What exactly is paradise?
"A place full of happiness, where you won't go hungry or cold, and can stay with everyone forever... that's paradise!"
Hiyori, exuding the aura of a blind saintess, explained the concept to the girls in words they could understand, like a little teacher.
"Paradise sounds amazing!"
"I love paradise!"
"Can we really live here?"
"Won't we make it dirty?"
"Idiot, we'll clean ourselves first!"
The little girls followed Damien and Hiyori one by one.
Some, noticing their footprints on the glossy floor, apologized to it, promising to wipe it clean.
This quirky scene left Damien both amused and touched.
"Get that thing!"
In the real world, a jarring shout rang out on a Tokyo Area street.
Almost instantly, a girl burst through the crowd.
She clutched a supermarket basket stuffed with food.
Wearing denim shorts and a white cinched top, her clothes... grimy as her blackened face... were tattered and patched, unwashed for who knows how long.
As a Cursed Child in the outer district, she had no means of livelihood.
To survive, she scavenged trash bins, taking discarded clothes and food.
But today, she'd raided a human convenience store, snatching a bag of food.
She didn't even check what she grabbed... just stuffed the bag and fled.
'Faster, faster!'
Fear and worry for the children she lived with drove her forward, heedless of those in her path.
Unseen by her, on a skyscraper across the street, a massive screen broadcasted news.
A silver-haired girl, Seitenshi, spoke gravely about the New Gastrea Law.
She urged the public to treat Cursed Children kindly and proposed a bill to respect their basic human rights.
Sadly, voices like hers were a minority.
Most couldn't accept the existence of Cursed Children.
In this world, they were often born in secret by rivers, drowned before their eyes opened.
Their remarkable regeneration led many parents to vent their misfortunes through violence.
Some parents, it's said, suffered from Gastrea Shock... a PTSD-like condition triggered by red eyes.
Hiyori came from such a family.
Her mother, fearing her crimson eyes, blinded her with molten lead and abandoned her.
Some might call such parents scum.
But who could prove it?
Due to genetic contamination by the Gastrea Virus, paternity tests couldn't confirm lineage.
Parents who denied their Cursed Children faced no proof of responsibility.
Some even questioned whether Cursed Children were legally human.
"Stop right there!!"
"Filthy red-eyes!!"
But none of this mattered to the fleeing girl.
She didn't understand Seitenshi's words, nor did she care.
Gradually, the commotion drew a crowd, making her escape harder.
"Ah!!"
Countless hands grabbed from behind. Despite her superhuman strength, she was pinned down.
Several adults roughly shoved her to the ground, the sound of bones scraping pavement audible.
"Let me go!"
Her face pressed into the asphalt, her delicate features contorted.
She thrashed like a wild tiger, but the onlookers showed no sympathy.
"Thief! You're the trash of Tokyo Area!"
"Good job! Damn Gastrea."
"Stop your howling, murderer."
"If you red-eyes hadn't killed my family..."
"Red demon, die!"
Not only did they curse her, but many kicked her stomach, back, even her head.
"What are you all doing?!"
Two police officers pushed through the crowd.
"She broke into the store and stole stuff."
"The clerk tried to stop her and nearly got hurt."
"Yeah, she's dangerous."
"You're cops, right? How can you let monsters roam the streets?"
The officers quickly learned the situation from the crowd.
"Got it."
Without sympathy or hearing her side, the officers coldly acknowledged the situation.
"Get up!"
The burlier officer grabbed her hair, yanking her up.
Ignoring why she stole, he cuffed her hands behind her back.
"Let me go!"
"Hey, let me go!"
The other officer ignored her cries, saluting the crowd's representative for their "bravery."
They shoved her into a police car and drove off.
Soon, in a deserted part of the outer district, the girl was dragged from the car like livestock.
Cursed Children were stronger than humans but still childlike, easily lifted by adults.
"Ow!"
She fell, plunging into the mud.
The officers' eyes held no pity.
"Disgusting. A monster in human skin."
"Haha, isn't that great?"
The taller officer sneered, his face twisting as he drew his gun and aimed at her.
Bang!
"Ah!!!"
The gunshot echoed, the bullet piercing her arm, blood splattering everywhere.
***
If you like the Classroom of the Elite and Danganronpa series, don't hesitate to check out the new project I'm currently working on:
[COTE: The True Perfect Human]
Synopsis:
Since the era when humanity was still focused on steam and coal, people have already been questioning what the Perfect Human truly looks like.
Some say the Perfect Human possesses overwhelming physical strength… others claim the Perfect Human has unparalleled intelligence.
Of course, there are also those who believe the Perfect Human possesses both... strength and intellect.
Like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
That's why when people ask who the most perfect human in all of fiction is, they often point to the Masterpiece of the White Room as the Perfect Human.
But… only the OGs know that the only Perfect Human who has ever walked this earth is...
The Ultimate Hope…
Izuru Kamukura.
...
This is the story of Izuru Kamukura as he challenges Classroom of the Elite searching for whether there is anything in this world capable of dispelling his boredom.