Chapter Text
The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the centre of the entire world. It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege. They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the work force every year. It was built to raise hope in- Okay, no, I’m not doing the entire intro.
Staring up at the multi-story building in front of me, I let out an impressed whistle.
“Seriously, look at the size of this place. It’s outrageous,” I say out loud to nobody in particular.
And Hope’s Peak is a whole-ass campus, this is only one building!
Here’s what you need to know, this is a super duper special school for the elite of the elite. The 0.01 percenters. And how do you get to attend this oh so prestigious school? There are three criteria. You need to be already attending high school, you need to be the best there is at what you do, even if you’re like Wolverine and what you do isn’t very nice, and you need to be scouted. No applications accepted!
Well, I meet one of those criteria. And I don’t even have anything to show for it yet! I haven’t been scouted, and I’m certainly not enrolled in any high school. I’m in my early 30s, dude. Well, not anymore. See, there’s this little thing called Body Tune-Up, and it can de-age you. So now I’m in peak physical condition and I look at least plausibly like a teenager. At least I think so. I saw myself for the first time a few seconds ago in the reflection of a window.
From an outside perspective it would be weird to not know what you looked like. It would be even weirder to not have existed in the world until about thirty seconds ago.
Anyway, accessing this building standing before me is certainly my goal right now. But there’s a bit of a problem with Hope’s Peak, namely what’s currently obstructing me, the gate at the front, with security guards standing diligently.
You know, when I agreed to just get straight up dropped in here, I may not have thought things through properly. It’s not like I can waltz in.
“Hey, excuse me,” I call out politely to one of the men in uniform. “Who do I speak to about enrollment?”
“You can’t just enrol here,” the guard responds with a tired sigh. He probably gets this a lot. “This building is for scouted students only. Please move along.”
“Sorry, I’m familiar with how it works here. But what about the Reserve Course? Is there like, a front office or something? Anywhere to assist with general inquiries about enrollment?”
I know about the Reserve Course, so there’s surely somewhere to talk to somebody about that. A hoity-toity school like this would surely enrol the Reserve Course students in-person. And I expect maybe some of the richer parents would pay face to face? Either way, I need some kind of in.
The guard apologised to me for his misunderstanding and directed me to the Reserve Course building, also leaving me with a warning that it was expensive. He also let me know that the Hope’s Peak website had various phone numbers and emails, which I could use depending on my inquiry. Gonna take a guess and say there isn’t one you can use to say “I have this great talent so please let me in!” That kind of phone line would be ringing off the hook all day.
Bowing politely to him, I head to the building he pointed out to me. As I walk, I mull over the situation in my head.
I need to display overwhelming talent to get onto the main campus. I’m confident I can do that. Being in high school also isn’t a problem, as I plausibly could be and I fall within the age range they’re looking for. And if I prove myself to actually have a talent, they’ll turn a blind eye to shadier aspects of my past and unknown origin, as proven by some of the students they have in canon. The main problem is that you have to be scouted. I’m not sure how to get eyes on me at this juncture, though if I joined the Reserve Course and displayed my talent, I’m sure people would take notice. The idea of a Reserve Course student moving to the Main Course was brought up in the story, but never ended up happening. The whole apocalypse thing kinda put the ixnay on that. But joining the Reserve Course and working my way up takes time, and I really wanna just jump right into the deep end of the pool. So, my goal right now is to display my talent in a way that gets me noticed.
For the record, my talent is having sex with lots of women.
That’s pretty much what I’m banking on. As I plan to describe it to them, I can seduce any woman I want to, no problem. My fellow students, housewives, celebrities, you name it. All thanks to the power I’ve been given. Even with the bare minimum of points I started with, the lures I’ve purchased should suffice to reach my goal. But since I have no way to get anyone to take notice of me just yet, I suppose I should at least inquire about possibly joining the Reserve Course, and see if I can get them to contact any talent scouts from the Main Course.
Enrolling in the Reserve Course costs a lot of money. I don’t know how much, but my monthly salary from my ‘employer’ is $10,000 USD, which works out to being over, well, in my time the yen was dipping quite severely, but the golden rule of 100 yen equating to one US dollar should generally hold true here. So we’ll say a million yen a month. Which should be more than enough money to wave around to get their attention.
Unless Japan has more economic power in this world because of the existence of Hope’s Peak? If the yen is turbocharged here then I might be truly fucked. Well, whatever.
I’m not very optimistic about the prospect of actually getting in-touch with a talent scout from the main course, and I’m starting to feel a little anxious. I’ve been here for a matter of minutes and I’m already feeling like I’ve screwed the pooch by choosing to be a Drop-In instead of an Extra. I could have used all that extra time to actually get scouted, instead of stumbling around blindly like I am right now. Stupid.
I look down at my phone. On the lock screen, it shows the one mission that is active, every other possible mission just a string of question marks I can’t inspect further.
Prologue
Description: Successfully enrol in Hope’s Peak Academy’s Main Course.
Reward : 5 credits, access to additional missions.
I mean, what kind of shit is this? What if I didn’t want to enrol in the Main Course? What if I wanted to, I dunno, just screw around in the Reserve Course, and go have sex with Makoto’s mum or something without touching the actual main characters? Stop railroading me!
...Okay, so there might not be any good reason to not want to enrol in the Main Course.
They’re profiling me, I guess. I can’t tell if it’s meant to be helpful. But getting into Hope’s Peak is being treated like the tutorial. The Company clearly expects me to be able to get into the Main Course, so that surely means it’s possible. Like, the runway is lit up and it’s up to the plane to land. Or maybe this mission was handed out with no consideration for what I’m actually capable of, which is a disquieting thought. But to not even be capable of that much…
I mean, for all I know The Company is laughing at me right now. Thinking ‘ This idiot picked a dumb build and now he’s softlocked himself.’ or something like that. Well, I’m a speck of dust to them, so ‘The Company’ wouldn’t be laughing at me, but even if it was just the guy who served as my liaison when I was getting set up, it would still bug me. He also laughed in my face when I asked for Legacy Difficulty. Fucking asshole.
Well, they haven’t completely set me up to fail. For starters, there’s no language issues. I hadn’t even considered prior to starting that if I were dropped in I might not understand the local language, but it’s good that they’re looking out for me, I guess?
Arriving at the building the guard pointed out to me, I’m relieved to see a proper reception area. And sitting at the desk…fuck yeah, it’s a woman. Chances of success just went up. She dressed very professionally, rocking a nice suit and shoulder-length black hair with not a hair out of place. Wonder if she’s married, or if she’s one of those girls who is fretting over not having found a husband yet. Hopefully the latter, for my purposes. But I doubt they would give Reserve Course grunt work to anyone important. She’s probably someone with no connections or value. But all I can do is try my best. Lures, please don’t fail me.
There are actually a couple of people in line ahead of me, so I take a number and sit down.
Hell yeah, this is what it’s all about right here. This is the Waifu Catalog dream! I am the god of this new world. Sitting in a queue. Waiting in line so somebody else can help resolve my problems.
…
…
Man, fuck this. This sucks. What the fuck am I doing?
Forced to sit and wait, I guess I should use this opportunity to take proper stock of my situation.
All I have on me right now are the clothes on my back, and in my pockets are a smartphone powered by horrors beyond my comprehension and a wallet bereft of any kind of identification, only containing cold, hard cash. I inspect the phone I was granted, firstly checking the camera to confirm my own appearance, and then accessing the phone’s primary app, the Waifu Catalog.
The interface is the same as what I was familiarised with prior to my arrival. At the top of the screen is my basic account information.
Ray Ellston
World: Danganronpa [Standard] (Difficulty Rating 3)
Intensity: 8
Point Balance: 0
Coming up with a new name for my new existence was hard. I did try and randomise one, but it would spit out shit like Euripides Nisi and Bobson Dugnutt. Just absolutely no good. The name I ended up going with wasn’t chosen for any particular reason, I just thought it sounded neat.
Looking around the app, the Catalog features are the same as what I remember, except I only have the one mission available to me. I look forward to clearing the first one and seeing what opens up for me, but it’s all a bonus. The missions the Waifu Catalog offers are one thing, but I have my own personal mission. A mission of personal pleasure so grand and so important, that I will see it to completion even if entire solar systems must crumble into nothingness as a result! A holy mission that I left everything in my old life behind for, to come to an entirely different reality as the employee of an omniversal entity!
What is this mission? Why am I here? What could be worth erasure from your former reality? What could possibly drive a man to give up every possession and every personal relationship he’s ever had, to throw himself into working for a company that cannot possibly be considered less than pure evil?!
Well, I really wanna have sex with the girls in Danganronpa.
There’s universes out there that may beat Danganronpa in quantity, but you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere that can match them in quality. A wonderful variety of personality and body types is on display, and they’re all mine for the taking. I’m looking forward to learning their various bedroom quirks and hearing all the adorable noises they each make.
So you ask me, is it worth it? Of course! Living a normal life in my old world, or using mind control to get a harem of sex slaves in the Danganronpa world? It’s a no-brainer, I tell you!
Ah, sorry. I also have this weird habit of thinking to myself as though I’m livestreaming my life to the world. Too much brain rot courtesy of some of the worst parts of modern society. At least I’m not yelling “CHAT, ARE WE COOKED?” out loud or anything like that. I’m a future mind rapist and maybe worse, but there are some lines I won’t cross! I have self-respect, dammit! I do suppose somewhere out there in this wacky multiverse, someone may be watching me, or someone from the Company. Well, I say let ‘em watch. I’m not an exhibitionist, but I’m not going to be ashamed of anything I do here! Go big or go home.
I was told I would be dropped “slightly pre-canon”, whatever that means. Weeks? Days? Hours? What’s pre-canon, anyway? I would assume DR3 but for all I know it could be the Kyoko novel I haven’t read where she burns her hands as a kid or whatever.
No, I’m being stupid. The simple fact that the Reserve Course exists means we must be just prior to DR3. Hajime’s class was the very first Reserve Course class ever, if I’m not mistaken.
But yeah, I’m gonna use and abuse every ounce of my power to make the girls of the first two games fall for me. And some other people, too. It’s a time honoured tradition when using the Catalog to genderbend the protagonist and add them to your harem, after all. Of course, I couldn’t actually afford Universal Calibration, so that dream might be dead. The lovely V3 cast is also lost to me, but I guess I could buy them. I mean, they’re cheap!
I entertain myself with various lewd fantasies while I wait my turn in line. I’m looking forward to having a harem of sex slaves. Not to be crass, but I’ll even be holding hands with them.
You see, dating is like an elegant dance that requires effort, cooperation, and understanding to achieve the optimal outcome. A truly beautiful thing. Now imagine an 18 wheeler crashing through the wall and mowing down everybody on the dance floor. That’s me. That’s kind of how I’ll be approaching things here.
A voice calling my number jolts me from my thoughts. Sure enough, the receptionist is ready for me. I walk over to her. We lock eyes.
The way she looks at me catches my attention. It’s certainly different from how anyone ever looked at me in my former life. Like her gaze is lingering on my face just slightly longer than is normal. A very subtle thing, but noticeable. Looks like Love Spot is effective. She breaks her gaze to look at the computer monitor to her side, but I continue to stare at her. She looks back at me. That’s right girl, soak it in. Every moment you spend looking at my face helps me. The silence is getting kind of awkward though. I’m a little uncomfortable.
“...Can I help you?” she finally asks.
Clearing my throat, I respond. “Yes, hello. My name is Ray Ellston, I’m interested in enrolling.”
Introducing myself with my new name for the first time feels strange. But I better get used to it.
“Of course. Please note that the normal application window has closed. We do allow mid-term transfers, but a spot isn’t guaranteed by any means. May I ask how familiar you are with the enrollment process?” She gets right down to business.
“I know the basics. How much does it cost to enrol?”
“You know the basics but not the enrollment fee?” She has a sceptical look on her face. Don’t sass me, woman.
“Ah, I’m well off enough that the exact amount of money isn’t a big deal. However much it is, I can pay it. How much exactly are we talking?” I ask.
“The current annual fee is 4,000,000 yen. This must be paid in monthly instalments. There is a one week grace period, but failure to pay after that will result in the enrolled student being immediately suspended.”
So, $40,000 USD a year. Somewhere in the ballpark of 3 to 3.5 thousand dollars a month. I get 10 grand a month from the Company, so that’s more than doable. I may even be able to sweeten the pot with a little extra. But the Reserve Course fees are one thing, my goal is to go beyond.
I’m sure richer people than me have tried, but in my case all I need is to speak with someone important and display my talent somehow. The part about having actual talent is what’s important. Cream rises to the top, and all that.
“Thank you. Now I’m aware that obviously, this is the Reserve Course building. But I was wondering if you have any way of contacting somebody involved in Main Course management.”
“I’m sorry sir, but I don’t have that kind of power. Any matters involving the Main Course are handled separately. You can leave a message that I can file to be passed onto someone in the main campus, but…”
Leaving a message is no good. I need to talk to someone face to face. Placing both my hands on the table, I lean in closer to her. I would be considered to be well within her personal space bubble, but not quite in genuine creep range. I’m about as close as I feel I can safely get without being hauled out. Let’s test out my other lure.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
I’ve lowered my voice, but I’m not quite whispering. As to how that might affect an ability called Alluring Whisper , I’m not sure. I’ll be sure to test it thoroughly over the coming school year.
She jolts a little in surprise, but maintains her composure. I admire her professionalism.
“E-Emiko…”
“That’s a beautiful name. And I’m sure you’ve got a personality just as beautiful, so I just know you’ll do everything you can to help me out. I urgently need to speak with one of the talent scouts from the Main Course. You would be doing me a huge favour. I promise it’s important.”
Her blush deepens and she tries to avoid eye contact. I might have something here.
“I- I can’t contact anyone, as I’ve said. I wish I could help you, sir, but I don’t have the capacity.”
“That’s the official line. But I know you must have some way to reach out for help when you really need it. And I really need it right about now. So I need you , Emiko.”
Emiko takes a deep breath, almost like a sigh, and closes her eyes. This is a good sign. She’s going to reluctantly agree to help me out!
“There is somebody I can contact, but that’s only in the event of an emergency. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. Might I recommend emailing us? Hope’s Peak’s website includes-”
Oh, damn it.
I slam the table with both hands, probably drawing the attention of everybody else in the room. I get a little closer, bringing myself down to her level. I might be making a scene, but I can whisper properly now. Though ideally I’d be doing it right into her ear.
“How about this? I’d love to get to know you better. You help me out, and I’ll be waiting for you when you finish work. We can go out to dinner. My treat. I’d be more than happy to pamper a gorgeous woman like you.”
She squirms in her seat a little. I’m sure that’s due to slight discomfort from me getting so close, but mainly because her panties are now uncomfortably wet.
“Pretty please?”
I look into her eyes, and she looks back into mine. We lose ourselves in a passionate yet mutual gaze.
She smiles up at me sweetly, a deep blush on her cheeks. That’s right, babe. Say what I wanna hear.
When her mouth opens, she pants slightly. As though time itself had slowed, I see her lips start to move to formulate a word. But that one three letter word is all I need. Let me take my first step on the path to an Ultimate Harem. Start the course of events that will alter the fate of this world forevermore. Have the courage to do what must be done! Say it!
“No.”