Hajime wakes up

Hajime awoke the next day bright and early, stretching as he got out of bed. He would look around his room for a moment, slowly reminding himself of all the horrors that had happened before. All the betrayal and heartbreak of the killing game. No, he wouldn’t be able to go through that… not again.

He looked down at his E-Handbook which rested on the windowsill, slowly judging the weight of his possible actions. It would be horrible to try and control the girls, but, surely it couldn’t possibly be worse than letting them die, right? At least they would still be alive, even if they were being manipulated in some unknown way… yeah, this must be the only way to save everyone!

He picked up his E-Handbook, and the moment he did, he felt it buzz in his hand. Turning it over, he saw a small, 8-bit version of monokuma on the screen, and suddenly he began to speak. “Morning Sleepyhead~! Looks like you decided to go along with my new game! Good for you!”

Hajime rolled his eyes, already growing annoyed at the presence of this despicable bear. “Anyways, I won’t keep you long! I’m just busy uploading all your trigger clues~! Make sure to read them carefully. Wouldn’t it just be terrible if you do something super ridiculous to one of the girls and it ends up not even working…? Puhuhu~! Actually, that sounds really fun!”

The digital bear vanished, and after a moment, a new window on the E-Handbook would open up, displaying each girls name along with a brief description of the clues. Each girl also had either the word active or passive next to their names. Hajime decided to spend a moment reading the text over, just so that he could get a good under of what Monokuma was expecting of him.

Trigger Clues:

Chiaki Nanami (Passive): A true gamer needs to have clarity of mind when they play, that means mentally erasing all distractions and focusing solely on the game…

Akane Owari (Passive): Gymnasts learn the importance of flexibility, not just in practice, but regular life as well. And the best gymnasts are able to adapt and be comfortable in any situation, regardless of who’s watching…

Mikan Tsumiki (Active): As a nurse, Mikan is accustomed to having to care for others, but what about when someone fusses over her for a change…

Mahiru Koizumi (Active): Mahiru has a very rigid idea of what a true man should be, and she’s more than happy to let you know if you’re acting incorrectly. But maybe she could use some assistance in knowing what a true woman should be…

Hiyoko Saionji (Active): Hiyoko understands what it looks like to be rude from the perspective of a bully, but she has never been in a position of being bullied. She might not even realize if she was being bullied…

Ibuki Mioda (Active): The Ultimate Musician is able to play basically every instrument, but she’s always down for trying something new. Maybe if you present her with *your* instrument…

Sonia Nevermind (Passive): Princesses are raised not to lift a finger for themselves, and some require constant tending too. Some will beg for aid given even the most minor of inconveniences…

Peko Pekoyama (Passive): A proper swordswoman must always strive to become greater, even if that requires nearly constant practice in things such as grip strength…

Hajime looked down at the E-Handbook with deep disdain. He felt like he could get a general idea of what Monokuma was going for with most of these clues, and he hated the implications of what they could mean. He swore to himself that if he ever had the opportunity, he would do everything in his power to find a better solution… but for now, this was all he had.

He released a deep sigh before beginning to walk towards the restaurant for breakfast with the others. He made it there quickly, and was shocked to see that only the girls were there. “Hiyyyyaaaa Hajime~!” Ibuki shouted out, waving towards him. The other girls all turned to look at him, aside from Akane, who seemed to be preoccupied with a cartoonishly large hunk of meat on a bone.

“Huh…? Where are all the others?” Hajime would ask, a confused look spread across his face as he stared at the group of girls. For the most part everything seemed normal aside from a few minor things that were oddly apparent. Firstly, Akane had her shirt buttoned one button lower than she usually did, and it only made her cleavage that much more apparent. Secondly, Sonya had a slightly upset look on her face as she held her fork and knife in her hands, before turning to Mikan and asking if she would cut up her omelette for her. And lastly, Peko… she was eating normally with her right hand, but her left hand was holding her knife, and she was gripping it oddly, jerking her hand back and forth over and over.

Mahiru spoke up, “Well, Byakuya and Gundham didn’t show up, you know those two like to stay to themselves… Hiyoko told Teruteru that they were planning to go to the beach, so he and Kazuichi are waiting there…” Hiyoko spoke up in between bites “I just didn’t wanna see that ****’s face for the rest of the day!” She giggled as Mahiru continued, “Umm… Nekomaru and Fuyuhiko were arguing earlier near the ranch… oh, and I have no idea where Nagito went.”

“Huh… weird…” Hajime said, unsure of whether that was coincidence or the work of monokuma to leave him with all of the girls… but, he wasn’t really sure what to do now. He grabbed a plate and began to eat while he decided what his next course of action should be… it’d probably be best to test these triggers, right?