PROLOGUE · 7 · END · Pockets

“It’s weird that not a single one of you as checked their pockets yet!”
“What?”
I still feel extremely confused and bad, but I react without even thinking.
“Yeah! You’re all weird and stupid! ‘cause you could have realized that there was something in them by now!”
I figure we probably all check our pockets, but I can’t find anything in mine.
“Emily has an objection!”
“Does she, now?”
“I don’t have any pockets!”
“Wh-”
Monokuma looks ready to attack her at first, but he suddenly steps back and goes silent.
“Me neither! You’re the one who’s stupid!”
“No one has anything in their pockets anyway.”
Monokuma remains silent.
“If you’re just gonna insult us and spew false stuff, we’d be better off all leaving already, like that girl did.”
“Why don’t we just do that?”
“Excellent question. I think I’m just going to-”
“Jeez… Wait… I’ll make it work…”
Monokuma pathetically and loudly throws himself on the ground.
“Isn’t he just going to hurt himself if he keeps on doing that?”
“I don’t know, but I feel like doing the same thing anyway.”
I cannot even think straight anymore. I do not even care. This situation seems to be too much for my poor heart… And for some reason I do not even begin to understand, I cannot stop but think about Lois and how I should have handled the situation, instead of just standing there, awkwardly.
I listen to Monokuma because there is nothing else I can do, and let’s say my logical mind orders me to, but I barely even pay attention to the other conversations around me.
“You’re all so… terrible and mean… Well… I guess I shouldn’t be saying that, but…”
“There he goes again.”
“I try to make things interesting and… it doesn’t even work… nothing ever works my way…”
“I feel like I shouldn’t hate you but I do.”
“Which is…”
He jumps up so suddenly that I simultaneously jump in surprise, but what I let out is not a scream.
“Ugh…”
“A SHAME! A terrible shame, because I’m so charismatic! Upupu!”
“I’d argue it’s perfectly healthy to hate that thing.”
Monokuma walks back a few steps, and as he does, he tells us:
“So, anywaaay… They would have been in your pockets but of course, you kids can’t wear practical outfits, it has to be all about fashion or looking your Ultimates or some shiz! So because some of you didn’t have pockets, I decided to store them and give them to you myself, but I completely forgot, because I’m so depressed.”
No one even comments, or not that I hear. I almost expected Emily to shout some random answer, but I might not have been paying attention anyway.
“Theeese aaare… Your student handbooks! Take good care of them!”
He violently hits the nearest wall with his plushie paw and a bunch of tablets suddenly fall down from the sky. If I looked up there probably would be some opening in the ceiling, but I don’t even care. I grab the one that fell in front of me.
“Are you okay, uh, Keith?”
“Yeah, I think I’m getting used to stuff randomly falling on me.”
“You’re so ridiculously unlucky it doesn’t make me want to laugh!”
“Hum…”
“I heard you laugh just now.”
“Yeah, but now I regret it!”
I look at it for a second, and when I press the button, I’m surprised it turns on. That thing must really be sturdy if it did not break after falling from the gymnasium’s ceiling or even higher.
I quickly glance at what it says and I see there’s information about me, but I cannot even concentrate, and I turn it off pretty much as fast.
“On these bad boys you’ll find everything you might need- information about yourself, in case you forgot, information about the other students, and a map of the school!”
“Some areas seem inaccessible.”
“What would we be without a detective? We’d have to rely on some character whose Ultimate doesn’t indicate that they should be smart! Anyway, yes, don’t even try to go there. You won’t manage.”
“May I ask why?”
“Because I’m the one who decides! Upupupupu!”
“I will not question that.”
“So you think. But we’ll find a way.”
“Go on! Impress me! I’m so bored, it would illuminate my day! Anyway, I’m off. Feel free to find your rooms, cry for a bit, and then eat, and then go to sleep!”
And with that, he disappears.
And once again I find myself standing here awkwardly, doing nothing.