Chapter Text
“I’m very sorry about yesterday,” you bow, nervously eyeing the doctor standing in front of you. She’s the only one on the third floor today, and it goes with your luck that you’d run into the doctor Kuzuryuu had yelled at.
She shifts her weight onto her left foot, crossing her arms, and you raise your head slightly. She doesn’t look angry - she’s… smiling at you? “It’s alright, Hinata-san. I understand the situation completely. It was I who acted out of order; I should not have suggested that you and your friends leave.”
You’re a little surprised at the honorific, but you don’t ask. Standing up straight, you give her an apologetic look. “Even so, we really appreciate the fact that you’re here, and we weren’t trying to seem ungrateful…”
“Think nothing more of it. I would not mind being shouted at a thousand times a day, as long as I would be allowed to remain here.” She extends her hand to you. “Now, to finally introduce myself. My name is Taeko Shishido, and I look forward to working with you, Hajime Hinata-san.”
You grip her hand firmly, your eyes widening in surprise. “N-Nice to meet you, Shishido-san… Um, excuse me, but why would you endure something like that just to stay here?”
She grimaces. “Things back home are - how should I put it? - not going very well. It’s more than I could have hoped to ask for, getting to stay on a beautiful island with breathable air and good people. I can go to sleep without fear here.”
You let go of her hand, trying to mask the guilt that suddenly threatens to drown you. “I see…”
She steps back, giving you enough space to enter the room. “Well, come in! I’m sure you came here to see your friends, not to have a chat with me.”
You move past her awkwardly, walking over to the first bed you see. After pulling a chair over and sitting next to Pekoyama, you glance over at Shishido. You can’t really tell what she’s doing exactly, but she seems to be tending to Ibuki. It’s odd, considering how formal she was earlier, but she gives off a really mother-y vibe. Come to think of it, with her long black hair and striking green eyes, she even looks like my mother. Huh.
She turns to you. “Can I do anything for you, Hinata-san?”
You realize you were staring. “Oh, no, sorry. I was just lost in thought, I guess.”
“Alright.” She turns to her work, and you focus your attention on Pekoyama. She looks so peaceful, almost like a doll. You’re used to seeing her with braids and glasses, but currently her hair is down and, of course, she’s not wearing glasses. After all, she didn’t exactly need them right now. You notice that she’s wearing a bracelet, though, and you’re surprised - it’s a chain of fresh flowers. Obviously someone must have created it themselves, and when you look around you determine that Pekoyama’s the only person wearing one. This is totally something Sonia would do. I guess I’ll ask her later why she only made one for Pekoyama, though. Maybe she’s making them for everyone but she can only do them one day at a time? Well, whatever.
Shishido addresses you once again, making you jump. “Hinata-san, if you wish to speak to her alone, I don’t mind leaving - oh, forgive me, I didn’t intend to startle you.”
“N-No, it’s okay.” You sigh in exasperation. “I’m just so damn jumpy today. Just wait, I’m gonna end up startling myself.”
She laughs good-naturedly. “I’m sure I’ve done that before, too. Anyway, like I was saying, I can leave if you wish - ”
“Oh, no, it’s fine.” You pause. “I might actually want to talk to you, though.”
“Is that so?” She walks over, leaning slightly on Pekoyama’s bed. “What is it you wish to discuss, then?”
You frown. “Well, I was just wondering if you knew anything about the other people who came to this island with you. I feel kind of bad now that I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
“No need to feel bad. We only arrived yesterday, after all, and things were pretty hectic for a while.” She taps her finger on the bed, concentrating. “To answer your question, my daughter Aiko is the head doctor here. She’s immensely bright, and I’m very fortunate to still be with her. As for the two nurses who came here, I know one of them; Kensuke Urabe used to be a coworker of mine. He’s a little narcissistic, but he’s got a comforting presence and is really a good person. The other nurse, Jiro Otoshiro, is a stranger to me, but he’s proved himself to be a good worker so far.”
You nod slowly, trying to memorize all the new names. “Alright… Taeko Shishido-san, Aiko Shishido-san, Kensuke Urabe-san, and Jiro Otoshiro-san. Thanks for telling me that.”
“Of course!” She smiles at you sweetly. “I appreciate that you asked. I think that says a lot about your character.”
“M-my character?” You look away. “Well, I guess…”
You can tell that she’s still looking at you. “You know, Hinata-san, as well as being a doctor, I’m a pretty successful psychiatrist. So if there’s anything you need to talk about, you can definitely come to me. Alright?”
“Th-Thanks…” The more you talk to her, the more motherly she seems. Well, I guess she did say she had a kid. Good job noticing that, Hajime.
Your cell phone rings, and you nearly jump out of your skin. Fishing in your pockets for your phone as Shishido turns back to Ibuki’s bed, you complain, “Shit, I am way too jumpy today. Part of the problem is that this phone is so loud, though. Couldn’t Souda have included different volume levels when he made this thing...?” You hear Shishido snicker as you press your phone to your ear. “Hello?”
“Hinata. It’s me.”
“Kirigiri-san?” You gulp, mouth suddenly dry. “Wh-what is it?”
Her voice is calm. “I just called to let you know that we will be attempting to make contact with Nanami-san at 21:00 in the Future Foundation building.”
You bite your lip. “...I see.”
“That’s all.” Click.
You stare down at the flowers on Pekoyama’s wrist, your stomach twisting in anxiety.
This is it.
You spend the next half hour with your friends in the hospital, but you can’t get rid of the irresistible urge to get up and leave. Eventually, you just do, waving goodbye to Shishido on your way out the door.
You can’t wait any longer.
After getting to the Future Foundation building, you wander idly through the first floor, wondering which room you were supposed to go to. The building is utterly empty, and being the only one here is giving you the creeps. Maybe you really shouldn’t have come two hours early... you haven’t even eaten anything, since your stomach was so insistent of filling up on anxiety instead of actual nourishment. But it’s not a big deal.
Eventually, you come across a door marked ‘computer lab’, and figure this is probably where everyone will be meeting. Opening the door cautiously, you find the room empty, and enter. The room is spacious, but most of the computers are on the same side of the room as the door. In particular, there are normal-sized monitors, but they’re plugged into overly huge computers. The side of the room opposite you has a blank wall, a table, and several rolling chairs, so you figure it must be used for presentations. The room’s dark and quiet, and even with the hum of the computers it’s still unnerving. Hesitantly heading for the other side of the room, you take a seat at the head of the table and lean on it with your elbow, resting your chin in your hand. It’s going to take a while for the others to get here, so I might as well.... just…
Someone shakes you, hard. “Oi, Hinata! Hinata, wake up.”
You groan, raising your head and wiping your eyes blearily. “What is it?”
Kuzuryuu plops himself down in the seat next to yours. “You must’ve fallen asleep. How long have you even been here?”
You frown at him irritably. “How should I know? You just told me I’d fallen asleep.”
“Cool it, sassmaster.” Now that you're starting to wake up, you notice that Kuzuryuu’s actually wearing the suit that you remember from the simulation.
“Hey, is that…?”
“Oh, yeah.” He shrugs, putting both of his feet on the table and leaning back in his chair. “The new clothes Asahina got us are cool, but they also happened to save all of our outfits from before our.. ‘despair days’. I’m guessing we had some of this stuff with us when the Future Foundation picked us up, because then otherwise where the fuck would they have found this? Anyway, everyone’s old clothes are packed away in the storage room in this building’s second floor. I think they really do have everyone’s except Tsumiki’s and Teruteru’s - but that’s no big loss, since Tsumiki’s new outfit looks so much like her old one, and Teruteru’s old outfit was a fucking chef’s outfit. Easily replaceable, probably.”
You squint, scanning his face. “Kuzuryuu… you’re rambling an awful lot. Are you nervous?”
“Well, yeah.” He laughs slightly, seeming to relax a little. “I mean, this is a pretty big deal, you know? I didn’t become close with Nanami at all… but she was a cool chick. A friend.”
“Right…” You hum to yourself, tapping your fingers on the table. “It’s going to be fine, though. I’m just ready to see her again, I’m tired of waiting.”
He looks at you with concern. “Hinata…”
The door slams open, and both of you turn to see Sonia standing in the doorway, flanked by Owari and Tsumiki. Sonia skips into the room and plops into the chair next to Kuzuryuu, the other two not far behind. “What’s up, my bitches!”
Kuzuryuu turns to you and the two of you share an amused look before you answer Sonia. “Nothing much, you know us. Just playing the waiting game.”
Sonia claps her hands together excitedly. “The waiting game? I have not heard of such a thing! Would you allow me to join your game, Hinata?”
“...When I said the waiting game, I wasn’t talking about an actual game…” The corner of your mouth twitches.
“Ah.” She deflates. “Well. That is most unfortunate.”
Owari points a finger at you. “Hey, don’t ruin Sonia’s fun! If the waiting game isn’t an actual game, let’s make it into a game.”
“I agree! That would be better than just w-waiting.” Tsumiki clasps her hands together.
Kuzuryuu wrinkles his nose. “What kind of game would ‘the waiting game’ be, though?”
You can feel your eyebrow twitching. “Guys…”
“Perhaps one where we have a sort of contest?” Sonia appears to be thinking hard. “Hmm…”
It’s no use. They’re already set on making up this game.
Owari slams her fist on the table. “I got it! Let’s try to guess who’s gonna walk in next.”
“Well, why not? Sounds kinda fun, and since it’s not a huge game we can be free to talk as normal until someone new comes through the door.” Kuzuryuu looks around, checking if everyone’s on board.
“I-I guess… That’s fine.” Tsumiki rubs her arm nervously. “My g-guess would be on Nidai-san.”
“Mine too!” Owari grins cheekily.
“I’m gonna go with Saionji.” Sonia says smoothly. “I asked her to be here early, since I know she’s usually late.”
All the more reason she’s probably not going to come here early, then, you think to yourself, but don’t vocalize it. “I’m putting my money on Kirigiri.”
Kuzuryuu nods. “Me, too. That makes the most sense.”
“And now, the wait!” Sonia cries dramatically, and you roll your eyes, a small smile on your face. You’re not sure if they’re doing this on purpose or not, but they’re really helping you calm down. You’re not as anxious anymore. It really is a great feeling, having friends like them...
The doorknob turns, and everyone strains their necks to see who it is. “And the winners are…” Owari pats her legs quickly, going for a drumroll “...Hinata and Kuzuryuu!” Kirigiri steps into the room cooly, closing the door behind her. “Hello, everyone. Don’t mind me, I’m just going to be getting everything ready.” She takes a seat in front of the room’s main computer, jiggling the mouse - probably to take it out of sleep mode. You can’t see what she’s doing from here, since the computer’s facing the door, but you’re glad because watching over her shoulder would probably make you more nervous.
“Alright, next round!” Sonia pumps her fist in the air. “I’m going to go with Nidai-san!”
“Me, too!” Owari says.
“M-me three.”
“I think I’m gonna go with Nidai, too.” Kuzuryuu adds.
“I… guess I’m going with Souda. It’s boring if we all choose the same person…” You frown.
“True, true… Sonia musues.
You turn to her, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, by the way… Why did you only make a bracelet for Pekoyama?”
“Eh?” She sits up straight, looking at you confusedly. “What are you talking about?”
“You know… the bracelet? Made of flowers? Why did you only make one for Pekoyama? I mean, it’s totally fine, I was just curious.”
She shakes her head. “Sorry, Hinata, but I have nothing to do with whatever bracelet you are referring to.”
“What? Then…” Your eyes slide over to Kuzuryuu, who’s casually avoiding eye contact. Oh…
The door opens, saving you from the awkwardness of that situation. Owari groans and slumps onto the table. “Man, Hinata, how did you get both of them? No fair!”
“Yo! Souda sits on your right, looking around in confusion. “Did I miss something?”
“No.” Kuzuryuu says blankly.
“Well, I’m going to guess Saionji-san!” Sonia says firmly.
“I think I will b-bet on Saionji-san as well…”
Owari scoffs. “Not me! I’m sticking with Nidai.”
“I think I am, too.” Kuzuryuu looks at you. “Well? You’re the ‘tie breaker’, Hinata.”
“I am?” You shrug indifferently. “Then, I think they’ll both show up at the same time.”
Kuzuryuu furrows his brow and turns to Sonia. “Is that allowed?” She shrugs.
“Five minutes.” Kirigiri calls from the front of the room.
“Thank goodness…” Tsumiki murmurs to herself, and everyone looks around awkwardly.
“Ohhhhh, I get it now. You guys are guessing who’s going to walk in next, huh?” Souda leans back in his chair. “And you picked me, huh, Hinata?”
“Yep.”
“I’m so honored! Ah, my soulfriend’s always thinking of me, huh?” He throws an arm around your shoulders.
You actually laugh. “Shut up, Souda.”
“Wait!” Kuzuryuu shushes everyone. “I think I hear something.”
You strain your ears, tilting your head to the side. “Hm, is that…?”
“...Don’t think you can just talk to me so casually! Ugh, you’re so gross.”
“Gehahahahaha! Whatever you say, Saionji.”
“No way…” Kuzuryuu gives you a ‘what the fuck?’ look and everyone else stares at you. You shrug.
The door flies open, and the two of them stand in the doorway. “Get your grotesque body out of my way!” Saionji snaps. Nidai just shakes his head and lets her through, and Saionji stomps over to the table, aiming straight for Tsumiki. “Let me sit there!”
Tsumiki shoots out of her seat like a rocket. “Of course! H-here!” Saionji sits, and Tsumiki scurries over to the other side of the table, throwing herself in the seat next to Souda.
Kuzuryuu punches you in the arm. “What the fuck, man. Did you borrow Komaeda’s luck or something?”
“N-No…” Your eyebrows knit together. “How the hell would you even borrow someone else’s luck?”
Sonia waves her hand excitedly. “Oh, I know! You take something old, something new, something borrowed -”
Kuzuryuu snorts loudly. “Sonia, no, that’s matrimony.”
Saionji snickers. “She confused getting lucky with marriage, how stupid can you get..”
“Oh…”
Kirigiri clears her throat loudly and stands, drawing everyone’s attention. “I’m ready to begin.”
Everyone freezes, and Kirigiri adds “...As long as you all are.”
Nidai answers for everyone. “We’re ready! Give it all you’ve got, Kirigiri!”
She nods and clicks once, twice, three times before joining the eight of you at the table. The lights dim by themselves and a screen descends from the ceiling, covering the blank wall in front of you. The main computer’s screen is broadcasted onto this, showing a loading bar with the word ‘Hope’. Everyone waits in anticipation as the loading bar fills slowly.
28%...
45%...
69%... (Souda snickers)
81%...
100%.
The word ‘Hope’ lights up, and the screen turns white before fading to a beautiful blue. Clouds appear, dotting the screen haphazardly, and the rest of the landscape comes into focus. The screen shows you a beach, and your friends ‘ooh’ in recognition. It looks to be around noon, as the high sun beating down harshly onto the sand, and the waves are glimmering brightly.
Kirigiri begins speaking. “There are microphones throughout this room, and all of them connect with the program. There aren’t any video cameras that will connect with the program, though - at least for now - so you’ll be able to see and hear her, but she’ll only be able to hear you. Oh, and we’ll be looking at this world through the cameras set up in the simulation. Now, although this is the repaired file of Nanami-san from your simulation, this setting is a copy. Made from all of the data that went into creating Jabberwock, I basically re-created the whole simulation. Make sense?” No one answers her. A lone figure has appeared at the edge of the screen, walking along the beach towards the camera.Your heart flies into your throat as the figure gets closer, and there’s no denying it… Nanami comes into view, and the sight takes everyone’s breath away. She looks tired - gripping onto the straps of her backpack, her footsteps are slow and sluggish. But you’re encouraged - looking this tired is just like her. Hopefully it really is her, inside and out.
“Nanami..” you breathe.
The poor girl nearly jumps out of her skin. “Huh?! Who’s there?” She looks around, putting her hand over her eyes to block out the sun.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” You flinch anxiously.
“.......Hinata-kun?” Nanami looks around in obvious confusion, squinting at her surroundings.
“Oh, she can hear us!” Sonia clapped her hands joyously.
“Is that Sonia?” Nanami’s still trying to find the source of the voices.
Owari answered her enthusiastically. “Yeah! We’re all here, Nanami!”
Sonia elbows her. “No, we’re not, Owari, don’t tell her that! There’s only nine of us here.”
She barely notices that Sonia’s touched her. “Yeah, that’s what I meant! All nine of us are here!”
Nanami gives up on locating you, looking up at the sky. “So, what do you mean by ‘the nine of us’? Who is that? ...And where is ‘here’?”
Sonia rattles off your names calmly. “The nine of us are Hinata, Owari, Kuzuryuu, Souda, Tsumiki, Nidai, Saionji, and Kirigiri-san. Oh, I know you don’t know Kirigiri-san.. she’s from the Future Foundation, and she’s responsible for bringing you back to us.”
Nanami nods slowly. “I was wondering why I seemed to be alive..”
Kuzuryuu speaks up. “Yeah, and we’re all out of the simulation, There’s a building in the real world that the Future Foundation uses as headquarters on Jabberwock, that’s where we are. We’re actually seeing you through the camera on the beach there.”
They continue on with their explanations, but you quit paying attention. After all, everything they’re saying is just meaningless.. you can finally see Nanami, the person you were most sure you’d never be able to meet with again. It’s an overwhelming feeling, to say the least. You can’t help staring at her, drinking in her expressions eagerly.
“....but so far these ‘Fits of Despair’ haven’t been too horrible. We’ve managed to overcome them.. obviously, Tsumiki’s was the scariest, but she managed to snap out of it almost all by herself..”
Nanami taps her chin with her finger. “But it’s not just these 'Fits of Despair'. Isn’t that right?”
You raise your eyebrows, slightly confused. “..What do you mean, Nanami?”
She crosses her arms. “Well, I mean, you guys can’t possibly think you’ve left your despair behind.. right?”
The previously happy atmosphere cools in an instant. You can feel everyone’s apprehension swelling, and you blink at Nanami, hoping you’d misunderstood her. “What do you mean.. we haven’t left our despair behind?”
She looks unconcerned. “Well, I mean, you’re all still in despair, of course.”
Kuzuryuu clenches his fists. “What the fuck are you trying to do, Nanami? You know that’s not true!”
Nanami pushes her hair back and gives the camera a cold stare. Logically, you know she’s looking at the camera, and can’t see any of you.. but you still get the feeling she’s looking straight at each of you, her eyes darting from face to face. “Of course it’s true. There’s no way people like you could actually work towards the future together.. I know about all of the horrible things you did. Do you honestly think you can move on? All of you… will be in despair for the rest of your lives.”
Tsumiki cries out, clutching her head. “We’ll be in despair.. f-forever?”
“No!” Saionji snaps, glaring at the screen. “I don’t know what Nanami-nee thinks she’s saying, but if this is some kind of joke, I’ll pinch her so hard -”
“You think I’m joking?” Nanami interrupts her, smiling. “I’m not. I mean... you guys ended the world, didn’t you? It’s essentially your fault that millions of people, including your friends and family, have been killed. It’s your fault so many people’s lives are a living hell. There’s nothing you can do to escape that despair.”
“You’re wrong!” You slam your hands down on the table, making everyone jump. You feel sick to your stomach at this point - betrayed, fooled with.. You’d gotten your hopes up, and they’d been dashed to pieces. “And what’s more, this is all wrong! You aren’t the Chiaki Nanami I know!”
With that, Kirigiri gets up and hurries towards the computers in the back of the room. Nanami smiles widely, staring into the camera with a strange look in her eyes. “The Chiaki Nanami you knew is dead and gone. You killed her, Hinata-kun. And she’s not coming back.”
“I killed her..?” You anxiously grip the edge of the table, trying not to show that she’s getting to you. “No, That’s definitely not true. You wanted - Nanami wanted me to prove she was the traitor.”
“Is that kind of logic going to work here? Sounds like you’re just making excuses, you know. Anyway, I’m glad I got to hear from you again, Hinata-kun… Or should I say, Kamukura-kun?”
Kuzuryuu stands up, turning to Kirigiri with a desperate, angry look on his face. “Turn this shit off, right fucking now!”
She slams the mouse down. “I can’t. Nothing is working, the program isn’t recognizing my commands!”
Nanami laughs, sending a chill up your spine. “You’ll never be able to move on with your lives! Never! You’re only kidding yourselves now. There’s no way you’ll be able to make up for what you’ve done, so why bother? You should all just die! That’s the only worthwhile thing any of you will ever be able to do!”
“All of you, get out!” Kirigiri snaps, hurrying back over to the table. “Get up! Get out! I can’t turn it off, so leave! NOW!”
You can feel your anxiety pressing into you, and you’re bolted to your chair, sweat running down your forehead. Nanami laughs and laughs, her voice getting higher and more crazed. The others are moving around you, getting up from their chairs and running for the door, but you just - can’t -
Kuzuryuu seizes you under your arm and drags you out of your chair, forcing you out the door and into the hallway. The last thing you see before he slams the door behind you is Kirigiri violently kicking one of the chairs at the table and sending it flying across the room.
Your friends are grouped outside of the door, breathing heavily, all upset in their own way. Owari looks pissed, Souda’s shocked into silence, Tsumiki looks like she’s about to pass out.. And yet, you somehow become the focus of attention.
“Oi, Hinata, are you okay? You’ve got a weird look on your face..”
“Hinata? Hinata..? Can you hear me?”
“Hinata-nii! You look so pale! Do you need me to pinch some life into you?”
“Hinata! Dismiss her words from your mind, they are meaningless!”
You clutch at your chest, snapping. “God, just.. Shut up!”
“Hinata?”
“Nii-san-”
“Oi, Hina-”
“I SAID, SHUT UP!” You spin on your heel. “I can’t take it anymore! Just leave me alone!”
“Hinata, calm down -”
“Leave me alone!” You finally lose it and sprint down the hallway. You need to get away, you need to get out, you need to go -
You spend the rest of the day and most of the night locked in your cabin, shaking, with your hands pressed over your ears and your heart clenching painfully. When you finally fall asleep, you doze fitfully, and your nightmares are more vivid and frightening than they ever were before.