"Hm? Did what?" said Peko, before turning to see the now defunct Monokuma.

  "Well, I'll be... I didn't think you had it in you. But I should know, you always find the best team members in the most unexpected positions." said Nekomaru

  "Ah, screw that! Monokuma's dead! That programmer chick saved us!" Leon said excitedly.

  "I do believe that 'programmer chick' has a name. And I would implore you to use it, if you wish to actually leave this pce in one piece after all..." Said Celeste, gring at him.

  "Heh, my fault... Thanks, Chihiro"

  "I-It really wasn't that big of a deal... I j-just needed to deactivate it. Its system was really complex though, I-I could barely get through it myself. Whoever made it must have put a lot of time into it." Chihiro added "Oh! I found this on it too."

  She showed us what appeared to be a tablet with a map of the first floor on it.

  "Sick! Awesome find Chihiro!" Ibuki said, hugging her tightly. "Ibuki thanks you for saving her life!"

  As everyone was congratuting her on defeating Monokuma, they investigated the map closer.

  "Say, do you guys notice anything... strange about this map?" said Peko.

  "You mean like how it has a series of glowing dots overtop of the map that dispy our exact locations?" confirmed Mukuro.

  "Do you think this is a problem?" Monokuma added.

  "Not inherently. Though perhaps it could indicate-" Mukuro paused, the realization of who was speaking dawned on her.

  "WAH?! The bear's alive again? Did Ms. Fujisaki deceive us?" Hifumi said, concerned.

  "As much as I would love to accept the despair that would bring, it simply isn't true. She did deactivate me, but luckily I am legion, for we are many!"

  "You telling me there's more of you pricks out there?!" Mondo yelled.

  "Yep! There sure are! But don't get any funny ideas! If any of you try that again I'll strap you to a rocket and blow you to smithereens!"

  "Tch..." Mondo backed off reluctantly, unsure of how credible Monokuma's threat was.

  "Now then, so that I don't have to waste my time expining the rest of the rules to you, take those!"

  He then indicated towards a cart carrying a bunch of tablets, presumably for each of them to take.

  "You each have your own tablet, pay special attention to the rules there! If you viote them, you will be punished, severely. A society without rules cannot function after all! Don't lose these tablets either, they double as your room key and are really expensive to make. On the plus side, you won't have to worry about breaking them! These are state of the art e-handbooks, they can handle all kinds of hits, scrapes, water damage, hell, you could even throw it in the oven if you wanted!"

  The rules he was referring to were id out in the handbooks.

  Rule #1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.

  Rule #2: "Nighttime" is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.

  Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in css and punished accordingly.

  Rule #4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.

  Rule #5: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveilnce cameras.

  Rule #6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "bckened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.

  Rule #7: Additional school regutions may be added if necessary.

  "That's it for our entrance ceremony than! Enjoy your time at Hope's Peak! It just might st your entire life! Puhuhuhuhu!"

  With that, he quickly disappeared and left them standing there without any further expnation.

  For a while, they all just stood there. Thinking. Doubting. Brooding. Some of them would occasionally cry, shout, or look down in desperation. Eventually, someone decided to speak up.

  "Either w-we live here together... or we k-kill someone and escape. This is just... unreal" said Ryota.

  "This is a joke! It has to be!" Mahiru argued.

  "And why does it have to be? Because you cannot handle the severity of the situation? Those who do not succeed under pressure are truly lost causes." said Celeste, not seeming very affected by what just took pce.

  "That's not a very hopeful sounding way of thinking Celeste... By the way, have you guys looked at the rules yet? I'm really curious about what rule 6 is referring to. 'Unless they are caught'? Does that mean that the murderer might actually not get away if someone catches them doing it?" said Sayaka.

  "W-we don't have to worry about that, b-because none of us are going to murder each other, r-right?" Mikan asked.

  She desperately wanted someone to agree with her and tell her that there was nothing to be scared of. But no one did. They knew that it was something to be scared of and that there was no guarantee someone wasn't already plotting their own murder. Each of the students took a good look at each other. Looks of fear, suspicion, doubt, anger, and most of all despair.

  "The e-handbook said we could explore the school, right?" Taka mentioned, breaking the silence and tension.

  "I propose that we form groups and explore different areas of the school, thoroughly looking for anything that can lead us to a way out or more information at the very least. Who is with me?!" he shouted.

  The cssmates all reluctantly agreed to go along with his pn explore the school.

  "Excellent! I have already made up the groups based on those I think are most compatible!"

  "Ryota, Chihiro, Mukuro, and Peko will search the school building for anything useful..."

  "While Mondo, Nekumaru, Leon, and I will attempt to find or force a way out of the school..."

  "Celeste, Sayaka, Mikan, and Mahiru will investigate the dorm rooms and see if they have any notable features..."

  "And Teruteru, Hifumi, Hiyoko, and Ibuki will search the area outside of the dorms."

  In normal times these assignments would have led to a massive argument and sparked several debates about various topics. However, things being as they were, everyone went along with it and exited the gymnasium. At the very least they would be rid of the horrible image of that stage, that bear, and the whole 'killing game' tension.

  They opened the doors out of the gym, and into their new life at Hope's Peak...

  *Prologue: Welcome Back to Despair!*

  *The End*

  *Surviving Students: 16*