A white light blinded his eyes. And for several seconds, he could see nothing.

He blinked a few times as the light subsided. Who knew the sunlight could be so garish, he thought. But the sight that greeted his eyes was not one that he had expected…

A tall, majestic iron gate stood right in front of him. And behind those gates was a stunning red brick building sporting an all to familiar logo on the top…

Hope's Peak Academy.

B-But how? He should have been walking out of the building. It does not make any sense for him to be standing outside its gates.

Frantically, he looked around him. The area was deserted. The trees and grasses rustled gently in the passing breeze. It was probably the most peaceful scenery he had seen in a long time.

And yet, that defied what he had just learned of the outside world. Outside Hope's Peak Academy, war and terrorism was said to be raging mindlessly. Despair was supposed to have engulfed the whole world, with death and destruction running rampant.

In disbelief, he tried pinching his forearm. When nothing happened, he tried slapping his cheek. Again, all that his actions resulted in was his skin turning red and the pain it left behind. He closed his eyes, recalling the last scene he remembered before the blinding light engulfed him…

Makoto Naegi stood before a gigantic iron door adorned with ominous looking lights and buttons. On the ceilings, machine guns were fitted and aimed at the iron door, ready to take down any intruders… or escapists for that matter. Naegi looked down at the remote in his hand. On it, a large red button gleamed inside an acrylic cover.

They were finally getting out of this hellhole. The killing game that the mastermind devised for them was finally put to an end…

Deprived of their memories, Naegi and fifteen other students were locked up inside Hope's Peak Academy under the condition that they may only leave if they kill another student without getting caught.

To further motivate them, Monokuma, the monochrome bear that acted as the vessel for the mastermind, continued to pile on more and more threats and rewards, ranging from money and their deepest secrets.

Now that the mastermind is finally dead and the escape switch in their hands, their hearts fluttered nervously at the thought of facing the war-torn world outside. Smiling encouragingly, Naegi turned to his friends.

On one end stood Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. Hagakure was one of the most laid-back among all the participants. Some may even consider him dumb. But it appeared that his luck was more reliable than his fortune-telling capabilities for he miraculously survived the killing game.

Beside him stood the cheerful Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer. Friendly and energetic, Asahina had constantly tried to maintain her positive attitude. Even with the death of her best friend, she remained strong and believed in Naegi and his assurance that hope still exists.

On the other end stood Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. The heir of a mega conglomerate at a young age, Togami first came across as cold and calculating. But despite his arrogance, he never gave in to the mastermind's taunts and temptations to kill another student. He finally accepted Naegi and the others as his comrades as they worked together to bring down the mastermind.

Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy stood beside Togami, her face bright red. She was antisocial and constantly harboured the thought that everyone in the world was out to get her. What the participants later came to realise about her was that she suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Her alter ego, Genocide Jill was a serial murderer with a sadistic personality. Yet despite being a serial murderer, Genocide Jill had refrained from killing anyone, even extending her help to them by providing valuable information that none of them could remember. The only thing that both identities had in common was their knowledge and lust for Byakuya Togami, often blushing and drooling in the presence of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

And right beside Naegi stood Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Her sharp intellect had threatened the mastermind's plans and therefore steps had been taken to ensure that she had lost more of her memories than the other participants. Calm and collected, Kirigiri had been Naegi's most valuable ally throughout their ordeal. She smiled at him as his eyes met hers, a faint tint of pink coloured her cheeks as she gripped Naegi's hands.

Naegi took a deep breath as he pushed the red button. The alarms sounded deafeningly around them as the machine guns retracted into the ceilings. The lights on the huge iron door blinked wildly and the ground rattled as the iron gave way. Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the door and blinded their eyes…

Naegi once again opened his eyes to face the iron gates that stood between him and the main school building. He checked his watch and the time read 8:00 – the exact same time he had arrived in Hope's Peak Academy for his first day. Too nervous at the prospect of attending an elite high school, Naegi had arrived way too early for the orientation.

Bewildered, Naegi decided to examine the iron gates in front of Hope's Peak Academy again. And as soon as he touched it, the gates opened with a loud deafening clink. Startled, he took a step back. But the gates simply stood there, harmless and even welcoming.

He stood there for a long time. His memories of the school were not exactly happy, terrifying even. Even though the mastermind had eventually revealed that he and his friends had spent two long happy years in the school before their memories were erased and the killing game began, none of those memories had returned to Naegi. As much as he had come to hold his friends dear without the memories of the two years, the school itself remained a symbolism of terror and death.

At that very moment, a familiar booming voice called out to him from behind.

'Hey! You there! What are you doing standing suspiciously in front of the school gates!?'

Startled, Naegi quickly turned around to find a boy around his age walking towards him with a stern look on his face. The boy had black hair and thick eyebrows, and his spotless white uniform had not a single crease. Everything about that boy seemed prim, proper and uptight.

'I-Ishimaru!?' Naegi exclaimed. Upon hearing his name, the boy named Ishimaru stopped dead in his tracks a few metres away from Naegi, the look of suspicion in his eyes intensified.

'How did you know my name!?' he shouted, but Naegi ignored him. The sight of Ishimaru walking, talking and breathing was bizarre enough for him, not to mention the fact that Ishimaru did not seem to remember Naegi.

It cannot be… Ishimaru was dead… I saw him with my own eyes… Naegi again pinched his thigh in disbelief, wincing in pain as the reality kicked in.

'I am talking to you here!' Ishimaru hollered again, 'Show some respect! I am asking you how did you know my name!?'

'I-I… I've heard about you…' Naegi stammered, racking his brains for an excuse that did not seem too farfetched for the volatile Ishimaru to process. 'My friends told me about you… Ultimate Moral Compass, am I right?'

'I am.' Ishimaru said, his voice calming down substantially, yet in his eyes Naegi still saw a glimpse of suspicion.

'Well, everyone in Hope's Peak Academy is a celebrity in their own rights.' Naegi said as cold sweat began forming on his forehead. 'Everyone except me, that is.'

This was true. Naegi's title was the Ultimate Luckster. He had won a lottery to enter an elite high school full of geniuses, athletes and many other special talents. But this all changed after the events with the mastermind unfolded. His friends had dubbed him the Ultimate Hope. He had been the one who saved them from despair, convinced them that there was some hope left in the world, and ultimately drove the mastermind to wallow in her own despair as her plans were foiled.

'Well then, I assume you are a new student too,' Ishimaru said, his intense facial expression suddenly transforming into one with a bright smile. 'I have come early to familiarise myself with the school grounds so that I may assist all the new students. Looks like I've found someone who can help me with that.'

Before Naegi could utter anything, Ishimaru had quickly wrapped his arm around Naegi's shoulders and led him through the school gates.

They roamed the halls of Hope's Peak Academy, which Naegi had uncomfortably been accustomed to. Every now and then, images of blood and monochrome bears flashed in the corner of his eyes, reminding him of the tragedies that had taken place within these very halls.

'…The cafeteria would be a good place for meetings… I suppose the orientation would begin in the gym…' Ishimaru continued talking, mostly to himself, as they explore various areas of the school. Naegi looked at him forlornly as he contemplated recounting his bizarre experience to Ishimaru.

No… A small voice in his head opposed the idea. Ishimaru was too uptight to believe in supernatural recounts. Furthermore, in such a peaceful setting, his story of death, murder and despair seemed farfetched even to Naegi himself. Ishimaru would view him as nothing but a lunatic.

'Naegi, were you listening?' Ishimaru's booming voice cut through his train of thought.

'Um… sorry.' Naegi said apologetically. 'What was it you were saying again?'

'Students!' Ishimaru said, pointing out the window, which overlooked the front gate. 'More have begun to arrive!' Naegi looked out the same window. Specks of human figures have begun streaming in through the gate.

'Let's go down there and greet them!' Ishimaru said energetically. 'I'm sure there are lots of newbies down there who require our assistance!' Left with no other choice, Naegi let out a small sigh as he followed Ishimaru out of the classroom.