Chapter Text
Tsumugi Shirogane had always thought of herself as…well, just plain Tsumugi.
She had always been plain. The world made it very obvious how plain she was. Nobody ever noticed her. She got lost in crowds, clerks didn’t see her in checkout lines at stores, teachers sometimes forgot her when taking attendance, she always got picked last in gym class. She was pretty sure she could walk into the movies without a ticket and nobody would notice, she was so plain. It was how her life had always been. And while on some level she’d accepted that, on another level she was frustrated with being unnoticed and passed over.
Perhaps that was what had originally attracted her to cosplay. The allure of dressing up as a flashy fictional character, meant to stand out and meant to be looked at and noticed, someone who was much more exciting than her plain old self…the appeal of that kind of attention was almost intoxicating.
Tsumugi loved her life of cosplay. She could be whoever she wanted to be. She was always able to change herself as she saw fit. Her base self being so plain meant that completely transforming into whatever character she desired was easy. And then, suddenly, she was the attention-grabbing attraction. It always sent a thrill through her whenever people invited her to take part in events, or someone asked to take her picture, or a person’s eyes lit up when they recognized the character she was. Even if it wasn’t necessarily her they were excited to see, she was the one bringing it to life, so it made her feel like she was accomplishing something great, and this was something that made her truly special.
Cosplay was her everything. In fact, she was so renowned in her cosplay, it eventually led to her acceptance at Hope’s Peak Academy, as the Ultimate Cosplayer. That had been a very exciting day for her and her family when she’d received her acceptance letter. The opportunity to attend one of the most famous, prestigious high schools in the country? She would be set for life! It would be a one-of-a-kind experience, one reserved for a select few people. Ultimate people.
Tsumugi was very excited about her upcoming adventure, so she spent the months leading up to the start of her first semester fantasizing about the school, building up a vision in her head of what would happen once she got there. She read the old stories and tales of Hope’s Peak, and she started looking forward to her story. She was wrapped up in the prospect of getting to spend time among such exceptional students, and she felt both honored by and unworthy of being included in said group.
Of course, reality so rarely lived up to dreams. The new version of Hope’s Peak was not the same as the old. Once upon a time, Hope’s Peak had been for the elite of the elite. You had to be specifically scouted to get in, and you had to be the very best in your field. Nowadays, it didn’t work quite like that. Now, you had to apply for acceptance. And you didn’t necessarily have to have an exceptional talent, as Tsumugi learned upon her arrival at school; Hope’s Peak accepted anyone who had ambition, potential, and the drive to work hard. Sure, if they determined you had an extraordinary talent, they would admit you with an Ultimate title, just like they had done with Tsumugi, but it wasn’t the same as the old days. It was the policy of the new headmaster after the re-establishment of Hope’s Peak: there should be opportunity for everyone to receive the best education, regardless of whether or not they had an innate talent.
That was great and all, but it really dampened some of the excitement. Reading the stories about the old Hope’s Peak was like reading the stuff of legend. And even though Tsumugi herself was part of the student body attending with an Ultimate title, knowing that they admitted her just the same as they would a regular student…it made her feel less special.
She wanted to feel special.
She had been told she was plain her entire life, in everything except her cosplay. And now through her cosplay she’d been told she was exceptional…only for that to be less than the truth. This school was just like the rest of the world, telling her that she was no more important or special than anyone else.
Tsumugi tried to make the best of the situation. She attempted to take it in stride, and she tried to attend school like everything was fine, but she was quickly starting to grow bored and disillusioned.
She wanted something more.
Surely there was something that would spark inspiration for her.
So, she went deep into the archives, the history books, and the dark web, and she started looking back at the history of Hope’s Peak. Not just the high points — the full history.
And eventually, she found her inspiration. Something that spoke to her, something that called out to a part of her soul that the world encouraged to stay hidden. Something that she dedicated months to reading about and obsessing over, that she decided to devote herself to completely. In this, she found new purpose.
She kept all this a secret, a private thing for her and her alone. She went along as normal, for a while.
Until one day, she had an idea.
A brilliant, wicked idea that would finally break up the boredom and monotony that had become life at Hope’s Peak.
It would be grand, it would be exhilarating, it would be show-stopping, it would be life-changing, it would be world-changing, it would cause so much…
Despair.
Yes, yes, a plan was quickly formulating in her mind. She could see it coming together. It would be large, it would be detailed, it would require a lot of work and almost every second of her time, but in the end, it would be worth it.
She would need months for all the planning and production, but she was ready to make that commitment in order to carry it out.
And it all started today.
Because first things first: she had to talk to someone. There was one thing she needed to get this entire thing off the ground.
And in order to get it, she had to go about this exactly right.
There was a knock at her door, precisely when she’d been expecting it. On the other side was Rantaro Amami, her best friend. A rather unlikely friend for her to have made during her time at the academy, but one she was very glad she’d made. For more reasons than one.
“Hey, Tsumugi,” Rantaro greeted with an easy smile. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, yes, come in,” she ushered him inside and closed the door behind him. “I’d like to talk to you about something.”
“Okay.”
Tsumugi took a breath. “You know the piece of land you told me you recently scouted for your father’s business?”
“The remote one, in the middle of nowhere? Yes, I’m familiar with it.”
“Did your father ever get around to purchasing it?”
“Yes, he did. He says he’s planning on turning it into some kind of manufacturing warehouse for extra production sometime in the future. Not anytime soon, though, that’s a sort of backburner project.” He paused for a moment, slightly narrowing his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“Well…I sort of have another idea for what can be done with that land.”
Another pause. “What idea?”
“I want to put on a television show.”
“A show?”
“Yes. A competition show.”
“What, like, Survivor or something?”
“Sort of! I want to put on my own version of Junko Enoshima’s killing games!”
Rantaro’s eyes went wide, his face darkening. “What?”
Tsumugi backtracked. She might’ve come on a bit strong. She needed to be careful. “Okay, not a real killing game. But a produced one. Like a game show!”
“A game show,” he repeated.
“I already have it all planned out: I build a set of a school, and I bring together sixteen students from Hope’s Peak Academy to have them participate in a brand new killing game! Just think about how exciting that would be! The students compete to see who can get creative and come out on top! Of course, it’s all fictional. No one would actually be killed, it would be like a movie. We all get to live out that fantasy! Doesn’t that sound so much fun?”
Rantaro was quiet as he considered that for a moment. “Well, that does sound intriguing. But doesn’t hosting a fictional killing game feel a little…insensitive? Considering the real one that happened? And that the world is still recovering from despair?”
“Junko Enoshima’s killing game happened a long time ago. Like, over a decade ago,” she said, brushing off his concerns.
“Okay, but even so, I definitely don’t think our teachers will like it. Considering…you know.”
“Don’t worry about them. It’s not like they’re going to be involved,” she said, trying to sweep their teachers out of his mind as quickly as possible. “Listen. It’ll be fine. People will have fun with it, as long as it’s made clear it’s a work of fiction. Plus, if it’s just a little bit taboo, that’ll make it even more exciting. People love that kind of thing.”
“Well…if you’re sure. But how are you planning on pulling this off?”
“Well, I’d need that land of your father’s, first of all. I need a pretty big set to do this properly. But I am well-connected in the cosplay and film production world. I know people who can build a set and put together all the filming and broadcasting logistics, and I’ll be in charge of the creative side. And I’ll do all the hair and makeup and costume design myself, of course. I have no doubt the show will come together marvelously. I’ve been thinking about this project for a long time, and there’s nothing I want more than to make it come to life. I just need that land from your father. And in exchange, he can get a cut of the profits from the show.” Tsumugi looked at her friend, giving him her best pleading face. “Please? Can you ask him about it? I’ll take a meeting with him if I need to.”
She waited patiently as he thought it over. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said finally.
She smiled and embraced him in a hug. “Oh, thank you, thank you! I promise, you won’t regret it. This show is going to be amazing!”
“Well, I know that you’re always thorough with your work, so I know that however it turns out, it’s going to be impressive.”
“Thank you.” She let him go and cleared her throat. “I did, erm, have one more thing I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I want to know if you’d like to be a participant on the show.”
Rantaro seemed shocked by the suggestion. “Me? A participant in your killing game show?”
“Yes! I think you’d be a great contestant! You’re smart, creative, and I think you’d come up with interesting ways to get far in the game. And I think people would love you. You’re charming, hot, and mysterious. It’s a perfect recipe for TV! Not to mention, I’m planning on being a participant, as well. And there’s nothing I would love more than for my closest friend to compete in the game alongside me.” At his skeptical expression, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. “Come on, it would be so much fun to do this together! It’d be like an adventure! What do you say?”
Rantaro thought on it, long and hard. But eventually, he gave in. “Why not. Count me in.”
Tsumugi grinned wildly, knowing she had secured exactly what she wanted to start making her killing game a reality. Rantaro didn’t need to know the full story. What were a few teensy lies between friends?
“I promise you, this is going to be the experience of a lifetime.”