about that myself."

"It's saying that if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you." The Togami heir replied as if the answer was obvious.

And it admittedly sounded like it.

But nothing is as it seems young Togami.

While I agree that it sounded like that, one must realise that it was way too ambiguous. Was it truly just that?

No!

Not in the slightest!

Something, someone like him wants to make things interesting. There's has to be a challenge to it.

Hmmm. Now how would that be?

...

...

! ! !

'Unless you are discovered'. That has to be it. the rules never specified how that would be judged. It would be too boring for it to be as simple as not getting caught committing the murder.

You would have to get away with it through and through. Like a trial or a detective case to figure it out and punish the murderer.

If a person, the 'blackened', were to act under such a false delusion then Monokuma would surely pull the rug from under them.

My how crafty of you! I have no choice but to give props to you for such an interesting twist.

This play you've put us into is quite interesting.

The sixth rule is a trap to teach us how deadly this game really is. A trap that would kill anyone foolish enough to not understand the risks it represented... Like Mr Strike Out or Mrs Pop Idol! Hehe.

"B-But why…?" Bringing myself out of my thoughts, I heard Mrs Fukawa speak. "Why do we h-have to do that?"

"I don't see any reason to worry about it." Oh, there certainly was a reason to worry about it, Togami. But I guess someone of your calibre wouldn't understand that.

"Just focus on following the rules as they've been explained to us. Frankly, I don't want to hear anything from someone who waits for others to decide what to do for them."

"D-Don't j-jab at me." Mrs Fukawa muttered, and although I heard Mr Kuwata throw a sarcastic comment her way, she was far busier looking at Togami with longing eyes.

Oh? Well isn't this a development? Well good to know she isn't looking at me like that.

"Well, for now, let's forget all that silly junk about, murderers, assassins, or whatever!" Oh? What's this? Do I suddenly no longer exist anymore? "Now that we know the rules, we can begin to explore the school!"

"True!" Regardless of the Swimmer's strange statement, the Moral Compass saw no problem in agreeing with Hina. "We need to find out where exactly we are, is there any way out? What about food and supplies?" Oh, that's quite mellow of hi- "There are tons of questions we need to answer!" Taka yelled out, seemingly getting quite pumped about it. Yeah, that's more his speed.

Inner voice problems aside, he was right. I had a lot of things that I needed to see for myself.

"Damn straight!" It seemed Mr Kuwata was beginning to get pumped up about this as well. "Okay, then let's all start looking around!"

Along with the baseball star, the large majority seemed to regain their momentum. With renewed vigour, they all seemed ready to form groups and explore the different installations we could potentially find within these halls.

I have done my part in this scene time and it was to get a move on.

Though, naturally, someone just had to put an early end to such plans.

"I'll be going alone." The Togami stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What!? Why? That's a pretty stupid idea, don't you think?" Mrs Enoshima pointed out. And to be fair she was kind of right.

Now, before I get called out for it, there was a difference between my case and the Heir.

The only person here who could be seen as a threat to my life was Sakura, and from what I had seen so far, there was no way she was going alone without Mrs Asahina.

They seem to have bonded incredibly fast, to the point that even if I'm not the best person at understanding those kinds of interactions, I could see they acted around each other as if they had been the best of friends for years.

And to be honest... I was kind of jealous. To be able to make friends so quickly and easily. Especially with someone I've known for a while now. It was only natural to be envious.

Most of the enthusiastic chatter at the introductions came from those two, and she was stuck like glue to the Martial Artist since Monokuma's appearance up to now.

Besides, I just couldn't see Sakura trying to pull a move on me. Not only because of our friendship but because of the risk of compromising the swimmer.

At the very least, she wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary.

Togami, on the other hand, would be completely vulnerable against most of the people here by going alone and that's just the harsh truth. His skill set comes in the intellectual side, not the physical one. He wasn't weak by any means, at least not that I know of and I doubt the heir of the Togami conglomerate would leave such an area untouched.

That being said, however, it was just as likely that his strength was far from enough for him to be safely independent around here.

Maybe he could take the shitty writer with him? She seems harmless and even with his attitude and her... Fukawa-ness, she has shown to be on good terms with him. Or at least whatever you would consider their relationship.

"Someone here might already have started thinking of murdering one of us." Oh, how right you were little Togami. "Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?"

...That's not how murder works. You'd be in fact making it easier for them to commit a murder by splitting up.

Though, if I'm being honest, as of right now, I didn't feel that worried about going alone. If one were to try to kill someone this early, it would definitely be an act of bloodlust rather than the desperation to get out.

Which was unlikely for today given how we've just started exploring the school.

If there was one thing I could assure myself of, it was my ability to detect murderous intent. While normally It wasn't an essential skill to have for a priest. Given the sort of environment in which I've lived in for most of my life.

And as far as I could remember, there hadn't been anyone displaying any kind of―

Wait.

Actually, during my introduction with Sakura… I felt somebody displaying something like that, although I lost my opportunity to notice who it was due to Sakura's... examination. I was certain that it wasn't directed at me back then. And while things haven't changed much, in my opinion at least, since then. It simply wasn't a danger I could ignore.

Neither to myself nor for my fellow captors.

So much for hoping for a first day as a calm period, huh? Oh well! There's always something shaking up the first act.

Though I do wonder why someone would show such killing intent at that time.

I will have to keep my eyes open then; I couldn't afford to miss who was that person again.

Hmm, how odd. I was usually good at finding out such things. I even figured out Mr Kirigiri's obvious talent, so much for the SHSL Detective. The only reasonable conclusion was that it would be someone I would least expect...

Maizono? No, not even the idol could show such an intense desire.

Fukawa? ...Nah!

Enoshima? ...Hmm, possible I guess but highly unlikely.

The clairvoyant? HA! As if that fool could ever muster up such a thing.

"W-Wait, hold on a second. That would never―!" Mrs Maizono tried to argue, pulling me out of my thoughts. Though unfortunately, whatever she was going to say was stopped by Togami's sharp and stern glare.

"Don't bother saying it couldn't happen. You can't deny the possibility. That's why you all seized up with fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you." His gaze shifted towards me, a mix of emotions varying between wariness and condescension lingering on his blue orbs.

To which I returned with my signature, award-winning closed-eye smile. Though it's not like I had opened my eyes during this scene. If you have something to say Mr Togami then say it with your chest. The audience is awaiting with bated breath!

"The only exception is the assassin over there, and that's even more reason for me to get away from him. You may believe that excuse of a story about him not having any ill intention, but I'm not a fool like the rest of you to stick around and have any faith in that."

Nobody could protest that. While it was true that they didn't see me as they did at the beginning of this little detour from the main quest, it was another whole deal to have trust in me.

After all! If they can't even do so with their fellow normal SHSL teenagers right now, then there was no way someone with the title of "Ultimate Assassin" could be a better, trusting person than the rest of them.

Tsk, tsk. How sad. How very sad.

"I'm only simply acting in accordance with what I believe is best for me." The Togami added. "I suggest you all act under that same mentality, especially considering him."

For once, it seemed the Heir was intended on giving genuine advice. Whether it should be considered right or wrong… well, I supposed it was up to everyone to take it however they wanted. And I surely wasn't going to ruin this nice moment for our little Pomeranian.

"Hold on!" Not like that detrained Mr Owada from blocking the Togami's path, his teeth bared in a snarl. "Like hell I'm gonna let ya run off and do whatever ya want!"

Oh, what's this? Are our two little court jesters going to put on a little play for us? A dark smile crept onto my lips as I saw Mr Owada cracking his knuckles. Though it quickly disappeared with a shake of my head; returning to normal.

No, no, it's just our two darling actors fulfilling their roles as all good humans should do. But regardless I'm sure they put on a tense show-stopper for us.

"Out of my way, plankton." Mr Togami demanded.

…Sturing up the pot already, huh? I don't think you realise that the Togami Conglamourate can't help you in her boy.

"Wh-!? The fuck's that supposed to mean!?"

"One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea. So minuscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean."

...My child, you are not a Shakespear. Nor are you a screenwriter. Put down the pen and hand it over to someone with actual talent, not the romance author.

Though I guess it was to be as expected of a Togami. They may be geniuses in all sorts of fields like business and administrative tasks, but they have the self-awareness of a sponge. Great at absorbing information, but terrible at using it effectively.

"That's how ya wanna play, eh, shithead!?" Mr Owada sneered as he cracked his knuckles again. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Though before anything else happened, a timed intervention saved the Togami from Owada's, frankly deserved fury.

"S-Stop it!" Mr Naegi cried out in a pleading tone. "We shouldn't fight!"

In exchange, though, it seemed Naegi was the one who turned out unlucky. So much for the Ultimate Lucky Student.

"The fuck you just say!? You some kind goody-goody little bitch!?" Mr Owada was completely enraged at that point, the unrestrained fury determined to calm down only until he had lashed out against something or in this case... someone. "Who do you think you are!? Talkin' to me like that, you think your my fuckin' dad or somethin'!?"

I'm sensing... daddy issues. Hmm, perhaps me and Celes will have something to talk about over tea.

"N-No, I wasn't―!" Mr Naegi tried to placate him… but at that point? I'm not going to lie, I almost felt bad for our frail, pathetic, brain damaged main character. Anyone with a developed brain and survival instincts could see It was like lighting a match within a bomb's deposit, and unfortunately, Mr Naegi was at the very centre of it.

"Fuck you!"

The slamming sound of flesh crashing against flesh was the last thing Naegi heard before he was thrown in the air, and no, that wasn't me exaggerating. The guy flew a few meters before crashing hard into the ground with a sounding thud.

...

...

How spectacular! My, it's like something out of a comic book or superhero movie! Ten stars! Brilliant performance!

"Naegi!?" Mr Maizono cried in alarm.

Oh, don't worry girl he won't suffer... too much.

Though it seems she wasn't the only one crying out for our fallen hero, as a series of horror-filled screams worked in cacophony with her own. Creating an off-key symphony of terror and fear.

But that was it.

Nobody moved a single muscle to approach the prone form of Makoto Naegi. Everyone had all sorts of dumbfounded faces, even the Togami seemed surprised by the turn of events.

As for Mr Owada…

The irony of it was almost funny. No! It was funny! Hahahaha!

In the entire interaction between the two, Mr Owada not even once showed the intent of killing the ahoge boy. Nor do I believe he even registered that it was the hoodie-wearing individual. What happened was simply rage.

Raw, unfiltered, chaotic fury that he channelled on the first thing he could release it on. In this case, it was the only person who tried to stop him from committing such a mistake in the first place.

Seeing Mr Owada's face once he woke up out of his frenzy, a warm smile ran to my face. Mr Owada's face showed nothing beyond absolute regret at what he just did, I knew there was some good in even him.

I knew Owada had anger issues, the signs were there, but on that scale… Hmm. Welp, I guess we'll have to work through those in his therapy.

And what's even funnier is that nobody had put the effort to check if Mr Naegi was alive or not, and even I from my position distance couldn't determine which was the case. Though I was encouraged to believe the former as there was no way our main character would die so early in the story... unless, of course, it was make way for our real hero! Kirigiri!

...

...

Pffft! As if!

Though I do have to wonder. Either he's incredibly light or Mr Owada is stronger than I suspected to throw him this far, maybe a bit of both thanks to his anger… My quite a strength amp as some of my nerdier students would say.

And if he was indeed dead… well, I might have an idea of what comes next for our biker, and while I take no joy out of this, it could work as a confirmation sacrifice to see what was the truth behind the sixth rule.

Seeing that nobody was going to do anything but stare I decided to take the stage once again and approached the bod― I mean... boy.

The moment I did that, some people flinched and yelped, making me fight the urge to roll my covered eyes. I mean, chill out, what more could I do to him that Mr Owada hasn't already done? Break his knees? Push him down a flight of stairs to take his retirement fund and assets or, Lord forbid, take him to get some help.

Le gasp!

Seriously, what did they think I was gonna do to a possibly already dead person?

Leaving that aside once I was close enough, I crouched next to Mr Naegi and put the index and middle finger of my right, gloved hand on his neck, while the other hand went near to his nose's orifices.

A few seconds was all I needed to know the answer I was looking for.

"Rejoice!" I spoke with a bit more volume than normal, just enough for everyone to hear me. "Mr Naegi still lives. He's just unconscious. He will likely wake up in a few hours." Either that or he fell into a coma, I don't have a way to check his pupil reaction, but there weren't either injuries or any sign of blood around his head, so the chances for a worst-case scenario were abysmally low.

I guess he got... Lucky.

…

…I guess he really wasn't lying about having bad luck most of the time. My apologies Mr Naeg for not believing you. But then again you were lucky enough to die from hitting your head against the wall.

My words seemed to have broken some kind of spell, as everyone at that moment recovered the capacity to move and speak.

"Naegi!" Mrs Maizono immediately rushed to the O' so 'Lucky' student.

Hmm, showing that much concern… Did they know each other before all of this?

…

…I supposed there was no harm in sharing that piece of info.

"Based on what rules two and three say, I believe there must be some kind of resting place for all of us, I also think it's in this 'Despair Hotel' that was located around the classrooms." I informed, matter-of-factly. "Someone should go and put him to rest there."

"M-Master Vo-Voyager, the way you worded it sounds as if you think he's dead…" Mr Yamada sweatdropped.

I just shrugged at that.

"I will do it!" Mrs Maizono also seemed intent on ignoring Yamada's exclamation as she turned in my direction, determination raging in her eyes.

"Sure, but can you carry him?" I asked raising a brow. Could she be that strong?

"Ah, I will help." Curiously enough, it was Mr Kuwata who volunteered. "Wanna make sure the dude doesn't get worse on the way there."

And with that, Mr Kuwata carried Mr Naegi on his back while Mrs Maizono led the way.

How does she know the way? Oh well! Not my problem. She could have investigated it when she woke up.

"Hmph, so he lived, what a waste of time." It seems that Togami also saw this as an opportunity to make more enemies, because the more, the better, am I right? One must have an evil to face in any story. "Seeing as there's no more drama left to distract me, I shall take my leave." With those O' so encouraging words, he left.

It looked like Mr Owada wanted to replay the previous incident, but in the end, whether the fiasco with Mr Naegi was still fresh on his mind or otherwise, he managed to reign his fury.

See! Progress!

"Geez, what a jerk…" Mrs Asahina said with a pout.

"I will leave too." Seeing the looks she was receiving, Mrs Kirigiri sighed before elaborating. "Not for the same reasons as him."

We didn't need to elaborate! You could have said nothing and nothing would have changed woman!

And with that, she too left the room.

Seeing this as a good opportunity I decided to approach Celes to which she responded with a simple head tilt.

"You have some business with me Oberon-san?"

"I do in fact my fair lady, I would just love it if you would come to my room later. I want to discuss something with you."

"Oh, my." Celes placed a hand on her lips in a rather exaggerated manner. "Quite bold of you no? Asking a girl to your room."

I let a small chuckle escape my lips as I shook my head. "Not like that Celes. I believe we can learn a lot if we were to have a proper, human discussion."

She gave me her usual playful smile in return. "I'll let you know now as a token of our... friendship, that you are still my prime suspect here. And the whole assassin thing isn't making me feel any safer." She leaned in closer as her expression and tone turned serious and quiet. "Even if I know it's nothing but a lie." She pulled back, her expression returning to what it once was. As if nothing had just transpired. "So no, Voyager-san, I'd prefer to not be murdered on my first day, if you don't mind."

Taking a thinking pose an idea came to my mind. "Fair enough I suppose, If it would you feel any safer I could ask the purple-haired girl to tag along. She was with us back then. Well, in the foyer."

My idea caused Celes another tilt of her head as a mischievous smirk made its way to her face. "My, my, you invited not one but two girls into your private abode? My Voyager-san, don't bite off more than you can chew. Though, since you've put so much effort into making myself feel safe, it appears I have no choice but to accept." She turned to leave before seeming to remember something and looking back at me before walking off. "Oh, and beware of the nice boat~"

...

...

...Huh?!

D-Did she just turn into Yamada? And was that... an anime reference?

"Wait hold on, what does that even mean?" I tried to say, reaching out to her but to no avail as she had moved away.

Sighing to myself I walked over to the purple-haired destroyer of dreams and ruiner of fun.

"Mrs Kirigiri." I said with as much pleasantry as possible.

She replied with a quiet stare. Urgh. You know you're not making this easier for me.

"I'd like for us to meet up in my room and discuss this... situation in a more appropriate fashion. Do not be alarmed, Mrs Ludenburg is also coming. You two seem to be one of the sparse few who can be calm under pressure."

I tried my best to behave myself. Her deadpan, dry look on her face wasn't helping anything. So I tried to lighten the mood by acting a little shy by searching my cheek. "Also, you were both present when I lost consciousness so I was hoping we could shed some light on that front too."

She seems to consider my question before giving me a suspicious look. "And how do I know that you aren't planning on killing us?"

My eye twitched at the mention, but I pushed through it. "Because I'm the..." Lord am I really going to say this? "Ultimate Assassin, not the Ultimate Murderer, right? If I wanted anyone dead there would be an infinite number of ways that wouldn't draw any suspicion to me or wouldn't out me right away."

"And besides." I spread my arms out to the side for some dramatic flair. "There's not much of a point to doing such a thing right now. It would be so obvious."

She considers my points quietly before giving a satisfied nod.

Giving her my O' so charming smile I began to fix my vestments before I prepared to leave myself.

"Voyager, WAIT!" Only for Taka's shout to put a quick end to such plans.

Things can't stay simple for once, it seems.

"What is it?" I asked in the most neutral tone I could muster… but it didn't show signs of working if the flinching and tensed-up faces of almost everyone in the room were anything to go by.

I'm not used to dealing with this stuff…

"W-Well, I, and surely the rest of our classmates, are grateful for your actions so far." So he said, but the way he was sweating bullets was sending me mixed signals. "That being said, I believe that out of e-everyone here, you… shouldn't be allowed to travel… alone."

"…"

"Y-yeah, just… in case, y'know?" Asahina commented.

"I would certainly feel much safer, knowing that someone talented in the act of killing isn't walking alone around the halls." Celes chimed in with a smile.

...Woman you just agreed to come into my room. I don't want to hear you talk about safety.

Mr Owada didn't say anything, but that glare he was giving me said enough.

I saved your life! Also aren't you the one who almost killed Mr Naegi? Why are you looking at me like that?

"…" Mrs Fujisaki just looked away.

I should have guessed it was going to come to this. That vigilante fantasy Mr Yamada made didn't stick around for long, huh? Hmm, I will have to thank him for that, unlike that hack he can come up with a good story.

"…Fine." Not being one for unnecessary, boring drama, and with no other choice in hand, I acquiesced with the Moral Compass' request with a smile and raised brow. "Who's going to come with me then?"

It seemed that was the harder part of their stunt, seeing the looks everyone was giving at each other. All of them were asking that question. Wondering 'Who's going to take the risk?'.

More time passed, and nobody had a response.

"It appears no one's willing to take upon such a task." Sakura spoke, taking a step forward while doing so. "I suppose it falls on―"

"Eh, I don't mind giving it a go." Only to be interrupted by someone else's cheery voice.

All of us turned to the source of the voice. And by all of us, I truly do mean all of us. Even I wanted to know who would say such a brain-dead thing.

I wanted to say that it didn't surprise me with how often it had happened, but seeing Enoshima step forward with a smile and a hand cheerily raised still managed to make me raise an eyebrow.

Why on Earth would she feed herself to the wolf like that? Sure I might be one of a little, shepherd boy but they don't know that.

"Enoshima!? W-Wha…" Taka trailed off, unable to understand why someone would volunteer with that enthusiasm. Not that anyone would or even could blame him for that.

"Miss Enoshima! Are you sure? Selecting such a party member could be…" Mr Yamada nervously trailed off.

"It's okay! It's okay!" The fashionista said with a grin and a peace sign gesture. "There's, like, nothin' to worry about!"

Huh? Is she a bloody psychic? How could she know that?

"But… but… It could be dangerous Junko! Right? Being alone with…" Asahina briefly glanced at me before giving the Fashionista a pleading look. Watch that look with me, young woman! Or you might end up in a body bag. "Who knows what he could try to do to you!"

Oi, that makes it sound like I'm some sort of pervert. How dare you spout such derogatory, slanderous and belligerent nonsense on my person. But if that's how you want to play then fine! But I assure you this is not a game you'll win.

"What do you mean exactly by 'trying to do something at her'? Could it be that Master Voyager is that kind of― Eeeeek! Forget I said anything!" Thankfully, a bothered look from me was enough to shut Mr Yamada before he completed that sentence.

To think that in less than a day they have already got me to show so many emotions, no matter how unsightly. I suppose those are Ultimates for you.

"Please do not make such outlandish claims of my person." I gave both Mrs Asahina and Mr Yamada a rather... dark smirk. "I assure you that is not a game you want to play with."

"I can tolerate many, many things but slander... Slander I cannot take."

Irritating individuals aside. While personality-wise Mrs Enoshima and I were different from what I have seen so far. Not clashing, just... different. I doubt that there will be a problem or much conflict between us in the future. It helped a lot that every single time I was beaten upon, she had vouched for me.

And I couldn't count a single instance in which she had seemed bothered by my presence.

Which was, as much as appreciate it, admittedly weird.

Weird, and suspicious. A lot of things were like that with her not that I think about it. I wouldn't describe it as a threat per se, at least I haven't felt any of that with her so far, but there's just something... strange with her and that wig wasn't doing her any favours.

Actually.

Now that I think about it. Why did she wear a wig?

What was she trying to hide?

That being said, it was either her or the rest of my classmates, who would probably become an inconvenience along the way. Sakura was fine but then Mrs Asahina would probably through a fit like the child she is.

Meanwhile, having Mrs Enoshima closer would also help me in getting to know her better. Something I already proposed myself with the intent of getting a better grasp on the sort of person she was.

Hmm, there's no other choice, then.

"I don't have a problem with her being the one accompanying me and it should be fine." I outstretched a hand while the other was behind my back. "Rejoice Mrs Enoshima, you've become a martyr for your peers. So you guys don't have to worry about me 'trying something' on her." I commented, but everyone save a sparse few like Mrs Enoshima looked sceptical about it.

"A-As if!" Mrs Fukawa aggressively snarled, giving me a look full of suspicion. "It's o-obvious the moment she lets her guard down, you… you will kill her!"

Before a more intense discussion could begin, I cut everyone off to add my own argument.

"I completely understand that using my goodwill as an argument will not convince any of you." I mean, did I have any of that stuff left in me?

Maybe when it came to Her, although one could argue that even with Her there's room for debate. Of course that is also saying that anyone would even know the truth of our relationship. Regardless, that was a can of worms for me to deal with later. Like on my deathbed or in my dreams or in a side story, something like that.

"Instead, I will explain why attacking her would be illogical and something stupid on my part."

"Oh? Is that really the case?" The not-so-hidden amused voice of Celes made it clear she was sceptical about my possible argument.

"Please do tell." Mrs Kirigiri said standing next to Celes. Speaking for the first time in what? Minutes. Also, when did those two get so close? And how come I never noticed that?

Wait, are they using this as extra confirmation? Are they using Mrs Enoshima as bait to see if I stick true to my words?

That's... actually quite clever. Colour me surprised. Seems that Celes has actually improved in her plan-making skills.

"With Pleasure!" Nevertheless, I wasn't going to let that deter me. Clearing my throat I began. "First of all, it would cause me far greater trouble rather than benefit to me that whoever accompanies me dies." I said nodding to myself with my arms behind my back as if I was some wise sage.

"If anything, making sure Mrs Enoshima stays alive would be a priority of mine, considering that if something, anything were to happen to her, I would be immediately 'discovered', which means, I would be breaking rule number six." I placed a finger on my cheek as I took another thinking pose. "You remember right? The part about 'without being discovered'. I think everyone here understands what happens to 'Rule-Breakers', right?"

The winces they made told me I got my point across.

"Yep! Like he said!" Mrs Enoshima added, for... some reason.

At this point, it might be better for me to get used to her antics.

"And if I'm allowed to give my personal insight on the matter." Thankfully, raising my voice a small degree was enough to bring the limelight back to me. "It's far too early for anyone to even consider the idea of killing someone to escape." I place a hand on my head while letting the other dangle loosely. "I mean, we haven't been here for more than two hours at most, and considering that we have an entire school to explore, there's the possibility of an escape route somewhere, isn't that so?" I asked with a raised brow as I brought my hands behind my back.

Not that I believed that, the part about the escape route I mean. Everything seemed far too well prepared to even conceive the idea of finding a security breach on the very first day of our capture. Of course, I would never reveal that myself.

Besides, there's also the ordeal about the trap in the sixth rule. Until that gets revealed, anyone who tries something will meet its end, including me… You never know what could happen.

Fortunately, whether they considered my words reasonable enough, or was a matter of being exhausted of arguing any further, I saw their faces turn into mild acceptance. Even the uptight Mrs Kirigiri.

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. Oberon V. Voyager will remember this!

"Hmm, I suppose if you put it like that… then I can't argue against it!" Taka declared.

"Maybe, but still… if there's as much as a fucking scratch on the girl, you will pay! Ya get me!?"

I simply nodded to the ruffian's words. I lacked the want or the need to start something with Mr Owada.

With bits more of agreement or lack of conflict with my proposition, it seemed that was enough to satisfy Taka, "Alright! Voyager! Enoshima! You both have my blessing to venture into this school, good luck!"

So loud and energetic… I feel like going to sleep.

"Alrighty! See ya guys, will catch with ya later!"

Well, my self-assigned partner isn't lacking in energy either. Woman your job is to look pretty for the young males and die early on for easy shock factor.

...Wait wouldn't we both die early given I'm black?

...Shit.

And with that, the two of us finally left the gym to begin our search in the nothing but an ordinary Hope's Peak… or what it was supposed to be, at least.

In any case, might as well get to it and see if we can find anything of worth before I fall asleep.