Words: 454k+
Link: -https://archiveofourown.org/works/40453890/chapters/101344338
( Makoto Naegi, an average guy who got into Hope's Peak Academy through sheer luck, is thrown into a deadly killing game in a shocking turn of events. However, YOU, the reader, will influence all of his choices. But be warned, this isn't exactly the Danganronpa that you know...
(Also, here's the Discord! It's not about this fic specifically, rather it's about a bunch of Choose Your Own Adventure fics that people make. If you're a fan of this fic or CYOAs in general, I recommend joining: https://discord.gg/V5hjkcxj We would love it to be a haven for all CYOAs out there.)
Chapter 1: Prologue: Makoto Naegi
Hope's Peak Academy. A government-funded school of privilege towering over all other buildings in a bustling urban area of Toyko, bringing hope to students in every field imaginable. Built to raise hope for the nation's future upon decades of tradition, Hope's Peak sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year. They say if you come here and manage to graduate, you're set for life. It's honestly a fitting name.
There are two things you need to do to attend this school. One, you have to have graduated from high school. Two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student can enroll here. The only way in is if the school itself has scouted you.
And standing there… was me. Makoto Naegi .
Anyway, I figured it's always good to introduce yourself right off the bat. I'm nothing but a hopelessly average high school graduate. I'm average on the outside and average on the inside. Grades, special abilities, or even personality…. you name it, I'm just average. I mean, I have hobbies and stuff, but I'm not a psychic, mutant, or whatever. I had no idea what to do after high school. I figured I'd probably end up being a cashier or waiter. If I have any "strong point," so to speak… I'd say I'm a little more gung-ho than other people.
I'm just a run-of-the-mill average joe… but look at me, standing in front of the most prestigious university in the world. It's got this overwhelming presence… like it will swallow me whole. But I'm not surprised I feel that way. I wasn't expecting to attend a regular university, let alone Hope's Peak. What you have to understand is… well, let me explain.
Hope's Peak only invites students who are truly elite in their field. It's such a popular topic that there are threads online about speculating who'll be there.
For example, one incoming student is the Ultimate Pop Sensation , the lead singer of a worldwide famous pop idol group. Another student is the Ultimate Baseball Pro , drafted into the major leagues in the first round despite just graduating high school. He carried his team to internationally recognized success as the MVP four years in a row. I'm not really sure since I don't follow baseball.
There's also the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader , Ultimate Swimming Pro , Ultimate Martial Artist , Ultimate Fanfic Creator , Ultimate Gambler , Ultimate Programmer , Ultimate Clairvoyant , and then some. Reading all of this made me realize how powerless I was. I felt like a tame little house cat who wandered into a lion's den.
But still, there's something I couldn't stop thinking about. There were a few students I couldn't find any info on, like the Ultimate Soldier, no matter how hard I looked . The only thing anyone knew about them was their talent. And even after that, a few students still didn't have anything known about them. Could they be average, like me? Without any talent? That thought is kind of encouraging.
But beyond that, there was a more significant issue. How could someone like me get into this "ultimate" university? I guess there is a reason…
That reason? I got lucky. Last week, I received a letter from Hope's Peak. It said:
We recently held a lottery to select one ordinary student to attend our school. As a result, you have been chosen, and we invite you to join us as the Ultimate Lucky Student.
I got invited because of pure luck; they spelled it out clear as day. Honestly, I was probably better off declining the offer, but hearing them saying I was "guaranteed for success" later in life… I just couldn't say no.
But now, standing in front of the school… I'm feeling lost… like I don't belong here.
I could feel myself losing my nerve. But still, I couldn't just stand in front of the gates forever.
Frozen in place, I looked down at the acceptance letter clutched in my hand. It said there should be an orientation for all incoming students in the main hall at 8 A.M.
The meeting isn't for a little while, but I figure that I should probably just head in.
"Yeah…" I murmured to myself. "Yeah! Let's do this!"
I gathered my determination and took my first step into the main hall.
…this is where we're supposed to meet, right? I guess I'm the first one here.
An exquisite clock in the corner said it was 7:10 A.M.
The meeting doesn't start until eight. I was so wound up, I got here early, and now I'll just have to sit around for fifty minutes. Actually…
I'm a student here now, so there shouldn't be any problem if I look around. I should get to know my way around this place if I'm going to stay here, anyway.
The instant I took a step forward, my view became warped, twisted. It was like some kind of delusion, melting away and mixing together into something else. Spinning, mixing, melting away, then turning again…
The very next moment, everything went black.
That's how it all began. How life as I knew it came to an end. At that point, I should've realized that I wasn't brought to Hope's Peak Academy because I had ultimate good luck…
It was so that I could experience ultimate despair.
I woke up later, my head resting on a wooden desk. It was one of the many desks in the classroom I was in. It was just your typical classroom, other than the fact there were metal plates where the windows were supposed to be and the surveillance camera. My body felt heavy. It's pretty standard for me to zonk off during the middle of a boring class.
But I graduated from high school already. I shouldn't be in a class. Even then, what am I doing asleep here? This isn't a classroom I've ever been in before.
I looked up at the clock… eight already.
I also noticed something on my desk. I picked up the pamphlet and read it. It seemed like an orientation guide, but it looked so cheap and poorly made that I found it hard to believe it was for this school.
The next semester is about to start. Starting today, your school will be your entire world.
"What the hell?" I murmured to myself. Is this someone's idea of a joke?
No, there has to be a logical explanation. Maybe I got so wound up that I passed out, and someone carried me to this classroom? If that's true, then that means I'm still in Hope's Peak Academy. But even if that's true, that raises a lot more questions. Why didn't they bring me to a random classroom instead of the nurse's office if that happened? And why are there metal plates on the doors? That makes this place seem like a prison. None of this makes any sense.
I should head back to the main hall. It's already past eight, so there could be students in the meeting hall right now. With that in mind, I left the classroom and stepped into the hallway.
I could only describe it as bizarre, leaving the classroom and running out into the hallway. This hallway was weird compared to the bright pearly whites I remembered before passing out. Its lighting reminded me of a nightclub, and its tile floor was patterned like a chess board.
This place looks more like a funhouse than a school.
As I walked through the hallway, I saw plenty of other doors. A sign on one of them said "Despair Hotel," so I assumed that's where I'd be staying. The strangest part was how empty the halls were. I'd expect a school to be bustling with life, but it was like a ghost town.
Everyone was already there when I got back to the main hall.
"Woah, hey!" a boy said. He looked like a wannabe rockstar with many piercings and a goatee. "Another new kid?"
"Huh?" I uttered, confused. "Then you guys are all…."
"We're all new here, and today was supposed to be our first day." A pink-haired girl with a leather jacket and gloves explained. Her affinity for purple was evident.
"So, counting him, that makes 16," a significantly… heavy man with thick glasses and a hamster's face noted. "Sounds like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if that's everyone."
Standing before me were the Ultimate Students that had been hand-picked by the school. I looked around at everyone who had gathered here, taking in their faces one at a time. Maybe I just imagined it, but I could swear they each had a different aura. It was still a very intimidating sight nonetheless.
"Um…"
I wanted to make an excellent first impression.
"I-I'm Makoto Naegi. Sorry, I'm late. A bunch of stuff happened… I, uh, kinda got knocked out in the meeting hall and woke up in a classroom and, well, here I am."
"Woah, you too?" another guy, who looked considerably older than his peers and had such staggering dreadlocks it made him look like he'd just been electrocuted, questioned. "That's pretty much what happened when I came here!" the bum added.
"Things keep getting curiouser and curiouser," remarked a girl with long, loopy hair, whose whole goth lolita aesthetic made her look like a vampire of victorian descent. Her English accent was so rich that it had to be fake.
"So strange!" the wide man exclaimed. "I declare without a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!"
I instinctively took a step back. "What are you guys talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on."
"Just a moment!" a fierce-looking skinny boy wearing all-white clothes barked. Why do I get the vibe this guy's a teacher's pet? "There is something I need to address! MAKOTO! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely, you were aware that the meeting started at 8 A.M. sharp! To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!"
The man's intensity made me shudder.
"Actually," the girl with gloves and pink hair interjected, "I don't think he chose to be late. He might have been recovering from losing consciousness, so he has a solid excuse."
"Um, yeah!" I agreed. "I was a bit out of it when I first woke up, so I didn't notice I was late right away." Thanks for sticking up for me, random girl.
"Well then," the blue-nosed boy scoffed. "I suppose you should be let off the hook just this once!"
"Thanks, I guess."
"Everyone, just calm down!" a dark-skinned girl tanned from being out in the sun too long, with… assets you couldn't ignore, spoke up. "Listen, why don't we try to introduce ourselves?"
"The hell?!" a bulky, intimidating-looking guy with a pompadour, who seemed like he'd take no shit from anyone, snarled. "We don't have time for fucking introductions!"
"Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we are before digging into the bigger problems here," the vampire lady suggested. "I mean, how are we supposed to talk to each other if we don't even know each other's names?"
"That's a good point…" a petite and meek girl with a peter pan color supported.
"Okay, let's get introductions out of the way, then we move on to something else." said a familiar blue-haired girl that somehow looked like the perfect fusion of the girl next door and a Disney princess.
I instantly recognized her as the Ultimate Pop Sensation. Obviously? How could I not recognize her? You'd have to live under a rock to not know who Sayaka Maizono was. She was on the covers of magazines and in commercials every day.
"Sounds good?" There was no apparent disagreement with the plan, so everyone dispersed throughout the room for their meet and greet.
I'm still totally lost, but I suppose I should go along with the introductions. I already looked up many of them on that Hope's Peak Academy thread, but I don't know them personally. So now, it's time to find out…
The first Ultimate I approached was the blue-haired idol Sayaka Maizono. It just seemed right to start with re-introductions before proper introductions.
"Hi!" Sayaka beamed. "I'm Sayaka Maizono! Pleased to meet you!"
I could hold back my surprise and disappointment, expecting it, trying to keep myself together. "Um, yeah," I replied. "I'm Makoto Naegi. The Ultimate Lucky Student."
"Hm…" Sayaka stared right into my eyes. She was… honestly pretty alluring . "Where do I recognize you?"
Wait, she recognizes me? I'm the guy who should recognize her, not the other way around.
"Yeah," she continued. "I think I know you. Yeah, I definitely know you…" she stepped closer to me. "You went to middle school with me. Algebra class with Miss Kota? You sat two seats behind me and told some creep to stop hitting on me? Am I right?"
Woah. I completely forgot about that incident. Honestly, I don't like seeing people get hurt, and Sayaka just looked so uncomfortable, so I had to say something… the fact she still remembers is kind of touching, to be honest. I think that was either right before or as Sayaka's career as an idol took off.
Sayaka covered her mouth in surprise. "Wow, you really forgot?"
"Oh - um, y-yeah?! How do you know?"
"I'm a psychic." She said it so severely that it took me a moment to process what she was saying.
"HUH?!"
"Just kidding!" she giggled. "I just have really good intuition."
"Oh. O-okay, that's a relief. I mean, not that I was thinking about anything bad."
"Don't worry! I know what you meant! Honestly, being a psychic would be… pretty weird."
"Yeah. Yeah, it would."
Sayaka seemed surprisingly nervous as our conversation trailed. It looked like she was building up the courage to ask something. "So, uh…"
"Hey!" the guy who was mad at me for being late interjected. "Now is not the time for idle chit-chat! Say your name, talent, maybe a few fun facts, and move on!"
"Sorry," Sayaka mumbled, walking away from the conversation. It's nice to have someone I know here… well, someone I used to know… or at least I talked to once or twice in middle school.
The following student I approached was a girl with long, red hair and watching red eyes. She gazed off into the distance, her eyes glazed over, staring blankly at everyone. It was like she was in another world.
" Ryoko Otonashi ," the girl chanted, clutching a leather notebook. "Ryoko Otonashi. Ryoko Otonashi. Ryoko Otonashi. Ryok-oh.."
This girl might have a few screws loose… but I should still be nice to her. Maybe she's just nervous.
"I'm Makoto Neagi," I introduced myself. "What are you, um, chanting?"
"My name, or… at least I think it is? I don't want to…."
Ryoko studied her plain jane shoes, unable to look Makoto in the eye. Her face oozed shame. She sighed. So I don't forget it."
I couldn't believe my ears. "Think? Forget?"
Ryoko showed me her diary. It had the name Ryoko Otonashi on it. "I… I don't remember anything. My first memory was waking up in one of the classrooms. I… found this on my desk."
"What about your talent?"
"I forgot that too."
Did this girl bump her head or something? Why can't she remember anything?
"How did you forget your talent?"
"I don't know, I just… don't, I guess," Ryoko admitted, finally able to look Makoto in his eyes. "Same with pretty much everything else in my life."
Her gaze was intense, almost unnerving, but I couldn't break eye contact with her. Not when I could tell how difficult it was for her to even get through this conversation.
But is it really true she doesn't remember anything?
"Sorry," she apologized. "I've never talked to a person before."
"Huh?"
"This is my first social interaction… At least, it might as well be since… I don't remember another one."
That's honestly kinda sad.
"Could I maybe tag along with you?" Ryoko was shaking. "I'm… you seem so sweet and… I don't want to do this… social interaction… thing… alone. Please?"
Before I could give Ryoko an answer, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Uh…" I then felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Sayaka standing there, looking at me… bashfully?
"Hey, Makoto, on second thought… if you don't mind… I'd like to tag along with you!" she smiled. "Even if we don't know each other that well, we can still…." Sayaka blinks, looking at Ryoko. "Wait, who's that?"
"Ryoko Otonashi," Ryoko mumbled. "Nice to meet —"
"Oh, okay." Sayaka grabbed my hand and tried dragging me away. "Well, come on, Makoto. Let's talk to that girl who's cowering in the corner!"
Ryoko stared at me, devastated. "But… I asked first."
Okay, I'll be honest, I don't talk much with girls other than my sister. But stuff like this is an entirely different story. On the one hand, I don't want to leave Ryoko alone. That would be kinda mean. On the other hand, Sayaka's a familiar face in this weird situation, even if I barely know her… I must make up my mind before we leave Ryoko in the dust!
DECISION POINT: Who does Makoto go with?
A - Sayaka
B - Ryoko
C - Both of them
D - Neither of them