Chapter 4: Free Time Events #2

I went back to my room in pure exhaustion from the day I had. A bell sounded and the nighttime announcement sounded. I sighed and began to get ready for bed. I took off my clothes and slipped on my pjs. I crawled into my bed and let the world turn dark around me.

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MONOKUMA THEATER!

--Ahem, so... I'm sure that you've noticed the killing game has begun, but... there's still room for a little laughter. It seems our newest students, already so filled with despair, still have some hope of escape! Puhuhu... So when will it begin? When will their hope begin to die? Is it time yet? Is it time!? Heartpounding excitement!

END OF MONOKUMA THEATER!

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I woke up to the sound of the bell. My body felt numb and weird, but I just let it be. I got up and decided to hang out with someone.

-TOKO FUKAWA-

APPEARS LATER IN THE STORY ( if this is present (APPEARS LATER ON IN THE STORY), it means that the free time event is better off put later on then now.-- Author-Chan)

-AOI ASAHINA-

APPEARS LATER IN THE STORY

-YASUHIRO HAGAKURA-

APPEARS LATER IN THE STORY

-CELESTIA LUDENBERG-

I decided to hang out with Celeste. I found her wandering the hallways, mumbling something about a dry-cleaning service.

"Hey Celeste, are you free right now?", I asked with my hands behind my back.

"Normally, my pride would not permit me to allow you to be alone with me. But... fine. I will allow you to entertain me for a while.", Celeste sighed. We killed some time together... Until Celeste brought up something odd.

"Say, Kuno... do you like mahjong?", Celeste asked.

"Ah, I've never won. I always seem to mess up in the middle of the game.", I laughed nervously.

"Is that so? A pity. I was hoping we might play together.", Celeste said with a hint of sadness.

"Are you good at it?", I asked.

"Good? No, I am not merely good. I once played a game of Russian roulette mahjong and won.", Celeste boasted.

"Wait, isn't Russian Roulette that game that people play that gambles your... life?", I asked with a tinge of fear.

"It was a truly fierce contest, put on by a half-insane billionaire in the basement in his mansion. My opponents were a fierce old man and a silver-haired boy who was said to have the devil's own luck. We played with a modified rule set. I remember well the glass tiles we used...", Celeste explained.

"And you won...?", I questioned.

"I defeated them both at once. I will never forget the angry, twisted looks on their faces. The crowd that been invited to watch became positively riotous. Nobody believed I had won. Hmhmhm. That is one of my fonder memories...", Celeste reminisced. I was glad I didn't take her up on her offer and bid her farewell.

-SAKURA OGAMI-

APPEARS LATER ON IN THE STORY

-BYAKUYA TOGAMI-

APPEARS LATER ON IN THE STORY

-HIFUMI YAMADA-

I found Hifumi in the kitchen and he immediately came up to me to talk.

"Ah, Miss Sawa! I'm glad you came! I know I look like I'm all about the cutting edge, but I have a profound love for retro games, too! Let's begin my four-part history of electronic games. Part 1: Ancient Babylonia...", and that's how I got a four-part history lesson that wasn't about history... After the lesson, Hifumi talked about something off topic.

"Now then! This time, would you like to learn about one of my many legends?", Hifumi offered with a determined look.

"Legends? How?", I asked.

"Naturally! You don't become The Ultimate Fanfic Creator without a few legends sprouting up around you! One such legend is how, in middle school, I was able to convince the school to create a fanfic club! And from that day, I exposed myself and my fanfic to the world at large! By the way, do you happen to know what all my work is based on?", Hifumi asked.

"Uh, sorry, no.", I apologized.

"Well, surely you've heard of the highly acclaimed anime Demon Angel🌟Pretty Pudgy Princess! Now, you might think that that sounds cliche, but you would be WRONG! I didn't simply copy the "pretty girl" Princess Piggles style. I took a total meta sci-fi approach! My perspective was seen as quite odd, of course, but if you really look at what I was doing... my version of Princess Piggles was total antithesis of new-wave sci-fi movement. In fact, it was my response to J.G. Ballard's speculative fiction stylings! Buwheh! Ahh, my geekdom is leaking out again. I apologize! Anyway, unlike most fans, I never saw Princess Piggles as your typical moe anime.", Hifumi rambled on with pride. I didn't get much of what he was saying, but he looked so happy that I didn't stop him.

"It shows that you think of this anime differently, especially with the sci-fi approach. I'm impressed you got the school to make a fanfic club!", I smiled.

"Oh, that's because I bribed them with a cut of my profits. And I've only gotten better at it! I'm blowin' up! Now then, up till now, I've always focused on taking part in Princess Piggles single-setting events.", Hifumi explained.

"Uh, that profit thing sounds a bit odd... But what do you mean by single-setting?", I asked.

"It's when a circle gets together to come up with a project or event focused on only one show or series. So a Princess Piggles single-setting event would only allow works involving Princess Piggles, see? On the flipside, if there's no restriction on the number of properties, do you know what that's called?", Hifumi quizzed.

"Oh, you told me that! The opposite of the single-setting event is called a free-for-all!", I replied with pride.

"That's absolutely right! There are actually plenty of free-for-all events every year, and yet... More and more slackers are showing up with no idea what fanfic really means! It's so ANNOYING! So in order to crush these peons with all my might, I'm going to start taking part in more free-for-alls!", Hifumi declared.

"Isn't that a bit harsh?", I asked.

"I don't participate in these events to make friends! And I cannot forgive those lazy bastards! And don't tell me to ignore them! If you let some little wimp survive, you'll regret it later! Play an RPG where the villain spares the hero when he's level; 1, and what happens? Boom! Dead! It's a dog-eat-dog industry, where only the most brutal survive. Oh, but don't worry. I'm gonna start you off easy by getting you involved in some simple cosplay action!", Hifumi laughed.

"Uh, cosplay!? Why?", I questioned.

"You're a pretty good-looking girl. If your costume was decent enough, I might even let you work my booth! Bwehehe... I bet you would look wonderful, Miss Sawa! So with that in mind, let's change the world of fanfic together!", Hifumi declared as he walked away. I just stared at Hifumi with a confused look.

-MONDO OWADA-

I found Mondo in the hallway, leaning against the wall with one foot on the concrete and the other on the tile floor.

"What up, biker boy?", I joked as I greeted Mondo with a goofy grin.

"Hey, Kuno! What's up?", Mondo high fived me with a smirk.

"You free right now? I'm bored as hell!", I sighed.

"You're kinda weird, ya know that? You ain't afraid of me, all wantin' to hang out... Well, whatever. You wanna go get somethin' to drink?", Mondo asked. I nodded and we both had a relaxed chat while drinking fizzy drinks... Mondo suddenly started to grumble.

"Ahh, dammit! Bastard! Dammit bastard son of a b*tch!"

"Uh, you mad, Mondo?", I questioned.

"Why am I mad? Why am I mad!? Can't you SEE why I'm mad!? I need to get outta here! I need to get out and run wild! I'm so pissed off right now! Sh*t!", Mondo growled at nothing.

"I get you, just don't do anything reckless, okay?", I mumbled.

"Hey, how about we have a one-on-one!?", Mondo suddenly suggested.

"A what!?", I was taken back by the request.

"Relax. It's just a bareknuckle brawl. No weapons. Whaddya say!?", Mondo assured, but it was not helping that much.

"Uh...", was all I could choke out.

"Didn't ya hear me? A bareknuckle brawl. Bare. Knuckle. Brawl!", Mondo emphasized.

"You mean hand-to-hand combat...?", I questioned.

"Hell yeah! Hand to hand! Knuckle to knuckle!", Mondo cracked his knuckles to prove a point that I didn't want to get.

"B-But friends can't fight each other!", I retorted weakly.

"But that's the only way I can burn off all this energy!", Mondo grumbled.

"I get that, but I wouldn't stand a chance! Sure, I have a little muscle, but I have never been in a hand-to-hand fight before... I just scare people off with my weapons... Wait, Sakura is good with combat! You should ask her!", I suggested.

"What...?", Mondo questioned.

"I mean, you can train with her! It can really help with all the pent up energy of yours!", I elaborated.

"D-Don't be a f*ckin' idiot! I was just messing with you! I can't hit a girl...! Both of you chicks are girls, right? I'd ruin my honor... My mom would kill me!", Mondo grumbled.

"But what about that one time when you were about to fight me?", I asked meekly.

"I was just play-fighting with ya, dumba*s! I'm serious! I can't hit girls! It's not like I'm scared of her or anything! Ya bastard!", Mondo shouted.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't get the joke!", I apologized profusely and bowing multiple times.

"N-Nah, don't be. I was the one who shouted... I just can't stop it! Shouting's in my blood, a*shole! When I get stressed out, I yell! Sh*t! It's just a nervous habit! What's the big deal!? Other than the fact that it makes it hard to ask girls out! I get all nervous, and I start yelling! So I always get rejected! And thanks to that, I'm on a ten-game losing streak right now! It really sucks! Grr... sh*t! And I'd forgotten about that, too! Thanks for reminding me, jacka*s! How're you gonna make it up to me, sh*tstain!?", Mondo growled.

"... Maybe one day, once we're out of here, I can teach you how to walk up to a girl and ask her out! I'll be your wing woman!", I declared.

"Wait, you would actually do that!?", Mondo was baffled by my claim.

"Heck yeah, I have to make it up to you! I can teach you how to win the ladies! And besides, this will be my thanks to you when we go on that bike ride you want me to go with!", I smiled.

"Well, sh*t...! Thanks, Kuno! You're a real bro, ya know that!? Haha!", Mondo slapped me on the back and said his farewell, looking considerably more upbeat. It was honestly adorable, but Mondo would kill me if he heard me say that.

-KYOKO KIRIGIRI-

APPEARS LATER IN THE STORY

-KIYOTAKA ISHIMARU-

I found Taka in the dining hall, mumbling something about the bathhouse.

"You okay there, Taka? Before you decide to go to the bathhouse, wanna chat?", I asked.

"That would be very welcome! Let us build our trust!", with that, Taka and I talked about his time in the committee before... Taka moved on to another subject.

"I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now, Kuno... And now that it's just the two of us, this is the perfect time to confess...!"

"Wh-What..!?", I stuttered.

"Listen, Kuno... Your messenger bag is awesome!", Taka confessed.

"O-Oh, thank you!", I let out a sigh of relief, but I could still feel my face get hotter by the second.

"You have really amazing fashion sense. Now, wearing a messenger bag over your blacksmith attire... Your public morals are ruined! Just absolutely ruined!", Taka pointed out.

"Uh, did I do something wrong? The dress code here seemed simple enough...?", I questioned.

"Well that's not the case here at Hope's Peak Academy! As long as I live, I will protect our morals! Take off that incredibly stylish messenger bag this instant!", Taka instructed.

"Right now?", I questioned.

"Of course!", Taka motioned.

"B-But it has all my tools and projects in it. That's like getting rid of my homework before turning it in.", I explained.

"Homework...?", Taka mumbled.

"Ya know, someone might come to rescue us, and I get back to my old school and they would ask for my old projects back! I can't carry them by hand, they're sharp! So, like... just in case... ya know?", I muttered.

"Hrmm... You may have a point there... Well, if it's for your studies, I suppose I can give you special permission, just this once... But the instant we leave this school, you WILL hand over that amazingly cool bag!", Taka informed.

"G-Got it...", I sighed.

"Students these days are utterly ignorant of proper dress code. It's quite a pain! And frankly, I don't understand youth fashion these days anyway! So this is a perfect opportunity for me to teach you all about how you should be dressing!", Taka explained.

"Oookay...", I drew out.

"I wear this uniform 365 days a year, rain or shine, flood or drought, wind and hail and hurricane!", Taka pointed at his *white* uniform.

"Even on your days off? Even on holidays!? Doesn't it get damaged at all? Or change color?", I questioned.

"School itself may observe holidays, but there's no such thing as a vacation for a student! So as long as I live the life of a student, I will always wear my uniform!", Taka declared.

"Uh-huh...", I mumbled.

"Also, I have ten sets of my uniform, so I always have a clean one. There's nothing strange about that. Hahaha! Trust me, wearing the uniform every day helps keep you motivated! You should give it a shot!", Taka suggested as he grabbed his stuff and headed for the bathhouse, leaving me there to question why the heck I decided to hang out with him.

-CHIHIRO FUJISAKI-

I walked up to Chihiro's room and rang the bell. A few moments later. Chihiro opened the door with a smile.

"Oh, hi Kuno. What's going on?", Chihiro asked.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to hang out with you.", and with a place to sit, Chihiro and I talked a bit about calm things... Until Chihiro broke that cycle.

"*Sigh*"

"That sounded heavy... You okay?", I asked Chihiro.

"Oh, sorry... It's just, everyone else is working so hard to get us out of here, but I'm no help at all.", Chihiro mumbled.

"Now now, don't say that. Chihiro, you are as much of a helping hand as anyone else!", I smiled.

"It's okay, you don't have to try and make me feel better. I know it's the truth. I'm completely useless without a computer in front of me... At least if I were a little stronger or something, then I'd be able to help somehow...", Chihiro sighed.

"Hey, cheer up! Maybe we will find some sort of tech that you can crack!", I encouraged.

"My skills might... come in handy? If I get a chance, I'm gonna work super hard to chip in! When it comes to computers, you can on me!", Chihiro looked way happier at that.

"That's the spirit! I'm actually curious about how you got into programming, Chihiro!", I smiled back.

"Huh...? Why...? I mean, there isn't much of a reason. I've always been kind of weak, ya know. I was never able to run around with my friends or anything... We had a computer at home, so I'd kill time poking around with it. And I found out really liked it! My dad was a software engineer, and had a bunch of programs on there that he'd built. I found one of them and started playing around with it, adding stuff here and there... And that was how I ended up making my first program.", Chihiro explained.

"Interesting... What kind of program was it?", I asked.

"A kind of database software...", Chihiro replied.

"Uh-huh...", I nodded along.

"A user could communicate with it, and it would take that information and find what they were looking for. It was a way of interacting with the computer without having to physically type things out.", Chihiro elaborated.

"Does it use voice recognition?", I asked with wonder.

"Yup, exactly! You could talk to it, and it could actually talk back. It was a lot of fun! It didn't even really sound like me! I would get totally absorbed in talking to it... The key part of the program was getting it to recognize what I was saying. The recognition accuracy was the most important thing. Japanese is kinda hard, so it was pretty challenging.", Chihiro mumbled.

"But you did it eventually?", I questioned.

"Yup! And right around then... my dad found out I'd messed with his software without permission. I thought I was gonna get in so much trouble... But all he said was how impressed he was! The software was able to take natural speech and pull out key search terms to retrieve information. My dad said it worked so well, it was gonna change the face of software interaction all over the world! The development costs are still pretty expensive, so it hasn't spread that much yet, but... Anyway, I've been addicted to programming ever since... I can't tell you how happy it made me to be able to make others happy...! Ah! Sorry, I spent all this time just talking about myself...", Chihiro apologized.

"No, please don't apologize! I had a lot of fun learning more about you!", I smiled.

"Huh? Really...?", Chihiro looked stunned.

"Heck yeah! Let's do this again sometime, yeah?", I offered.

"O-Okay! Let's hang out again sometime! It's a promise, okay?", Chihiro asked. I nodded and bid her farewell with a huge grin.

-JUNKO ENOSHIMA-

I was in the laundry room, folding my clothes when Junko came in.

"Heeey, Kuno~! Slacking off again, huh?", Junko asked with a sing-song tone.

"You know me so well.", I smirked as I placed my basket down and lied down on the cold bench.

"Yeah, I'm bored too. Let's chill for a while!", Junko said as she sat down on the bench across me. We talked for a while about random nonsense... Junko opened up a new topic.

"God, I am seriously freaking bored...! I'm gonna die... I'm gonna die from being so bored! I'm infected! I've got terminal boredom disease!", Junko groaned.

"Man, you got it bad!", I joked.

"I just hate being bored. Hate it! I never noticed how much I hate it. But once we got trapped in here, it finally hit me!", Junko realized.

"That's pretty recent...", I mumbled.

"I'd rather be living homeless on the street than stuck in here!", Junko drawled.

"Homeless...?", I questioned.

"Yeah, you know! Like, the hobo life! I've done it before, ya know.", Junko confessed.

"What!?", I was baffled that someone like Junko was homeless.

"Yeah. It's... a long story.", Junko sighed.

"And now you're a model!?", I questioned.

"Well... that's a long story, too. Seriously, if I had to choose between staying here and being homeless again, gimme the street!", Junko grumbled.

"I guess it *is* more dangerous here than out in the streets...", I mumbled.

"Oh, hell no! Homelessness is totally dangerous! You never know when a pack of wild animals might show up.", Junko clenched her fists in anger.

"Wild animals...?", I muttered.

"Oh, I don't mean literally. I mean people who attack the weak, who want to hurt you. The world's full of animals like that, ya know? But I think having to live like that made me way stronger. Sorry, that kinda got weird, huh? All I was trying to say is... when the hell are we gonna get out of here!? Hey, whatever dumb bastard trapped us in here, are you listening!? When are you gonna let us OUT!? Just tell us what we gotta do to get out of here! Hell, you can even just tell me! I know how to keep a secret! Nothin', huh? Pisses me off...", Junko yelled out to no one in particular.

"Well, I mean... there's no way they'd make it that easy. Just don't do anything drastic and we should be fine.", I sighed.

"Drastic? Oh, you mean the whole "kill someone" thing? Haha! Don't worry, I could never kill someone! What, do I look like I would? Do I seriously look like a killer!?", Junko looked surprised.

"Well, no. You don't.", I confessed.

"Right? I don't, right!? But anyway, are you saying you were worried about me? Gotta say, Kuno... that's kinda cute. You almost killed me with cuteness there!", Junko put a hand on her heart in surprise.

"O-Oh, um... I-I guess I was worried... I don't want you getting hurt, ya know?", I smiled slightly with a flushed face.

"Awe, you are totes adorbs! There's something about you. I don't get sick of talking to you, like I do most people. Let's hang out again sometime, 'kay? Ehehe!", Junko squeezed my cheeks before walking out of the laundry room. I pouted as I rubbed my cheeks and went back to finishing my laundry.

-LEON KUWATA-

Leon was leaning against one of the hallway walls. I walked up to him and sat down next to him.

"What's up?", I greeted.

"I'm stressed, man! Alright! We gotta sit down and plan out our strategy!", Leon declared. The strategy meeting *wasn't* what I was expecting since we just talked about random sh*t... Leon then something odd.

"Kuno, my friend! Listen, I wanted to ask you something...", Leon said with a thoughtful look.

"What is it, brother?", I asked with my gaze fixed to the roof.

"Well, I wanna start up a band, right? I was wondering if you know anyone who's good at writing music. Oh, but nobody too popular! I don't want anyone to overshadow my own popularity as the lead singer!", Leon begged.

"Well, I don't know anyone with that description, sorry. You're serious about that dream of yours, huh?", I smirked at his excitement.

"Absolutely! And I don't wanna be a George, ya know? Gotta get that Paul action!", Leon replied with just as much as enthusiasm as someone at a concert.

"Speaking of music, what kind of music do you wanna make?", I asked.

"Well, what if I said I wanted to be like The Damned, The Clash, The S*x Pistols?", Leon mumbled.

"So... Punk, huh?", I smiled.

"Damn straight! My plan is to conquer the world with punk! Cuz I mean... when it comes to punk, it doesn't really matter if you can actually play or not. Anyway, by the time I got to this school, I'd already decided I was gonna quit baseball. I was just gonna use it as a stepping stone once I got into Hope's Peak to propel me into stardom... I was gonna use my time here to become The Ultimate Musician!... That dream's dead now, though. I came here chasing a dream, but I never imagined it'd turn into such a nightmare... Dammit...! I have to do it! I have to become a famous musician! Stop screwing with me, world! Give me back my youth! Give me back my dreams! I... I swear to God, I have to do it! Then that girl at the hair salon will go out with me!", Leon grumbled.

"Girl at the hair salon? What are you ranting on about?", I asked.

"Oh yeah, she told me she only dates musicians. Her face is only okay, but she's got a smokin' hot body. I gotta get me some of that!", Leon said with a goofy smile. I deadpanned as I pulled out a gun from my bag and gave him a look that said: "Say that in front of me again and you will never see the light of day again". Leon shut up for a bit as he watched me put the gun back in my bag and motioned him to continue.

"W-Well, of course, I also respect her personality! What better reason is there!? The whole point of becoming a musician is to be popular, right? Speaking of which, do you know what kinda guy Sayaka's into? Is she into musicians? Or maybe actors? Maybe I should become an actor!", Leon giggled.

"... Okay, Casanova. It looks like you need a lesson on what *not* to say in front of me.", I growled as I pulled out my gun again. Leon panicked as he ran away screaming like a banshee. I sighed and put back my gun and left.

-SAYAKA MAIZONO-

Sayaka came up to me with a smile.

"Hello, Kuno! You want to talk for a bit?", Sayaka asked with a bright smile.

"Sure!", I smiled back. I spent time chatting with Sayaka... Until she looked curious about something.

"Listen, may I ask you just one question?", Sayaka asked.

"Your being polite again. What's going on?", I questioned with a small smile.

"And so polite again, I'd like to ask... Do you have a boyfriend?", Sayaka asked with a tilt of her head.

"H-H-Huh!? Th-That was outta nowhere, don't you think?", I laughed nervously with a face as red as a firetruck.

"Huh? Are you embarrassed? Does that mean you do?", Sayaka questioned.

"N-No, I don't... No one really is interested in me at the moment, as far as I know... They say I'm a bit clingy, hehe.", I mumbled.

"Then... do you at least have a crush on someone?", Sayaka kept going.

"J-Just a second! What's going on here? Why are you asking all these questions?", I muttered.

"I was just curious, so I thought I'd ask. Is that bad?", Sayaka asked with an innocent smile. I had a hunch she knew that she was teasing the hell out of me, but I just let go of the thought.

"It's not *bad*, it's just surprising...", I pouted.

"But it's only natural I'd be curious, right? Because we're... Because we're classmates, going through the same thing together. Although... that's not all there is to it. You and I are more than just classmates... We're friends.", Sayaka said with a smile.

"R-Right! We're friends, amigos, buddies, all that stuff!", I smiled back.

"...So? Aren't you going to ask me?", Sayaka looked away for a bit.

"Ask what?", I questioned.

"No, not what. Aren't you going to ask if I have a boyfriend or not?", Sayaka urged.

"W-Well, you're really popular, right? I wouldn't be surprised if you did have a boyfriend...", I mumbled.

"Nooope! I definitely don't!... The truth is, I'm way too busy for things like that.", Sayaka confirmed.

"W-Well, what about a crush?", I asked in a low whisper. I was too embarrassed to say it out loud, I was never good with discussions about love. They made me go red so easily and sweat like crazy.

"Hmhm. I wonder... Let's just say... there's someone I'm interested in.", Sayaka practically bore holes into me, looking at me with red cheeks. I almost thought she was talking about me, but it couldn't be right... right?

"I-I see...", I mumbled.

"But I need to put those feelings aside for now. Getting out of here is all that matters.", Sayaka looked away from me with a sparkling smile.

"Y-Yeah, that makes sense...", I smiled back.

"Let's get out of here together, Kuno. No matter what... Please don't turn your back on me, okay?", Sayaka said with a serious tone.

"Of course. I swear wouldn't do that to you even if I were put at gunpoint.", I swore.

"I want you to know something, Kuno. And I want you to know that I mean it-- I can't fake my feelings... I'm... really glad you're here.", Sayaka admitted.

"I am too, Sayaka.", I smiled back at Sayaka. I could feel a bond coming together when I'm around her. It's as if she gives me courage. Like magic, she pulled the stress out of my body with one fell swoop, and I was grateful for that.

"I'm so glad your grateful!", Sayaka said all of a sudden.

"D-Did I say that out loud?", I stuttered.

"Like I said, I'm psychic. Kidding! I just have really good intuition... But is that really what you were thinking?", Sayaka asked.

"A-Anyway, let's just help each other out and get out of here, no matter what it takes! I'm gonna help you and everyone else for sure!", I vowed as I ran off, trying to cool down my face in the process.

-MAKOTO NAEGI-

APPEARS LATER IN THE STORY

CHAPTER 4, END!