Chapter 1 | Welcome to the Killing Game | Daily Life

The familiar sound of the announcement system ringing to life made Reilly squint their eyes open, the bright lights hanging above blinding their tired visual sensors. "ugh, five more minutes." They groan, covering their head with the pillow that was previously under their head.

Then the announcement system clicked, letting them know Monoia connected to the entire system for an announcement for the sixteen students still in their bedrooms. "morning kiddos! It is now 6:30 am! It's time to get up and get the day started!!" Monoia exclaimed brightly as though it was normal, the small broadcasting screen revealing he was dressed in different clothes, still a suit, but a different suit than the previous day. His two-toned hair was still the same. The broadcast and announcement system then turned off once he gave his signature grin, and Reilly let out a growl. They remove the pillow and, begrudgingly, sat upon the soft bed. Reilly's hair was sticking up everywhere as they stood slowly and stretched, popping the stiff bones in their body from their sleep that night.

"Day two of being trapped in Hokkaido Wakkanai High School, and... nobody has made any move of aggression to attack or murder any of us." Reilly paused and rethought the day before.

"well... Eamon and Kaname have been getting into a lot of heated arguments recently. A lot of them were over the simplest of things. However, they all involved each other." Reilly says to themself as they brushed their teeth in the private bathroom attached to their room. When they rinsed their mouth out and spat it in the sink, they looked in the mirror at their own reflection before scrunching their nose up in disgust.

Reilly's dark grey eyes had light bags, showcasing their sleepless night the night before. They let out a heavy sigh before jumping into the shower to quickly wash their messy hair. The warm water slid down their body, as they stared at the shower floor. Reilly never thought about being taken from their parents. They didn't really care for what Reilly did, as long as they didn't get arrested for doing something illegal. Reilly knew they had to probably get a therapist for themself after they win the game.

However, the question most important to them currently was: "What'll happen if one of us gets murdered? and how would we get away with it??"

Reilly thought about it constantly. Nobody knew how to professionally get away with murder. Murder never crossed their minds before, but in this game of survival, of entertainment for their childish principal, Monoia. He wanted them to play the last man standing game. "Why is a child so interested in a game of murder?" They ask themself as they wrapped themself in a towel, turning the shower off. As they were putting their clothes on, a soft knock at their room door distracted them from getting dressed. In just pants, Reilly unlocked their door and opened it to reveal Summer standing there with her arms folded in front of her. "um... Hey Reilly... Everyone's waiting for you in the cafeteria... you're the last one." Summer nervously says, looking around with her eyes every few seconds.

Her cheeks were dusted a pinkish-red before Reilly realized she was nervous because they had no shirt on. "Oh-! shoot, sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you!" Reilly frantically says, scrambling to put their shirt on. "A-ah... it's not your fault! I just didn't want to intrude on you!" Summer cried out, waving her hands frantically in a panic. Once the cloth successfully sat snugly on Reilly's abdomen, Summer cleared her throat with a cough. "Uh... anyway... We're at the cafeteria for a small meeting if you would kindly join us..." Summer stuttered out, looking away from Reilly. "I will. I'll just be a few minutes longer." Summer nodded and bowed before turning to her right and rushed off down the hallway, disappearing behind the corner.

Reilly turned back around and their eyes scanned their cream-coloured room once more before they step out of the room and closed the door behind them. The hallway was dimly lit, the small light the ceiling lights gave off reflected off the polished nameplates that sat on the dark wooden doors as they walked by the rooms leading back to the staircase leading up to the school. The only sound echoing off the walls on Reilly's walk to the stairs were their own shoes' soles hitting the polished checkered floor that reflected a very blurry version of the wall leading up to the ceiling, the light beams touching the floor. Reilly looked unamused as they rose their foot up on to the step leading upward. Reilly took a deep breath before pushing themself to walk up the stairs possibly leading to their death. As they stepped off the staircase, the school building itself was brighter than the dormitories under the ground. The lights looked more recently made, and the light bulbs were fresh and new, they could tell just by looking at them. Reilly poked their head through the doorway slightly down and to the right of the staircase and found the entire Cafeteria run over with the other fifteen students gathered together, sharing conversation and food.

Reilly stepped into the room and right on schedule, a voice ripped through the positive environment. "OH! Look who FINALLY decided to show up!!" Reilly visibly cringed as they sent a death glare in his direction. "oh SHUT UP Kaname. Nobody needs your opinion at this hour." They shot back, making Kaname look offended as Reilly sat with Kim and a few others sitting at a small table away from most of the crowd. "Hey, guys." They greeted quietly.

"Good morning Reilly! How was your night? Not too bad I hope." Kim asked with a bright smile that seemed to be contagious, as Reilly had a smile grip itself onto their tired face. "My night was alright, thanks, Kim." They say as their eyes scan the room they all grew familiar with. The cafeteria was an established place of their meetings that started yesterday morning once everyone was less confused and over the place with their emotions. They all spent the day trying to break their way out of the school and exploring the idea of possibly actually living there for the rest of their lives. However, they had many of them disagree with the idea and it was discarded. Many had actual jobs.

Hanaya and Saki Mikai, they worked in the Vocaloid industry which required to be in person. Same as the Gifted Doctor Leslie Kindlewood, the Gifted Kpop Singer Kim Saeyoung-Choi, the Gifted Assassin Kaname Elizabeth, the Gifted Broadway Performer Kosuke Yamamoto, the GIfted Monochrome Makeup Artist Rowan Kumarai, and the Gifted Soccer Star Kei Katsuda. They all had to be present in a different place to be able to do their job properly, but being stuck in this unknown school had prevented them from doing their jobs, their source of extra income. Reilly could tell the look in their eyes that they really just wanted to get out of the school and return to their normal lives. Especially yesterday when everyone was properly introducing themselves to everyone. Looking back at the faces at their table, Reilly could name Kim, Leslie, Rowan, Kosuke, and Shimoda. They were all getting along really well. Kosuke and Shimoda were holding hands tightly while sharing loving expressions, while Kim and Rowan were talking about the performing and beauty industry, and how demanding the two were. Leslie, however, had her face buried in a medical textbook, studying something of great importance because she was unresponsive to any unimportant banter that was exchanged in between everyone at the table. "What are you reading, Leslie?" Reilly asked the brunette, whose head, in a second, shot straight up and looked Reilly with wide eyes. "Are you... interested in my work?" She quietly asked skeptically.

"Indeed I am. You're glued to the book, so it must be something very important to your job." Leslie's eyes sparkled with almost a grateful look. "Oh... it very much so is. It's about the different surgeries that can be given to the human body. I must study it in case I have to have anyone undergo surgery. I'm the only qualified doctor here, so I'm taking my job very seriously." Leslie nervously laughed. Reilly smiled in acknowledgement. "Well... if that ends up happening, we know to put our faith into you! I sure do." Leslie opened her mouth to speak, but the announcement system crackled to life suddenly, interrupting her.

"Howdy Kiddos! It is I, Monoia Kumaina! Your beloved Principal! I'm calling a brief meeting in the front foyer immediately. See you all there, I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions." Monoia announced before laughing. Everyone looked around at each other, unsure, the silent radiating off in the room was deafening. Until someone's heavy sigh had everyone's attention. "Well? What are we waiting for? He called for a meeting. we must go to the meeting." Kaname was the first to stand up and walk out of the cafeteria bravely. Shortly after, everyone slowly began rising from their seats and filed out of the cafeteria towards the way Kaname had stalked off to, leaving Reilly and Leslie behind. She sighed. "how wonderful... just when I thought I was going to study with the book with no interruptions..." Leslie grumbled, closing the heavy book on the table as she slid it off the tabletop and into her arms. Reilly stood up and the two of them walk down the bright hallway littered with papers, past the Hairdressing Office's blonde-coloured door. Reilly turned their head and briefly looked into the office.

"Watch out, wall," Leslie spoke up, and Reilly's head snapped back to look in front of them, just in time. They were face-to-face with the bricks, almost face-first in them. They jumped back with a startled yelp escaping their lips. "Thanks, Les..." Reilly sighed in embarrassment. Leslie smiled while laughing. "It's not any problem, Reilly. Do be careful though, I don't need you in my office because you walked right into a wall and hurt yourself." Leslie says, taking their wrist and pulled Reilly behind her as they turned left and into the Front Foyer with the others standing around in it. "Alright, we're all here, now what do you want kid?" Kaname asked, looking at Monoia straight in the eye. "Who are you calling Kid?! I am your PRINCIPAL!!" He exclaimed angrily at Kaname, pointing straight at him. "Why, you little-!" - "Enough with the arguing, please!" Kosuke exclaimed. "Monoia called us here for a reason. It is only fair for us to listen to what he has to say." he continued. Kaname's eyes narrow, but he obliged to Kosuke's wish. Monoia started giggling. "Alright, so then what do you want from us at this hour?" Kaname demanded. "Entertainment!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air with a grin from his ears. "Huh?!" everyone gasped. "Unfortunately, none of you have done anything remotely entertaining these past few days. Like, where's the bloodshed, the drama, the betrayals? ... and the investigations?!" Monoia asked, looking bored as he rested his head on a tilt in his hand. "SO you want us to start murdering each other after only being here two days, for your own entertainment?!" Hayami screamed.

"Correct!" Monoia smiled. "What is with your sudden mood swings, kid?" She asked herself quietly, looking at him in disbelief. "We won't murder each other! We just won't!" Summer exclaimed. "You won't? hmm... alright... then how about I kick things up a notch? In these small envelopes, is a small nudge to you all, which are called motives. They range from the deepest, darkest secret you have, to something someone else stole from you, like a dream." Monoia announced, holding up sixteen sealed envelopes, each of them had a name written neatly on them. He threw them up into the air and the envelopes flew everywhere towards the ground. "Good luck finding yours!" He laughed, watching as everyone looked for their envelopes. Reilly picked their up, the white envelope had their name written in black ink. "Now, you all get to decide what to do with these motives, but it would be a shame if someone found your darkest secret out." Monoia gave his evil smile while raising his finger to his lips, like telling them to keep a secret or to be quiet. Everyone looked at the envelopes in their hands.

"I propose we shouldn't open them!" Shimoda shouted out of the blue. "We shouldn't?" Rowan asked. "Shouldn't. Because it's what Monoia wants! He wants us to get worked up about it!" She says, motioning to the child sitting on the pedestal while swinging his legs. "You're right, it is what I want." Monoia sighs. "However, nobody will hold their part true. There's bound to be one person brave enough to kick this off. When that happens, I'll be laughing at you all. You have three days to murder each other, or else I will kill you all myself." Monoia warned. "Bye for now!" He cheerfully says his goodbye as he stood and jumped down behind the pedestal. Hayami, in anger, ran at the pedestal. "OI! We're not done with you yet!!" She shouted, looking behind the pedestal. Her eyes widen when there was nobody behind it. "H-Huh?! I-It's... empty?" She asked, confused. Everyone whispered among each other. "He did say he had something planned for today, last night," Kim says to Reilly beside him. They only hum in agreement as they scanned the students. Many looked to be curious about what was in the envelope, and many of them were fighting the urge to open them. The rest of them were able to put their envelopes into their pockets, out of sight. However, Jessica only blankly stared at her sealed envelope. It was the stare as though she was betting she already knew what was written inside. "Jess? Are you okay?" Eamon asked, touching Jessica's shoulder. She flinched away, making Eamon freeze in surprise. "I'm fine. I'm going to my room." She bluntly says, walking away. "W-Wait! Let us come with you!" Summer protested. "NO. Stay out of my room, or I will not hesitate to smash your skull into the floor." Jessica threatened, making Summer gasp and nearly burst into tears. Eamon took Summer in his arms as he watched Jessica speed up on her walk to the room. Reilly and everyone watched with shocked eyes. Jessica was a kind soul, she was never this aggressive, not from what they could tell from the past two days.

"Is she going to be okay? Reilly asked Eamon, who shook his head. "I'm not sure. She's never been this mad. It's our first time seeing this happen." Reilly became more confused as their feet moved on their own. They went running through the hallway, down to the dorms where they caught up to Jessica. "Hey! Jessica!" Reilly called to the hairdresser, who turned and looked at Reilly unamused. "What?" She snapped. Reilly wanted to talk about what she said to Summer, but instead, their hand had a different idea. In a second, Reilly's hand collided with Jessica's cheek, slapping her hard enough to leave a mark. Jessica gasped and held her newly forming bruise with her hands. Reilly's eyes narrow at her, as she looked up at the Gifted Protagonist in fury. "What the hell?!" She shrieked. "That's for threatening Summer, asshole." Reilly hissed. Jessica growled lowly before getting up on her two feet and stormed off to her dorm that was Reilly's room, coincidentally. Reilly looked unamused for the rest of the day. Everyone was trying to keep their minds off their newly given motives, the ones that they agreed not to open and read, so they were playing childish games like concentration, tic tac toe, and a bunch of other games Reilly had forgotten the names of.

Some were in the kitchen making lunch for everyone. All Reilly could really think about doing, was to go outside in the large glass dome connected to the cafeteria. It housed a lot of greenery. The trees and flowers called the enclosure home, and it housed some smaller animals like birds and squirrels. There, Eamon, Summer and Kim were playing with the squirrels when Reilly entered the enclosure. "Hey, Reilly! Come join us, we want to show you something awesome!" Kim called, waving his hand to his friend. They carefully walk down the stairs leading down to the grass, where Kim met them there. "Come!" He says, taking their wrist and brought them to where they all were gathered. "Look... it's a squirrel! Eamon has been playing with them for a while now." Reilly smiled. "I guess it does help to be friends with the Gifted Animal Caretaker, huh?" Reilly asked almost jokingly. The four of them broke into laughter. "That is true!" Summer chirped. Reilly looked at the Gifted Arts Prodigy, who was happily petting the squirrel's head. "She seems to be doing fine from earlier..." They observed in their mind. "That's good." They sigh, laying down on their back as their eyes stared up at the sky above. Their mind wandered to their attempt of trying to find any clues on escaping the day before. "Nothing seems to go our way, huh?" They ask. "What do you mean by that?" Kim asked. "I mean... think about it: We arrived at this school two days ago with no memory on how we got here, or why we are here. Then we're told to kill each other and are now being threatened with our execution if we don't start killing in three days. Doesn't that seem a little unlucky for us?" Reilly inquired, looking at the three of them. "It does seem to be a little unlucky... but I know we're going to get out of here. We just have to put our faith into you, the Gifted Protagonist!" Summer smiled, motioning Reilly. Kim and Eamon started nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that's what we have to do!" They cheer. Reilly shyly smiled in embarrassment.

"Thanks, guys... I'll do my best!" They say with determination, earning celebratory cheers from Summer, Eamon, and Kim.