Chapter Text
I would like to say that this story has a few slight differences from the canon Danganronpa story that I will explain now. First off, the fallen victims of the Killing School Trip are truly dead and cannot be revived. Secondly, the Final Killing Game of the Future Foundation from DR3 never happened. Lastly, the events of Ultra Despair Girls will be ignored and not be relevant in the plot. And just to mention, I have not watched DR3 for a loooong time and I don't have a Funimation account, so some things might be slightly inaccurate. I believe that is all I have to cover, so please enjoy.
"Makoto, the blueprints are complete," Alter Ego said. Makoto stared at the computer screen as he gulped and typed.
"It's real? It will really work?" Makoto typed.
"It is my best effort. I have analyzed the data of the Ultimate Physicist and mixed it with the data of Master. Because we now have the Ultimate Mechanic to build it, there is a 60% chance that time travel will be possible. In the event that it does not work or malfunctions, the machine will be safe and present no danger level. If it does not work, please notify me and I will work on a remodel."
"Thank you, Alter Ego." Makoto replied. He heard footsteps coming from outside his office as he closed out of Alter Ego's window and opened his web browser to their website.
"Oh, it's just you, Kyoko," Makoto said. She walked into his office and sat down.
"What did Alter Ego say?"
"He said it's possible," Makoto said. A faint smile appeared on Kyoko's face.
"The world as it is now impossible to restore. To think that time travel is possible- that we could go back and undo the Tragedy altogether."
"Shall we go tell Tengan and Kyosuke?" Makoto asked.
"No. You know how they are. They will definitely not approve or take the risk, Kyosuke especially. They tried to execute you after you cured the Remnants of Despair, remember?"
Makoto nodded. She had a point.
"Then where should we build it?"
"Perhaps… the gymnasium back at Hope's Peak. As far as I know, it is very secure and a location that the Future Foundation has yet to touch."
"I'll get into contact with Hajime and send him the blueprints and passcode to get inside." Makoto said.
Three weeks later, Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, Hiro, and Byakuya had all slipped out of the Future Foundation on their free time. Trying to stay under the radar, they had walked all the way from the headquarters, through the ruined streets of Tokyo, and stood in front of Hope's Peak Academy. He reached for the door button and pushed it, revealing the main hall of the school they knew so well. They cautiously made their way through the eerily untouched halls and entered the gymnasium, where six students were waiting for them. The five survivors of the Neo World Program, as well as Toko.
"Yo!" Akane greeted. "What took so long?"
"We needed to keep a low profile," Byakuya said. "They will take any chance to stop us, and if they realize what we're doing, we'll get in trouble."
"Is the machine up and running?" Makoto asked.
"Hell yeah!" Kazuichi replied, hands behind his head. "Blueprints were easy as hell to follow! But I haven't tested it yet."
"I do not understand how time travel is possible," Sonia said. "But I will take any possibility to undo what we have brought upon the world."
"If I can see Peko again, I will take any opportunity," Fuyuhiko said, looking downwards.
"Makoto, there's a bit of a problem," Hajime said. "There are only two slots. So, only two of us can go."
"Then who?" Hina asked. "Which two of us? We need to think about this."
"Hang on a second," Makoto replied. "We need to know the full extent to how this machine works." He pulled out a laptop from the bag he was carrying and opened it up to Alter Ego.
"Alter Ego, please give us a detailed description."
"Gladly. The machine will send the consciousness of two individuals to their bodies in a certain time in the past. Their memories and mental state will remain, but they will not be able to bring anything physical to the time period. Additionally, the individuals will not be able to return to this current time."
"So, whoever is sent back will be stuck there," Kyoko said. "So we can't have any repeats. If they mess up, we're doomed."
Makoto nodded.
"So who should be sent back in time?" Hiro asked.
"I believe Hajime to be the best candidate," Kyoko said. "One step we need to take is to eliminate Izuru Kamakura from the equation. And who better to do that, than Izuru Kamakura himself? If Hajime doesn't go back, it will be significantly harder to stop the Izuru Kamakura project. But here's the thing. If Hajime flat out rejects the project, another Reserve Student will take his place, and nothing will change. So, we need someone in the Reserve Course to take down the project entirely."
Hajime looked down and nodded. Makoto agreed. It made sense.
"But Kamakura was just a head start for Junko. Regardless of Izuru's existence or absence, Junko will still fill the world with despair. We need someone in the main course as well. Someone close to her."
"But we were all close with Junko," Hina said. "Any of us could fill that role."
"Yes, we were all close with Junko, but she also had help. We need someone who was also close with Mukuro. Someone who could stop Mukuro from helping her sister, and stop Junko. That's you, Makoto."
"What do I do?" Makoto asked.
"You could do several things. Turn Mukuro against Junko, call the police, those kinds of things. It probably won't be too difficult if you know exactly what's going to happen."
Makoto solemnly nodded.
"You two know the order of events, correct?" Kyoko asked. "The events that led up to the Tragedy?"
"Yes," they both said, simultaneously.
"Makoto, repeat it to me. Tell me exactly what happens up to our killing game."
"First, in the Reserve Course, Natsumi Kuzuryu jokes about killing Mahiru Koizumi to get a spot in the main course. Then, Sato kills her out of protection for Mahiru. Then, Fuyuhiko kills Sato. It's covered up by the school, which causes Hajime to try to investigate the death of his friend, but is stopped for being talentless. That caused Hajime to join the Kamakura project. After, Junko and Mukuro recruited Izuru and started the Tragedy of Hope's Peak, and killed off the student council. After it was broadcast, the Reserve Course protested. Chiaki Nanami was executed, and class 77-B fell into Despair. The Reserve Course soon was brainwashed and committed mass suicide, which gained media coverage and kickstarted the tragedy worldwide."
"Hajime, tell me what happened."
Hajime told her the exact same thing.
"Are you two ready?" Kyoko asked. They both stepped into the two capsules on the machine and nodded. "Remember, no second chances."
"Anything you'd like to say to us before you leave?" Sonia asked.
"When I see you again, we will be ordinary students living an ordinary life." Makoto said.
"See you on the other side," Hajime said.
Kazuichi walked up to the control panel. "What date should we send them back to?"
"November 13, 2010" Kyoko said. "That should give them a 24-hour cushion to get comfortable and take action before the Twilight Syndrome case."
Kazuichi pressed a few buttons to type in the date.
"Hajime, meet me outside the Reserve Course building at 4:00 to discuss." Makoto said.
"Sure thing, Makoto," Hajime replied. The rest of their former classmates swarmed around them as Kazuichi flicked the switch and the machine began to warm up.
"Don't mess up," Byakuya demanded.
"Be careful," Hina said.
"M-make sure I end up with M-Master…" Toko said.
"Please don't." Byakuya said.
"Bye!" Akane waved.
"If you screw up worse, I'll kill you," Fuyuhiko said.
"Bye!"
"Bye, bye!"
"See 'ya!"
The machine began to spark with blue energy as Makoto and Hajime were thrown backwards. Next thing Makoto felt was his forehead colliding with some kind of desk. Looking upwards, he saw a classroom. A full classroom with his old classmates.
"Makoto?" a soft voice asked. To his left sat his old best friend Sayaka. "Are you alright? You fell asleep for a second there and hit your head."
He looked around and touched her face.
"What are you doing?" She asked, confused.
"It worked," Makoto replied.
"Huh?"
He turned around and stared at the clock. Class was almost over in a few minutes and he would go meet up with Hajime.
Looking back towards his classmates, he felt the urge to run up to every single one of them and hug them. But he restrained himself. He came here with one mission. One target. Through the large figure of Hifumi, long, curly hair of Celeste, and ponytail of Hina, he saw the pink pigtails of the one who would start everything.
Makoto ran up in front of the Reserve Course building to see Hajime waiting there, along with some short, light pink-haired girl with some kind of gameboy. Hajime was playing as well.
"Hajime!" Makoto shouted. Hajime didn't look up.
"How did you beat me?" the girl asked.
"I dunno…" Hajime replied. "Beginner's luck?"
Looking up now, Hajime finally noticed Makoto standing there.
"Sorry, Chiaki, I've actually got something really important to do. We can do this again later."
The girl looked dejected and swiped the game from him before running off.
"I've missed that so much," Hajime replied, stretching out. "I guess I still have all the talents from the Kamakura project the first time."
"Hajime, what's your course of action?" Makoto asked. "What are you going to do?"
"I'll talk to Natsumi later today. Prevent her from talking about clearing space in the Main Course so the whole murder case will never happen. Then, I'll tell the headmaster or the police about the Izuru Kamakura project."
Makoto nodded. "I'll break into Junko's dorm room. Try to find something. If not, I'll deal with Mukuro."
"There's Natsumi right there," Hajime said, pointing to a girl. He ran straight up to her while Makoto sat idle and listened.
"Natsumi," he said.
"What?"
"Regardless of how you feel about the reserve course, don't talk or joke about killing someone to get a spot in the main course."
"I'll say what I want to say. I'm a Yakuza. I do what I want."
"That's alright, but please, Sato's very protective of her friend. She can and will try to kill you to protect her."
"I thought you were cool, Hajime." Natsumi said. "Whatever."
She walked off as Hajime returned to Makoto. "Hopefully that was enough. If not, I'll have to intervene somewhere else."
Makoto nodded. "I'll be off to the dorms. Can I get your number?"
When Makoto stood in front of Junko's dorm room, he scanned either side to make sure there was no sign of Junko or Mukuro, and looked under the door to make sure there was no light on. When he figured that they were off doing their own thing, he tried the door handle which opened without any resistance. Could Junko be the type to forget to lock her doors when she left the room? He's never tried to go into her room before, so he didn't know.
On her desk was several different types of makeup, lipstick, and hair dyes. But that wasn't what he was looking for. After pulling out the drawer of the desk, he noticed a notebook. Opening it, he realized it was filled with her lust for despair as well as plans to brainwash class 77-B and kill their class representative. It was filled with other plans, such as plans for a trial ground underneath the school as well as plans to force the Reserve Course to commit suicide. He carefully slipped it into his backpack as he scoured the rest of the room for more stuff to hold her on. He slid open her dresser as a loud *AHEM* came from outside the room. To his relief, the person wasn't Junko, but Mukuro. However, as it was Mukuro, he didn't know if it was any better.
He turned his head to see that Mukuro was leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing in here? Trying to steal my sister's panties? I thought that was Hifumi's job."
"Oh, n-no," he stammered. "See you!"
Makoto panicked and ran out of the room and straight into his own. He leaned against the door and locked it. He figured that hopefully, the diary would be enough to indict Junko and send her to prison. But Mukuro was clearly on his tail. If Junko ever found that the notebook was missing, and Mukuro told her that he was in her room, she'd catch on quickly.
A few thoughts went into his head. Junko betrayed and killed Mukuro in their killing game. Could that be written in the notebook as well?
Makoto flipped through the book and continued until he noticed plans for the Killing School Life. A few notes were scribbled on the bottom of the page.
Dress up Mukuro as myself to throw the trail off.
Kill her to set an example.
He didn't know if it would be a good idea to show this to her, or to just keep it to himself until the police got involved. But, he came up with a better idea. He walked outside and noticed that Mukuro was gone. Then, he walked and knocked on Kyoko's dorm room.
"Come in," she said. Makoto walked inside.
"Hello, Makoto. What do you need?"
"Kyoko, I need to show you something,"
He pulled Junko's pink notebook out and planted it on the table. "I found this in Junko's room."
"Why were you in Junko's room to begin with?"
"It's a long story. But, please, read it. She's a psycho maniac who's planning to plunge the world into despair."
Makoto sat idle as Kyoko flipped page through page.
"This is serious," Kyoko said. "How did you find out about this where I didn't?"
"It's also a long story, one that you definitely won't believe."
"Tell me anyways. I'll judge if you're lying."
Makoto sighed. "I'm from the future. I was sent back to stop Junko Enoshima from plunging the world into despair. Millions will die, including the majority of our classmates, and the world will fall into ruin."
Kyoko grabbed a mug filled with unsweetened black coffee and took a giant swig.
"You're right, the words scream 'ridiculous' to me. But I truly don't see why you would fabricate such an unbelievable story to get me to help you. If you were lying, you could've told me something more serious or something that I would be more likely to believe. And your face and tone tell me that you're not lying. I know from experience that you're a terrible actor."
"So you believe me, then?"
"Yes. Now, please tell me the full story."
"Alright. I'm here in the past with another boy named Hajime Hinata. He's in the Reserve Course. Here's the series of events that lead up to the Tragedy and what we have to fix."
"I see…" Kyoko said. "So, for now, your friend Hajime is trying to prevent the murders of Natsumi Kuzuryu and Sato Suzui."
"That's right," Makoto replied. "But that won't just stop there. Our first goal is to take down the Izuru Kamakura project. But Junko will likely still spread despair without Izuru. Our main goal is to expose Junko. That's what will truly stop the Tragedy."
Kyoko nodded. "I believe that if the police find that this notebook is real and matches Junko's handwriting, it is enough to order an arrest for conspiracy against Junko and Mukuro. So it's as simple as that. As for your friend, he could just tip off the police or my father about the project. And you said that the murder of Natsumi and Sato begins tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"I'll be there. If you truly know the fine details, it shouldn't be hard to stop it."
The next day, Makoto stood in front of the school, watching Junko and Mukuro being shoved into the back of a police car in handcuffs as Kyoko handed them the notebook.
M: Junko's dealt with. It's all on you now.
H: Nice job. I'll do my best on my end. You should be here as well in case something happens. It'll start in around half an hour.
M: I'll be there. I'm bringing along Kyoko. I already told her everything
Makoto sighed and made his way to the Reserve Course building and rendezvoused with Hajime.
"You must be Hajime," Kyoko said, reaching out a gloved hand.
"And you're Kyoko, right?"
Kyoko nodded.
"He did tell you that we're from the future, right?"
"Yeah…" Kyoko replied.
"I have a better idea of what to do here," Hajime said. "The whole reason they get into an argument is because I'm having a conversation with Natsumi and Sato overhears. If I just don't have that conversation, or if I move it out of Sato's earshot, everything will be fine. You two just sit out here. It'll be weird if we have more than one Main Course student in this room."
Kyoko and Makoto nodded as Hajime entered the room. He plopped down in his seat and stared profusely outside at the Main Course building.
"Hey, dumbass."
Hajime looked up to see Natsumi standing over him.
"You know, it's weird seeing you stare out at the Main Course building all the time."
"Oh, uhh… I actually have to leave now," Hajime said. "Class is over. Why don't we just talk when I'm heading back to my dorm?"
Natsumi sighed. "Fine. You're lucky I really don't have anywhere to be right now."
Hajime and Natsumi conversed as they were leaving the classroom and into the halls, where Makoto gave him a thumbs' up. Everything went the same way as he remembered it. Natsumi still made the same sick joke about Mahiru. But this time, Sato was not around to overhear their conversation and it ended with no one hurt.
A few hours afterwards, Hajime phoned the police and told them the location of the Hope Cultivation Project, in which they quickly zoned off with police tape and conducted a formal investigation. He sat back and relaxed in his bed. Junko was in chains, he had just stopped a murder, and he stopped the Izuru Kamakura project. The Tragedy would never happen. He could finally rest.
Two days after the incident, Makoto had invited Hajime to a cafe just a block away from Hope's Peak to celebrate what they had accomplished.
"I can't believe this is real," Hajime said. "The killing game, the Tragedy, all wiped from existence."
"You better believe it. It's happening right now. Life is so normal… that it feels unnatural."
"But think of how many lives we saved!" Hajime said.
"Hajime, do you think you still have the talents from the first time you underwent the Hope Cultivation plan?"
"I think I do. I beat the Ultimate Gamer at a game she plays pretty much 24/7."
Makoto tapped Hajime's shoulder and pointed to the television at the corner of the cafe.
Breaking news! Hope's Peak student and fashion model Junko Enoshima as well has her sister Mukuro Ikusaba have been convicted for conspiracy to commit mass murder. Investigation has proved that Enoshima was plotting to plunge the world into despair by executing and hypnotizing multiple students at the academy. Ikusaba on the other hand, was simply an assistant. Enoshima has been given a life sentence while Ikusaba has been given one year probation. Additionally at Hope's Peak, the police have discovered an inhumane project that involves tampering with the brains of students and creating false talents. More info coming tonight.
"So it really is over, huh?" Makoto asked. "We could relax, study, we don't need to worry about our friends dying at every turn or kids destroying a city…"
"On the downside, though," Hajime began. "I feel like all the friends that I made in Class 77-B won't be my friends anymore. Because I'm not registered as a Main Course student, I won't be able to see them unless they come to me. And even then, they really have no reason to talk to me. They won't remember everything that's happened."
"On the bright side, though, you do have literally every talent in existence right now. Maybe next year you'll get drawn as the Ultimate Lucky Student. Or maybe they'll notice your new talent and you'll get transferred into 77-B. I hear they're short a student."
"Haha, you're right. But the only thing I can do now is to hope."
Makoto snickered. But as he was looking at Hajime, he noticed a girl crossing the street. He didn't think much of it until a red car swerved at top speed into her, splatting blood everywhere. The car swerved into the cafe just as Makoto pulled Hajime back out of the way, causing the driver to get crushed by the impact into the cafe's interior wall and blood to splatter over both of them as well as the barista.
The barista screamed as she ran away from the shop and picked up her phone. Meanwhile, Makoto and Hajime both stared at the red car and the corpse on the street. After their heartbeats receded, Hajime stood up to look at them. The mangled corpse on the road was Natsumi Kuzuryu. And the crushed corpse in the car was Sato Suzui.