Group Reactions, Then Heading to the Dining Hall

It's Asahina who first breaks the silence that's fallen over all of you. "Th-this is insane!" she says, pointing out the obvious. "We can't... but..." She stares at the gatling gun again. "UGH! We have to get out of here somehow!"

Enoshima seems to share that sentiment. "When I get to talk to the person behind all this, I'll... I'll..." She seems to lose the words, and huffs irritably.

"Wh-what do you th-think they're going to m-make us do?" Fukawa asks. "D-do you think we'll be used by the m-mastermind?" Her eyes, so full of panic and tension before, seem to suddenly possess an odd sparkle to them. "T-tied up and t-treated like objects, like b-breeding cattle...!"

"Stop it!" Asahina hurriedly interrupts, her face a picture of fear and disgust. "You're freaking me out!"

Fukawa glares at the busty swimmer. "Y-you should be f-freaked out! You and the supermodel slut!" She jabs a finger at Enoshima. "Y-you heard what the bear said! U-ultimate sluts with t-tight t-teen bodies! Th-they probably won't even make a d-disgusting girl like me do anything, but you two? Y-you're gonna get fu-"

"SHUT UP!" Asahina yells, and Enoshima has to hold her back from lunging at the novelist in fury.

As the three girls start to bicker, you turn your attention to the other two students in the room, intrigued by their reactions. A strange calm seems to have fallen over Maizono, and her eyes seem almost glazed over as she mumbles to herself. "This is ok... I've done worse, right? For my friends, I... I can get through this..." You grimace slightly. Though your memories of specific details of your own life are limited, you do remember hearing horror stories about what went on behind closed doors in the idol scene. It would seem Maizono has seen more in her life than you had previously considered.

Celeste is also muttering to herself, but her expression is entirely different. The serene grace that the gambler usually possesses, even when learning about the killing game, has vanished, replaced by a simmering rage. "This is ludicrous!" She almost spits out the words, her voice sounding different to the usual faux-European accent she speaks in. "To think they would **** me, me, Celestia Ludenberg, to... to debase myself for their entertainment! It's unthinkable!" A part of you questions her reaction to the idea of **** sexual degradation being so much more drastic than her reaction to a literal **** game, but it's not as if you are processing this much differently. As monstrous as the concept of the killing game had been, you had still had your mantras repeating themselves reassuringly in your head, and your strange sense of confidence that allowed you to remain calm. That confidence seems to have all but vanished, however, and your mantras suddenly ring differently. Guarding your emotions and your body, remaining cool and observant under pressure... sexual activity is the enemy of these ideals.

You are snapped out of your thoughts by the argument between Fukawa, Asahina and Enoshima seeming to reach an end. "F-fine then!" snaps Fukawa. "Y-you keep denying what's happening if you w-want to get s-shot!" She gestures to the gatling gun before turning back to her classmates. "I-I'm d-done arguing with b-bimbos like you!" She turns on her heel and walks out of the gym doors, presumably heading to the dining hall.

"Can you believe her?!" Asahina exclaims, turning to the rest of you. "What's wrong with that girl?!"

"A multitude of things, no doubt," says Celeste in response. Something in Fukawa's words seems to have snapped her out of her anger and restored some of her usual calm superiority, along with her accent. "But she is correct, in this instance."

"That we're bimbos?!" Enoshima snaps.

Celeste has to think about how to respond for a moment. "... No," she finally settles on. "That there is no point denying what is happening to us. We must adapt to survive, yes?" She says the words confidently, but you wonder if you're the only one who notices the lack of conviction in them.

Asahina goes to argue, but Maizono speaks up. "She's... she's right," she says, eyes still unfocused. "As long as we're alive... there's still a chance of us fulfilling our dreams. Survival... it's everything."

No-one seems to know how to respond to this, and a few moments pass in silence. You realise everyone seems to slowly be turning towards you, the only person yet to say anything since Monokuma's departure. You know the words you have to say, but you want more than anything not to have to say them. "We... should go to the dining hall," you finally say, glancing up at the gatling gun. "We don't have much time." Maizono and Celeste nod at you. Enoshima and Asahina lower their heads in resignation. Everyone seems to agree, but no-one wants to be the first to make a move. Forcing yourself to keep from trembling, you take the first step, turning in the direction of the gymnasium doors and slowly leading the way out of the room.

When you reach the dining hall you find Fukawa already there, standing a corner a short distance from the doorway looking as gloomy as ever. The next thing you notice, however, is a change to the room itself. The tables and chairs have been pushed up against one of the side walls to leave the floor clear, and against the wall opposite you are six cubicles, like those you'd see in a public bathroom. The wooden doors to the cubicles are half black and half white, patterned just like-

"MONOKUMA APPEARS!" announces the bear loudly as he pops up in the center of the room, causing a couple of you to jump slightly. "Welcome to your first challenge!"

"Challenge?" Enoshima asks irritably. "What the hell do you mean?!"

"Puhuhuhuhu~" Monokuma laughs. "A challenge is just that- a challenge! This game has to have a structure to it! Did you think I was just going to **** you to have sex with each other or random strangers aimlessly..." He seems to think for a moment. "Well, I might do that, if I get bored, but for now this is going to have a clearly defined setup! Rules help control the fun!"

Six sets of eyes glare at the insufferable ursine. ""So... what is this 'defined setup', exactly?" you ask, not wanting to know the answer.

"Good question, Kirigiri-chan!" Monokuma trills. "Every day at a random time, you guys are going to face a challenge! One thing I loved about the killing game idea, besides, y'know, the soul-crushing despair of it all, was forcing people to compete against each other. Everyone loves a competition; that's why seemingly inconsequential things like quiz shows and cooking contests and elections get big TV ratings! So, when you face these challenges, you'll all be trying to complete the task quicker or more effectively than your assmates... uh, I mean, classmates. Winner gets a sweet, sweet reward!"

"A reward? As in we go free?" Maizono asks, desperation evident in her tone.

"Maaaaaybe~!" Monokuma replies playfully. "Of course..." his voice drops. "The loser will face a... punishment, as well..." He shrugs and his voice pitch returns to squeaky normality. "Eh, the punishments won't be that bad. Not like in the killing game, at any rate. Who knows... some of you might enjoy them." His suggestive tone leaves you no doubt as to the nature of these 'punishments' he's talking about. You glance at your classmates, realising how bad this is. While not the constant paranoia of the killing game, this competition setup will no doubt serve to put pressure on your already fragile group dynamic, making it harder to work together to find some way out of this.

"So these challenges... they're going to be... sexual, as well?" Enoshima asks, likely already knowing the answer.

"Puhuhuhuhu~! Someone's eager!" Monokuma laughs cruelly. "Let's waste no more time then!" He raises a paw and the black-and-white doors open up, revealing a small enclosed cubicle behind each, with walls made of reflective glass. Towards the back of each cubicle is a black-and-white object mounted to the floor. You grimace and your face flushes slightly as you recognise the objects as dildos, each one about eight inches long with a substantial girth. "Like what you see?" Monokuma asks. "The dildos are modelled on my own cock, of course." He gestures to his non-existent genitalia and laughs. "Rules for this challenge are simple. You'll each go inside a cubicle. The dildos are set to react to sensations just like a real dick would. There's a pleasure gauge on the floor above each one; first girl to max it out and draw an 'orgasm' from the dildo is the winner! Hooray!" He claps enthusiastically before continuing. "Last girl to make their dildo cum, of course... will be punished. Puhuhu... puhuhuhuhuhu~!"

As the bear cackles uncontrollably you glance around at your classmates, each of them themselves looking around the group before returning their eyes to the degrading setup in front of you all. Monokuma recovers himself enough to finish his explanation. "On the sound of the school bell, you may begin!" he declares. "Give it your best shot... I'll be watching!" He disappears, leaving all of you standing in stunned silence. Your heart pounds in your chest as you can do nothing but wait for the sound of the bell, the dining hall's monitor revealing its own gatling gun to remind you of what will happen if you refuse to participate.

You take a deep breath.

DING DONG, BING BONG!

And it begins.