Kill or Be Killed

Chapter 1 : Cute

I struggle to put on the blonde wig. Junko looks at me, disappointed. Really, Mukuro?" she sighs, coming up behind me to fix it, "I don't want my whole plan ruined because you couldn't put on your wig properly!" She stops pinning the bow to my hair for a second, pondering, "Although... That would cause an incredible feeling of despair!" She goes back to fixing the wig, most likely dismissing the thought. After all, I think a killing game would cause enough despair for even someone like her to drown in.

Junko steps back, admiring her work. I fasten the tie loosely around my neck, the last piece. "Come on!" Junko says, pushing me towards the mirror, "Look what I've done to you! You look almost as gorgeous as me!" I stare at my reflection. So this is me... Mukuro... No... Junko Enoshima. I almost reach out towards the reflection to touch it, before remembering that it's me, not her. Junko did an incredible job. I think back to my classmates. The people that should have been my friends for the past two years, but I decided to make them my enemies. No- Junko decided.

I push the thought out of my mind. There's nothing to be done. They're pawns, nothing more. Pawns for Junko to use up and throw away. Their sole purpose is to be used by Junko. To kill. To cause despair. That's all. It's not Junko's fault that I sided with despair. It's not her fault I never had any friends. It's not her fault...

"Mukuro! Are you even listening to me?" I look at her, "I said you need to go straight to the main hall. The others should be waking up any minute now." I nod, straightening up, "Understood." She looks me over disapprovingly, "Mukuro, that's totally not how I would act." I relax my posture a bit, giving her a peace sign and a smile, "Of course!"

She seems satisfied, but I can hear her mutter, "Well, it is Mukuro after all." I ignore it, waving at her. We split ways, her heading to the data center, and me to the main hall. I walk in, noticing I'm the first one here. No, wait, there's one other person here. I can only see the back of her head, her blue locks flowing gracefully down her back. Maizono Sayaka. "Hey!" I call out, "You're that pop star, Maizono, right?" She startles, almost falling over, before regaining her composure.

"Uh, yeah!" she says enthusiastically, smiling at me. That smile... almost makes me step back from the intensity of it. I swear my heart is going a million kilometers an hour. No one's ever smiled at me like that... Not even Junko. Even so, I gather up the courage to step forward. She looks me over, "Wait, you're Junko Enoshima, right?" I nod, not able to muster the courage to speak. She giggles, before turning more serious, "Anyways, Enoshima-chan, do you know what we're doing here?" The way she said my name... Enoshima-chan. I almost catch myself wishing that she had said Ikusaba-chan instead.

Trying not to sound like I just ran a marathon, I drop my smile as well, "I don't know. I was just on my way into Hope's Peak when I suddenly passed out in the main hallway." I pout, trying to seem like it's just an inconvenience. "Huh?" Maizono's eyes widen, "That's what happened to me too!" I fake surprise, "What? Seriously?" Maizono nods, before smiling, "You're cute, y'know that, Enoshima-chan?"

"C- cute?" I ask, heat filling my face, "O- of course, I am! I'm seriously the cutest!" Despite my attempts, I couldn't manage to stop from stumbling over my words. Sayaka giggles, before I hear a voice from behind me, just as prestigious as its owner, "I don't think this is the time to be flirting, girls." My face heats up just a fraction more. I'm making a total mess of things. First, I get super flustered, and now Togami Byakuya himself thinks I was flirting with Maizono.

Maizono tries laughing to ease the mood, "We weren't flirting, we were just... discussing our situation!" Togami chuckles, "I don't believe that conversation topic involves calling your conversation partner cute. "How long were you standing there?" I ask. He simply leans against the wall, obviously not amused with the conversation anymore, "I have no reason to answer that."