Hope Beating in Despair's Silence: Part 4

"Okay! It looks like everyone's here. Time to start the meeting! Let's all go around and share what we found during our respective investigations! The sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner we get out of here!" Kiyotaka announced from inside the dining hall.

Well I've been here a little too long. Guess I better get inside the hall in case they think I'm planning something. After he was finishing that last sentence I stepped out of the kitchen into the dining hall.

"Waddup, peeps!" I announced, getting everyone's attention and I can see Makoto sitting right next to Mondo, who has his feet on the table.

"Rizumu! Where have you been?! We were about to start the meeting without you! Explain your absence!" Kiyotaka demanded, pointing right at me.

"I was doing what all you peeps were doin'. And I was already in the room with Bluebird and Lucky!" I retorted, while pointing at Sayaka and Makoto, "Geez, the Kitch is only next door and there's an openin' at the side and you still call that absence?! Cut me some slack, Buzzkill!"

I ended up taking a seat in between Mondo, with his feet resting on the table, and Junko, who had her arms folded. Speaking of which, she looked around and noticed something.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" she spoke up.

"What's wrong?!" Kiyotaka asked, but shouted it out.

"What about, uh...what's her name? You know the silver-haired girl..." she wondered.

"I know who you mean...what's Clue's real name again..." I added, then suddenly snapped my fingers as it came to me, "Kyoko!...But what about her, Frecks?"

"She's not here."

After looking around again I did not see Kyoko anywhere around the dining hall, not even in the way back.

"I wonder were she went. Has anyone seen her?" Aoi asked, to which everyone shook their heads.

"Wait, so nobody's seen her...?" Chihiro responded, looking a little worried.

"Sorry, Chibi. If I did know where Clue's been I would've answered Ducky's question in a heartbeat." I answered.

"Ducky?" Aoi repeated, knowing that was referring to her.

"Yeah. Like a yellow rubber ducky. Duck's swim. Water on your back ain't bothering ya and you're energetic! If ya hate it, blame the tense situation but-"

"No! That's not it! I actually like having that nickname coming from you. Hehe! Thanks!" Aoi thanked me.

"Wicked! Now let's get back to the beat...Kyoko's not here. But no negativity!" I said firmly.

"Darn it, Kyoko! You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school?!" Kiyotaka yelled, "Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait..."

"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" said Junko, calling him out.

"Well what do you want me to do?! Punctuality is everything!" Taka reacted, shouting yet again, "Now then, I declare that the first session of Hope's Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!"

Everyone began to speak on what they found, one by one and in groups. The first to speak up was Byakuya.

"I wanted to try and find some clue as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here...But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me..." he answered.

"Really? That's it?" Kiyotaka asked.

"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say. But I didn't. So I don't." the Affluent Progeny responded.

"R-Right, understood..."Now, here's what I have to say on my part in the investigation! I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and...There I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!" The Moral Compass revealed.

To which there was a short pause since it was revealed before the investigation due to recent events.

"Well, yeah...I figured that out before anything else..." Aoi spoke.

"For the record, it got known first when Pomp knocked Lucky's light's out 'round 10 hours ago..." I recalled.

"Come on! Do you really have to bring that shit up, Rizumu? I already apologized!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Chillax, Pomp. I heard ya," I assured, looking at him, "The Kitch ain't a mile away."

"Each door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess all the rooms have been assigned already." replied Junko.

"And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name precision-etched onto it." added Sakura.

"Also, the walls are total soundproof. Me, Chibi and Frecks uncovered that." I included, while pointing to Chihiro and Junko.

"Your next door neighbour could scream their lungs out, and you wouldn't hear a thing..." Chihiro added.

"Well, each room also had a private bathroom, which could also lock." Celeste spoke.

"But it looked like there were only locks on the bathrooms in the girl's dorms." Junko revealed.

Well, at least with the private bathroom I'm not too far from a morning shower.

"Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us. They're assuming we're gonna be here for a while..." Mondo simplified.

"Well, better to have than have not! At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals." Kiyotaka responded, looking on the positive side of things.

"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Toko questioned.

"...That's all for my report! Let's move onto whoever's next!" he answered after a short pause.

Damn, first being late before Sayaka, me and Makoto, now this. Hope I didn't cause it. I don't hate Kiyotaka...I just have a bad time with those too uptight. I've had my fair share of that. Next to speak was the group of Leon, Hiro, Junko and Chihiro.

"We went all up and down the school, double checking the windows in all the hallways and the classes. We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off." explained Junko, "And what happened was..."

"Nothing. Not a damn thing. We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit." Leon interrupted, annoyed that their attempt didn't do anything.

"There wasn't any hope of escape anywhere..." Chihiro added, "The school really has been totally cut off."

"This sucks...It *really* sucks! It sucks sucks sucks sucks SUCKS! What the hell are we gonna do?!" Junko exclaims, going into a panic.

"Goddamn, calm down! You're starting to make me nervous!" Leon responds, attempting to shush Junko so he doesn't go into one.

"Yeah, Frecks! Chill! Panic and you'll make it worst. Besides we haven't heard the other peeps yet. Let's hear 'em out." I pointed out. Hopefully, Hina, Sakura and Mondo have found anything.

"We thought maybe we can find some way to communicate with the outside, so we went looking all over!" Hina spoke first from the group, "But...we didn't find a thing. Sorry..."

"I went back to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal. But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn't budge," revealed Mondo, looking pretty pissed about not breaking it, "We hit it with desk and chairs, and nothin'...It was hard as, like...metal."

"Well yes, it *is* metal..." Celeste pointed out the obvious.

"Damn. If Pomp and Giantess left no dent, its gotta be WAY stronger than Titanium. I could hear the clutter carnage you two were makin'! Good thing the rules said nothin' about them being destroyed, yet! Haha!" I laughed in relief, but when I looked around, everyone was staring at me with silence.

"Rizumu...You displayed an astounding example of a mineral with a four syllable word! I demand to know where you found the example of Titanium from!" Kiyotaka shouted.

"...The Periodic Table? What, did I go off beat on somethin'? Or is it you peeps that are off beat with me?" Rizumu questioned.

"Anyway, if we're gonna get outta here, it's not gonna be through there." Mondo finished, getting back on the subject.

"I feel like I could just cry...But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration...!" Hina said, trying to keep up her positivity.

"I shall tell you what happened next...It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it's still worth worrying about. In both the school and dorm areas, there was a set of steps leading up to another floor." Sakura informed, with Hina adding something in.

"But there were gates there and we couldn't find any way to open them, so we couldn't check it out."

"In other words, at this point, we are only able to search the first floor." The Ultimate Martial Artist clarified, "We can further assume there is potentially something above the second floor, as well. And if that's the case, there is at least a chance it may lead to a way out."

Somethin' in my gut tells me that second floor ain't opening anytime soon. But I couldn't ponder on that because next to speak were, Celeste, Toko and Hifumi.

"If I'm being honest, I can't quite say we acted as one. Rather, we did *nothing* as one. We spent the entire time in the gym." Celeste admitted while twirling her hair, "Honestly, we are not the types to go running around a school like a gaggle of detectives."

"What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time?" Junko questioned, finding it to be a pretty boring way to spend the hours.

"W-Well it's not like any of you i-invited me along! Nobody said hey, c-come with us!" Toko retorted, pointing at Junko,"I blame y-you for leaving me out! I-It's your fault!"

"If you wanted to go with someone, you should've just said something!" Junko crossly reacted.

"Yeah! I even asked you, Gothlita and Fanzi if they dig taggin' along with me! I got their responses, but you ain't sayin' whatsoever!" I added.

"Hmph. F-Forget it. Like I'd w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you...And why would I b-bother going around with a f-filthy street rat?"

Junko gasped in surprise at Toko's insult, "Slut...?"

"Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach." the novelist included.

"I..." Junko responded, somewhat speechless, "I don't even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you just met?!"

"Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay? All this stress is bad for your skin, y'know?" Hiro spoke up, casually trying to stop the two.

"Yeah! It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters!" Sayaka replied.

"Bluebird...This is a cat fight kickin' off." I explained, almost having a flashback for a brief moment, "And really, Litera? "Street Rat?" Is source of info for your insult comin' from you still lookin' like you ain't been bathin' for six fortnights?"

"W-What did you just say?!" Toko exclaimed, completely taken aback by my comeback.

"Ya heard me. Ain't repeatin' it. So I'm gonna tell ya peeps what I've found before findin' Bluebird in the kitch." I began, "After leavin' Frecks and Chibiro when done figurin' out the rooms were soundproof, I had a look more 'round the hotel's ground. They gotta laundry room, so we don't have to stick to wearin' same clothes 24/7. But here's what's been buggin' me...There's a public bath house opposite there. But tape's blockin' it."

"Yeah. I even tried opening the Nurse's office, but that's locked, too." Chihiro added.

"Really? Why would Monokuma restrict more rooms when the second floor is closed off?" Makoko questioned.

"Thinkin' about it, Tedbot's savin' rooms for later. I kinda get the bathhouse since we're still getting to know each other, but why the Nurse's Office?" I wondered, "...Meh. No one's busted somethin', so it's probably fine."

Well, fine for everyone else. Where the hell an I gonna find some bandages?

Lastly, it came to Sayaka Maizono on what she found in the school.
"I went and had a look around the dining hall...I found a fridge in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff."

"And it ain't poison!" I added, as I now had a banana and ice pop in hand, "So that's sayin'somethin'! And if any of ya plan on askin' me to grab grub for ya...Go fish."



 "I guess we don't have to worry about food, at least." Sayaka continued with a smile.

"Sure, for now. But even with all that, there are fifteen of us. How long can the food last...?" Hifumi questioned.

"Y-You can just eat sesame seeds or s-something..." muttered Toko, insulting his weight in her own way.

"Huh? What am, a parakeet?" Hifumi responded.

"I don't think we have to worry about it," Sayaka assured, "All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least, that's what Monokuma said..."

"You saw him?!" Junko exclaimed, the mentioning of the bear got everyone's attention.

"Bluebird and I did. Popped up sometime after I entered, told us that and went vanishin' faster than a snap." I explained, "I ain't seen anythin' like it. I get the feelin' it ain't some joystick box he's bein' controlled on."

"A weaponized toy that can appear from nowhere...I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not." Chihiro admits, being fascinated since it's her talent of being a programmer but is scared on what else it could do."

"But was everything okay? He didn't try to like, eat you or anything?" Hina asked, out of concern.

Hifumi...took the situation different because when he heard that word, he looked like he ran half a mile. Or for him it would be a shorter distance.
"E-Eat her...? Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say "eat", what kind of eating are you talking about?" he breathed out.

"C-Come on, man!" Hina responded, startled and disgusted.

"What the hell, fatty?!" Leon exclaimed, "You're acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude."

"Not like there's a good kind of drunk dude..." Hiro casually let out.

"To answer ya question, Ducky. Tedbot only told us to pig out, eatin' disorders, that kind of crap. Besides, I was there with Bluebird and I ain't even gonna let that pile of junk start knawin' and clawin' at her!" I replied to Hina.

Sayaka, who happened to hear what I said started to smile with a blush on her face, "That's...really nice of you to say that. Thank you, Rizumu" she thanked.

Feelin' my face start its shades of pink I clenched one of my fists and placed its side to my heart while the other held onto one side of my headphones, "D-Don't sweat it...Bluebird." I answered. My heart was pounding quicker than before...

"Damn, dude. You've even got Sayaka falling for ya!" Leon teased. I was about to respond about not stealin' Makoto's chick, but I got interrupted.

"Hey! Stop screwing around, All of you!" shouted Junko, getting everyone's attention again, "Are you still asleep or something? We're prisoners here! We could all just die any second!"

"She's right. We can't be makin' stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something or, or-" Mondo started, but a voice originally presumed as absent interrupted him.

"You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on. Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?" Kyoko questioned as she finally showed up to the meeting.

"Kyoko! Where the heck have you been?! We've already started the meeting without you!" Kiyotaka demanded.

Kyoko's response was silence, and she also walked over to the table to place what looks to be some birds eye drawing of a part of a building.

"Huh? What's this...?" Makoto asked, looking down at the paper.

"It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko answered simply.

"A map...?" Makoto repeated, showing surprise at the fact Kyoko found something simple, yet crucial.

"Wh-What the...? Where did you find this?" asked Kiyotaka, suspicious about where Kyoko found it.

"It doesn't matter where I found it." the mysterious girl responded.

"It DOES matter! You're really freaking us out right now!" the Ultimate Moral Compass yelled.

Honestly, I can't help but cringe at his loud voice because of my hearing.

"Nevermind that. What's it mean?" questioned Junko.

"Just look at it. The building we're in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko elaborated.

"So what you're saying is...this really is Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto guessed.

"Well, in terms of construction, yes, " Kyoko confirmed, "But it looks like it's had a number of strange...renovations to it."

"Renovations?" the lucky student repeated, if he did hear this right.

"I don't know all the details yet. All I found was details about the first floor." Kyoko explained.

"But then...this really is Hope's Peak. We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place..." said Chihiro. 

"So stupid it's not even possible *This* is where country's future elite are supposed to learn?" Mondo responded, finding it hard to believe this prison was the school.

"But if this if really Hope's Peak, where are all the other students?" Hina wondered.

"Same here, Ducky. This place is popular but it can't just be us peeps," I added, "There's gotta be more. And if not, how the hell did it get to this?"

"Hey, come on, guys. Let's just stop talking about all this...you know, negative stuff..." Yasuhiro spoke up.

"But aren't you worried? Things don't look good..." asked Makoto, noticing how the Ultimate Clairvoyant wasn't panicking.

"Worried? What's there to be worried about? I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right?" answered Yasuhiro, still thinking this is all an act, "Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out my mouth! Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and everything'll work itself out!"

I couldn't contain my loud groan of frustration towards him and once he was done saying what he wanted to say, I opened my mouth.

"Frizz-Fro, you got ya head in the clouds or somethin' I hate negativity, but I ain't the one to go gullible over reality. Stop thinkin' the supernatural's gonna shield ya and start gettin' back on this plain for once!" I seriously reasoned.

Everyone was silent, even he couldn't utter a word. It was only when someone's laugh broke the silence.

"Hahaha!" Celestia laughed, more of a formal girlish kind with her hand to her mouth.

"Wh-Why are you laughing? What's so funny?!" Toko stuttered.

"I am just happy. That is all. It seems splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all." the Ultimate gambler answered.

"Haven't you b-been listening?! Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time!" the Ultimate Writing Prodigy snapped, "We d-didn't find a way out, didn't f-find who's behind this. We still have no idea what's g-going on!"

"Huh? Is it not crystal clear to you what is going on? It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out." Celestia clarified.

None of is had any rebuttal to that. I wasn't going to deny this reality, but this...this was one of the realities I wanted to deny.

"Y-You didn't h-have to go and s-say that. I w-was trying not to th-think about it..." Toko winced, holding her head, "N-No way out...We're t-trapped here. What are w-we supposed to d-do...?"

"It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill-"

"Don't even joke about that!" Junko interrupted Byakuya, cutting him off.

"Everyone just calm down, please!" Sakaka spoke up, trying to reassure everyone, "We need to stop and think about what to do from here."

"There's gotta be *something* we can do..." Leon replied, his hands in his pockets.

"All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on." Celestia answered.

"Live here...? Are you saying we should just accept it?" asked Chihiro, becoming upset about it.

"A lack of adaptability...is a lack of survivability. Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt."

"Says the peep who ain't done nothin' but stayed in the gym the whole time." I blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Celestia responded looking back at me.

"You tellin' us to adapt, yet you stayed in one place. You coulda just take a stroll 'round first floor. You gotta be lackin' in adaptability, Gothlita." I pointed out.

"...Hmm. Yes, I can see why you would admit such a flaw. But at least I have my patience and tolerance, to which you appear to be lacking in. In fact, since you never stayed with your group, it is near to non-existent." Celestia reacted.

"Urgh...!" Something told me it was for both ways and I was cross to the point that I couldn't answer back. And that I touched the scar on my neck.

"As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion." the gambler continued.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mondo questioned.

"We all understand that we are trapped in here, which means we will be spending the night. However...You all remember the rule regarding nighttime, right?" Celestia mentioned.

(2. "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m to 7 a.m. Some areas are off limits at night, so please exercise caution.)

(3. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.)

"So regarding this "nighttime," I think we need to add a rule of our own." she suggested.

"What do you mean?" asked Makoto.

"Going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether. The school regulations do not actually tell us not to go out at night. I would like to make it official." Celestia explained.

"B-But why...?" Toko stuttered out

"The way things are now, every time night comes we will start to get worried and anxious. We will all be afraid someone might try and come kill us." Celestia pointed out.

"What?!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time." Celestia added.

"So you're suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure." simplified Sakura.

Celestia nodded. "However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it."

"I see what you mean. But...I think I can agree to that. It's like the little goth lolita said. Without something like that, we're just gonna self-destruct." Junko complied.

"On behalf of all the men here, I agree to comply!" Kiyotaka agreed.

"Hey, you can't just decide to speak for us!" Leon complained.

"So everyone is in agreement? Good. Then if you'll excuse me..." Celistia said, standing up from her chair.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Chihiro kindly asked, curiously.

"It is almost nighttime. I want to take a shower before it arrives. So...goodbye." the goth concluded, bidding us all adieu by walking out of the dining hall. There is no way I'm sticking to that rule. Hell, I wished Buzzkill made the rule instead of her...

"S-So I guess it's pretty obvious where we go from here. We'll be spending the night, it looks like." said Hifumi.

"Adaptability..." Sakura spoke that word again, thinking about that word.

"So, Mr. Chairman...what next? One person already left." Junko asked Kiyotaka, since he's the one in charge.

"U-Umm...Well then, what say we call an end to today's meeting?!" he decided, "Like she said, it's almost nighttime anyway. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Do we really have to stay the night here...?" Chihiro timidly uttered out.

"We don't have a choice. We can't go for long without getting some sleep." Junko noted the obvious.

"So we have to just give up..." Mondo sighed out, letting his head low and his pomp covering his eyes.

I wasn't sure what swayed me to, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, which got his attention to look straight at me. I looked straight ito his eyes, though not as harshly as I did last time and gave him some reassurance.

"It ain't about givin' up, Pomp. We just gotta give in to what we've been given. And honestly, I ain't chill about it. Even with this nightime rule. But for this night I'm callin' it a day." I admitted.

"That's all f-fine and good for today, but what do we d-do tomorrow?" questioned Toko.

"Our only option is to split up and look around again, and let everyone know if we find anything." Sakura explained.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do that...!" Aoi agreed.

"Then we're done for the day? Good, I'm exhausted..." Junko said, before making her way out of the dining room as well.

And with that, the rest of us made their way to the dorms. I was gonna go to my own, but I need to find Junko just to say sorry about my outburst from in my room.

"Hey, Frecks. Ya gotta minute?" I asked her, to which she turned in surprise and confusion, "I know you wanna go in your room, but I wanna say it was my bad for that argument we had in my crib."

"Aww, Rizumu~! Don't worry about it!" the Ultimate Fashionista answered cheerfully, before looking a bit guilty yourself, "Actually, I felt really bad about that. I know you aren't those creepy weirdos in alley, but the world's full of animals like that, ya know?...But I think having to live like that made me way stronger."

"Yeah, I had my fair share of 'em. But we still got on top despite it! But...in different routines. Anyway, I just wanna make sure you ain't envying me." I explained, but I did notice the little bunny and bow in her pink blonde hair, "Ya know...for some reason. I'm glad I called ya Frecks instead of Bunbo. Anyway, catch ya later!"






And with that, I closed the door to my own room. Quickly removing my clothes and bandages, I took a quick shower before slipping on a vest and shorts. After reaching for my beats...

*Ding dong, bing bong*

The monitor in my room came alive and displayed Monokuma in some surveillance room, with a wine glass filled with red wine or tomato juice or whatever it is.

Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially "nighttime". Soon, the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited. Okay, then...sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...

Well, that's the cue for night time. And this whole thing's put me outta the mood for dancin. Anyway, I stuck on my headphones and picked a beat that made me go to sleep before I even knew that I had closed my eyes.

That rapped up my first day in Hope's Peak Academy.