"Now, um, don't make no mistake, you few students, so much potential, represent all the hope in this world!" Monokuma shouted, placing one hand on his hip and glancing at the nails on his other hand. "To protect such splendid hope...you will live a communal life together solely within this school. Everyone shall live in harmony together and obey the rules and regulations of this school."

My eyes widened in slight confusion; what?

"Oh, now then...regarding the end date for this nice, communal life..." Monokuma grinned, placing both of his hands in front of his mouth as he lets out a giggle. The cute expression soon drops and morphs into a dark one.

"There isn't one!"

Everyone in the room let out small squeals of confusion before Monokuma spoke up again.

"In other words, you'll all be living here until the day you die! Such a wonderful school life you've been assigned, am I right?" Monokuma laughed. His laugh was like when someone laughs at the scene of a crime.

"D-Did he just say until the day w-we die?" Toko stammered, holding her shaking hands to her chest.

"Oh, but fear not! We have quite a large budget, so you won't lack the common conveniences," Monokuma stated, balling up his fists and holding them near his face.

"That's the least of our worries at the moment!" Sayaka exclaimed, eyebrows furrowed and fist clenched.

"Yeah! What the hell is up with this? You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?" Junko said while a confused expression spread across her features.

"I am not screwing with you all! I am no liar!" Monokuma shouted, throwing his arms up and waving them around as though he was throwing a tantrum. "Oh! And, for your information, you have absolutely no communication with the outside world. You're completely cut off! You don't have to worry about that filthy land beyond those walls ever again!"

"C-Cut off?" I stammered. I stared at Monokuma with wide eyes. "So, those metal plates on the windows...they're to keep us trapped in this school?"

Monokuma looked at me, a grin spread across his features. "You're right! What a smart girl you are! That's exactly what those are for!" Monokuma jumped off the stage and walks over to me. I noticed his grin widening.

My eyes widenws and I took a step back as the boy stood directly in front of me. He grabbed my face and smooshed it with his hands, saying, "that means no matter how much you cry and scream, help will not come to your rescue." I realized that he was a bit taller than me, him standing at around 5'7" or 5'8". (The reader is around 5'5" in this story.)

Monokuma let out a giggle before releasing my face, making me let out a breath of relief. Monokuma walked back towards the stage, now standing in front of it. "With that in mind, feel free to live your lives here with reckless abandon!"

"Come on...what the hell is all of this?" Leon stated, a beat of sweat rolling down his face. "I don't care if the school or whatever is behind all of this crap, but this is just a really bad joke."

"Yeah! Cut this shit out! It's not funny anymore!" Mondo shouted as he clenched his fists.

"You all just keep thinking this is some sort of lie or joke...you're a bunch of idiots. I said I am not a liar!" Monokuma growled. "But...I suppose I can't blame you. You grew up where you were taught to take caution around your neighbor. Well, you'll have plenty of time to think about what I said. When the time comes, you'll see with your own eyes that I speak the truth."

"Having to live here together seems to be...quite the problem," Celeste mumbled.

"Sheesh! Come on now! What's the matter with all of you? You chose to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? Don't go complaining about it now!" Monokuma laughed. "Now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you decided that you want to leave the school? I suppose I did forget to mention one thing...about how to leave the school."

What? How could he forget something like that?

"R-Really?" Toko asked in slight disbelief.

"Yes really! As the headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave!" Monokuma giggled, "I like to call it the "Graduation Clause!" Now, allow me to tell you about this fun little rule. As I previously mentioned, in order to maintain harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. If someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school! That is the Graduation Clause!"

"I'm not sure I follow..." I mumbled, glancing at Monokuma in confusion; the boy simply gives me a sly grin.

"What exactly do you mean by "disrupt that harmony?"" Byakuya questioned.

Monokuma giggled again, "well, you know...if one person were to murder another person."

"D-Did you just say murder?!" I shouted.

"That's right, sweetheart," Monokuma answered. I sent him a glare that silently stated, "don't you dare call me that." Monokuma seemed to get the memo.

"Anywho, stabbing, bludgeoning, strangling, hacking, drowning, crushing, igniting, poisoning, how you commit the crime doesn't matter! If you wish to leave, you must kill someone. Simple as that! The rest is all up to you! Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."

A chill shot down my spine as my body began to tremble. As soon as I heard how to escape this school, my blood turned cold. I didn't know how to react. This couldn't just be some joke, this was too sick to be a joke.

"I bet that got your heart pumping! Like I said before, you all are the hope of the world! However...taking that hope and seeing it slaughtered creates a dark shadow of despair. I just find it so exciting!" Monokuma laughed, holding his stomach from how hard he was laughing.

"What the hell?! To kill each other...it-it's horrible!" Leon yelled.

"To kill each other is just to kill each other. If you are that stupid, I'm pretty sure there is a dictionary somewhere," Monokuma stated, tilting his head.

"We know what it means! Why do we have to kill each other?!" Hina shouted.

"Yeah! Stop blabbering about all of this nonsense! Just let us all go home already!" Hifumi screamed.

I nervously glanced back at Monokuma only to see him with an almost bored expression on his face. "Blabbering? Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean by blabbering?! Stop blabbering about blabbering! You all don't get it, do you?"

An angry expression quickly replaced Monokuma's bored one, making everyone in the room flinch.

""Let us go, let us go, please!" You just keep repeating the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over! Listen up, idiots. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. You have nowhere else to run to. Got it?" Monokuma announced, glaring at everyone in the room. "And don't forget, you can kill! Kill as much as you desire! So go ahead! Go on a killing spree!"

I clasedp my hands together and pulled them to my chest. Why? I thought this was going to be a normal high school. I could feel Junko pat my back in reassurance.

"Alright. How long are you going to keep this up?" Hiro questioned, walking over to Monokuma.

"What?" Monokuma questioned.

"You got us! Got us good! Ya scared the hell out of us! Look at poor (Y/n) over there, shaking like a leaf! So, you can go ahead and reveal the trick to us now," Hiro chuckled with a smile. I sent him a glare of annoyance for using me as an example; he didn't seem to notice.

"Reveal the trick?" Monokuma asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yeah, I mean...this is all a trick, right? So, like, uh..." Hiro's voice trailed off.

"Dude, shut the hell up. Get outta my way," Mondo shouted, pushing Hiro out of the way to stand in front of Monokuma. Mondo seemed to tower over Monokuma due to the height difference. "Listen up, fucking asshole! This shit has gone too far! What the hell are you trying to do?! This joke isn't fucking funny!"

"Joke? You talking about your fashion sense? Or maybe your hair?" Monokuma snickered.

"Fuck you!" Mondo yelled, lunging at Monokuma. He grabbed Monokuma by the shirt and lifted him up.

"I gotcha, you tiny piece of shit! I have no idea if you are some weird cosplayer or some stuffed animal, or whatever the hell you are! It won't matter when I rip you to fucking shreds!" Mondo shouted, holding his fist back as if ready to punch Monokuma.

Everyone in the room, including me, watched the scene in shock.

Monokuma began to fake cry as he says, "vi-violence against the headmaster is in v-violation of s-school rules!"

"Shut the fuck up! Let me outta here or I swear to-"

Monokuma then reached to his belt, pulling out something. He held the item tightly in his hand, slowly raising his arm to reveal the object. It was a gun, which seemed to be loaded. He held up the gun and pointed it at Mondo, a smirk spread across his face.

Mondo fell silent, frozen in shock.

"What? No smartass comment this time? Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited. If you dare make another violent action, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger," Monokuma stated, smirking at Mondo.

"It's better to just back down, unless you wish to be shot," Kyoko stated with a harsh glare.

Mondo clenched his teeth and released Monokuma. The action made Monokuma land on the ground harshly. Monokuma gives an innocent smile before putting the gun away.

"Th-That shit wasn't a joke," Mondo stated, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

"You bet this shit wasn't a joke! Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited! Don't make me say it again!" Monokuma pouted.

Everyone in the room seemed to be frozen in shock as well; no one expected that. I glanced over at Junko to see that her eyes were wide and mouth agape. I took a deep breath before turning my gaze back to Monokuma.

"You son of a bitch! You seriously tried to kill me right now!"

"Well, yes. You violated the school rules, after all! I'll let you off with a warning this time, but the next time any of you pull something like this, I won't hesitate to give punishment," Monokuma claimed, adjusting his loose tie. "Remember, there are cameras everywhere! I can tell when you violate a rule. Remember this scenario before you break a school rule."

"T-That's not even a right punishment...it's just wrong!" Hina yelled. Fear was evident in her expression.

"Anywho, lastly, to commemorate your amazing entry into Hope's Peak Academy, I have a little present for you!" Monokuma turned back to the stage and reaches over to a box, sliding it over to him. He opens the box and takes out a little device from it, holding it up for everyone to see. "This is the official student handbook! Pretty cool, am I right?"

The handbook was a small, digital device that shined a light blue. It had the Hope's Peak Academy symbol pasted on it as well.

"As you can tell, it is digital! So, of course, we call it the e-Handbook!" Monokuma exclaimed. "This handbook is very important, so do not lose it or damage it! When you start it up, your name is displayed! Make sure you always have the right one with you! Remember, this is not just an everyday notebook! It is way cooler! It has many more uses than a stupid notebook. Also, it's completely waterproof!"

I listened as Monokuma continued to explain the e-Handbook. I couldn't help but let a few yawns escape my lips; his explanation wasn't all that interesting, after all.

"And that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! And Ms.(Y/n), please be sure to pay more attention! Don't think I didn't see you falling asleep there!" Monokuma shouted, pointing a finger at me with a large grin on his face.

I blusedh from embarrassment and send the boy a glare, earning a chuckle from him.

"Anyways, be sure to enjoy your new life! Goodbye for now!" Monokuma announced before disappearing behind the curtains on the stage. And with that, Monokuma left us in a state of shock.

"So, everyone...how would you define what we just experienced?" Taka questioned, looking at the rest of us.

"H-How? Why..? I don't get why any of this is happening," Leon stated with a nervous smile.

Toko grabbed her hair and tugs on it, mumbling, "we-we have to live here forever or kill to esc-escape? W-What just ha-happened?!"

"Everyone, please calm yourselves down. First, take a moment to summarize everything we have just been told," Kyoko asserted in a calm tone. "Based on what Monokuma told us, we have two options. The first choice is to stay here and live a communal life until the day we pass. The other choice is..."

"If we wish to get out of here alive, we must kill someone. Correct?" Celeste spoke.

"B-But killing someone i-is just s-so awful!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"We were kidnapped out of nowhere and placed into this place meant to be a school," Hifumi said nervously. "And now we are supposed to kill each other?! What is t-this?!"

"A lie...it has to be. It has to be all fake!" Taka screamed.

"At the moment, it doesn't really matter if this is true or not. What matters is if there is someone really considering murdering someone to escape," Byakuya stated.

Everyone in the room fell silent, no one having a response to that statement. I kept quiet myself, glancing at everyone else in the room. Everyone was glancing at one another, some glares burning harshly into others. The hostility burned brightly in the room.

That's when it really hit me, the true terror of this school. The true hostility of the rules Monokuma laid out for us.

You must kill if you wish to escape.

That rule had planted pure terror in each of us. Each of us wondering if another would betray the trust we were beginning to build.

And that was how our new school life began. This school, which I used to think was an honor to attend, had turned into a garden of despair fighting against hope. This school isn't a school of hope.

This is a school of pure despair.