Chapter Text
Snowthefirst presents...
A story directed and written by Snow
Kaede Akamatsu knew she was about to die.
She could see the torn, despondent look on her classmates’ faces. She’d caused this. Kaede had caused this, when she rolled that shot put ball into that vent and ended Rantaro’s life.
All Kaede could do was give her last wish to the rest of her classmates. She could see how her words left an impact on more than a few of them. Most of all, Kaede could see how this impacted Shuichi.
I’m sorry, Shuichi. I’m sorry I betrayed your trust. But you’re a much better detective than you think you are! I know that you’ll be able to save everyone and escape from this Killing Game!
Kaede wanted to say these things, and more, but there was no more time- at Monokuma’s cruel command, a collar clamped around her neck, and she was whisked away, high into the sky. Kaede tried to close her eyes, so that she wouldn’t have to experience what was next.
The collar tightened around her neck, and Kaede couldn’t breath anymore. Everything was fading, fading, fading away…
Everything was turning black…
Kaede could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing…
Nothing became everything. Kaede Akamatsu became nothing.
Prologue
Everyone’s Despairing Reprise
Nothing resolved into blackness. Then, Kaede could feel cold on her skin.
Huh? That can’t be possible. I should be… I should be dead.
Kaede opened her eyes, and saw that she was stuck in some mysterious pod. There was a glass lid in front of her. Cautiously, Kaede touched the glass, then pushed against it. The lid pushed open, and Kaede sat up.
She was in a large, strange room, and all around her she could see other pods. Then, in front of her, she could see a person.
“Ahhh! Who are you?!” Kaede yelled out.
“Oh? I didn’t know someone as plain as me could be scary.” The person stepped closer, revealing themselves to be-
“Tsumugi? What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Kaede. I’m not sure, but at the same time, I don’t feel scared. This place is kind of cool. Like something out of a sci-fi manga!”
Tsumugi Shirogane
Ultimate Cosplayer
“Hello, Tsumugi,” Kaede said, a lot more relaxed. “I admit, while I don’t know where we are, I’m at least happy to see you! I feel like I could play something bright and lively right now!”
As Kaede became more aware of her surroundings, memories returned to her. Including the memory of the Ultimate Talent.
Kaede Akamatsu
Ultimate Pianist
“Okay, but we aren’t going to stay around here! We need to see what kind of situation we’ve found ourselves in.” Kaede said, climbing out of her pod and getting on her feet.
“That’s just like you, Kaede, to act so decisively!” Tsumugi exclaimed. “But first, maybe we should check some of these other pods?”
Just as Tsumugi said that, Kaede heard the sound of other pods opening. She went to the nearest one, and saw another familiar face.
“Kaede? Tsumugi? I’m glad to see you! I don’t know what’s going on here. But the moment a degenerate male shows up, I will send them away!”
Tenko Chabashira
Ultimate Aikido Master
“I haven’t seen anyone dangerous yet, but I guess that’s reassuring,” Kaede said, feeling a familiar exasperation.
“Fucking hell! This place is so cold, my nipples are poking right through my clothes!”
“Oh dear.” Tsumugi said in a dismayed tone. “There’s only one person I know that talks like that.”
Miu Iruma
Ultimate Inventor
If Kaede had been exasperated before, now she was getting a headache. “Hello there, Miu. I suppose you can join the rest of us.”
“Why the fuck would I join with plebs like you? A gorgeous girl genius like me works best alone,” Miu scowled aggressively. “In fact, I’d like for you all to get out of my sight right now!”
“You seem like you want time to yourself,” Tenko said. “But if you need company, I’ll come back!”
“Um, duh, that’s what I just said! What do I need a meathead like you for?” Miu scoffed, turning away from the other girls.
“If Miu wants to be left alone, then leave her alone,” Kaede said to Tenko. “Let’s see who else is in here!”
“Alright, then.” With one last look at Miu, Tenko joined the other two girls as they looked around for more pods.
The next person they found was a really short one. Looking around, he sighed.
“This body is just an empty shell. So then, why am I still breathing?”
Ryoma Hoshi
Ultimate Tennis Pro
Instinctively, Tenko’s face wrinkled in disgust. With great effort, she relaxed her expression, and said, “Hello, Ryoma! We don’t know where we are, but a lot of our classmates seem to be here!”
“Then in that case, I don’t think this place can be hell,” Ryoma muttered, putting a candy cigarette in his mouth. “Whoever brought us here shouldn’t have bothered with me.”
“I see you’re still as much of an edgelord as the last time we met,” Kaede said, frowning. “Between you and Miu, I feel like my hands are already full.”
“I don’t know. I think Ryoma has a dark, brooding energy about him,” Tsumugi mused. “He’s totally the kind of guy that’s like catnip for most girls!”
“If you know what’s good for you, just stay away,” Ryoma cut in. “Nothing good can come of associating with a guy like me.”
“Are you seriously still going on about that? When are you going to man up?”
“Oh no. That loud, insensitive voice,” Tenko said, horror on her face. “It can’t be!”
“Why the long faces? The Luminary of the Stars has finally entered the scene!”
Kaito Momota
Ultimate Astronaut
“My face is like this because it saw you, that’s for sure,” Tenko said, her face twisted into her… unique expression of contempt.
“Glad to see you’re still as spirited as always,” Kaito said, not remotely phased by Tenko’s reaction. “Have you seen Maki Roll? Or Shuichi?”
“No, I haven’t seen either of them around here.” Kaede said, before Tenko could say anything else. “But there are a lot of these pods around here. Maybe we’ll find them in one of them.”
“My sidekicks better not be sleeping, that’s for sure! Otherwise, they are going to get stricter training regiments, first thing!” Kaito followed Kaede, Tsumugi, and Tenko deeper into the strange room, where even more pods were waiting.
One of them was opening up, and a tall man was emerging from it, sitting up. Aside from his height, the main had long hair, and a mask on the lower half of this face.
“That’s it! I can’t take this anymore. I’m leaving,” Tenko said, turning around and walking away. “This is just one degenerate male too many!”
“Tenko, come back!” Kaede called out, to no avail.
“Kehehe. Perhaps not the warmest welcome I could have received,” Korekiyo said, amused. “But I am not offended. Every human has their beliefs, and they are all beautiful.”
Korekiyo Shinguji
Ultimate Anthropologist
“I’m starting to get a bad feeling from this. Why are so many of us collected in the same place like this?” Kaito asked out loud.
Kaede could understand what he was saying. But she wanted to hold off on any theories until she found the rest of her classmates.
At the end of the room they were in, there was only one more pod. So everyone crowded around the pod, and saw that there was a person inside. As the pod opened…
Kaede saw a face that made her heart stop. It was a face that Kaede would never forget, for all the wrong reasons.
“It looks like once again, I’ve found myself in a situation like this. But getting worked up about it won’t get us anywhere.”
Rantaro Amami
Ultimate ???
“Could… could the rest of you keep looking around for people? I’m going to go looking somewhere else!” Before anyone could respond, Kaede left. She had no real destination in mind, she needed to get away.
It was true, so far Kaede had run into a lot of her classmates. Yet somehow, meeting Rantaro was still a massive shock for her.
Eventually, Kaede came upon an exit. In search of answers, and to put distance between herself and Rantaro, she went into the exit, which lead into a hallway. The hallway kept going for a minute, then split into a fork.
Peeking down one end, Kaede saw a mysterious blue light, so she went towards it. This path led into a small, circular room. The blue light was behind a large, steel door that Kaede could see no way to get past.
On the steel door, there was no knob, or lock. Instead, there was an electronic display. The display was simple, if ominous: It had the number sixteen over the number two.
Remembering Kaito’s concern from earlier, Kaede shuddered, and decided she didn’t want to be in this room either.
Arriving back at the fork in the hallway, Kaede went down the path she ignored earlier. This lead to a large pair of double doors. Pushing them open, Kaede saw…
“What is this place?” Kaede asked herself, her eyes taking in the vast expanse of snow that lay before her. As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight outside, Kaede saw several more people in front of her.
Kaede walked forward to approach some of them. As she walked, she suddenly bumped into someone.
“Ow!”
Looking for the source of the voice, Kaede saw a boy dressed in a green hoodie on the ground. The boy had pale skin, and bright white hair.
“Oh, I’m sorry to bump into you!” Kaede exclaimed. This guy is so pale, he blended in with the snow!
“That’s just like my luck, to leave me making such a terrible first impression. But that means that good luck is waiting just around the corner! How exciting! Oh, but I suppose even an eyesore like me needs to introduce themselves.”
Nagito Komaeda
Ultimate Lucky Student
I… honestly have no idea of what to make of this. Nagito had gone from lamenting, excited, to self deprecating in the span of a few seconds. Kaede wasn’t sure if she’d be able to hold long conversations with this boy.
“I guess it’s nice to meet you, Nagito,” Kaede said politely, before walking to see who else was around. Once again, a shape appeared out of nowhere, this time pitch black.
Kaede succeeded in not bumping into the shape, and soon saw that it was a girl. And if Nagito had been pale, this girl was a step beyond that. Besides the pitch-black uniform, the girl had piercing red eyes, silver hair, and what looked to be a sword bag on her back.
“Hello. You are yet another unfamiliar face. I wonder for what purpose we were all brought here? ...Ah, you were waiting for my to introduce myself. Truthfully… neither my name or talent mean anything to me.”
Peko Pekoyama
Ultimate Swordswoman
“That’s a very concerning thing to hear!” Looking closer at Peko, Kaede noticed what appeared to be a gold chain around her neck. Would it be appropriate to ask about it?
Given her current mood, maybe I shouldn’t push her the wrong way. In fact, Peko already seemed to be focusing her attention elsewhere, So Kaede resumed her search for people.
The next person that Kaede saw was also dressed in dark clothing- this time, a boy dressed in a jacket, with a scarf around his neck. He had bandages around his hands, a scar over one of his eyes… “Woah! You are… you are certainly something.”
“Greetings, maiden. It appears that the forces of darkest evil have chosen to resurrect this vessel. Fuahahahaha! They will soon rue the day they made that fatal mistake!”
Gundham Tanaka
Ultimate Breeder
Gundham’s words forced Kaede to acknowledge what she’d been thinking about in the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was dying- and yet now, here she was. And not only were many of her classmates here, but even other people she didn’t recognize.
What does that mean? And where are we?
Not too far from Gundham, there was a girl. The girl was wearing a hoodie with cat ears on it. “Aw, that’s a really cute hoodie!” Kaede said, smiling.
The girl didn’t respond at first. Then she yawned, and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry about that. I’m feeling tired.”
“But it’s snowing! How could you possibly feel tired in a place like this?” Kaede asked.
“I’ve been looking around, but right now I’m taking a break. But you want me to introduce myself, right?”
Chiaki Nanami
Ultimate Gamer
Something about her reminds me of Himiko, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “So what have you noticed so far?”
“There are a few buildings around here. The biggest one appears to be a dormitory,” Chiaki answered. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t go inside.”
“Then we should find a way to get inside. It would be kinda bad if we stayed out in the cold like this,” Kaede pointed out.
“I’m sure everyone will figure it out. For now, I’m going to take another rest…”
Even though a part of Kaede was worried about Chiaki, there were at least other people nearby. There seemed to be four more people that Kaede hadn’t talked to yet. And one of them was approaching her:
A strawberry-blonde girl wearing a pair of bear pins in her hair, one black and the other white. Her bright blue eyes shone with a manic energy, and her grin was unsettling. Her black vest and red skirt didn’t help the impression.
“Hiya! I wonder, have you fully grasped the situation we’re in yet? Your eyes tell me you haven’t. It must be such a rich despair, feeling lost and helpless. Tell me, what can I do to make that despair even worse?”
Junko Enoshima
Ultimate Despair
“Now wait a second! What are you even going on about? I’m not about to fall into any despair!” Kaede yelled. “And why does it sound like you know something we don’t?”
“Oh, now aren’t you a lively one? Oh ho ho, people like you are always the most fun to break.” Junko’s words were at odds with the blush spreading on her face.
“Okay then… well, you keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.” Kaede made her escape, and silently wished that the next person she met was not insane, like the last few.
Coming into view was a girl with blue hair, blue eyes, and wearing a simple school uniform. “I don’t want to presume too much. But judging by your hairpin, are you a fan of music?”
“I’m not just a fan! I’m a pianist!” Kaede said excitedly. “Does that mean that you like music too?”
“Oh, I’d love to talk with you about music all day! As for me, I’m...”
Sayaka Maizono
Ultimate Idol
What a relief. You might be the most reasonable person I’ve met all day.
“Oh, I know that some of the others can seem like they’re too much. But they’re dealing with things as best as they can,” Sayaka said.
“What the-?! Did you just respond to my thoughts?” Kaede asked, alarmed.
“Oh right. I didn’t tell you yet- I’m psychic!” Then after a moment, Sayaka said, “Just kidding! It’s just good intuition.”
“I’m not going to lie, I did need that,” Kaede admitted. “This has been such a strange day so far.”
“Sayaka! Don’t spend too much time just standing around and talking! We must get back to our investigation!”
“Okay, ow!” A loud voice stabbed into Kaede’s ears. The source of the voice turned out to be from a boy with black hair in a crew-cut, red eyes, and dressed in an all white suit.
“Pardon my interruption! While I apologize for intruding in your conversation, I must talk with my classmate about our situation. But before we leave, let’s exchange names!”
Kiyotaka Ishimaru
Ultimate Moral Compass
“Nice to meet you! But if you’re going to talk, can I talk with-” Kaede didn’t get to finish what she was saying- Kiyotaka had taken Sayaka and walked away. They were headed to the last person that she hadn’t met, so she followed them.
“If it isn’t Miss Maizono and Mr. Ishimaru. Have you found anyone else?” Asked a large boy wearing glasses. Then he lay eyes on Kaede. “And who is this?”
“My name is Kaede Akamatsu. So, are you really classmates with Sayaka and Kiyotaka?”
“Yes, and with Miss Enoshima as well. But you don’t know me yet. I am the Alpha and the Omega!”
Hifumi Yamada
Ultimate Doujinishi
I have no idea what that means, and I’m not sure if it’s worth asking.
“Whatever’s happening, it seems like some of us know each other, and others don’t. Why don’t we all group up and-”
*Ding dong, bing bong*
The chime rang out through the snowfield, drawing everyone’s attention. Then, it was followed by a voice. A high-pitched, sinister voice that made Kaede sick to her stomach.
“Puhuhuhu. It looks like everyone’s acquainted with each other. Then head towards the largest building, and the fun can really begin!”