Danganronpa: Paradise Lost

Chapter 1, Part II

Chapter 1: Rats in a Cage, Part II (Daily Life)

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*DING DONG BING BONG*

I was woken up by that chime as if it was an alarm.

Monokuma: Wakey-wakey, everyone! 7AM has officially arrived, and all rooms locked during nighttime are once again open for access! Now then, live this day as if it shall be your last, because it may be! Upupupu~

I still knew from my ordinary life what had to be done. The first step was to go into my bathroom and brush my teeth. Then I washed my face. After I went back into my dorm, I took off my pajamas and put on a set of the casual clothes that had been left for me. The last step was to leave and face the outside head-on.

Well, what could be called the outside. After all, it was a strange facility populated entirely by a gaggle of strangers and one teddy bear that wanted us, for reasons still unknown, to participate in a Killing Game where we were encouraged to kill another and get away with it. But for now, that was what we would call the elephant in the living room - something uncomfortable that we all just ignored for now.

First up was to take my dirty clothes to the laundry room. Who would do them, I didn't really think of. Afterwards, it was to the lunch hall to get some breakfast - for me, some toast would do. And then, we all agreed to return to the dorm rooms, as we noticed that one person was conspicuously absent.

Shion Nanashi. We gathered around the door to her dorm room, and although Miyuki hammered on the door, we couldn't hear a sound.

Yae: Hey! It's no joke! Get up and see us!

Junpei: ...She's probably-

Akihiro: Can you not assume the worst at every opportunity?

By that point, Monokuma had waddled up to us as if to inform us of something. Kenji, Momiji and Junpei were the first to notice him, and everyone else turned around in turn.

Monokuma: I may or may not have told you already that every dorm room is soundproofed. As long as your door is shut, nobody can hear you, you can hear nobody. The only sound from outside that I've jury-rigged to be broadcasted into every room, is...

Kenji: The doorbell.

Monokuma: ...I was going to drag it on for dramatic effect, but yes.

Miyuki had already gone up to the small buzzer besides the door to Shion's room. She pressed it. And pressed it again. And again. Until finally, the green-haired girl opened her door, just staring into space as if she had just got up.

Noriko: Oh. You're not dead.

Shion: What do you want?

Daisuke: You've uh... gotta come out. We're getting a bit worried.

Shion: Really?

Goh: Yeah, lady.

Shion: (sigh) Right...

She closed the door again, almost certainly to get herself ready for the day. All we could do was wait.

Yae: This is so boring.

Ringo: Boring, you say? This is like peace.

Yashiro: Yes, peace. A rare occasion.

Yae: No, seriously, this is boring.

Ayaka: (tapping her foot) What do you mean?

Yae: Having to just stand around and do nothing. I wanna bash a skull in.

Monokuma: Then do it. See where that gets you!

Yae: I mean a wooden dummy's skull in. Shame there's none around.