The Un-needed Introduction

"Mrngh...?" Daphne blinked her eyes slowly, looking around in confusion. She looked around, rubbing her neck where she could feel a lingering sting there. She couldn't remember much of what had happened but she had a suspicion. That suspicion grew as she took in walls that looked vaguely familiar, tiled floors that had faded bloodstains, and could hear the faint sound of people talking somewhere close.

Feeling a sense of dread starting to grow in her, she walked toward the voices. She came across a door and opened it. It led to a very familiar dining hall with nine other people in there. Not bothering to ask who they were, she collapsed into one of the seats with a groan.

Daphne knew exactly where they were. They were in Hope's Peak Academy, a place where the notorious 'Danganronpa' horror reality TV series was filmed. Every season, there are ten new students, typically Ultimates, who have been chosen to attend the academy. Then, these ten students would be trapped in the academy and forced to participate in a killing game until there are only two students left. These two students will be set free, along with a cash prize of one million dollars each. Sometimes, though, the rules changed. Depending on the factors of the game, more or fewer students could survive.

Daphne had never understood why no one, no parents, police, hell, the government didn't just shut down the Danganronpa series. It was blatant murder broadcasted to the world. But people love watching the killing games, and the last time a police force attempted to shut down Hope's Peak Academy, they had been brutally murdered. Also, the showrunners' identity was unknown. The only thing that was known about them is that they were from a French clan known as the Diablo clan. The children of the Diablo clan take over hosting the show when their parents die, and the cycle continues. There have been over eight seasons of Danganronpa now, each season hosted by a Diablo.

Daphne wasn't quite sure how the showrunners got her. She had hidden that she was an Ultimate from everyone, knowing it would make her a target of the show. Then again, the Diablos had eyes everywhere.

"You know where we are, then?" A multi-colored eye boy stated.

"Yeah. I'm guessing everyone here does as well?" Daphne sighed.

"Yes, we all do." For a moment, the boy was quiet, before extending a hand. "I'm Eli. Eli Montagov."

"Daphne Cair. Has Monokuma appeared for the briefing yet?"

"Not yet. Would you like me to introduce you to the rest while waiting?"

"Yes please, thank you."

Monokuma, the robot toy bear that was controlled by the showrunners, was also the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. He was essentially the face of the hosts and how they communicated with the players; through Monokuma. No matter what season, Monokuma always debriefs the players, or students, soon after they all meet up. Since ten students were in the dining hall, it was only a matter of time before Monokuma appeared.

"Hi there, dear students!"

Speak of the devil.

"I'm seeing plenty of new faces here, so let me introduce myself! I am Monokuma, Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. I-"

"We know who you are," cut in a boy Eli had introduced as Jared. "And we know what's going on."

Monokuma fixed a stern glare (well, as stern of a glare as a toy bear could give) and said, "Please, students, respect your Headmaster. Also, I'd like to remind you that while school rules stay the same, there are always some rules that change to make things a little bit more exciting. These rules could mean the difference between life and death~"

Jared shut his mouth, and Monokuma continued on cheerily, "Now then, let me continue. You all have been selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy to participate in a killing game! In this game, you will murder each other, get rid of or plant evidence, and try to avoid being caught! If all students refuse to participate, then a Motivation will be given to all of you. If a player isn't murdered in 48 hours after a Motivation is given, the audience will choose one student for me to give a Punishment!"

"Once a body of a player has been discovered by three or more students, a Class Trial will be held! But not immediately, of course. Time will be given for all of you to solve the case and find evidence to support your claims."

"Once a Class Trial begins, students can accuse each other and provide evidence to support their claims. This will help you win over your classmates. When time is up, all students must vote on their Monopads, which I will brief you on shortly. Back to the topic on hand, the student with the most votes will be executed! If the executed student was Guilty, then good job! But if the student was Innocent, then the real murderer will get a Perk."

"However, here is a new twist. This time, the murderers can work in pairs! No more than two people are allowed to collaborate on one murder. And only the one who dealt the killing blow will be counted as Guilty and given a Perk if an Innocent is voted because of a crime they committed. Their partner won't get anything. However, this also means that if the duo was exposed, it's more likely that the murderer gets voted out instead of their partner. Also, no more than one student is allowed to be murdered at a time. For example, a murder took place, then a Class Trial takes place, then I give the green light, then only you can kill again. If it so happens that two simultaneous murders happened without planning, then two Class Trials will be held, and a new student will be brought in. This means that all you kiddos out there better stay tuned because if you don't, you might be at a disadvantage if you were chosen!"

"Everyone is required to stay in their own rooms at night, which is from 11 pm to 6 am. Breaking this rule will result in a Punishment. However, if you are leaving your room at night to commit a murder, that is allowed. Also, hot water is disabled at night, so try not to take a warm bath at night because it won't work. There is a laundry chute where you can drop your clothes in to be washed."

"Now, onto the Monopads. A Monopad is a small tablet that only has two functions: to display the school rules and to take photos. Each Monopad may only be opened by its owner's fingerprint. You are not allowed to steal or keep another student Monopad, or suffer a Punishment. If a student were to drop their Monopad, you could ignore it or pick it up and find the student it belongs to. The name of the student will be displayed on the Monopad. As for the photo-taking, you might want to take photos of evidence of some sort, or just the pretty scenery. Your photo will be dated the day you took it. Use your storage wisely, as you only have room for five photos at a time. Of course, you can delete the photos. No, there is no recycle bin, once it's gone, it's gone. The school rules that will be provided in the Monopad must be followed, or you will be Punished! Also, please try not to lose your Monopad. If there is a new rule, you might not realize and break it!"

"And finally, once a student is dead, they're no longer a student, just a corpse. Don't need to humanize them anymore!"

"How can you say that about our classmates who are about to die?" A pink-haired girl (Kiana, Daphne remembered) cried out. "No matter who kills them, you're going to be the reason they die!"

"Hehehe! Life is so short. I only have one life, so I take others to play with! And I share my fun with the world! Now, I want to make a quick announcement. I would like there to be no murders tonight. Plots to murder are fine, but I would like to get through the first night without any bloodshed so that you can all familiarize yourself with each other and start on equal ground. Anyway, it will be night soon, so you should head on upstairs. You'll see your common room, or a living room, which connects to all your rooms. Each student has their own room with name cards on it. Also, there will be a door that connects you to your Ultimate Lab. Your Ultimate Lab will be filled with things to do with your Ultimate talents, but those won't be accessible until the first murder happens. Your Monopads will be in there. Everyone is provided with an alarm clock. Also, there are a few unique items for each of you in your rooms. Find a way to use them to your advantage and survive until the end. See you soon!" And with that, Monokuma disappeared, giggling like a schoolgirl.

Everyone quietly looked at each other before dispersing to their rooms. As Daphne walked to hers she couldn't help but feel this was a dream. She knew that it was all real, but yet she couldn't bring herself to properly accept the reality that she was going to have to kill soon. Shaking her head, she tried to orient herself. Right now, she would settle into her room and check out the 'unique items' Monokuma had provided them, and brush up ont he school rules. Tomorrow, she'd get properly aqquainted with the rest of students and find away to survive this game.