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Wow, the woods behind Hope’s Peak Academy are so much deeper than I expected! I smile and walk and walk, noticing everything, from the moonlight tracing white lines on trees and rocks, to the wind making branches and leaves rustle. Of course my steps are discreet: no thief worthy of the title would make noise while snooping around!
You’re wondering why I’m here? This is pretty simple: school is super, duper boring! It’s always the same thing! The only ways I can make it fun is to play pranks on my classmates, but even then, some are really predictable, so it gets repetitive.
Wait, you’re wondering why I’m in this forest in particular? Ah, I see! This is also pretty simple: I’m looking for something precise (I’ll explain later). It seems my school really loves hiding things from us, and so I thought it’d be fun to uncover them. Yesterday, Gonta told me he saw strange creatures roaming in the forest while searching for bugs, and I wanted to take a look for myself.
I can’t make out the school anymore from between the leaves, but I know I’ll be able to find my way back, having mentally taken notes of my surroundings. Of course I’d never get lost… it just seems my markers are a bit off. I’ll find them back eventually. And after all, isn’t it when things don’t go as planned that it finally starts to be fun?
I stop on my tracks when I see before me, something I have definitely not seen before. The trees seem to have gone a bit sparse and, instead, there is a large lump of dirt covered with old wooden planks, moss and grass, with a large iron door which seems to be very slightly open.
My heart skips a beat. I stop thinking about the forest and being lost and the academy and instead, skip to the door and use all my strength to open it.
Thanks to my agile body, I’m able to slip through the small crack; I cringe when I hear the door close behind me. There's still a small crack of perhaps one centimetre, but definitely not enough to allow someone to pass through.
Ah, so this is a bunker, a real bunker, huh?
I catch myself regretting not having brought Shuichi or even Kiiboy with me. Their spooked reactions would’ve been so fun to watch! Not that I’d react this way, not at all, because this is way too much fun for I, Kokichi Ouma, to chicken out!
To prove that I’m actually excited, I decide to skip again, walking and noticing how withered everything is. I visibly am inside of a metal tunnel; the cylindric wall is white and bumpy, and the furniture stands out the most, looking antique and in bad state. I feel like the main character of a horror movie, and I can’t stop thinking about how terrified Kaito would feel if he was here with me.
I try to find anything worth my time, opening closets, drawers, even the oven, but not finding anything of value. I scrunch my nose when I see a bunch of cockroaches scuttling around my feet.
This is boring! If I can’t find anything fun, if this crappy bunker is just some dead, abandoned place, then—
Wait, what was that sound just now? I swear that right now, I’ve just heard footsteps behind me. Is it a monster? Is it someone? Clearly from them not announcing themself, and their footsteps being of slower and softer pace, the person doesn’t want me to notice them. Well too bad, because I did!
Maybe it’s someone playing a mean prank on me? That’s no fair! I’m the one supposed to do the pranks! And anyway, I clearly remember the door closing behind me, and I haven’t heard it move again.
So, that means… anyone who is slowly creeping behind me was there before I entered.
If Miu was at my place, it’s obvious she would be freaking out and cursing at whoever it is. Instead, I allow my mouth to stretch into a smug grin, and I let my right heel pivot my body towards whoever wants to play with me.
Turns out it’s definitely nothing I would’ve ever expected. Before me stands someone much taller than me, who seems like a student my age. I’ll assume for now from their flat chest and lack of curves that they’re male. He is wearing brown pants and a beige polo, with an olive green wooly sleeveless vest.
However, something is off. His magenta tie is loose, a few buttons are detached or even missing, and when my eyes inspect his face, I have to ignore my accelerating heartbeat and shove that nervousness deep in my heart to keep my smug facade. His short green hair seems a bit dull. His eyes, also green, are lacking the glint you normally notice in someone my age, and instead glimmer a much more sinister aura.
His skin is very pale, and he seems to be very skinny, even more than me!
“Oh, wooooow! If it isn’t a creepy dude who thought could scare lil’ old me~!” My grin widens and I place my palms behind my neck.
I am unfortunately met with a dead glare. I'm not lying: it's not deadly, it's dead. This guy seems unresponsive! I gotta try harder!
I hop and skip in his direction; I notice his left hand holding the border of a piece of furniture. I notice how deep his cheeks are, and I notice… hmm… oooooh, this is going to be fun!
“Maaaaan, you really look creepy and uuuugly this close!!” I chant as I get closer, my eyes as wide as possible. “But you’re nooooooo fun! You don’t even react! You’re so boring! Are you dead? Are you a zombie??”
I jump back, grabbing my head and making the most exaggerated terrified face my muscles allow me of.
Finally, a reaction. He blinks and sighs, then stares at me with the eyes of a predator looking at its prey. Wait, I’m his prey, really?
I mentally repeat to myself that my frightened look is all acting and no genuine emotions.
“I didn’t expect anyone to come down here,” he says, voice low and hoarse. I can almost see the muscles of his throat and neck struggle from the effort.
“It’s true that it would be sooooo dangerous for someone, a totally normal teenager like me to be somewhere as weird and empty as here. It’s not like if anyone else lives here anyway?”
Another sigh.
“I don’t know who you are, or what you want,” he struggles to say, “but if you hold onto your life, you better run away.”
“And what if I don’t, huh? What if I don’t? What are you gonna do, huh? Huuuuuh?”
“Fuck you, just leave.”
White skin, dark rings under the eyes, dull hair… everything is so easy and obvious.
“Oh! I know! I know!” I want to make sure he knows I’m serious so I smirk, letting my hair cast a shadow on my face. It always scares everyone when I do that! “Can I touch your faaaaaangs~?”
“My fangs…?” His eyes widen, but very slowly. He seems lost, what’s wrong?
“Well duh.” I roll my eyes and look at him deadpan. “You’re a vampire, aren’t you?” I giggle. “You seem veeeery sick. I thought vampires needed blood to survive. Are you a special kind who eats misery instead?”
I get no response. No fair! I need to try harder. I get close to him again.
“Who are you anyway?”
“You don’t have to care about me.”
“It’s not that I care, I just want to have some fun!”
He pauses, then slowly replies: “Rantaro Amami.”
Rantaro Amami? I think I’ve read that somewhere… Could that be…
Yes, there we go! It’s a name I found in some files when I did a little “exploring” in Hope’s Peak Academy’s secret files, to test their security systems (spoilers: they’re really bad).
That means this guy in front of me is a student from my school. I knew it was weird that our class only had fifteen students while every other class had sixteen; our teacher kept insisting it was just a mistake and a few of us, including the Ultimate Detective, of course, found that suspicious. However, whenever I came forward to Shuichi, he acted like I was his enemy. Well too bad! This is what being a goodie-two-shoes brings to you!
“I’m Kokichi Ouma. I’m from Hope’s Peak Academy, just like you. I had no clue they were also a garbage management company. Well, for what seems like garbage to them.” I make sure to make my voice sound serious so he understands I’m not a fan of that either.
“They saw me as a menace. I’m cursed here.”
This is pretty bad!
“And you haven’t drank anything, huh?”
He lowers his head.
“Maaaaan, you look reaaaaally pathetic.”
I need to think of a plan. Of course I’m not letting a teenager rot in the secret bunker of a prestigious academy’s terrain. I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader, not the Ultimate Asshole!
“So… what happened?” I request, taking place next to him. He seems to give me a few glances. He’s hungry after all, should I really be doing this…?
“Well, it’s just that… I don’t think they expected that the Ultimate Adventurer wasn’t human. I thought they’d be cool with it, y’know. But when I requested accommodations for my ‘situation’, they told me I was a threat, that they were scared I would bite and kill people. So they immediately removed me from my class and threw me here, and I can’t get out.”
He shows me his wrist. Suddenly, a transparent, glowy chain shines, showing that some sort of magic is forcing him to stay.
“A real curse, huh…”
A plan is starting to form itself in my mind. Magic, destruction, mystery, gadgets… I could certainly use these idiots’ talents to complete my master plan!
One glance at Rantaro shows he doesn't seem interested at all. Actually he is staring… at me. But this time I just feel pity. I give him a smile that I immediately start to question how fake it is.
“Well, I have a super cool plan that will be super fun to do, but hey, I get it! You can’t get anything done on an empty stomach, huh?”
Rantaro’s eyes widen and once again strains his dry throat.
“What do you mean…?”
“Here! The Ultimate Supreme Leader allows you toooooo…” I tap my hands on my lap to imitate a drumroll, “bite me!”
“You don’t have to do that… really…” Rantaro smiles nervously. Does he not want to live or something? I’d never refuse free McDonald’s!
“Well, too bad! You can’t disobey me, ‘cuz I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader, and I’ve decided that you’re one of my servants now!”
For one second I easily notice his embarrassment.
“… Thanks.”
I smile devilishly to hide how nervous I am.
“Don’t worry,” he gives me a weak smile in return, “I’m not going to drink a lot. Just enough to feel a bit better.”
I present him my neck, and I have a feeling things will get drastically different after this. Well, as long as it’s not boring, I’m in!
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