Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. The Original 6 Survivors Seek a Way Out!
2. Luckster in the Wrong Game
3. Naegi Sibling Reunion
4. Celestia Ludenberg backstory/headcanon
5. Impostor/Twogami/Ryotwo Introspection
6. Byakuya Togami VS Chores Round 1 Laundry
7. Byakuya Togami VS Chores Round 2 Microwave
8. Gundam Tanaka Adopts a Snake
9. SHSL Pokemon Breeder meets SHSL Gym Leader
10. Naegi Loses His Ahoge and Everyone Loses Their Shit
11. Team Serial Killer Bodyguards
12. Team Blond Asshole Heirs
13. Chihiro Swears
14. Language, Chihi!
15. Asahina Sibling Reunion
16. Split Personality - Hajime sneezes into Izuru
17. Friendship Underwear - DR1
18. Friendship Underwear - SDR2
19. Ultimate Disguise - Naegi w/o ahoge
20. Previously on Ultra Fluff Girls
21. Team Split Personalities - Hajime meets Fukawa
22. Fallen Warriors of Hope
23. Big Sis Komaru
24. Uncharted Territory - pokemon go
25. SHSL Fangirl - Sonia meets Syo
26. Protagonist in the Wrong Game - Naegi + Makoto
27. From Side Character to Protagonist - Komaru Naegi
28. Unexpected Fantasies
29. Komaru Loses Her Ahoge and Someone Loses Her Shit
30. Team Smooth or Team Unsmooth - Izuru Kamukura
31. SHSL Slay Her - Kirigiri solves the game on day1
32. Komaeda WITH GUN
33. Togami in the Wrong Game
34. Naegi Gets a Growth Spurt
35. Ceiling Ninja Mukuro
36. What if Naegi was the subject for the Hope Cultivation Plan?
37. Local Man Blames Despair on Everything - Kyosuke Munakata + Chisa Yukizome + Juzo Sakakura
38. Just According to Keikaku - Kyosuke Munakata + Chisa Yukizome + Juzo Sakakura
39. What if Naegi Became Kamukura? But More Hopeful
40. Why Don’t You Just Die Already? - Junko attempts to murder Naegi
41. When Two Lucks Collide
42. Deleted Scenes - SDR2 Ensemble
43. Komaeda Gets Upgraded
44. Former Despair Meets Remnant of Despair - Mukuro and Chisa
45. New World Program V2.0 - Chisa enters
46. Student Warriors of Hope
47. Komaeda’s Luck
48. Parental Guidance - Nagito and Monaka
49. DR3 version SDR2 - Original SDR2 Survivors + DR3 Ensemble
50. All Hope Lost - What if Class 78th fell into despair?
51 EXTRA: DR-blogs Killing Game - ft. a problematic cast of 16 DR tumblrs
52. SHSL Luckster - What if Naegi's luck prevented murders?
53. 78th Class Reunion
54. Tell them, (Komaru) Naegi!
55. Unlikely Pair - Izuru/Hajime twin au
56. Twin-Player Mode - Nanami twin au
57. Tag Team Transfer - twin au
58. Saionji Gets a Growth Spurt
59. Kuryuu Gets a Growth Spurt
60. Dangan Ronpa Stage Play - DR1 actors au
61. ULTIMATE Motivational Post - Hope from DR1 Ensemble + SDR2 Ensemble + DR3 Ensemble (total of 51 cast)
62. High School Life of Mutual Masterminds
63. Congratulations to the Both of You - Touko Fukawa + Genocider Syo
64. Matsuda Loses His Ahoge and Doesn’t Give a Shit
65. Law of Ahoge - Komaru + Komaeda
66. Friendship Underwear - DR:AE
67.Unpredictable - Kamukura chooses Naegi's Luck
68. Bonded by Anime - Ryota meets Hifumi
69. Gundam Tanaka True Form
70. Heroine in the Wrong Game - Kirigiri + Nanami
71. I Finally Killed You
72. SHSL Ace Attorney
73. Ultra Despair Girlfriends
74. Intwinuitive - Touko and Syo twin au
75. Tired of Your Shit Guys - Hinata + Kirigiri
76. Game Development - Chiaki meets Chihiro
77. He By Any Other Name is Just as Loved
78. What the Fuck is a Hangman’s Gambit?
79. What the Fuck is a Logic Dive?
80. Future Foundation Wants Their Underwear Back
81. Building the New World - Team NWP
82. New Friendship in Progress - Team NWP
83. We’re Ordinary People - Naegi and Hinata bros.
84. First(?) Meeting - Naegi introduces Kamukura to Nanami
85. Munakata Gets an Ahoge and Sakakura & Yukizome Lose Their Shit
86. Friendship Underwear ft. Munakata + Sakakura + Yukizome
87. What IF Mukuro met Komaru in Towa City?
88. Touko Loses Her Glasses and Can’t See Shit
89. Monaka’s High School Debut - the kids
90. Another Detective in the Family - Shuichi Saihara
91. Heir Guitar Fluff - Impostor/Twogami/Ryotwo x Ibuki
92. Operation Get them Hitched - Ibuki + kuzupeko
93. Girlfriends Stick Together - Sato x Mahiru
94. Lucky Catch - komanami
95. Hoodie Swap - Naegi + Nanami + the rest confused
96. SDR2 Komaeda vs SDR2.5 Komaeda - Nagito Komaeda
97. Alter Ego and Altercations - Chihiro + DR1 Ensemble
98. Games-Giving - Nanami + SDR2 Ensemble
99. Beyond This Point - SDR2 Ensemble
100. New World Program version 78th class - DR1 Ensemble + Ryouko Otonashi

101. Hinata Loses His Ahoge and Everyone Else Loses Their Shit
102. Detective in the Wrong Game - Shuichi Saihara + Kyouko Kirigiri
103. Liar in the Wrong Game - Kokichi Ouma + Celestia Ludenberg
104. Protagonist in the Wrong Game - Shuichi Saihara + Makoto Naegi
105. Maid for the Wrong Class - Kirumi Tojo + Chisa Yukizome
106. Protagonist in the Wrong Game - Shuichi Saihara + Hajime Hinata
107. Survivor's Guilt - Kaede + Kaito + Tenko
108. Heroine in the Wrong Game - Kaede Akamatsu + Kyouko Kirigiri
109. Fem Protag in the Wrong Game - Kaede Akamatsu + Komaru Naegi
110. Heroine in the Wrong Game - Kaede Akamatsu + Chiaki Nanami
111. Troublemaker in the Wrong Game - Kokichi Ouma + Nagito Komaeda
112. Fan in the Wrong Game -
113. Naegi in the Wrong Game -
114. Saihara Keeps Breaking Shit for Monocoins
115. Who is the True Ahoge Protagonist?
116. Saihara Loses His Ahoge and Everyone Loses Their Shit
117. Friendship Underwear - Shuichi Saihara

The Original 6 Survivors Seek a Way Out!

“This is a stupid game. I refuse to participate in wasting my time.” Togami barked his flat out rejection to their proposal.

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.” Naegi urged him on.

“Yeah, just give it shot, Togamichi!” Hagakure insisted.

“If m-master says so then I’ll pass too.” Fukawa stammered her refusal as well.

“But Fukawa, you’re going to miss out on all the fun.” Asahina pouted at her.

“I doubt it.” Fukawa scoffed and then gave a scanting glance at the other person in the room. “And what is SHE doing here? She’s a walking cheatsheet!”

All eyes turned to the one person who hasn’t spoken the whole time.

“Don’t worry. I’m just here for moral support.” Kirigiri dismissively said and then added the next with an impish smile. “Or whenever you need a hint.”

That struck a certain someone’s nerve.

“Are you saying we can’t do this on our own?” Togami raised his chin and his voice as well.

“Well you haven’t proven otherwise yet.” She smirked.

He slammed his hands onto the table. “That’s it. I shall show you the true prowess of the esteemed Togami bloodline!”

“I-I’ll help out too, master!” Fukawa piped in ever supportive of him as always.

And with that, all the players have assembled.

“Great! Then that means we’re all playing!” Naegi announced with a smile.

The group enthusiastically cheered, well the loud ones did and the other half was silently excited.

While the others were busy setting up the game on the computer, Naegi inched closer to the other person who wasn’t busy. He discreetly whispered to her, “Thanks, Kirigiri.”

“No problem.” She replied with a small smile of hers as she flipped her hair. “Besides, it’ll be entertaining to watch you solve this without me.”

One open Escape the Room game and several clicks later…

“What about this one?”

“Hagakure, you’ve just been clicking on everything randomly.” Naegi sighed exasperatedly.

“Isn’t that how this is played? Just click until something happens.” Hagakure said as he scratched his head in confusion. “The game must be harder than I thought since even my fortunes have a higher rate of success.”

“Yet another reminder of how much of an idiot you are.” Fukawa commented snidely.

“Oh! Try under the bed!” Asahina excitedly pointed out.

Click. Another puzzle popped up.

“Nice one, Asahina”.Naegi cheered on and they did a high five. ”Now all we need is to figure this out.”

“Isn’t it already obvious?” Togami interjected as he dramatically shouted out. “Tell them, Naegi!”

A few tense seconds of silence passed through the room.

Naegi sheepishly scratch the back of his head. “Uh… I actually have no idea.”

“It’s alright to ask for help.” Kirigiri suggested from the sidelines with a smirk.

“Shut up, bystander.” Togami barked. “Let’s try that again.” He crossed his arms only to dramatically stretch one to point and shout. “Tell them, Naegi!”

Togami never did outgrow that habit. And no, shouting did not help.

But as usual, it’s not like Naegi had a choice in this as he hesitantly accepted the responsibility to solve it. “O-okay. Well, uh… I guess…”

He randomly typed in a few numbers. That surprisingly worked and it looked like even Togami wasn’t expecting that.  “Huh, it worked.”

And from there, everything else went smoothly until they finally escaped.

Actually, even though they may have successfully completed the game and escaped the room, Kirigiri knew better. They did it a bit in an unorthodox fashion much to their blissful ignorance. They skipped out on a LOT of steps all because of some odd mix of logic and luck as Naegi had gotten the code right and everything else followed. Well, maybe it was better for them to not know that seeing how happy they were over their achievement.

“I can’t believe we actually did it.” Naegi said in awe.

“Wow, that was harder than I thought.” Asahina remarked and then grinned happily. “But we still beat the game!”

“Naturally we’d win. Hmph, this is just child’s play.” Togami proudly said with a smug look on his face.

“B-be grateful that m-master was here to help you!” Fukawa pointed out but her face said that she had fun as well.

“Alright! Way to go us!!” Hagakure whooped in joy.

“Good job, everyone.” Kirigiri congratulated them good-naturedly and then proceeded to clap slowly. “Break time’s over. Now let’s get back to work.”

Now if only they could escape from work just as easily as they escaped the room.

Chapter Text

“The much awaited class trial of your lives begins!” Monokuma cheered.

“Finally, let’s just get this over with.” Togami scoffed and then glared at one of the classmates with great animosity. “What did you do this time? Tell them, Nagito!”

“Ahaha, everyone’s relying on me already? I feel so honored to be of help.” Komaeda smiled lopsidedly.

“H-help? As if!” Fukawa retorted with a scowl. “You’re the o-opposite of help. You always do something c-crazy each and every time. Y-y-you TRASH!!”

“You’re absolutely right.” Komaeda earnestly agreed. “I am the lowest. I don’t deserve to be in the presence of such beacons of hope. If only I could be more useful then maybe trash like me could actually help your hopes shine brighter.”

“Guys, he’s gonna do his hope rant again.” Hagakure cowered as he covered his ears fearfully. “Quick stop him before I cut off my ears.”

“You don’t have to go so far for me.” Komaeda reassured him. I’d rather cut off my own tongue first than let anything happen to you and your hope. Please, don’t let me bother you. Just say the word and I’d gladly cut off my tongue.”

“You seriously need help.” Asahina commented in concern and also fear.

“There’s no need for that. After all, worthless scum like me don’t deserve help.” Komaeda replied with a weak laugh.

“Komaeda, shut up.” Kirigiri ordered to which he complied. “Now let’s go through this again. Explain yourself.”

Komaeda’s smile was crooked.

“I did it all for the sake of hope!”

Meanwhile, in another game…

“You’ve got that wrong!”

“You’ve got that wrong!”

“Not again…” Souda complained as he covered his ears with his beanie.

“Ah, could it be that you also figured out that the murder weapon…”

“Is missing from the crime scene!”

“Finishing each other’s sentences. What are they fucking twins?” Fuyuhiko remarked.

“I see. So that’s why they have a similar hair style.” Sonia nodded understandingly.

“No, that’s really just a coincidence.” Naegi weakly rebuffed.

“Can we please finish a class trial just once without talking about ahoge?” Hinata let out an exasperated sigh.

“But the victim died from stab wounds. Say…” Owari trailed suggestively.

“No. For the last time, the ahoge is non-lethal.” Hinata shot her down.

“Let’s just move on for now.” Naegi calmly diffused the tension before the argument could get derailed any further.

“If we have nothing else to work with,” Nanami paused as she tilted her head. “Then let’s all think hard and work together…probably.”

Naegi smiled brightly.

“We must not lose hope!”

In another universe, two lucksters struggled with trials of their own unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

Their reunion has long been overdue.

“Big brother!”

“Komaru!”

The two rush to each other and embrace because it literally has been too long since they’ve last seen each other. And no, through the screen did not count. It was different having to hold each other, feeling each other warm and breathing, and just confirming that the other was alive. They were alive. Even though their family was forcefully disbanded, somehow the two of them had survived. Survived but still separated.

And now they were together again.

“It’s been too long.” Komaru said as she nuzzled into his shoulder.

“Yeah, it certainly has been.” Makoto remarked as he fondly patted his sister’s head with a small bittersweet smile. ”Even longer for you.”

“I was so worried. I thought I’d never see you again.” She explained.

“I didn’t even think of that.” He shook his head and then smiled brighter as he confidently confessed, ”I never stopped believing that we’d see each other again.”

She snorted as she rolled her eyes. “They weren’t kidding when they said you were the Ultimate Hope.”

“I’m just being positive.” He laughed lightly.

“I know.” She agreed as she commented snidely, ”I don’t think you’re as cool as they make you to be. I know the truth that big brother is really just a dork.”

“Well you’re not wrong.”

“Who wet his bed until 5th grade.”

“Hey! That was uncalled for!” Makoto shouted and he was about to defend his honor when he felt her hug tighten considerably. “Komaru?” He asked worriedly.

“He’s also a big idiot who I miss very much.” She whispered softly.

“I missed you too.” He affectionately rubbed the top of her head like he always did whenever his sister felt down and he spoke to her in a kind and gentle tone as he did so. ”You’ve been through a lot. Sorry, big brother wasn’t there for you this whole time.”

She nodded against him. “Mm, that’s why you owe me.”

“I guess I do. We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?” He smiled warmly. “Without me looking, you’ve grown up so much.”

Unexpectedly, this made Komaru pull back and wipe off her tears.

“Me? Have you seen yourself?” She asked him incredulously as she remarked, “You literally grew up. Like what, one inch?”

“More like one centimeter.” He corrected.

“I knew there was something different about you.

“Thanks for noticing.”

“Ah, but I’m still taller!” She pointed out haughtily as she stuck out her tongue at him. “Ha! In your face!”

“I take it back. So much for growing up.” He sighed but he was still smiling.

Everything else flowed smoothly as they talked and bantered back and forth. They’re not sure how long they’ve been talking, it wasn’t like they were keeping track anyways. They’ve had enough of counting the time it took before they’d be reunited and they certainly will not be counting how much time they had left. So they did what they suggested earlier which was to catch up to all the lost time because they both know they’ve been separated for far too long.

Finally, they were together again.

“You’ve done well to make it this far. I’m so proud of you.” Makoto smiled warmly at her.

“You better be.” Komaru proudly smiled back.

Finally, they were a family again.

“I’m home, Komaru.”

“Welcome home, big bro Makoto.”

Their reunion has long been overdue and although it wasn’t exactly in the best conditions but at least they were alright. They were together, and most importantly, they were a family again.

Chapter Text

Taeko Yasuhiro was a loser.

That’s what her reality was. She was penniless, homeless, and helpless. No child her age should be living on the streets yet here she was. It’s not her fault anyways because what were her parents doing? They “abandoned” her that’s what. So instead of living her life properly as a child, she’d been wasting it away on the streets instead as trash or scum, the two nicknames she’d been so fondly called by most if not all passerbys. They didn’t even have to vocalize it for she could see it in their judging eyes.

She was worthless.

“Meow.” A familiar black cat trotted toward her.

“Hello to you too.” She greeted as she affectionately petted the stray which warmly responded back by leaning into her touch.

No matter how many condescending gazes pierced through her, none of those came from this cat. At least animals didn’t judge her. And this cat in particular seemed to like her just as much as she adored it.

“If only I was richer then I would have spoiled you rotten.” She murmured.

“Meow!” It replied enthusiastically almost as if it understood her words.

Little did she know that that was the last time Taeko would see that cat.

One moment she was petting the stray, the next she was kidnapped.

When they finally took off her blindfold, she was no longer in those dingy streets. Instead she found herself in an unfamiliar luxurious mansion.

“Girls these days are just so cheap.” Said the shady man in front of her.

Taeko may have been poor but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what her situation was and what her future meant. This could be a deadend for her if she didn’t play her cards right. As much as she hated her life right now, she’d hate even more to never see her precious cat again.

And so began her lies.

Gathering all of the faux confidence within her, she brandished her first ever cheshire smile. “You must be mistaken. I think you’ll find me worth much more.”

“Ha! This one came with an attitude!” He sneered at her.

But she was unfazed by this as her smile stayed in place. “Correct me if I’m wrong but I assume that I’d been sold to you.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He huffed.

“I see…” Her eyes trailed off as she scanned the person and the surroundings. “Then may I also assume that you can afford more than just me?”

“Look around. I think the mansion speaks for itself.” He said matter-of-factly.

“As distasteful as your hobbies are, you must be pretty bored.” She steepled her fingers and leaned in. “Wouldn’t you like something more thrilling?”

“What are you saying?” He skeptically raised an eyebrow at her.

“How about a game?” She giggled. “In fact, why not try a wager?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I own you. What else could you possibly wage?”

“My sister is far more beautiful than me.” She lied with a pristine smile.

“Keep talking.” He urged her on.

“If I win, I get my freedom back… and this mansion.”

“And when you lose?”

“IF I lose then you can have my sister… as well as her little group of equally beautiful friends.” She offered nonchalantly.

“You’d seriously throw away your sister? Just like that?” He questioned her.

“I’m desperate. I’d gamble with anyone else’s lives as long as it gets mine back.” She admitted. This part she wasn’t so sure if it was a lie or a truth. “And as a handicap, you get to decide the game and the terms.”

“You seem confident considering the odds are against you.”

“Well being terrified certainly won’t earn me any more.” She retorted.

“You got spunk, kid.” He crossed his arms as he huffed. “Fine. This looks like a fun way to kill time. I’ll let you regret ever playing games with us adults.”

“Then before we begin the discussion, let us introduce ourselves first.” She daintly bowed like a western girl and smiled her brightest yet. “Delighted to meet you. I am Celestia Ludenberg.

Taeko Yasuhiro was a loser. But she wasn’t Taeko anymore.

She was Celestia Ludenberg. And she had nothing to lose.

Chapter Text

They were just a nobody.

And although they were alive, that didn’t mean that they existed. Living and existing were two different matters. Living and existing were two different matters. Living meant being able to breath while existing meant having an identity.

They had none. They only had breathing.

It wasn’t just about the name, it was more than that. It was about having their own persona. For them, they had none to claim as their own.

And so they stole another’s.

The idea occurred to them when they stared too long at a missing person’s flyer. Even missing people weren’t forgotten. and though their status was unknown at least they still technically existed. So they took home the flyer, did their research and in one week, the missing person was found.

For the first time in their life, they existed. Or at the very least, they felt something close.

But even that didn’t last long. Stealing something as precious as an identity was unbecoming of them. They knew the resplendent glory of having one and the grueling pain of having none. They didn’t want anyone to lose identity just because they stole it.

That’s why they only “borrowed”.

They’d impersonate a person for a period of time and then move on to the next. They wore mask after mask of identities, all of which were never theirs. Since they had none to begin with. Even if they were existing falsely, at the very least they still existed. Even if only as an impostor , they clung on to other people’s identities just so that they’d be more than nothing.

They were just a nobody but even so, they wanted to be somebody.

Chapter Text

The esteemed Byakuya Togami was a name recognized by all peasants of Future Foundation.

He was infamous for his pink undershirts.

And his unbelievable attitude. Which was why no one ever dared question him of his wardrobe until one day, literally poor Naegi had lost a bet.

“Togami, why is your shirt pink?” He hesitantly asked him during their break

And it was at this exact moment that Naegi knew he fucked up.

“SHUT UP.” Togami barked at him and prominently scowled.

Except the scowl was looking more and more like a restrained frown upon closer inspection. It looked like he was angry but also trying hard not to cry.

“Uh, are you okay?” Naegi asked not quite sure how to handle a Togami who was showing emotion.

“I WAS RICH, NAEGI.” Togami haughtily declared with a raised voice.

“And…?” Naegi cluelessly asked him.

“Listen here, you peasant. You obviously don’t understand since you’ve been a poor commoner all your life so let me explain it in words you can understand.” Togami then crossed his arms and tilted his chin up to look down on him. “I am above you and so I had no time to waste on such menial chores. There were lesser people who did things for me.”

“Oh…” Naegi said as he finally understood where he was going with this. He sympathetically patted him. “You didn’t separate the white and the colored during laundry, didn’t you?”

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?” Togami replied indignantly.

“Well, now you know.” Naegi said matter-of-factly. “You know, it’s alright to ask for help especially for things you don’t know how to do. There’s no shame in asking.”

“I am a prodigal Togami. I don’t need help. Much less from peasants.” He adamantly refused with every fiber of his proud being.

“I figured you’d say that.” Naegi chuckled weakly. “Well the offer still stands. You can ask me whenever you feel like you need the peasant help.”

“Hmph. Doubtful. But we shall see about that.” Togami said and thus effectively ended their conversation at that.

The following week, Naegi was woken up by an insistent knocking on his door.

“Wha? Who is it?” He asked with a yawn since he was still half-asleep.

It was none other than Togami and he was holding on to something.

“FEAST YOUR EYES UPON THIS!” He proudly proclaimed.

Naegi raised an eyebrow at what he was referring to. “…a white shirt?”

“Yes! A white shirt!” He seconded with a smug look on his face.

“So…?”

“Can you not see that it is white?”

“Yes, yes I can. But what about it?” Naegi just tilted his head, still not getting it.

“It’s not pink. It’s white.” Togami said matter-of-factly and proudly in fact.

“Why would it be pin–” And it’s only then that Naegi’s brain wakes up and catches up to the current events. “Oh, ooohhh.” He then flashed him a tired but genuine smile. “Congrats Togami.”

“Expect no less from the great Togami.” He basked in his own achievement.

And so marked his first victory against plebeian chores.

“Today, laundry. Tomorrow, cooking!”

The esteemed Byakuya Togami was a name recognized by all peasants of Future Foundation.

He was infamous for being the guy who used to wear pink undershirts.

Chapter Text

The esteemed Byakuya Togami was a name recognized by all peasants of Future Foundation.

He was infamous for nuking his apartment.

It took everyone by surprise when there was an explosion from the housing area and they all thought that they were under attack. Fortunately though it wasn’t an attack, unfortunately though it was Togami.

Only his apartment was on fire.

“TOGAMI, WHAT HAPPENED??” Naegi shouted as he was the first to arrive since he panicked and rushed with all his might. He didn’t know of the situation back then so he feared that the worst may have happened. And in a way, it was the worst.

There was Togami putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher and it was one of the most surreal things that Naegi has ever seen in his life. He should be used to Togami doing things on his own but somehow Naegi still gets surprised each and every time. Wait, why was Togami’s apartment on fire in the first place?

”What happened here?” Naegi asked again once he stepped closer.

“My microwave broke.” Togami deadpanned as he extinguished more flames.

“What?” Naegi looked at him incredulously. Did he just hear what he heard him say? But Togami never joked so Naegi just had to ask another question, “How??”

Togami’s eyebrow twitched and then he continued to ignore Naegi as if he hadn’t heard him.

“Togami, you do know that you will eventually have to explain yourself to the higher ups for this incident.” Naegi knowingly told him while he gauged his reaction. And then he gently tried to coax him into admitting whatever “Don’t you think it’s better that I know now so we can better explain this later?”

Togami clicked his tongue. He didn’t look the least bit happy about it but he looked like he was conceding. He muttered, “My microwave exploded.”

Naegi blinked slowly. “…Okay.”

“That’s all you need to know.” He finished flatly as he began to brisk walk away.

“No, not really!” Naegi said as he sprinted to follow him. “I’m afraid to ask but… what did you put inside it?”

“…” This stopped Togami in his tracks as a dark look overshadowed his features. He hissed through gritted teeth, “…Eggs.”

An awkward pause passed.

“Oh, dear lord.” Naegi swore.

“Don’t judge me.” Togami barked.

“It’s too late for that.”

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO PUT EGGS IN IT?” Togami strongly defended himself. “NO ONE TOLD ME, OKAY?”

From the background unbeknownst to the two, Touko was watching the exchange as she whispered to herself, “I actually did tell him…”

“Togami, literally everyone knows this. You just don’t put eggs in the microwave.” Naegi pointed out matter-of-factly. “Even Hagakure knows that. At this rate, he might as well be better than you at this.”

“I AM EXTREMELY OFFENDED. TAKE THAT BACK.”

“Hang in there, Togami. At least now you know.”

It’s been a week now ever since that incident and Togami has gathered the original six survivors into his humble and refurnished apartment. Take note that they still don’t know why they were there but they knew that it was better that they accepted the invitation than dealing with a pissed off Togami.

“Be grateful for you are here to witness a sight worthy to be etched into your memories.” Togami proudly announced at loud. “Behold, peasants!”

What he unveiled was a basket full of eggs.

“Oh, god.” Naegi spoke before he could think twice of his word choice. “Please tell me you’re not planning on microwaving some of these.”

“Of course not. What exactly do you take me for?” Togami asked him indignantly.

“Uhh…” Naegi thought it was best not to answer that.

“Just go ahead and crack one.” Togami ordered him.

Naegi looked to his other friends for a clue as to what to do. They all had mixed signals. Aside from looking amused, Kirigiri wasn’t enlightening him at all. Asahina was making hand gestures to him to abort. Hagakure was… doing his own stuff as usual, was he fortune telling or something? And then there was Touko who was threatening him to go through with it.

Well death threats won over everything else as Naegi gulped.

“O-kay?” He hesitantly took an egg and braced himself for a mess as he cracked it. Much to his relief, there was no messy yolk. “It’s hard boiled.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Togami crowed as he then smugly proceeded to explain, “This is no ordinary batch of eggs. This is a product of strategic choices. This is a result of cumulative learning experiences. These hard boiled eggs are proof that once again, I have conquered not just the challenges of the microwave but the culinary arts of boiling eggs!”

There was an awkward moment of silence as everyone else was still stunned.

“T-That’s amazing, Togami!” Naegi said as he tried to be supportive of his friend. After all, he was doing his best at this whole new thing for him.

Kirigiri joined in and clapped slowly. “Job well done.”

Asahina started clapping too and then she discreetly whispered, “Why are we praising him for knowing common sense?”

Hagakure hushed her, “Don’t ruin this beautiful moment. He looks so nice when he isn’t angry or mocking us.” “Plus, he’s still mad at you because you’re the boss and not him.”

“Oh, right.” Asahina clapped harder.

All the while, Touko chanted deep inside, “This too shall pass. This is just a character development arc for him.”

“Praise be the Togami conglomerate.” He gloated as he basked in his well-earned applause.

The esteemed Byakuya Togami was a name recognized by all peasants of Future Foundation.

He was infamous for nuking his apartment once over microwaving eggs.

Chapter Text

This is the legendary tale of how the Forbidden One had tamed the great mythological beast Ouroboros.

It was on the fateful day foretold in the prophecy when they heavenly deities fought across the battlefield of the skies. Mortals fell prey to their onslaught as no one and nothing was spared from their aqueous attack. However, he was no mere mortal, he was a higher being whose power was unmatched that the mere mention of his true name shall bring chaos over this world, hence his sealed name.

Not only was he powerful, he had an impressive arsenal as well. His almost invisible armor was impervious to the elemental attribute of water. And so he walked about boldly and without injury. It was during his stroll that he had heard the desperate pleas of help. Usually he wouldn’t meddle with the affairs of mortals but he could not leave this one in their hands.

Especially not when a higher being was involved.

The humans had shrieked because they were before the presence of a god. There before him was the glorious serpent Ouroboros. Despite its infant form, there was no doubt that this was the same dragon spoken of in legends. Its dangerous prowess was not to be underestimated. However, this place was not fit to accommodate such a lord. Worse yet, a human might do something nefarious to it if left alone.

Which was why he took it upon himself to tame the beast despite the dangers.

After all, who else was fit to provide for a god other than another god such as himself?

So he embraced the perils of responsibility and welcomed Ouroboros into his humble abode. And to seal their pact, he granted it a worldly name to it not only to this dimension, but to him as well.

“From hence forth you shall be known as Ekanescence!”

Snake me up. (Snake me up inside.)

Can’t snake up. (Snake me up inside.)

SNAKE ME

Chapter Text

It’s only been a month since Pokemon Go has been released and since then it has changed the talents of two students.

Tanaka is now the self-proclaimed supreme master of the nefarious Team Instinct. He has long since been building his kingdom by capturing every single creature he has encountered regardless of whether or not they are weaker duplicates. All are welcome in his exulted kingdom and all are bestowed upon with powerful incantations for names. He always makes sure to go out and walk his eggs, even going so far as to use a restraining leash (selfie stick) on his instrument of the dark arts (phone) so he could properly walk his beasts from another dimension. He loves them all very much.

Nanami is carving out the path of glory for Team Valor. She’s claimed more gyms than anyone else has in whole Japan and has been undefeated in battles. She’s infamous even though she’s oblivious about it. She’s unhealthily invested in the game. More than once, she’s walked a 10km egg in one straight go. She rarely sleeps but then again who needs sleep when there’s a rare pokemon just waiting to be captured. She’s competitive by nature but honestly, this is just her normal mode whenever she gets into a new game. She doesn’t forget to just have fun every now and then.

Despite their differences in playing style, every now and then these two trainers join forces and embark on their own pokemon journey together.

“Ah, DarkForbidden1. There’s a Ratata in the area.” Nanami informed him.

“What’s this? Another beast is lurking in the shadows?” Tanaka said as he quickly pulled out his phone. “Quickly, we must go forth and seize the creature before it wrecks havoc upon our world, GameGirlGalaga!”

“Hmm, I don’t think we have to hurry though.” She commented. “Not a lot of people like Ratatas.”

“Then all the more reason for us to rescue them!” He shouted fervently. “No creature of another dimension shall go unloved on my watch!”

Nanami just smiled at his enthusiasm. “You’re right. Then we should start walking before it runs away.”

“Yes! We must! Another dark beast is always welcome in the glory of my high kingdom!” He yelled as they brisk walked towards their designation.

Two pokestops later and halfway there, a phone beeped.

They both checked their phones but only of them was lucky one.

“THE HELLSPAWN HAS BROKEN THROUGH ITS SHELL!” Tanaka yelled at the top of his lungs as he grinned at his phone.

“Oh, you hatched an egg. Congratulations.” Nanami said with a smile and then tilted her head. “What pokemon did you get this time?”

“Fufufu!” He chuckled darkly. “Behold the mighty Ratatoskr!”

She slowly blinked. “Ah, it’s a Ratata.”

“Not just any Ratata but a beautiful Ratata of its species.” He corrected as he smiled proudly. “And please, refer to her as Ratatoskr.”

“But isn’t this your 33rd Ratata?” She asked him skeptically.

“And we’re about to welcome the 34th!” He cheered and dramatically laughed once again. “They will be crowned with the name Sumatrat should they choose to fall under my legion.”

Nanami smiled fondly at him. This is one of the reasons why she liked playing this game with Tanaka. He always looked so happy and it’s always fun to have someone to share this experience with.

“Good for you, Tanaka. Now let’s go form a contract with Sumatrat.”

“My kingdom grows ever stronger with each new pact!”

It’s only been a month since Pokemon Go has been released and since then these two have been going on their pokemon journey, sometimes separately, sometimes together.

BONUS: SHSL Reserve Trainer

Hinata is Team Mystic and is secretly competitive.

He blames Nanami for getting him sucked into the game in the first place and now he’s trying hard to beat her in this sort of awkward rivalry they created between themselves. He fails every time but he doesn’t let that dampen his spirits. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in hard work by researching a lot on tips and techniques.

They go on journeys together too sometimes but most of the time they just end up fight over the pokemon they find. They’re having fun even when they’re battling against each other.

Chapter Text

Ever since Naegi got his haircut, everyone was staring at him strangely.

That’s the weird thing. All they did was stare but nobody approached him. They were all whispering and talking with each other in hushed tones but nobody tried talking to him at all. Did he look that bad? He could take brutal honesty, seriously. It was better than being ignored like this. But he wasn’t going to be ignored for long since it looked like someone was finally approaching him.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Eh? Ehh?? EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH???

Naegi was too stunned to reply accordingly which pissed them off even more.

“I said who the fuck are you?” Mondo repeated as he cracked his knuckles threateningly. “Better talk before I make you talk.”

“Violence is prohibited, bro!” Ishimaru yelled from the sidelines.

“Relax, it’s not like I’m going to beat him up…” He paused. “Too much.”

“He’s totally gonna beat him up. Poor guy.” Leon commented.

“Um… I think he’s too scared to talk. So why not try a different approach?” Fujisaki timidly suggested.

“Good idea, Chihiro! Let’s send out our friendliest!” Asahina seconded.

“Unfortunately, Naegi is absent today.” Sakure remarked.

What? WHAT?? Absent? But he’s right here! Guys, he’s right HERE!!

“Oh, yeah…” She tilted her head in thought and then her eyes widened as she gave light push to her fellow classmate. “Then how about our runner up!”

“Me?” Maizono asked her incredulously but didn’t turn her down. So she then walked to Naegi and asked, “Excuse me but you’re sitting in our classmate’s seat. Are you a transfer?”

Naegi blanched. Were they really serious about this? This has to be a joke.

“It seems that he remains unresponsive. How unfortunate.” Celes commented.

“Move aside. I’ll do this before we waste any more precious time.” Togami commanded as then he glared at Naegi. “A peasant like you has no place here. Get out.”

“Y-yeah! You heard h-him! Get going!” Fukawa seconded from behind him.

First he wasn’t recognized and now he was getting kicked out? All because he got a stupid haircut?? Is this even real???

“Guys… it’s me… Naegi, your classmate.” He weakly tried to explain.

“Eh? Naegichi? Is that you?” Hagakure asked in disbelief.

“Impossible!” Yamada firmly objected. “You lack the tell-tale characteristic of his! I refuse to accept that you are the same person when you’re clearly lacking a ahoge!!”

Aaand that’s it. He just confirmed his suspicions. Just how exactly did everyone see him? A walking ahoge?? Nobody recognized him just because of his haircut. Well sorry for wanting to try something new.

He wanted a new look, not a new identity.

“Hold it.” Kirigiri interrupted. “It’s still too early to confirm or to deny his claim.”

Naegi internally screamed. Not Kirigiri too!

“Who cares? This is way too funny!” Junko cackled.

“Please take this seriously, sis.” Mukuro admonished her.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Oh, what EVER happened to POOR Naeggs?” Junko wailed dramatically and then discreetly winked at Naegi.

!!!! She knew! She fucking knew! But knowing Junko, she wasn’t going to let anybody know. Not when she was having so much fun watching this unfold. Naegi sighed. Trust his luck that the only person on his side… wasn’t really on his side at all. This was just too painful to deal with.

So Naegi quit.

He got up and walked out of the classroom. He skipped classes for a month just until his ahoge grew back. The school excused him as “missing” since even the faculty couldn’t recognize him and thus, no news was heard about him. When he came back to class, he let out a sigh of relief as everyone flocked to him in worry but most importantly, in recognition.

From time to time, he unconsciously checks his ahoge if it’s still there and if his identity is still in tact.

Ever since Naegi got a haircut, he decided to never get one again.

Chapter Text

Were serial killers supposed to know about each other?

Did they even count as serial killers? Granted that Fukawa did in fact have one living inside her and Pekoyama was more of a hitman than a serial killer but still. It was odd how two murderers even knew about each other in the first place. Apparently Pekoyama crossed paths with Genocider Syo one night and the next day she confronted Fukawa about it in concern for her young master’s safety given Syo’s track record.

They’ve had this sort of truce going on ever since then.

They’d keep quiet about each other’s secret. It was an unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t bother each other much less interact in school.

But for some reason, they were together today.

“W-what are you doing here?” Fukawa skeptically questioned her.

“I was told to go socialize with other people.” Pekoyama promptly answered.

“And you chose me for that?” Fukawa asked with raising suspicion and almost accusation. “D-don’t you have any friends?”

“…” Pekoyama stared back at her.

“Wow, that is just so sad.” Fukawa said flatly.

“It’s nothing to dwell on. This doesn’t impede with my duties.” Pekoyama calmly stated her feelings about it.

“And there’s the denial. D-double sad.” Rather than sympathize with her, Fukawa further mocked her.

“What about you?” This time it was Pekoyama who started asking questions. “I can’t seem to find your master within our range. Did he also send you off alone?”

Fukawa blanched at the precise question and so her complex worked by default. “D-don’t get the wrong idea! I’m alone because I chose to be!” She yelled however in a much smaller voice she muttered, “…and maybe because master told me to.”

“I see.” Pekoyama nodded understandingly.

“But don’t lump me with the likes of you!” Fukawa pointed her finger at her. “I’m not some l-loser who spends their time alone because they don’t have anyone else!”

“So you do have friends?” Pekoyama innocently asked her.

Strike two, Fukawa was in shock again. But she had to save her face. “N-naturally! What? Did you think that I’m too ugly to have friends?” Her self-esteem issues and persecution complex worked double time.

“No, I did not think of that. In fact, I had assumed that you had friends.” Pekoyama clarified.

“Y-yeah, well you’re right. I do!” Fukawa sort of half-lied. “I have a best friend named Kameko.” Which was a stinkbug and a far cry from human friends but still, Pekoyama didn’t need to know that.

“Is that so?” Pekoyama smiled softly at her. “That’s good. You’re fortunate enough to have friends.”

That warm and gentle smile on the usually cold swordswoman had caught the literary girl off guard.

But she didn’t want her to see what effect she had on her. So Fukawa did her best to disguise it. “D-don’t patronize me!” She said with a flushed face and hopefully it would pass as red from anger.

“I apologize. That was not my intention. I was just acknowledging your blessings.” Pekoyama bowed accordingly, oblivious of her smooth talk.

“Well, whatever. Doesn’t matter much to me anyways.” Fukawa dismissed her apology. And then returned to the novel that she had yet to finish. “Since I pity you, I’ll let you stay here with me for a while. Just don’t bother me while I write.”

“Understood. I’ll be in your care.” Pekoyama said as she took a spot in one corner of the room, just within the edges of Fukawa’s vision.

They may be murderers but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get along with each other.

Chapter Text

“Well if it isn’t the stick up his ass, asshole.”

“Hm? I’m sorry, were you talking to me? I couldn’t see you down there.”

There just so happens to be two blonde asshole heirs because apparently one wasn’t enough. And they were even worse around each other.

“That’s because you’re always in your high chair.” Kuzuryuu jabbed.

“Better a figurative high chair rather than a literal one.” Togami retorted as he looked down upon him with a smug grin. “You would know that wouldn’t you? Baby gangster.”

“Oh, that’s it!” Kuzuryuu erupted in anger as his fists balled and were ready to punch the living daylights out of him. He yelled furiously, “I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Ha! You can’t reach me.” Togami sneered.

“You’ve stooped low enough for me to reach.” Kuzuryuu quipped menacingly.

“Hardly, seeing how close you are to the ground.” Togami further mocked him.

But before the verbal abuse could escalate any more, a bamboo sword was swiftly aimed for Togami’s throat.

“One more insult to master and I will not hesitate to physically stop you.” Pekoyama threatened, her eyes glistened with killing intent.

A pair of scissors flung through the air and she had to block it with the sword or else it would have slit Kuzuryuu’s throat.

“Not so fast, braid copycat!” Genocider Syo hollered. “No one threatens my master! So step aside, you megane copycat bitch! Seriously, stop ripping off my design and be more original.”

The two ladies locked gazes in an intense staredown and there was nothing else but bloodlust in their eyes. They readied their weapons for the inevitable brawl and bloodshed.

But their masters would have none of that.

“Lay off, Peko.”

“Behave, Syo.”

They ordered them to stand back and they begrudgingly obeyed. And although they managed to postpone their bodyguards’ fight, there was still another one ongoing and they had yet to determine the victor.

“This is between us power blondes.” Kuzuryuu solidly declared.

“Peasants have no room in this conversation.” Togami seconded. “Although in my eyes, you’re all peasants.” He then lifted his chin for emphasis. “Including the boy.”

“I didn’t know that pricks could talk.” Kuzuryuu pressed on. “What do you know? You learn something new each day.”

“I thought this was a high school. What’s an elementary kid doing here?”

“He’s about to beat the living shit out of the fucking dick in front of him.”

“Hellspawn.”

“Douchebag.”

Kuzuryuu and Togami grew a little bit closer.

Chapter Text

“How’s it hanging, Chihiro?” Mondo greeted him as he entered the room.

Chihiro just smiled sweetly at him and waved as he cheerfully greeted back in his usual innocent voice,

“Hey, motherfucker!”

…

What the… fuck?

Mondo just stood there and gaped at him in shock. Did he just? Did he really? Did he hear him right? Mondo frantically looked about for anyone else who could have said it. There was none. It was only him and Chihiro in the room and he was sure as hell that he wasn’t the one who said that… was he? No, it definitely wasn’t Mondo. He may swear a lot but he swears that this time it wasn’t him.

Which meant that it could only have been…

“Chihiro?!” He yelled in shock.

“Yes, what is it?” He innocently smiled back completely oblivious to Mondo’s terror.

“What did… what did you just say when I got here?” He hesitantly asked and wished he was wrong.

Chihiro tilted his head, slightly confused by his question and then upon understanding he nodded and smiled brightly as he chirped, “Oh, that. I said, Hey, motherfucker!”

…

Holy shit this was real.

“H-Hold up.” Mondo said as he raised a hand in gesture and another went to his head as he felt an incoming migraine. “Okay, first of all. Hey to you too.” He paused as he took in a deep breath to prepare himself for the big one. Tentatively, he asked, “Second. Why would you even say that?”

“Say what?” Chihiro tilted his head innocently.

“What? You know what!” Mondo said exasperatedly as he tried to explain. “You know! The uh, M-word? Is that what you guys call it?”

“Motherfucker?” He nonchalantly supplied.

“Jesus christ, Chihiro. Watch your language.” Mondo swore.

“Says the one who just swore in his lecture.” Chihiro pouted at him.

“Yeah, but that’s me. And you know me.” He sighed as he scratched his head and then looked at him seriously. “You on the other hand, you…”

“I’m what?” He curiously asked.

“You…” Mondo was about to explain that Chihiro wasn’t supposed to say those things since it’s him but he thought that it might come out bad. So instead he just sighed and avoided answering by asking his own question, “Why did you even think of saying that? Usually you’re all… I dunno, mellow? Chill?”

Chihiro smiled brightly at him as he clapped his hands. “Oh, that’s because I’ve been thinking of spicing things up!”

“Spice things up?”

“Yeah!”

“By… swearing?” Mondo asked confusedly. “What gave you that brilliant idea anyways?”

“Huh?” Chihiro paused. And then he started chuckling as he innocently admitted, “From you of course! I really look up to you, you know.”

…What? He did this?

Chihiro just smiled even brighter at him as he earnestly confessed, “You’re my role model after all!”

It was at this moment that Mondo realized, he fucked up.

Chapter Text

“Greetings, Chihiro!” Ishimaru greeted him full of spirit.

Chihiro just smiled sweetly at him and waved as he cheerfully greeted back in his usual innocent voice,

“Hey, motherfucker!”

…

Ishimaru almost fainted.

“E-Excuse me?” He stammered as he clutched onto the doorframe before his knees gave out on him from shock.

“Oh, nice to see you too, Ishimaru.” Chihiro chuckled softly and then greeted him again, “How’s it going, motherfucker?”

“LANGUAGE, BRO!” Ishimaru yelled indignantly. And then he immediately flushed in embarrassment at his outburst. He coughed. “I apologize for raising my voice. It’s a reflex I’ve developed around bro.”

“It’s okay. I’m already used to your volume.” Chihiro said understandingly.

“Yes, well that is to be expected since we are always together. Although that doesn’t excuse my behavior. Shouting is not allowed in a school environment.” Ishimaru sternly reprimanded himself and then turned to his friend in concern. “And so is… uttering profanities.”

“Oh, that?” Chihiro flushed as he shyly fidgeted. “Sorry, it just comes out now when I’m excited or just really happy.”

“Is that so? It’s good to know that you must be overwhelmed by my presence. I too feel happy around you.” Ishimaru replied with a bow and then warily confessed, “I must admit that I am still a bit concerned by this change. What brought this on if I may ask?”

Chihiro blushed sheepishly. “I just thought it would be nice to have an image change.”

“Image change? And who might be your reference?” Ishimaru asked skeptically although he already had his suspicions.

“Ehehe, you know him very well.” Chihiro chuckled lightly and was surprised when he saw Ishimaru starting to walk away. “Huh, where are you going, Ishimaru?”

“I’m going to have a nice long talk with bro.” He replied sternly.

“Oh, okay.” Chihiro waved him off. “Tell him I said hi!”

“Yes, I will.” He agreed and with one courteous bow, he finally left.

Ishimaru will also tell him that Chihiro told him, “Hey, motherfucker!”

Somewhere far away, Mondo felt his bro calling out to him.

He knew. He fucking knew.

Mondo fucked up.

Chapter Text

Yuta has been running all his life.

He’s been running for fun. He’s been running for athletic meets. He’s been running from responsibilities. He’s been running from his sister’s shadow. He’s literally been running for his life.

All this time, he’s done nothing but run.

Even when he was imprisoned in that room for years, he kept himself in shape by running around. And even when he got out, the first thing he did was run. He ran out and he’s been running nonstop ever since as he ran away from the dangers of the city. It was the only thing he could do, the only thing he was good at, the only thing that he was better at than her.

His sister.

He hasn’t seen his sister in years now. He wonders about his sister and her whereabouts. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she even alive? They got separated because she agreed to stay at school and then he got kidnapped, and he’s lost contact ever since. He worries about her.

He misses her.

And no matter how much distance or time may separate them, he still loves her. That’s why he couldn’t help but run when he finally sees her after being separated for so long.

“YUTAAAAAAAA!” Aoi yells as she sprints towards him.

“Big sis Aoi!” Yuta shouts back as his legs kicks harder towards her.

Until finally, finally, they run into each other in a tight embrace.

“I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!” Aoi cries as she holds on to her brother so tightly, it hurt. “You’re okay! You’re okay!!” She doesn’t hold back on the tears.

“I’m really happy to see you too!” Yuta replies with tears in his eyes as well.

She pulls back but only just a bit as she protectively holds him by his face and checks up on him. “How are you? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

He shakes his head. “I’m fine. Thanks for worrying.”

She only cries harder. “I was so scared without you!”

“Shouldn’t you be the mature one here and act tough?” He jokes lightheartedly just like they used to.

“How could I act tough when my little brother is missing?” She sniffles but there is a faint smile on her lips. “Even I can’t keep calm about that.”

He suddenly remembers how nice it is to have someone who worries over you.

He’s smiling too, wider than ever. “I missed you too, sis.”

“Same here. I really really missed having you around.” She tightens her embrace protectively and although her voice is breaking from her sobs, she is not.

She is full and whole again now that she has her brother back.

And she doesn’t plan on letting him go anytime soon. “We’re going to stick togther this time. Big sis won’t ever leave you again!”

“Thanks, sis.” He hugs her back and she is everything he remembers her to be. Warm and safe and very much alive.

They still have a lot of catching up to do but for now, they’re just grateful for the fact that they’re together again.

“Welcome back, Yuta.”

“Welcome back, big sis Aoi.”

Yuta has been running all his life but his best run so far was when he ran for home.

Chapter Text

They only found out about it recently.

One moment they were all having a friendly conversation outside of the facilities, the five of them just hanging out and exchanging friendly banter. Then before anyone could stop it, a breeze blew in which irritated Hinata’s nose.

Hinata sneezed and then Izuru took over.

“…” Izuru didn’t even seem phased by his sudden appearance, if anything he just looked disinterested.

Everyone was stunned at the sudden change in demeanor and the change of his eyecolor didn’t help at all.

“What the fuck?” Kuzuryuu was the first to react. “Who the fuck are you?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Souda screamed right after.

Izuru stoically regarded his surroundings and then calmly disregarded them. “…How boring.”

“I believe that the proper term is ‘concerning’ not boring.” Sonia warily commented.

“Yo, Hajimes! What’s with the cold attitude?” Akane asked obliviously.

“Hmph, figure it out yourself.” Izuru harshly replied.

Before they could even absorb what was happening, it was already over. A wrench flew out of nowhere and hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious on the floor.

Another pregnant pause filled the room.

“You fucking knocked him on the head, you asshole!” Kuzuryuu yelled angrily.

“I panicked, okay!” Souda defended himself as he cowered with his hands held up.

“Violence is uncalled for.” Sonia reprimanded him.

“Yeah! I wanted to be the one to hit him!” Owari yelled as she pumped her fists.

As they continued arguing, unbeknownst to them, someone was starting to regain their consciousness.

“Ugh… what the hell?” Hinata moaned as he slowly sat up and rubbed the sore spot where the wrench hit him.

“Hinata! Are you okay?” Sonia asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I-I think so.” “What happened to me?”

“Uhhh…”

Everyone turned to look at each other.

“A coconut fell and hit you on the head.” Souda frantically lied.

Kuzuryuu gave him a scanthing glare. Are you serious?

“What? For reals?” Hinata asked in disbelief as he then looked around him. “Then where’s the coconut?”

Another awkward pause.

“I ate it.” Owari declared with a straight face.

Kuzuryuu looked like he was just about to burst. Are you guys fucking serious???

“Hmm…” Hinata eyed them suspiciously.

It was a long and tense moment and everyone held their breaths.

Until he finally shrugged. “Huh, well that makes sense.”

Wait, he fucking bought it? At this, Kuzuryuu finally gave up and did a face palm.

“How long was I out?” He asked, still a bit wobbly as he stood up.

“A while.” Kuzuryuu readily supplied before any of them try to say anything stupid.

“Then I guess I better go since Naegi said he needs to see me. Thanks for watching out for me while I was out.” Hinata said as he waved them off. “See you later!”

The whole room was deadly silent as soon as he got out.

“Should we tell him?”

“Nobody tells him.”

“But what if he needs to know?”

“Do YOU want to tell him?”

“No…”

“Nobody fucking tells him.”

And thus began their days of dealing with ordinary Hinata and his not so ordinary problem named Izuru.

Chapter Text

There are questions better left unasked.

“Hey, I never did question it when it happened but… what’s up with everyone giving me their underwear?”

And Naegi just had to ask one of those questions.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?” The whole room erupted in chaos.

Followed by the great war of who Naegi’s best friend truly is.

“Wait, so I wasn’t the only one who gave you one?” Leon was the first to jump in the fray. “Not cool, man. But we’re still best buds, right?”

“Like hell you are!” Mondo interrupted with a shout. “This guy’s already promised to be my best bud, not yours so back off!”

“Calm down, bro.” Ishimaru patted him on the back as he laughed cheerfully. “Naegi and I have already formed a wonderful bond but we are willing to share!”

“Um… I also gave you mine so that has to count for something.” Chihiro timidly added.

“Wow, Naegi. Never figured you to be the player type.” Asahina said with a whistle. “We’re still up for donuts, right?”

“This is quite unexpected.” Sakura remarked. “Nevertheless, my opinion of you hasn’t changed and thus, you may continue to keep the token of our friendship.”

“What’s this? Even girls have been giving out their most prized possessions to you! Master Naegi, my comrade in arms, please teach me of your ways!” Yamada pleaded before he was abruptly shoved aside.

“Shut up, pig.” Celes harshly ordered and then turned to Naegi and smiled threateningly. “I believe that my servant has already pledged his allegiance.”

“Hmph, pathetic.” Togami scoffed. “Look at you squabling about over this peasant. Who by the way is already property of the Togami conglomerate.”

“Wait if you’re buddy-buddies with everyone here, does that mean that as your best buddy I get a share in whatever you get?” Hagakure asked as he then clapped his hands and pleaded. “Naegicchi, you gotta help out your best guy!”

“Y-You said we were friends!” Fukawa pointed at him accusingly. “Was it all just a lie? Y-Y-You cheater!”

“Guys, stop ganging up on Naegi. We all know that I’m his favorite, right?” Sayaka winked at him.

“I thought I was the only one…” Mukuro softly murmured. “I really meant it, ya know? When I gave you mine.”

“No word in the human language can describe the disappointment I feel right now.” Kirigiri commented. “However, I will forgive you should you declare that our bond is the strongest.”

And thus, the war on who Naegi’s best friend is raged on.

“So? What do you have to say for yourself?” They finally asked him after minutes, almost an hour, of fruitless arguments. They’ve been fighting over him this whole time and they weren’t getting anywhere so it was time for the guy in question to answer it once and for all.

Except Naegi wasn’t even in the room anymore.

He started this war and he bailed out on them.

“After him!” They ran out and hounded him.

Somewhere, very very far away, Naegi wondered if he could peacefully end this war. After all, they were ALL his precious friends. He didn’t want them fighting with each other and especially not over him. There has to be a way to pacify everyone without showing any biases.

Maybe if he just gave away 14 pairs of his own boxers then they’d be happy with that answer.

Chapter Text

Naegi was still not over the fact that his classmates only see him for his ahoge.

The whole concept was so ridiculous that he cannot believe it himself. Well that was until he experienced it. Sure, his ahoge is part of his look but he didn’t imagine it to be a core part of his identity. He realized that it was a serious matter when even the faculty of the school could not recognize him . They even tried to kick him off campus when he started claiming to be himself because the profile picture didn’t match.

It’s been a month since that incident and although it was a traumatizing experience for him, to his classmates, it was just a weird incident where a stranger came in while he was absent. They were really worried about him and he’s touched over that but he’s still hurt over the fact that they honestly couldn’t recognize him. Talk about a haircut gone wrong. He almost lost his identity.

But moving on from the incident, he also realized that there was a silver lining to this discovery.

He had the ultimate disguise.

He could gel down his ahoge or wear a hat and then he’d be virtually a stranger in the next moment. He tried it more than once and it’s never failed him. At first he wasn’t sure what to do with this newfound ability since there wasn’t any practical function for it. But when his classmates suggested a game of hide and seek, he knew. He knew he was destined for greatness.

What better way to hide than to hide his ahoge?

Now he’s the undisputed champion at hide and seek.

“Gotcha!”

And Junko was here to challenge him.

“Game’s over, folks! I caught Naeggs!” Junko hollered as she tightly held onto Naegi’s arm while she dragged him towards the others.

Naegi just smirked at her as he smugly asked, “Did you really?”

“What?”

Then everyone else turned their attention to them.

“Finally! Now we can start a new game!” Leon pumped his fists excitedly until his face dropped into a look of confusion. “Okay, so where’s the lucky guy?”

“Yes, we were expecting you’ve caught Naegi.” Sayaka seconded. “But who is this stranger you have with you?”

“Uh, HELLO?” Junko looked at them incredulously. “This IS Naeggs.”

“Hello to you too!” Asahina replied cheerfully. “But seriously, where’s Naegi?”

“And did this stranger agree to come along with you?” Sakura asked in concern.

“Ugh! What the hell is wrong with you guys?! Are you blind or something!!” Junko yelled disgruntledly. “There is no stranger. There is only Naeggs and it’s this guy!”

“I believe we will be the judge of that.” Yamada refuted. “And this character you brought with you is nowhere close to his character design.”

“It seems you are sorely mistaken.” Celes politely smiled. “I know you must be desperate to win but you could have at least brought a stranger that looks remotely like him.”

“Bitch, what did you just say?” Junko glared at her.

“Fighting is not allowed in a school environment!” Ishimaru quickly intervened. “And neither is abduction of people.”

“There is no kidnapping! It’s Naeggs and he came along with me!” Junko explained exasperatedly. “Look! I’ll even prove it!”

And then without warning, Junko pulled back Naegi’s hoodie.

“There! See! It’s him!” She yelled triumphantly.

A tense silence filled the air.

“Uhh, is it just me or I don’t see it.” Hagakure commented.

“WHAT???” Junko turned to look at Naegi–

Only to see him smiling back at her, with his ahoge gelled down.

You little shit!!

“Are we done wasting our time here?” Togami scoffed as he turned away. “That peasant is always troublesome to find anyways. We’re better off looking for him than squandering our resources here.”

“I a-agree with m-master.” Fukawa stammered. “Huge knockers here just b-brought a knock off.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that these babies are natural!” Junko squawked indignantly.

“I think she meant the person.” Chihiro timidly corrected. “For now let’s just look for Naegi.”

“Yeah, leave this guy alone.” Mondo said as he turned to Naegi. “Sorry for getting you involved, buddy.”

“Why are you apologizing to him? When you should be apologizing to ME!” Junko demanded as she stomped her feet in frustration.

“Well that’s that then.” Kirigiri declared as she clapped her hands and announced, “Let’s continue our search for Naegi.”

“Stop telling people that he’s missing! He’s right here, guys!!” Junko yelled at them.

“Just let it go, sis. I’ll help you find him.” Mukuro sympathetically patted her arm.

“Arrgh! I don’t need help! HE’S ALREADY HERE!!” Junko desperately wailed.

And all the while, Naegi was beaming brightly as the scene unfolded.

Playing hide and seek has never been this fun.

Chapter Text

There are questions better left unasked.

“So is anyone going to explain to me why they gave me their underwear or what?“

But Hinata just had to ask one of those questions.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?”
“Adele!!”
“SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!”
The whole room erupted in chaos.

Followed by the great war of who Hinata’s best friend truly is.

“Soul friend! Say it isn’t so! I’m your bestest, right?” Souda cried and then there were literal tears in his eyes as he asked, “Wait does that mean you got Sonia’s too?!”

“Yes, Hinata did in fact receive mine. It is proof that he has agreed to return to my country as a hero.” Sonia clarified as she stuck out her hand with authority. “So we must cease this fighting at once! He already has promised me his companionship.”

“Fufufu!” Gundam diabolically laughed and then bellowed, “Fools! Your shallow pacts mean nothing to him for he has already pledged his allegiance to the Tanaka Empire! He is bound by contract to serve under me!!”

“Back off, fuckers!” Kuzuryuu angrily yelled and then smirked smugly. “This guy here already swore to me. Got that? He’s already a part of the Kuzuryuu clan so you can all just go home and suck it!”

“It seems you are more capable than you appeared to be.” Pekoyama calmly commented. “Perhaps with my young master’s permission, we may still continue where we left off.”

“You got everyone’s? EVERYONE’S??” Teruteru huffed excitedly with a more intense nosebleed than usual. “Tell me all about it! I’ll feed you the finest things in life if you give me all the finest details of those clothes!”

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Koizumi interjected and then glared at Hinata. “And as for you, Hinata! I can’t believe you went on an… on an… underwear collecting spree! Have you no shame as a man! Honestly, I thought you were different. Ah, but it’s not like I like you or anyting, okay!”

“Um, I’m okay with sh-sharing but only if y-y-you’re okay with that!” Mikan stammered and then timidly asked, “W-We’re stil f-f-friends right?”

“Nobody asked for your opinion, pig-barf!” Saionji yelled at her and then turned to him teary-eyed. “You said you’d watch my show. You promised me not these bimbos. You’re gonna choose me, right?”

“AHAHAHAHA!” Nidai laughed boisterously. “Look at you getting along with everyone! But don’t forget you’re training with me!”

“Yeah, Hajimeme!” Akane seconded with a holler. “You still gotta fight me!”

“There will be no such intense activities for Hinata.” Twogami smoothly intervened. “He already has his plans filled with helping me.”

“BUT! BUT! BUUUUUT!” Ibuki wailed as she jumped and skipped around. “Hinatater-tots is going to be a rockstar with Ibuki! We’ll be so great at it, they’ll call us rockets instead!!”

“Ah, look at you getting flocked with hope!” Komaeda laughed merrily. “You truly are the most hope-filled person I’ve ever met, how lucky of me!”

From behind a monitor screen even Nanami chipped in, “Hinata, please don’t forget about me. You still have lots to teach me.”

And thus, the war on who Hinata’s best friend is raged on.

“So? What do you have to say for yourself?” They finally asked him after minutes, almost an hour, of fruitless arguments. They’ve been fighting over him this whole time and they weren’t getting anywhere so it was time for the guy in question to answer it once and for all.

Except Hinata wasn’t even in the room anymore.

He started this war and he bailed out on them.

“After him!” They ran out and hounded him.

Somewhere, very very far away, Hinata escaped to the only person who could help him. He went to hide with Naegi.

“What have I done?” Hinata asked himself in horror.

Naegi empathetically patted his shoulder with a small tired smile, “Just give them yours and they’ll be pacified with that.”

Maybe if he just gave away 15 pairs of his own boxers then they’d shut up.

Chapter Text

My name is Komaru Naegi but you already know that.

You already probably know that I’ve been living here at Towa City for a while now. Because you know, it’s actually not such a bad place once you look past all the littered corpses and rampaging murderous robots. I’m not really fond of that either but that’s just my opinion. On the other hand, the kids here love that and they look like they’re having fun. Plus, you could get most of the stuff here for free! Like I could walk into a grocery and do some shopping without even paying for it! That’s pretty neat, right?

Towa City is actually a nice place now that I think about it.

Oh, who am I kidding? It’s absolutely terrible here.

If you asked my past self then I would have hightailed it out of here as soon as I got my bracelet off. Not only is it dangerous here, every second I spend here is another memory added to my already stacked up resume of trauma. Even when I’m not fighting, I’m forced to see all this mayhem and death. I think I’ve seen enough to last me not just one lifetime but also for the rest of my reincarnations. I’m still just a high school girl you know.

I don’t want to be here and yet here I am.

I’m not like my past self anymore. I’m different now. I’ve grown from this horrible experience. Rather than hold me back, I’m using it the move forward. I’m facing forward. I won’t cower in fear at my own helplessness. I’m going to fight back. That’s right, I made the decision to not look away from this and instead to actually stand up.

And I’m not doing this alone.

“But Touko, if you don’t bathe, you’ll stink!” I pout as I say this. 

Seriously, she may be older than me but her hygienic habits or lack thereof are a bit sketchy so I end up looking after her in this aspect. Oh, well. It’s nice to be the senior for once even if it’s something as petty as bathing.

“I-I don’t care if I stink…” Touko stammers as she backed away.

Not like I’m going to let her get away that easily.

“Gotcha!” I cheer as I grab her and we both fall on the floor.

“HIIIIIIIIII!!!” She shrieks and struggles against me.

“Hey, stop moving!” I scold her. Why does she have to make this so difficult each time?

And then a ring interrupts our struggle.

“A-An incoming call!” Touko stutters in relief and then scampers away to take the call of her savior. “Master Byakuya!”

“Oh, Touko.” I let her go for now.

So that’s what’s been going on for us so far. And just now we received orders for work to do. It’s nothing new, it’s just another episode for us.

Well, duty calls!

Chapter Text

It was an unusual connection.

“Are you perhaps Miss Fukawa?” He asked hesitantly.

“J-Just drop the honorifics.” She grimaced and then shot him a glare. “I’m guessing since you were e-expecting me then you must be Hinata.”

“Yeah, that’s… me.” He confirmed with a nod.

“So?”

“So…?”

Fukawa grabbed her head and scratched her hair wildly in frustration. “So stop wasting my time and let’s just get this over with!” She yelled exasperatedly. “Tell me this instant w-why I was sent to this god f-forsaken island just so I could meet a g-generic nobody like you?!”

“Generic?” Hinata repeated with an offended look but chose not to comment any further. “Nevermind.” He sighed. “Look, the reason is simple enough. I need help.”

“With a generic face like that why wouldn’t you need help?” Fukawa snarkily commented.

“Hey! We can do this without the sass.” He glared at her.

She scoffed back at him. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

“Are you always like this?”

“Are you always so problematic?”

They stared each other down, neither backing down.

“You know what? I’m just going to skip ahead and just show you.” With that declaration, Hinata pulled out some sort of black powder from his pocket.

Then he sniffed at it and sneezed.

When he opened his eyes, they were no longer his. They were bright red.

And this stranger regarded Fukawa mild disinterest. “How boring.”

It was then that Fukawa understood exactly why they requested her expertise on this. And what’s worse was how infuriating this situation was. What an absolute pain! She already has enough to deal with her own predicament and now she had to babysit this piece of work? This person with a plagiarized split personality trait? It was just insulting to her.

But she didn’t have a choice. She was obligated to help him by orders.

She sighed dejectedly and lazily asked the stranger, “So I don’t suppose I can convince you to t-turn back to him, can I?”

His eyes blankly met hers. “Do whatever you want. This doesn’t concern me.”

Well that was… unexpectedly easy. Maybe Syo could learn a thing or two from this guy.

“Okay since you already a-agreed to it then prepare yourself for I’m a-about to use force.” She warned him as her hand went to take out the taser she had in her pocket.

“…” He didn’t even honor her with a reply, not even the slightest bit disturbed at a weapon aimed at him.

“Don’t say I didn’t w-warn you.” Fukawa said as she turned it on.

And then shocked the stranger until he was unconscious.

It took a while but Hinata eventually came back to consciousness as his hands cradled his pained head. “What the hell?”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Fukawa complained as soon as she had an audience. “I can’t believe they r-recycled character traits. I’m supposed to be the only one with a s-split personality. It makes me unique.”

“Uh… okay?” Hinata hesitantly replied, still disgruntled from whatever happened. He felt sore all over for some reason he didn’t remember.

“Please tell me the other guy’s not a m-murderer too.” Fukawa pleaded exasperatedly.

“Uhhhh…” Hinata felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead.

“Seriously?” She looked at him incredulously and when he didn’t reply, she just groaned in frustration and started yelling. “They even have the red eyes! I’m surprised he doesn’t have a ridiculously long tongue to match it!”

“Uh, I’m sorry?” He asked uncertainly, he’s not really sure what she meant by long tongue but he couldn’t help but feel grateful that he somehow lucked out with his other personality.

“Yeah, you better be!” She pointed at him and continued her rant, “Sheesh! Talk about photocopy. There’s nothing original about you at all!!”

“Hey! It’s not like it’s my fault I ended up this way!” He paused as soon as the words left his mouth and then he backtracked. “Okay so maybe it is my fault. But it’s not like I ever wanted this.”

“Arrgh! Who cares?! Whatever!!” Fukawa yelled as she scratched her head again in frustration. She sneered at him, “I’m obligated to help you after all so let’s do this and never speak about this again.”

Hinata has dealt with enough weird people to not let her get under his skin as he calmly accepted her thinly disguised offer slash threat, “I’m cool with that.”

And so, Team Split Personalities came to be.

It was an unusual connection but still a connection nonetheless as they bonded over the struggles of having to deal with a split personality. 

And the awkwardness of talking about it.

“Have you ever tried tasing yourself?”

Chapter Text

They were just kids.

Kids who murdered adults and plunged a whole city into despair but still kids nonetheless. They just did what they thought was best. Not just for them but for every single kid in Towa city. They were creating a paradise for children where there would be no adults who could hurt them or make them feel worthless. They were the Warriors of Hope.

Or they thought they were.

In truth, they were nothing more than dispensable pawns in this game they made. No, in the game that SHE made. It was supposed to be fun that’s why it’s a game but it wasn’t fun at all. They thought that the other kids were playing it with them but they were all getting played instead.

They were all tricked.

They just wanted a paradise with no adults. How did it come to this?

The Warriors of Hope were broken, battered, and bruised. They were huddled together while they set up camp underground where they’ve cleared the area of monokuma, adults, and even other children. They were on their own now. The monokumas did not obey them anymore, the other children were brainwashed so it was useless talking to them, and all the adults were naturally out to kill them on sight. They were supposed to be heroes and yet here they were hiding for their lives like refugees. They had no choice but to protect themselves. It’s not like they could realy on anyone.

No one ever did save them at their worst so why would anyone save them now?

“Found you!” A voice rang throughout and despite its cheeriness, the kids couldn’t help but freeze at an intruder discovering their hideout.

And when they saw who the intruder was, they just gaped in shock.

“YOU?!!” All three of them shouted in varying degrees of surprise, some more annoyed than others.

“Yes, me!” Komaru beamed at them as she put away her megaphone. “It looks like the intel was right.” Her smile reached her ears as she remarked in relief, “I’m so glad you guys are alive and okay! You aren’t hurt, right? Do any of you need any serious treatment before we go?”

“Wait, how did you even find us? This is a secret base, you know!” Masaru yelled at her as he stomped his feet like a kid who just lost at hide and seek.

“Let’s just say that you guys haven’t exactly been as secretive as you think.” Komaru promptly replied as she innocently gestured to the trail of dentures.

“Well excuse me for defending myself with the only weapon I have! We can’t all have an ugly megaphone like you.” Kotoko huffed in retort.

“Was that comment really necessary?” Komaru weakly chuckled.

“More importantly, w-why were you looking for us? So that you could k-k-kill us?” Jataro stammered as he defensively held up a chisel.

“Woah, there! I’m not here to kill anyone!” Komaru raised her voice as she panicked at his accusation. “You should know by now that I’m just a harmless girl who won’t do anything as extreme as kill. In fact, I’m here to save you.”

“Save us?” Nagisa asked incredulously. “Why would you do something ridiculous? We’re the Warriors of Hope. We’re the ones who drove this city into the state it’s in now. So why bother saving us?”

Komaru just smiled gently at them.

“You’re right. You kids did a lot of irreversible stuff. Horrible irreversible stuff. But I can kind of sympathize given your backgrounds.” Her smile was strained and she even had to wipe her tears before they could flow. She shook her head and stared at them with unflicnhing resolve. “Look, I’m not saying that your actions are justified. You did some terrible stuff. And I get it that a lot of people want you dead.”

She slowly approached them and even though they flinched, she continued walking towards them.

“But I’m not one of those people. Nothing will come out of killing.” She grimaced at the word and then calmly continued, “Nobody deserves to die. Especially not kids.”

Until finally she was right in front of them.

“So let me help you.” She smiled warmly at them. “For once in your life, I want you all to experience what it’s like to have someone you can rely on. Not as an adult but as a sibling. Let me be the mature reliable older sibling you never had who would always look after you.”

And then she gently patted each of their heads with affection.

“It’s okay. Big sis Komaru won’t abandon you.”

They were just kids. They just needed a good influence in their lives.

Chapter Text

Komaru is used to being the younger sister.

And now she’s suddenly the big sister of 5 kids.

The decision was more spontaneous than expected. Well, she wasn’t expecting them at all to begin with. It was just another episode of cleaning up Towa City when she accidentally found them hiding underground. Never has she been so relieved to see a bunch of murderous kids alive. With some convincing, they agreed to be put under her protection (much to Touko’s protests) and ever since then she had fondly taken to the role of Big Sis Komaru.

“Hey! What did I say about rough housing?” Komaru yelled at one of them.

“Tch.” Masaru clicked his tongue annoyedly as he grumbled, “Big sis said to never go too far away.”

She nodded in approval. “Good. Now come back to the kill circle.” As Masaru begrudgingly walked back, Komaru noticed an aberrant movement from her peripheral vision and so she shot at the creeping monokuma and shouted, “Watch out!”

The robot exploded before it could reach Jataro. “T-Thanks, big sis. I thought I was going to go SPLAT!”

“You should be more careful and alert. If this keeps happening then I’m going to have to put you on timeout.” Komaru sighed in relief. That was too close for comfort.

“Kyaaaah! SAVE ME, BIG SIS!” Kotoko screamed as she ran back with a hoard of monokumas followed her.

“Again? Geez, don’t take any more than you can handle.” Komaru whined but she took them all down anyways.

“Big sis. I’m reporting to you that my side is clear.” Nagisa said stiffly.

“Thanks. Well that takes care of this part of town then.” She let out a deep breath. “And really, you shouldn’t be so formal around me. We’re all family here, right?”

That’s right. This time the kids weren’t just a bunch of misfits with abusive backgrounds. This time they really were kids. This time they actually had someone older than them who treated them right. This time they had a big sister who takes care of them.

This time finally have something they could properly call a family.

“Great work everyone!” Komaru cheered as she pulled all the kids into one big bear hug. “Now let’s get some well deserved snacks!” Everyone cheered with her at this.

Komaru is used to being the younger sister but she’s starting to get the hang of this big sister thing.

Chapter Text

Since the last double date turned out to be a success, they figured that they might as well go on another one. Well, it was less of a date and more of a journey of sorts. Not just any journey but a pokemon journey at that.

Team Valor - Nanami
Team Mystic - Hinata
Team Instinct - Naegi, Mukuro

Nanami and Hinata weren’t just the seniors in the group but also the veterans when it came to the game. They’ve been playing this ever since the first day it was released and they’ve had this sort of friendly rivalry between themselves so they’re at a competent level. Even though the two were on separate teams, that didn’t ruin their friendship at all. In fact, it was just more fun for them. Hinata hasn’t beaten Nanami yet but he hasn’t tired from trying.

Naegi and Mukuro on the other hand just started out exactly one week prior to the excursion. It sounded like fun and so they tried and fumbled around with it. Even though they both started at the same time, Mukuro’s level was surprisingly higher than Naegi’s. This was because she overprepared and played a few extra hours… well more than just a few. Anyways, they’re also on Team Instinct mostly because Naegi arbitrarily chose so and Mukuro wanted to be on the same team as him.

With all four of them on a journey together, it was a whole new experience.

Naegi’s luck has lured all sorts of pokemon from the endless supply common types to the elusive rarest of the rare types. Mukuro’s skill has gained them access to hard to reach places and she had even climbed a building from the outside just to catch a pokemon. Nanami's expertise has helped them with the success rate of capture as she taught them tips and techniques. Hinata’s rationality has stopped them from getting in trouble especially whenever the two girls thought of doing anything extreme.

Together, they were a force to reckoned with.

Mostly because they always ended up trespassing.

“Guys, is this really okay?” Naegi asked worriedly.

And then Mukuro dropped down from the gate as she unlocked or rather, broke the padlock on it. “It’s open.”

“Yeah, because last time I checked, trespassing is illegal.” Hinata said matter-of-factly.

“It’s okay. We’re only going to be here for a short while.” Nanami reassured the guys.

“And what if we get caught?” Hinata asked her incredulously, not at all okay with this.

“We won’t.” Nanami answered confidently and then she turned to the other girl of the party. “Right?”

“Right.” Mukuro nodded back.

Before Hinata could argue any further, Naegi’s meak voice interrupted him. “Uhh, guys. I think I found the pokemon.”

Good news was that it was an ultra rare pokemon.

Bad news was that it was surrounded by a pack of rabid dogs ready to pounce on them.

“It’s okay. We’ve trained for this.” Nanami didn’t look the least bit worried.

“Sigma formation go.” Mukuro ordered as she positioned herself at the forefront of the group.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this.” Hinata muttered as he went to his defensive position.

“But look on the bright side, isn’t this exciting?” Naegi chuckled weakly despite being afraid himself.

Some might say that they’ve taken this too far. And maybe they have. Literally.

Chapter Text

Some people like guys. As for Sonia, she likes serial killers.

“It’s truly an honor to finally meet you!” Sonia bowed with all her grace and adoration.

“Can’t say the same to you, dearie. Kyahahaha!” Genocider Syo cackled at her own joke and then stopped abruptly. “No, seriously. Who are you?”

“Oh, I apologize! I got so excited that I forgot to introduce myself.” She clapped her hand and then did an eccentric bow. “My name is Sonia Nevermind, princess of Novoselic, and a die hard fan of yours!”

“An actual fangirl? Can’t say I expected that from you, blondie.” Syo said as she swayed from side to side and then smiled widely at her. “But I rarely get to meet my fans so I’m a bit rusty on what to do. Hmmm, what do celebrities do during meet and greet?”

“I believe there is the ritual of handshaking.” Sonia readily supplied.

“Boring! I need something with more pizzaz!” Syo angrily shouted.

“Then how about the act of signing?” Sonia innocently suggested.

“THAT’S IT!!” Syo hollered and then pulled out her genoscissors as she flaunted them. “Say, want to have my signature?”

Sonia’s eyes sparkled like never before as she excitedly jumped and squealed, “YES! PLEASE!!”

Genocider Syo smiled sweetly at her.

And then rudely shouted, “Well YA CAN’T!” She crossed her arms and haughtily explained, “My signature is priceless ya know! I put a lot of my love into it. That’s why only hot guys get it. Get it?”

Sonia’s shoulders drooped sullenly. “Oh, I see… It’s disappointing but it can’t be helped. It is part of your MO after all.”

Syo gave her a look over and then commented, “Look at you getting all down over missing out on some stabbing action.” She then started cackling again. “And they say I’m the weird one!”

“If I am weirding you out and you are uncomfortable with it then I must apologize.” She politely bowed again and then sheepishly she admitted, “I’m just really starstruck over you since you’re one of my favorite serial killers.”

“Aww, stop making me blush, hun.” Syo teased. “Because I don’t swing that way! But please, do continue with the praise parade!”

“Who would have known that the infamous Genocider Syo is a girl. And they’re even a year younger than me!” Sonia continued enthusiastically. “If only I wasn’t bound to duty as a princess then I would have liked to follow in your footsteps. Ah, but I don’t meant that in a copycat way. That would be disrespectful.”

“Kyeehaha! Do you even here yourself? You’re a riot!” Syo laughed boisterously and then brandished her genoscissors. “I’ve decided. Normally, I’d hate the shit out of anyone with a prettier face than mine without exception BUT GUESS WHAT!”

Syo dramatically paused to build up anticipation.

“I’M MAKING AN EXCEPTION!” Syo yelled out and then pointed at Sonia with her genoscissors dangerously touching her skin. “You are now promoted to blondie I can tolerate!”

Sonia screamed like the fangirl that she was.

“It is my greatest honor! I won’t disappoint you!!” She bowed profusely.

“Don’t worry. I have loooow standards! Kyahahaha!” Syo broke into a mad fit of laughter again.

And so the most unusual bond between a serial killer and her fangirl was formed.

Chapter Text

“The culprit is obvious enough.” Togami proudly claimed as he then pointed his finger at a certain someone. “Tell them, Hinata!”

“Not your slave, Togami.” Hinata grimaced, not taking any of his lazy bullshit.

“How d-dare you talk back to m-master like that!” Fukawa stammered at him accusingly. “A-Apologize to him right this instant!”

“For someone with a persecution complex and low self-esteem issues, you’re abnormally too defensive for this guy who doesn’t need it.” Hinata casually pointed out.

“I’ve got an idea! I know who the culprit is!” Hagakure cheerfully yelled in between the dispute. “Okay, so hear me out. What if it’s–”

“If you say aliens one more time then I am cutting you off right now.” Hinata said testily as he narrowed his eyes at him.

“Uh, guys?” Asahina timidly squeaked. “If you haven’t noticed yet, we haven’t made any progress in the case whatsoever.”

“That’s because aside from Kirigiri and me, everyone here doesn’t even bother to thoroughly check the crime scene like they’re supposed to.” Hinata audaciously complained. “Seriously. Stop relying on us too much and start doing some actual investigating more.”

“While I agree that there is merit to your words, let’s put this petty squabble aside for now.” Kirigiri commented evenly and then nodded to him. “Hinata, if you would. Please summarize what we know so far.”

“Must I do everyhting around here?” Hinata let out a dragging sigh.

This was going to be another long class trial full of problematic people.

“Fine. You’re all lucky I’m here to save your asses.”

Meanwhile, in another class trial…

“Hey! Whoever the murderer is come clean now! Seriously, I don’t want to die!” Souda wailed miserably as he then glared at someone. “It was probably you, wasn’t it!”

“No, it wasn’t me.” Naegi calmly replied, already used to being framed as the culprit right after Nagito’s name gets cleared. He sighed and then looked at them with determination. “Everyone, I think we should calm down first. Nothing good will come out of suspecting others.”

“I am inclined to agree with Naegi.” Sonia seconded although she was a bit more nervous than him. “We haven’t discussed anything yet. It’s still to early to point fingers.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant but I appreciate your voice of support.” Naegi gratefully smiled at her and then redirected his attention to the whole class or rather, to those who were left of the class. “We shouldn’t be doubting each other like this.”

“Why the hell not?” Kuzuryuu refuted as he crossed his arms in disagreement. “There’s a fucking dead body here. Don’t tell me nobody did it. I ain’t trusting any of you.”

“No, you’ve got that wrong.” Naegi firmly objected. “It’s precisely because we’re in this situattion that we should trust each other more.”

“Huh? You lost me there.” Akane said as she scratched her head in confusion. “Are you saying that we should trust a murderer?”

“I’m saying that we should trust each other.” Naegi corrected. “I believe that everyone here are good people. we were just forced into this by Monokuma!”

“Hey! I didn’t force anyone!” Monokuma angrily shouted and then blushed in embarrassment as he sweetly said, “I just motivated you guys!”

“Precisely. All of this is Monokuma’s faullt.” He built up on his argument. “It’s true that one of us killed someone but it’s not like they really wanted to. That’s why until we figure out who it is this time, I want to believe in everyone.”

“I agree with Naegi.” Nanami backed him up. “If we just doubt each other right from the start then we won’t be able to move forward together.”

“Thank you, Nanami. I’m glad someone understands.” He smiled gratefully to her.

“Ahahaha!” Komaeda’s laughter burst forth as he then fervently spoke, “Amazing! You’re shining brightly with hope as always! I truly am lucky to be here with someone as hopeful as you. You who never give in to despair. You who continue to inspire hope in others. You who just might have the SHSL Hope as your talent!”

“Uhh, thanks I guess, Komaeda?” Naegi awkwardly scratched his head. He’s still not used to Komaeda’s fanaticism over hope but he had to put that aside for now. “Anyways, let’s put all suspicions aside for now.”

If they wanted to survive this then they better start trusting each other.

“I want everyone to believe in each other just as much as I believe in all of you.”

The two protagonists continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

Komaru used to be a completely normal high school girl.

Her life wasn’t always like this– a life full of heart-pounding action and dangerous struggles. A life where she’s a hero who wields a megaphone to fight against armies of monokumas. A life where everyone had high expectations of her and she had become the center of attention. A life where she was more than just a normal high school girl.

Komaru used to have a more peaceful life.

She missed those days where she didn’t have to worry about monokumas rampaging across the city and where she didn’t have to be the one to clean up the mess. She missed those peaceful days where she was just an ordinary little sister with an ordinary-turned-talented big brother. Sure, her brother leveled up and she was still ordinary but she was okay with that.

She was okay with being just a side character. Just someone plan and average and no different than ther rest.

But then one day, their house got ransacked and she got separated from her family or perhaps the more accurate term was kidnapped. She was kidnapped and imprisoned in an apartment. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, a feeling of dread grew inside her as the days went by.

Along with the dread, something else grew– literally.

At first she paid no attention to it. She pretended that if she ignored it, it’ll just go away. Yeah, right. Look at what good that did. She should have cut it off when it first sprouted but nooo, she just haad to let it grow for those one and a half years. Now it was too late for her.

Now she had a ahoge.

And come next day when the door was clawed open by a monokuma, knew that this was it.

Komaru had become a protagonist.

Just like any cursed protagonist, she was immediately thrust into a plot. All at once she got forced into a game and they kept treating her as a player. Not just any player but the main player, the one that mattered. To make matters worse, it seemed like the plot she was maining in didn’t seem to be the lighthearted kind. What did she ever do to deserve this fate? In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have set up the flag by doing her own internal monologue.

And thus, this became her world and her daily life now.

Komaru’s life hasn’t always been this abnormal and she blames the ahoge.

Chapter Text

Touko was having a monumental fantasy.

She was standing at the bow of a ship with her beloved right behind her, tenderly holding her by her slim waist. The scent of saltwater filled her senses as it complimented the sweetness of the moment. The moon gazed down upon them like a spotlight and they were the main actors on this stage called romance.

Truly, this was the perfect romantic setup.

And when her lover gently turned her around and tipped her chin, Touko willingly gave into the kiss. It was slow and tender and she felt herself melt inside as the flames of passion burned ever so fervently. And when they finally pulled back, Touko was more than eager to beg for more from Komaru.

…

Wait. What?

Touko abruptly sat up in her bed, completely awake and disturbed. Okay… what the hell just happened? Touko recalled the dream in all its vivid details and she blushed furiously over it. That was not how it was supposed to go! It was supposed to be her darling Master Byakuya as her lover! N-Not Komaru! Why did it have to ber in the first place? She’s a girl for crying out loud! What could this possibly mean…

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Touko furiously denied the possibility. This was just a dream. Just a harmless weird dream about her girlfriend- girl friend!! Just a dream. Just a weird gay dream… NO! This didn’t mean anything and this changes nothing! Touko firmly convinced herself as she got up from bed, too distraught to go back to sleep. That was a strange dream and may it never happen again.

Little did Touko know that this was just the first of many ultra gay fantasis she’ll have.

Chapter Text

Komaru didn’t decide to get a haircut, Genocider Syo did for her.

She doesn’t know why she did it, she wasn’t even aware of when she did it in the first place. all she knew was that one moment they were fighting off monokumas and when it was over, Syo had reverted back to Touko.

And Touko was giving her weird looks.

“W-Who are you supposed to be?” Touko asked warily as she skirted away. “And w-what did you do to K-Komaru!”

“Huh?” Komaru grew even more confused at her accusation. “What are you talking about? It’s me, Touko.”

“D-Don’t get overly familiar with me!” Touko yelled while taking a cautious step back.

“What are you saying? I’m your friend!” Komaru yelled back and took a step closer.

“The only f-friend I have is Komaru! S-So tell me where she is right now!” Touko insisted as she held on to her taser.

Komaru would’ve been touched by Touko’s sentiment if it weren’t for the fact that she was treating her like a stranger.

“But I’m telling you I am–” It was then that her eyes caught a glint which caused her to pause. That’s when she saw herself clearly on the reflection on the glass window. She looked exactly like she usually did while out on the job. Exhausted, covered in dirt, haggard–

And missing her ahoge.

“What the?” Komaru’s eyes widened in sudden realization. “Is this what it’s all about?”

“H-Hey! I’m still interrogating you!” Touko yelled at her. “Don’t just go off t-talking to yourself!”

Komaru continued to stare at her reflection in awe as she mumbled, “It’s gone.”

“Hello? Earth to w-weirdo?” Touko waved her arms wildly.

“It’s actually gone.” Komaru mumbled and then her face broke into a grin as she said, “I’m free.”

“She’s completely lost it.” Touko muttered in disbelief.

“I’m finally free.” Komaru cheered and then suddenly grabbed Touko into a bear hug as she jeered. “I don’t have to be a protagonist anymore!”

“G-G-Get off me!!” Touko stammered, clearly uncomfortable with the contact.

Komaru prompty complied and pulled back only to bow deeply. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” She then stood straight and proud. “I’m forever grateful to you. I won’t ever forget you.”

“O-kay. You’re freaking me out here.” Touko said as she placed more distance between them.

“From now on, I’ll be living my life like I’m supposed to be.” Komaru proudly puffed out her chest and proclaimed, “As a side character!”

And with that, Komaru left a perplexed Touko on the street.

She came back the next day though since her ahoge grew back.

Chapter Text

“SMOOTH!” One side yelled.

“UNSMOOTH!” The other side continued.

And in the middle of the room was Izuru Kamukura.

“What the hell are you guys fighting over this time?”

It was a war between factions of extremes. And just like any war, there were no winners only casualties and among those was Izuru who was caught in the crossfire.

“SET HIM FREE! Don’t tame his beauty! Let it loose! UNSMOOTH and natural all the way!” Ibuki screamed.

“Non, non, non. There’s a reason why the smoothie was discovered even though there’s already the shake. Everyone likes it better smoothed.” Teruteru reasoned.

“Umm… It’s really hard to m-maintain long hair so m-maybe it’s more convenient for him to go unsmooth.” Mikan stuttered her opinion on the matter.

“Shut up! Who cares if it’s convenient or not for him? We’re talking about looks! You’ve got to have pig barf tastes to like him unsmoothed!” Hiyoko sneered back.

“Well they do use ‘smooth’ as a compliment. You don’t hear anyone being happy over getting called ‘unsmooth’.” Mahiru reasonably added.

“Fools! To judge him by his mortal shell was already your downfall. His untamed mane is just proof of his power coursing through them!” Gundam bellowed.

“I don’t wanna hear that from the person who wears makeup and gels his hair. Face it, the dude’s cooler as a smooth criminal.” Souda argued back.

“I do not wish for him to be a criminal though. Therefore I will side with him as unsmooth.” Sonia said in concern.

“It’s called a figure of speech. But you gotta admit that the guy has more style with him smoothed.” Kuzuryuu smirked.

“Style won’t affect performance though. However, I like the fighting spirit I get from him unsmooth!” Nidai laughed.

“Fight? If I can fight him then I’m with unsmooth too!” Akane seconded.

“I will side with smooth… for reasons as well.” Pekoyama calmly admitted.

All the while, Izuru was at a lost as to what they were talking about.

“Why is everyone fighting over smooth or unsmooth? What does it even mean?” He asked out loud but most of the class was still absorbed in their own arguments that he thought he’d never get an answer.

Until finally, Ryotwo decided to shed some light on the topic as he calmly looked up from his work and mouthed, “Your hair.”

…

What?

“Seriously?” Izuru asked him incredulously.

Ryotwo nodded solemnly.

All this discourse just over his goddamn hair??

“Oh, come on!” He yelled in exasperation.

They were all fighting over something so petty and no one even bothered to ask HIM on his opion of HIS hair!!

“By the way, I’m “Team I’m cool with both” in case you were wondering.“ Nanami nonchalantly pointed out.

"Isn’t this exciting? I wonder which hope will shine brighter at the end?” Komaeda commented mostly to himself.

This was not what he signed up for when he became the SHSL Hope.

Izuru was just so fucking done with this.

“Nope. No way.” He said and as he walked out on them he was muttering, “I’m not taking any more of your bullshit.”

The next day, Izuru came to class with his hair braided.

And that was the end of the smooth or unsmooth war.

Unfortunately for Izuru though, that wasn’t the last stupid war.

Chapter Text

“Upupupu! Let this high school life of mutual killing begin!”

Monokuma’s maniacal laughter filled the room and filled the hearts of everyone in it with despair. This was the beginning of their high school life. It was going to begin with death. Not just death but death by mutual killing. Such was the situation forced upon them. There was nothing they could do. They were all helpless and they’d soon fall into despair for–

“There’s no need for that.”

Yes, everyone shall fall into despair and–

“What the what now?” Monokuma asked in surprise.

Kirigiri crossed her arms and then calmly declared, “I’ve already figured out who the mastermind is.”

A pregnant pause filled the gym.

“Eh?” Monokuma tilted its head.

“Ehh?” Someone mimicked its confusion.

“EEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?” And the rest of the class joined in shock.

Kirigiri was the only one who looked perfectly calm amidst all the chaos she’s caused with just her bold statement.

She completely ignored everyone’s distraught and proceeded to explain, “The mystery of this school and why we’re all trapped inside it is most likely because we’re not exactly trapped per se.”

“What does that even mean?” Hagakure asked looking all lost in this.

“It means that rather than interpreting it as ourselves trapped, perhaps it’s more accurate to view it as being locked in.” Kirigiri expounded.

“How is that any different?” Asahina asked as she held her head in confusion.

“Yes, I too am confused as to how these two are different. If you would, kindly please explain it in a way for us to understand.” Sakura politely requested.

“There is a significant gap in our memories. We all remember walking through the gates of the school but the next thing we know is that we’re waking up in a classroom.” Kirigiri narrowed her eyes at this. “Who’s to say that that gap in memory isn’t more than just a few minutes or hours?”

“Unbelievable! Are you saying that we’ve lost our memories? Weeks or months of it? Perhaps even years of it?? How utterly inconceivable! I refuse to believe in this conspiracy.” Togami glared at her levelly.

“There is a talking robot bear telling us that it is the headmaster and it wants us to kill each other is also unbelievable and yet here it is.” Kirigiri crossed her arms and then continued, “I’m not entirely sure about the motive yet but that’s just secondary since I’ve already identified the culprit.”

“Oh, my. That was quite fast. As expected of the SHSL Detective.” Celes giggled in amusement.

“Naturally. It was imperative that I solve this quickly since lives are at stake.” Kirigiri’s hands reflexively clenched at the thought.

“Well? W-Who is it? S-S-Spit it out already!” Fukawa ordered in trepidation.

“Very well, then.” Kirigiri flipped her hair. “And finally, the identity of the mastermind is… none other than Junko Enoshima.”

The whole room fell silent.

And then broke into chaos.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?? Talk about plot twist!” Yamada wildly exclaimed.

“How… How could you do this?” Chihiro asked with tears in his eyes.

“Let’s fucking break her.” Mondo menacingly said as he cracked his knuckles.

“I cannot let violence occur!” Ishimaru interfered. “However, holding a killing game is not suited for a school environment so I must hold her liable for punishment.”

“Huh? W-Wait a minute!” Junko stammered as she backed away from the angry mob.

But before they could exact her punishment, someone prevented them.

“Stop.” Kirigiri sternly ordered them.

“What’s the hold up, yo? You said that she was the one behind this.” Leon asked while he brandished his baseball bat.

She shook her head. “No, not that one.”

“But you just said it was her.” Sayaka pointed out.

“I said it was Junko Enoshima.” Kirigiri calmly stated and then clarified, “As confusing as it is, that person is not her. She’s just a fake. I meant the real one. The one controlling the bear from the safety of her room.”

“Wait how did you even know that this one is an impostor?” Naegi asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? Aside from her appearance not matching her supposed profile, she also breaks out of character more often than not.” She explained.

The fake Junko hung her head in shame.

“It’s over, Enoshima. The game is over.” Kirigiri said as she eyed monokuma with a challenging glare.

All at once the gym was filled with smoke. Amidst the smoke was the form of the SHSL Despair Junko Enoshima.

And Junko was full of despair in the moment.

“NO FAIR! NO FAIR!! NO FAIR!!!” Junko whined as she wildly kicked and punched at the air. She made all this rude gestures at Kirigiri as she glared at her in annoyance. “See! This is why I wanted to wipe all of your memories! You’re just no fun! You’re a fucking walking cheatsheet!!”

Kirigiri calmly looked on as Junko pulled on a tantrum while the rest of the class just stared in shock.

“Please, pass me the mic.” Naegi was nice enough to fetch it and hand it to her. Once in her hand, she held it up and spoke, “I rest my case.”

And then she dropped the microphone.

Kirigiri out.

Chapter Text

“You’ve got that wrong!” Komaeda refuted…

With a gun pulled out.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“What the hell?!” Hinata was the first to snap out of the shock as he looked at him incredulously. “Komaeda, I don’t even know where to begin with.”

“Hm? Is something wrong?” He asked innocently.

“You know exactly what’s wrong you little shit. What the fuck do you plan to do with that gun?” Fuyuhiko asked him angrily.

“Oh, this? I’m just using it to prove a point.” He calmly answered as he waved his gun.

“What are you trying to prove that requires a gun for?” Sonia asked warily.

“My argument, of course.” He said matter-of-factly. “Hinata’s been using truth bullets all this time and I decided to try my hand at it.”

“So then the gun’s just for show, right? It’s not actually loaded.” Akane pointed out.

“No, it’s fully loaded with actual bullets.” Komaeda laughed heartily. “But don’t worry! I’m only going to shoot it when someone states a contradiction. So as long as your statements and evidence align then you have nothing to fear.” His smiled widened as he said this.

“AAAAAHHHH!! He’s lost it! We’re all going to dieee!!” Souda screamed.

“It’s okay. No one’s going to die since I’m a terrible shot.” Komaeda paused and then added, “Probably.”

“Komaeda, it’s admirable that your heart is in the right place but using a gun in a class trial is too dangerous… I think.” Nanami lightly reprimanded him.

“Is that so? But I beg to differ.” His eyes sparkled as he further explained. “You are all symbols of hope. It should take more than just a bullet to take you down.”

“No, you see just because we’re talented doesn’t make us bullet-proof.” Hinata corrected him as he then narrowed his eyes at him. “If you fired at us then chances are we will most likely DIE.”

Komaeda just sighed in response. “I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this. It’s just a gun.” Despite the groans of protests, he on the other hand was smiling. He still hasn’t let go of his gun just yet. “Shall we continue where we left off?”

And thus, the namesake Trigger Happy Havoc was born.

Chapter Text

“You have no reason to fear.” Twogami boldly declared.

“But the bear just said we’re gonna kill each other. I don’t know about you but I think that’s a pretty good reason to fear. Consider me feared.” Hagakure retorted as he cowered pathetically.

“It’s in irrational fear. There won’t be any killings.” Twogami sternly insisted.

“H-How do you k-know that? Y-You’re just bluffing… to let our guards d-down so you can s-strike us when we least e-expect it!” Fukawa accused from a distant corner.

“Hmph. The esteemed Byakuya Togami does not lie.” He crossed his arms as he said this. “Which is why I’m telling you to believe me when I say that there will be no deaths.”

“That’s nice and all to think about but how can you be so sure?” Asahina asked hesitantly.

“Because you are all now property of the Togami conglomerate.” Twogami declared matter-of-factly and then met everyone’s eyes with his own intense resolve. “As long as you follow me, I will promise on the Togami name that no harm shall come to you.”

“Talk is cheap. How exactly do you plan to enforce the safety of everyone?” Kirigiri eyed him suspiciously.

“Do not underestimate the great Byakuya Togami. I may have been born with this name but I have earned my title.” He confidently answered back. “If I can handle a conglomerate then dealing with a meager class of our number should be child’s play.”

“I’m going to place my faith in Togami. Since we’re all in the same situation, I think it’s best if we trust in each other instead of doubting and being afraid of everyone here.” Naegi smiled at him hopefully.

“Thank you for your vote of support. You show much promise in becoming a worthy right-hand man.” Twogami praised Naegi and then turned his attention to the rest of the class. “Are there any objections?”

No one else voiced their opinion against it. Twogami looked on and smirked in approval.

“Then rejoice, commoners. For you have all made the right choice.”

Meanwhile in another class…

“How interesting. This bland trip won’t be so boring after all.” Togami smugly commented aloud.

“Do you even hear yourself? The bear said killing! KILLING!!” Souda shouted frantically.

“Yes, I heard it the first time. No need for unnecessary repetition.” Togami said in disinterest and raised his eyebrow at him. “And so? It’s just a game.”

“Just a game? Lives are at fucking stake here!” Kuzuryuu angrily shouted.

“Yes, but because it’s a game then there are rules.” Togami calmly pushed up his glasses perhaps as a way to emphasize that he was far more intelligent than the rest of his class. “As long as we follow the rules then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Then are you saying that you plan on killing someone?” Sonia asked in trepidation.

“I’m saying that I plan to win.” Togami boldly declared.

“If you’re so up for it then you wanna have a go at me?” Akane challenged him with a guttural growl.

“As if I’m dumb enough to go for the athlete who is far superior than me in terms of physical strength.” Togami haughtily said and then goaded on, “Unlike me, it’s the only thing you excel at.”

“Everyone, please. Let’s all calm down first. Fighting won’t help us… I think.” Nanami tried to placate the ever growing tension.

“Ahaha! Look at all these hopes clashing! I wonder which one will end up shining the brightest!” Komaeda commented with wild eyes.

“Shut up.” Togami sharply ordered. “Nobody asked for your opinion, peasant.”

“No, you shut up. Stop trying to make things worse with your bullshit.” Hinata strongly countered and stood his ground.

“I see that I am unwanted here.” Togami scoffed and then turned his backs on them. “The esteemed Byakuya Togami will take his leave now.”

Nobody even dared to follow him. Togami looked back and left one final remark.

“If you want to survive then you have no choice but to play this game. I’ll win anyways but at least make this interesting for me.”

The two Togamis continued to fight in their own struggles and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

It was the start of their second year at Hope’s Peak Academy and Naegi was running late today. But that’s nothing new. Given his unlucky streak, something must have happened to him again on his way to class even though he just lives in the dormitories across the building! So they all expected him to enter the classroom with another unbelievable yet real tale.

“Sorry, I’m late!” He shouted as he opened the door, out of breath from running.

They didn’t expect him to grow taller over summer break.

At first they thought a stranger had entered their classroom by mistake but one look at the stranger’s ahoge and they knew that this was no stranger. This was in fact, Makoto Naegi and he had the most unbelievable growth spurt.

“Ha… ha… safe at last.” He panted and just as he was about to make his way to his seat, he paused. “O-kay. Why is everyone giving me weird looks?” He asked in confusion.

But nobody answered outright. There was a pregnant pause and the tension in the room rose.

Mondo was the first to make a move. He stood up and strode to Naegi as he then placed both of his hands on Naegi’s shoulders. He stared at him seriously as he said, “I’m going to punch you.”

“Eh?” Naegi looked back, confused, but only saw resolve in Mondo’s eyes. That can’t be good. Mondo’s punches hurt and he knew that from experience. So he panicked. “Ehhh?”

“Please, excuse him. I think he just wants to confirm if it really is you, Naegi.” Chihiro explained politely.

“By punching me??” Naegi asked incredulously.

“Regrettably, that’s just how he deals with things in general. However, I must stop you right there, bro! Violence is not allowed in a school environment!” Ishimaru reprimanded him.

“Oh, thank god. I’ve already had today’s near-death-experience. I don’t need another one.” Naegi heaved a sigh of relief.

“Forget about today. What happened to you during summer break?” Leon asked.

“Summer break? Nothing much. Why? Did I miss anything?” Naegi answered cluelessly.

“It’s just that you seem… different.” Sayaka clarified.

“Different?” He tilted his head and still he was taller.

“Traitor! You were supposed to be the shota type and then you went and leveled up into a bishounen type!” Yamada yelled at him testily.

“I’m not sure I follow?” Naegi said, still oblivious.

“What my servant has failed to explain is that you have finally become a fine young man.” Celes chuckled behind her hand.

“But I’ve always been a guy?” He said with his face scrunched up.

“If everyone is done beating around the bush then allow me to enlighten you. They meant your height, you imbecile.” Togami rudely explained to him.

It’s only then that Naegi finally understood at what everyone else had been hinting at.

“Oh.” He said in understanding. “Ohhh.”

“T-Tell me your secret right now! If you c-could grow inches overnight then s-surely I too can…” Touko trailed off as she self-consciously covered her chest with her arms crossed.

“There’s no secret though. I just woke up like this.” Naegi answered innocently.

“That sounds totally fake but okay.” Asahina commented.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” He scratched his chin.

“Forgive us. We’re still not accustomed to this new form of yours.” Sakura nodded courteously.

“Fair enough.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m just as shocked about it as you guys.”

“Aliens! You definitel got abducted by aliens last summer!” Hagakure theorized with a finger pointed at him.

“For the last time Hagakure, there’s no such thing as aliens.” Naegi sighed in exasperation.

“I still can’t believe our eggy turned into a beefy!” Junko hollered wildly. “Boy, do they grow up so fast! Literally!”

“…” He didn’t reply as promptly this time and with a straight face, he said, “I’ll pretend that I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mukuro locked eyes with him. She nodded and mumbled, “…Congrats. The height suits you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled back at her.

Kirigiri on the other hand, glared at him and declared, “Height won’t change anything.”

Naegi wasn’t sure what she meant by that until a few gears inside his head finally locked into place. He was taller than her now. He smirked in victory. “Sure thing. Whatever you say, Kirigiri.”

And really, he may have grown a few inches taller but everything else stayed the same.

Chapter Text

Mukuro was not the type of person to look down on others… unless she was literally looking down on them.

“Sup, everyo– Son of a bitch! She’s still at it!” Mondo swore as soon as his eyes strayed upwards.

“Your language is not suitable for the school environment, bro!” Ishimaru reprimanded him.

“Oh, and this freaky ninja shit is?” He shot back.

“Although it is a concerning habit, it does not break any rules plus she’s still technically attending class as usual. So I cannot hold it against her.” He calmly reasoned out.

“Well she’s not doing anything wrong. It’s just a bit… unusual.” Chihiro nervously commented.

“Forget unusual. I’m with our yankee here. This is straight up freaky shit.” Leon crudely remarked.

“That’s a bit harsh don’t you think? And I’m pretty sure she can hear us you know.” Sayaka chided.

“Well she’s not reacting so we can assume that she isn’t against this discussion. I am rather intrigued on her behavior.” Celes commented.

“She’s been like that for days now. Doesn’t she get tired hanging up there like that?” Asahina asked in concern but also in awe.

“Probably not given her outstanding physique. Although I must commend her for her determination for doing so in the first place.” Sakura praised her.

“Maybe she’s only pretending to be a soldier when she’s secretly a ninja. Or a double agent! That explains why she’s so out of character!” Yamada excitedly theorized.

“T-This isn’t some anime for you to m-make up stories of! She’s just c-crazy that’s all!” Fukawa accused.

“Let her do what she wants. It most likely doesn’t have anything to do with us so why bother talking about it?” Togami snappishly remarked.

“Guys, I think she’s just hiding from the aliens. Just think about it. They won’t see her up there.” Hagakure wildly theorized.

“If you’re all so concerned about her behavior then why don’t you ask her?” Kirigiri calmly suggested, the only voice of reason.

“Well, the thing is I already did.” Naegi timidly chimed in. “And she said that this was Junko’s wish.”

All eyes then turned to Junko who was currently nonchalantly painting her nails.

“Hm? What? Is there something on my face?” She asked, feigning ignorance.

“No, but we want to ask you a question.” Naegi scratched the back of his head in his nervousness but that didn’t stop him. Finally, he asked what everyone had been wondering all this time. “Why is Mukuro on the ceiling?”

A pregnant pause filled the room.

“Huh? Why?” She looked back at him incredulously and then loudly proclaimed, “Well that’s because I told her to!”

“But why?” He asked confusedly.

“Upupupu… why indeed. Why else other than this!” She snapped her fingers.

And then Mukuro descended from above to give her a juicebox. After which she promptly returned to her position on the ceiling in record time.

Junko casually sipped her drink while she smiled smugly. “Pretty cool, huh?”

Well that didn’t explain anything at all.

To this day, Mukuro still hangs out on the ceiling while the rest of the class has given up on trying to understand why and just accepted this as her thing now.

Chapter Text

Despair took everything from Munakata.

It took away the bright future he worked so hard on building, it took away loved ones from him, and it took away his hopes even the last bits he had barely managed to hold with his fingers. Despair ruined his life and until this day he he was struggling in a battle of hope against it.

“Damn you despair!” He screamed at the top of his lungs as he cursed at despair for getting in his way again.

In the background, his two best friends watched him with concerned yet also exasperated expressions.

“What is it this time?” Sakakura asked as he saw Munakata take out his frustration on an unsuspecting chair.

“We ran out of coffee.” Chisa answered as she watched Munakata flip a table with boiling anger.

“DAMMIT! NOT AGAIN DESPAIR!” He yelled out and this time it was with much more hatred than before.

“Ah. He accidentally stubbed his toes.” Chisa nonchalantly commented.

“CURSE YOU DESPAIR! YOU WON’T GET ME!” He swore when he accidentally spilled his cup of water on him amidst all his thrashing.

“Man, we really should hurry up and eliminate despair. I can’t stand seeing him like this.” Sakakura remarked with a pitying look.

“DESPAAAAAAIR!!!!” He dramatically shouted at the air.

Despair may have won the battles so far but Munakata was hell bent on winning the war.

Chapter Text

At first it seemed like a one time thing, just a slip of the tongue.

But then Munakata started saying it all the time.

“How was your day, Kyosuke?” Chisa asked him.

Munakata chuckled and said, “Just according to keikaku.”

“Hey, I got into the security department!” Juzo reported to him.

Munakata smirked and said, “Just according to keikaku.”

Sometimes he even said it without being prompted.

“The construction of the overseas branch is going well.” He proudly said to himself and then added, “Just according to keikaku.”

Worse, he started saying it over non-important things.

“The coffee at the meeting tasted excellent.” He smiled appreciatively as he took another sip from his cup and muttered, “Just according to keikaku.”

It got so bad that it became his punchline for literally anything.

“The weather is nice.” He breathed and of course he said after, “Just according to keikaku.”

It was becoming annoying a problem especially since he was steadily losing reputation over this. Anyone who has spent 5 minutes with him try not to spend any more because he said the line more than do actual conversation. And why does it have to be keikaku? Why can’t he say plan like a normal human does? It was frustrating everyone and at this rate, he was losing credibility.

So naturally, it was up to his two best friends to fix him.

“Kyosuke, we need to talk.” Chisa started gently.

“Yeah, man. We kinda got a problem.” Juzo seconded.

“Hm? What is it?” Munakata replied obliviously.

“You know how lately you’ve been saying this one line?” Chisa continued.

“What line?”

“You know. The one you always say when things go your way.” She prompted.

Munakata smirked. “Just according to keikaku.”

“Yeah, that one.” Sakakura confirmed and then sighed. “That needs to stop.”

“Huh? I don’t understand.” Munakata looked at them with a puzzled expression.

“Well it’s just that we’ve been hearing stuff about it and it’s affecting your rep. We’re concerned about you.” Sakakura tried to explain.

“Elaborate.”

“Huh? Well. That is… It’s just that…”

“Kyosuke.” Chisa intervened with a sweet smile. “What Juzo is trying to say is-” She paused and then smiled sweeter. “It sounds stupid.”

Juzo’s jaw almost fell to the floor. “That’s not what I said!”

“But that’s what you mean.” She hummed.

“Hey! Stop trying to make me look like the bad guy here! This whole confrontation thing was your idea in the first place!”

“Was it now? Maybe~”

And the two bickered on, not really paying attention to the friend who needed their problem fixed. Munakata’s still not sure what the problem was until an epiphany hit him. He chuckled shortly.

“I see what the problem is.” Munakata’s voice cut through their ongoing heated argument.

“You do?” Chisa asked hopefully.

“Oh, thank god.” Juzo sighed in relief.

“Do not worry over me. This much won’t be enough to stop me. To stop us.” Munakata declared proudly as he continued, “Everything will continue as planned. This is the reality, the future that we are going to shape!”

His two best friends were about to applaud him for his motivational speech until he opened his mouth to say,

“Just according to keikaku.”

And used their hands to facepalm themselves instead.

Chapter Text

Junko’s despair plan was perfect except for just one minor problem named Naegi.

While it’s true that he may look like just some wimp, the truth was that he was actually just some weakass wimp. She shouldn’t even be wasting her time on him because honestly, what’s the worse that he could do, right? He was just some average-looking kid with the usual sense of plainness and normalcy around him that he wasn’t even supposed to be worth mentioning. His personality was absolutely predictable because he was just such a boring person in general but as for his luck…

She couldn’t read his luck at all.

That’s the problem. Her talent of SHSL Analyst was absolutely no match for his SHSL Luck because of how unpredictable his talent was. There was no luck cycle for him, he just had these random bouts of luck which was even hard to pinpoint if they were good or bad. But how would this put a dent on her plans? Surely his luck wouldn’t affect them at all. Wrong! Never underestimate the power of luck. A lot of historical events have happened through some form of sheer luck and so it was a force to reckon with.

That’s why Junko had to eliminate Naegi at all costs.

If only it were that easy.

Okay so maybe throwing a wrench at him was too straightforward. Sure, she could do finesse as well. She’s not some brute who would use blunt force anyways. So one time she pulled out a gun on him when he had his back turned on her. He was just literally one meter away from him and there was no way for her to miss. Her aim was on point.

“Bye-bye, bitch.” She murmured as she pulled the trigger.

Her aim was on point. If only a metal plate hadn’t flown by and intercepted the bullet in the nick of time. It passed right between them and crashed onto the wall with  a loud clank.

What the hell? Will someone explain why the fuck was there a metal plate flying!

“Are you okay?” Sakura asked in concern as she approached them. “I was trying to pull off one of the defective plates but it had slipped my hand. It was much lighter than I expected.”

What the fuck. Those things weighed a shit ton okay. No wonder she was called ogre like holy shit that strength was inhuman.

“We’re okay. I didn’t even notice it pass us by.” Naegi smiled easily as he continued to engage in conversation with Sakura.

Sure, smile it up while he can because that was just a fluke. Like how could he even dodge a bullet like that? She expected something stereotypical like her gun to have jammed or anything else but this bullshit. Like how lucky could he be? He may have survived this time but there were bounds of other chances. His luck was unpredictable so surely it’d fail on him at some point, right?

Oh, how wrong she was.

Okay so blunt force was out and so were guns. There’s still loads of ways to kill a person. Trust her, she’s a murderer! But that’s just it. There were just so many ways to get rid of him but none of it was working on him due to strange forces at work. Each and every single damn time. He’d always narrowly miss death as if the grim reaper himself didn’t want anything to do with him.

It was like he had some sort of armor… like a plot armor.

She tried to stab him once. Twice. Thrice. Okay, a lot of times. They were in the kitchen and she thought, oh look this seemed like a nice place for an “accident” to occur so she took a knife out and straight out tried to stab him while making it look like an accident of course.

“Oops.” She said as she pretended to slip, her hand tightly holding on to a knife and it was aimed straight for his heart.

But she had also accidentally knocked over the pepper. “Achoo!” He sneezed and his body just narrowly missed the blade.

Tch. She missed her chance and now she was dramatically posed on the floor.

He rubbedd his itchy nose and opened his irritated eyes, squinting. “Are you okay, Enoshima?” He asked sincerely.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said witha practiced smile as she got up.

So normally Junko would have stopped any further attempt right there but for some reason she decided to just fuck it. Wouldn’t it be more despairing if he died because she tried the same trick again?

With that, she pretended to have tripped again, “Watch out!” She said with a second delay. This time for sure, she’ll stab him and he’ll die.

He sneezed again, this time it was powerful enough to make him fall onto his back and completely missed her knife.

What the actual fuck? Not this shit again!

More annoyed than determined, Junko tried to stab him again. And again. And again and again. She’s not even making an effort to disguise her actions anymore. She was clearly out to kill him and she had made absolutely no progress at all. What’s worse was that he had misinterpretated all of her attempts as accidents which just infuriated her. How hard could it be to just stab a person? Apparently, it’s harder than it looks.

Keep calm, Junko. Okay. New plan.

She could always count on good old suffocation, right? After all, if she couldn’t kill him with weapons then she could just try to kill him by eliminating his means to survive. Plus, she didn’t necessarily have to be there to pull it off. She just had to set up the thing and the sauna looked like it was about to have its first “malfunction”. So she had Naegi go there, which he complied much to his obliviousness, and everything was going according to plan.

The plan failed.

The sauna did in fact malfunction but it wasn’t the way she had set it up to work. The heating system broke and so did the lock on the door. Sure he ended up staying there for a few hours but the most he was suffering with was boredom. It wasn’t even that uncomfortable inside. And how could she forget the fact that he was still very much alive?? Like this was getting ridiculous!

Every attempt she made at his life became more desperate one after another.

Electrocution? Power outage happened. Hanging? The rope broke before it could even crush his windpipe. Poison? Actually the poison would have worked if only he didn’t drop his drink when someone bumped into him. She could have sworn that Naegi was doing this on purpose!

Junko didn’t know exactly when it began but at some point, her murder attempts spiralled into petty attacks.

She tried scratching him with a rusty pair of scissors. Maybe tetanus was a better killer than her. She managed to scratch him but then she found out that it was on the unrusted side goddammit! But she was making progress, right? He got a wound so maybe she was on the right track. She tried paper cuts on him and he did get a few but all of them were on the palm of his hands and there was no way he would bleed out of them. Foiled again dammit!

She knew that it was kind of possible to kill a person through brain freeze if done right so she roped him into an ice cream chugging contest. He lost the contest and he didn’t even die. So onwards to the next scheme. She even considered having him die from unhealthy diet by going on a binge eat of junk food with him. She only realized the day the after that night that it would take a long time before he’d feel the effects of that. On a side note, she also considered diabetes as an alternative.

She made failed attempt after failed attempt but no matter what she did, he just kept on surviving afterwards.

“Why don’t you just die already?” Junko wailed and bawled out loud.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he will at some point.” Naegi consoled her.

By the way, they were watching a film. The point was that he would die of boredom but at this rate, this was killing her more than him.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” She yelled out all of her frustrations as he continued to pat her with concern.

Ah, this must be despair.

Chapter Text

When Makoto Naegi slept, it was Izuru Kamukura who woke up.

The first thing that registered in his mind when he woke up was the fact that he was still alive and how relieved he was to be still breathing. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, another quickly followed it highlighting the odds of the success of the operation, all the possible events that could have stemmed from it, and how he had just narrowly missed death and… losing his personality. He blinked.

That was an oddly detailed analysis that suddenly came to him. No, it wasn’t sudden, his mind reasoned. It’s just one of his many talents. He blinked again at the realization. This was… talent? Before he could even question it, his mind had already explained the whole thing to him. And surprisingly or perhaps unsurprisingly, he wasn’t at all overwhelmed by all these information. At the same time that he was in awe, he was also in understanding.

Naegi had become the SHSL Hope.

Now he had all the talents known to the world inside him and honestly, it was exhilarating. There was so much he could do now that his past self couldn’t do and he couldn’t wait to use these talents for the benefit of the world as countless scenarios unfolded inside his head. He could do this now. He had the strength to actually help people now. But he also had something else that would change the world. He didn’t just have talent, he had hope.

Hope. He had become hope itself.

He had always believed in hope and how everyone had hope inside of them even if they failed to realize it. And with his newly found abilities, he just confirmed that his belief wasn’t wrong. Everyone has the capacity for hope, with or without talent. Everyone. Without exception. If only people could recognize this fact then the world would be a far better place than it is now.

That’s why he was “born”, right? To spread hope.

He nodded to himself. That’s right. This wasn’t just about him anymore. While it was true that he may have accepted the proposal due to the selfish reason of acquiring a talent and standing on equal grounds with his classmates, he realized that this was bigger than that. He didn’t get just any talent but all of the talents. He had the responsibility to put it to good use. He had the hopes of everyone resting on his shoulders.

And he would do his best to live up to his title as SHSL Hope.

—–

Hope Meets Despair

It was only natural for the SHSL HOPE to meet the SHSL DESPAIR.

“Kyaaah! Kamukura, look at me!” A girl squealed as she entered his room. She was all gung-ho until she paused as she took a good look at him. “Hm? Is it me or do you look more on the plain side?

“Ahaha, guilty as charged.” He weakly laughed. “Although I suppose this is the most exciting look for me as of yet.”

An adverse side effect from the operation was the change in his appearance. His eyes had turned from emerald to glow a golden gleam. It was odd but it didn’t affect his eyesight at all if not improved it. The surgery placed a lot of strain on his body, especially on his brain, so in retaliation, his hair had turned white. It had grown excessively long too but he decided to cut it since it felt off for him. He wasn’t allowed to dye his hair just yet since they were still monitoring him. He’s a bit bothered that his hair was no longer brown but it’s not like anyone else was going to see him.

“I guess it’s cool if you’re into those white-haired stereotypes.” She commented clearly unimpressed. And then she easily perked up her tone. “Hey, did you know? One of the stereotypes of white-haired guys is that…” She smiled mischievously.

She pulled out a knife and lunged forward.

“They DIE!!!” She screamed as she aimed for his throat.

Time slowed down.

Kamukura calmly sauntered towards her and swiped the knife out from her hands. Her eyes slowly widened in shock. Even without the blade, her body was still moving forward from the momentum so he stopped her by the shoulders. It made her fall back but only slightly, just enough for her to regain her balance and stand still. After which, he returned back to his seat as he casually crossed his legs.

The hands of time returned to normal.

“What the hell?” She asked with more of an annoyed expression rather than a confused one.

“That was dangerous, Enoshima. You could have seriously gotten hurt.” He chided lightly. It wasn’t that he was mocking her, he was just honestly concerned.

Which pissed her off even more. “Hello? I just tried to fucking murder you and you’re worried for moi? I knew they messed up with your head but seriously what is wrong with you?”

“Is it so wrong to worry about others?” He answered innocently as if there  wasn’t anything wrong with him at all.

“Are we seriously glossing over the fact that I’m your attempted murderer?” She asked him incredulously.

“Well I’m still alive, aren’t I?” He smiled, not at all bothered by the fact that she did try to kill him. Since no harm was done, he reasoned that there was no use to holding grudges. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“Like I wasn’t even asking for forgiveness. And what are you, a saint?” She whined, totally disgusted with the kinddness she was showering her with. She stomped her feet like a child pulling a tantrum. “When I found out about that there was a human experimentation, I was expecting a more fucked up test subject. Not… NOT THIS!”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Sorry to disappoint you then.”

“We’ll workshop on that later.” She sighed exasperatedly and then moved quickly on as she leaned forward with a wide smile. “For now, may I interest you in some despair?”

Something about her smile was wrong.

“…Despair?” He repeated.

“Hmmm? You’re interested? You are! You totally are!” She giggled happily and then winked at him. “Well since you asked, I’d gladly explain. Brace yourself, mere mortal!” Her bright personality fell flat almost instantaneously as she asked with a straight face, “Hey, Kamukura. Isn’t it boring?”

He blinked at the question and echoed, “Boring?”

“Yes, boring.” She sighed listlessly. “You have all the talents in the world and now what?” Then she yelled angrily at the top of her lungs. “Everything’s become boring that’s what!” She regained her composure as she continued to explain, “You can do anything but it’s precisely because you can do anything that it’s not so exciting anymore. Such is the life you live now. Easy, predictable and ultimately boring.”

Admittedly though, there was some truth to her words but…

“If you continue to live as you are now then you’ll just be dooming yourself to a boring life. Hope is preexisting harmony. But despair is different.” Her face turned red as if the mere thought of it brought her happiness. “The heart-racing excitement of messy despair has a taste like you’ve never known!”

A taste that’s unknown…?

“You may be the world’s hope. You may save the world. But that won’t lead you to excitement. And so you won’t find salvation.” She continued in a condescending tone.

He’ll save the world but he won’t be saved? That’s just…

“Won’t you come join me in my despair?” She cordially invited him and then smiled that wrong smile of hers again. “Together we’ll have way lots of fun more than what your boring hope could ever give you!”

Boring… hope?

“You’ve got that wrong!” He firmly objected.

He had been patiently listening to her all this time but now it was his turn to speak.

“It’s true that with all my talents, everything has become easier for me and if I only had talent going on for me then maybe I would have been bored.” He explained with a slight frown.

If he only had talent then maybe he would have jumped at this opportunity. However, he had something else. He had something even greater than talent.

He placed a hand over his chest as his frown turned into a soft smile. “But I’m not bored at all. That’s because I have hope.”

She looked so offended by his words. “What? How the fuck do you get excitement from hope?”

“My hope alone isn’t exciting enough.” He knew that. But he knew that he  wasn’t alone in this either. “That’s why I want others to have hope as well. And when I think about how I’ll be able to do that, it honestly makes me happy.”

This feeling of hope, he wished that everyone else felt it too.

And wouldn’t it be great if he wasn’t just the only person spreading hope?  "The idea of not just me bringing out the hope in others but of others bringing out the hope in othe people as well is something that’s wonderful exciting to me.“

And with Kamukura’s hope, Enoshima despaired.

"What the actual fuck! I can’t believe I got cheated!! You’re not supposed to be this hopeful for human experiment!” She yelled at him crossly and thoroughly disgusted by him. “You’re only supposed to be the SHSL Hope in title as in SHSL Talented not become a literal human embodiment of hope. What bullshit is this?”

“You’re right. I only got my title of SHSL Hope because of my talents.” He agreed as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was nothing but unwavering resolve behind his gaze. “But I want to become more than just my talents. I want to properly earn my title and live up to its name as SHSL Hope. I will inspire hope inside the hearts of people and help them inspire hope in others.”

“Ugh! Stop! Enough with this hope shit!” She complained as she covered her ears and shook her head in outright rejection. This was too toxic for her. This was not how the plan was supposed to go. He was supposed to join her on the despair side not go on a fucking hope speech.

Isn’t this the worst for her? How despairful her situation is.

“And here I thought that I was about to make a new friend. Too bad.” She shook her head in disappointment. “I don’t think we’ll ever agree.”

“You don’t know that yet. I’m sure that if we talk this out, we’ll come to some form of agreement.” He refuted.

“Through what? Through hope? BLECK!! I’d rather die than have that shit in me.” She fake gagged dramatically and then paused as a scheming smile took hold of her lips. “Although wouldn’t it be more despairing if you, the symbol of hope, died instead?”

She made for another murder attempt. Only to be thwarted yet again by him. This time he had her in an arm lock and pinned to the ground as an added precaution. She was seriously going all out to kill him even though she had no chance of winning. It was concerning and also, just a bit sad.

“That’s no good. You can’t kill me and you know that.” He reprimanded her with a slight frown.

“What? So you’re going to kill me instead?” She scoffed fearlessly. “Go ahead. That’ll be despairing in its own way too.”

He just sighed tiredly. “Didn’t I say so before?”

“What are you talking about?” She asked confusedly.

Hope.

“I will inspire hope in the hearts of people.”

Then he flashed her his brightest and most hopeful smile yet.

“Even in you, Enoshima.”

Because what kind of SHSL HOPE would he be if he couldn’t give hope to everyone, including the SHSL DESPAIR?

Chapter Text

Junko’s despair plan was perfect except for just one minor problem named Naegi.

While it’s true that he may look like just some wimp, the truth was that he was actually just some weakass wimp. She shouldn’t even be wasting her time on him because honestly, what’s the worse that he could do, right? He was just some average-looking kid with the usual sense of plainness and normalcy around him that he wasn’t even supposed to be worth mentioning. His personality was absolutely predictable because he was just such a boring person in general but as for his luck…

She couldn’t read his luck at all.

That’s the problem. Her talent of SHSL Analyst was absolutely no match for his SHSL Luck because of how unpredictable his talent was. There was no luck cycle for him, he just had these random bouts of luck which was even hard to pinpoint if they were good or bad. But how would this put a dent on her plans? Surely his luck wouldn’t affect them at all. Wrong! Never underestimate the power of luck. A lot of historical events have happened through some form of sheer luck and so it was a force to reckon with.

That’s why Junko had to eliminate Naegi at all costs.

If only it were that easy.

Okay so maybe throwing a wrench at him was too straightforward. Sure, she could do finesse as well. She’s not some brute who would use blunt force anyways. So one time she pulled out a gun on him when he had his back turned on her. He was just literally one meter away from him and there was no way for her to miss. Her aim was on point.

“Bye-bye, bitch.” She murmured as she pulled the trigger.

Her aim was on point. If only a metal plate hadn’t flown by and intercepted the bullet in the nick of time. It passed right between them and crashed onto the wall with  a loud clank.

What the hell? Will someone explain why the fuck was there a metal plate flying!

“Are you okay?” Sakura asked in concern as she approached them. “I was trying to pull off one of the defective plates but it had slipped my hand. It was much lighter than I expected.”

What the fuck. Those things weighed a shit ton okay. No wonder she was called ogre like holy shit that strength was inhuman.

“We’re okay. I didn’t even notice it pass us by.” Naegi smiled easily as he continued to engage in conversation with Sakura.

Sure, smile it up while he can because that was just a fluke. Like how could he even dodge a bullet like that? She expected something stereotypical like her gun to have jammed or anything else but this bullshit. Like how lucky could he be? He may have survived this time but there were bounds of other chances. His luck was unpredictable so surely it’d fail on him at some point, right?

Oh, how wrong she was.

Okay so blunt force was out and so were guns. There’s still loads of ways to kill a person. Trust her, she’s a murderer! But that’s just it. There were just so many ways to get rid of him but none of it was working on him due to strange forces at work. Each and every single damn time. He’d always narrowly miss death as if the grim reaper himself didn’t want anything to do with him.

It was like he had some sort of armor… like a plot armor.

She tried to stab him once. Twice. Thrice. Okay, a lot of times. They were in the kitchen and she thought, oh look this seemed like a nice place for an “accident” to occur so she took a knife out and straight out tried to stab him while making it look like an accident of course.

“Oops.” She said as she pretended to slip, her hand tightly holding on to a knife and it was aimed straight for his heart.

But she had also accidentally knocked over the pepper. “Achoo!” He sneezed and his body just narrowly missed the blade.

Tch. She missed her chance and now she was dramatically posed on the floor.

He rubbedd his itchy nose and opened his irritated eyes, squinting. “Are you okay, Enoshima?” He asked sincerely.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said witha practiced smile as she got up.

So normally Junko would have stopped any further attempt right there but for some reason she decided to just fuck it. Wouldn’t it be more despairing if he died because she tried the same trick again?

With that, she pretended to have tripped again, “Watch out!” She said with a second delay. This time for sure, she’ll stab him and he’ll die.

He sneezed again, this time it was powerful enough to make him fall onto his back and completely missed her knife.

What the actual fuck? Not this shit again!

More annoyed than determined, Junko tried to stab him again. And again. And again and again. She’s not even making an effort to disguise her actions anymore. She was clearly out to kill him and she had made absolutely no progress at all. What’s worse was that he had misinterpretated all of her attempts as accidents which just infuriated her. How hard could it be to just stab a person? Apparently, it’s harder than it looks.

Keep calm, Junko. Okay. New plan.

She could always count on good old suffocation, right? After all, if she couldn’t kill him with weapons then she could just try to kill him by eliminating his means to survive. Plus, she didn’t necessarily have to be there to pull it off. She just had to set up the thing and the sauna looked like it was about to have its first “malfunction”. So she had Naegi go there, which he complied much to his obliviousness, and everything was going according to plan.

The plan failed.

The sauna did in fact malfunction but it wasn’t the way she had set it up to work. The heating system broke and so did the lock on the door. Sure he ended up staying there for a few hours but the most he was suffering with was boredom. It wasn’t even that uncomfortable inside. And how could she forget the fact that he was still very much alive?? Like this was getting ridiculous!

Every attempt she made at his life became more desperate one after another.

Electrocution? Power outage happened. Hanging? The rope broke before it could even crush his windpipe. Poison? Actually the poison would have worked if only he didn’t drop his drink when someone bumped into him. She could have sworn that Naegi was doing this on purpose!

Junko didn’t know exactly when it began but at some point, her murder attempts spiralled into petty attacks.

She tried scratching him with a rusty pair of scissors. Maybe tetanus was a better killer than her. She managed to scratch him but then she found out that it was on the unrusted side goddammit! But she was making progress, right? He got a wound so maybe she was on the right track. She tried paper cuts on him and he did get a few but all of them were on the palm of his hands and there was no way he would bleed out of them. Foiled again dammit!

She knew that it was kind of possible to kill a person through brain freeze if done right so she roped him into an ice cream chugging contest. He lost the contest and he didn’t even die. So onwards to the next scheme. She even considered having him die from unhealthy diet by going on a binge eat of junk food with him. She only realized the day the after that night that it would take a long time before he’d feel the effects of that. On a side note, she also considered diabetes as an alternative.

She made failed attempt after failed attempt but no matter what she did, he just kept on surviving afterwards.

“Why don’t you just die already?” Junko wailed and bawled out loud.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he will at some point.” Naegi consoled her.

By the way, they were watching a film. The point was that he would die of boredom but at this rate, this was killing her more than him.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” She yelled out all of her frustrations as he continued to pat her with concern.

Ah, this must be despair.

Chapter Text

It was a meeting of a lifetime.

“Hello there, Makoto Naegi.”

They weren’t supposed to meet under normal circumstances but as luck would have it, the two paths crossed. And with their talents combined, an even greater luck was born.

BOOOOOOOM!

Unfortunately, it was leaning towards bad luck rather than good.

“W-What was that?” Naegi asked as he steadied himself, the aftershock of an explosion still rippled across his frame.

The Future Foundation Headquarters had just been bombed. Again.

“Oh? That’s weird. They weren’t supposed to go off…” Komaeda commented offhandedly as he stared at the building or rather, what’s left of it.

Naegi didn’t know why but there was something off in what Komaeda just said. He had this sinking suspicion that he was looking at the culprit of the recent incident. “Hey… what do you mean by that?”

Komaeda was pulled out of his thoughts and then smiled at him. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just the bombs I planted there while we were inside. Nothing that important.” He chuckled.

Naegi stared at him for five full seconds and then blinked. “You WHAT??”

“It was supposed to be a backup plan in case we failed.” Komaeda explained and then cheerfully added, “But it looks like we didn’t need them at all. In the end, hope won. Hope will always win after all.”

“Well… at least your heart is in the right place.” Naegi remarked. He couldn’t fault the guy not when he had good intentions. He smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you for going so far for us. I’m happy to see someone believe so much in hope.”

“To be praised by the SHSL Hope himself, truly I am blessed!” Komaeda grinned lopsidedly.

While Naegi agreed with his ideals, he couldn’t help but feel like they were still overlooking the fact that Komaeda was ready to bomb the building at any moment. Oh, well. That was just a minor detail. Besides, it’s not like anything bad came out of it, right?

And then as if on cue, shrapnel flew right through between them, narrowly missing their faces, and shot straight for the boat. It went through it and left a hole large enough for water to surge right in. They both watched in horror at the aftereffects of such a bizzare accident.

Slowly but surely, the ship sank.

“What horrible luck! Truly the worst!” Komaeda said and oddly enough, he looked happy about it. “This was totally worth the chance of meeting you!”

Seriously, they could never catch a break with their luck.

And in the background, Naegi heard how Komaeda’s classmates took the unforseen event. Unlike Komaeda, they weren’t too pleased.

“KOMAEDA! WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?!”

Chapter Text

“Have you enjoyed the killing game we planned?”

They will once again dye the world in despair.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

…As soon as they get this video right.

“Goddammit! What is it this time?” Hinata swore in exasperation as he turned around to glare at the culprit of the commotion.

“It’s not my fault! Something crawled up my pants!” Souda defended himself in tears. And as if to back him up, a hamster popped up from within his jumpsuit.

“Oh, it is one of the Zodiac gods. Awww, it got attached to him.” Sonia cooed.

“Tanaka, could you please reign in your animals?” Hinata scowled.

This wasn’t the first time that this happened. And he’s brought more than just the twelve zodiac gods.

“Foolish mortal. It is futile to try and suppress the powers of the gods!” Gundam laughed deeply as the rest of his hamsters squeaked in agreement.

Sometimes Hinata questions himself for even trying.

“Hey, aren’t we done yet? My legs are going to fall asleep from all of this standing.” Hiyoko whined as she sidestepped for emphasis.

“Just a little while longer. Let’s hang in there, okay?” Koizumi tried to reassure her.

“Do you want Ibuki to sing a song to wake you up? Because Ibuki is all gung-ho for a sing-along!” Ibuki howled with great enthusiasm.

“P-Please, don’t. I know more effective methods on how to treat numbness. But only if you’ll l-let me.” Mikan stuttered weakly.

“Definitely not. We’re not turning this into a music video.” Hinata firmly objected.

This wasn’t even a full minute video so why the hell couldn’t they finish this recording already?

“Maaan, I’m hungry! Can’t we take a snack break first?” Akane complained as her stomach grumbled.

“Master control over your body. You just ate on the way here.” Nidai calmly pointed out.

“If it’s food you want then I’ll gladly prepare them!” Teruteru cheered as he set up a grill.

“We’re counting on you.” Twogami offered his moral support.

“Guys, just so you know we haven’t even recorded anything yet.” Hinata commented, his tone dripping with frustration.

“Don’t be such a hardass. Lighten up a bit, will ya?” Kuzuryuu smirked at him.

“Everyone’s just enjoying themselves.” Pekoyama seconded.

“But can’t we do that like I don’t know… after the video?” Hinata crossed his arms. Despite his protests, he made no move to stop his classmates from their fun. He sighed but there was a smile on his face. “Seriously, you guys are having way too much fun over this.”

“Everyone is so full of hope! I’m so happy to be a part of such a hope-filled class!” Komaeda commented with a huge grin.

This wasn’t a bad scene at all. Too bad it won’t get shown on the video.  And about the video… Well, the video could wait. It wasn’t even a minute long so they could finish that later.

So before they carry the burden of despair, let them relish in the joy of hope.

Chapter Text

“Someone, please shoot me.”

It was only a figure of speech. Hinata was just so stressed out lately and it was getting to him. So the words came out of his mouth just as casually as any of his snide comments. And so naturally, he was expecting no consequences to come from such a general statement.

Until a bullet narrowly missed him by mere millimeters.

“What the…” His eyes widened and traced the source of the bullet and his eyes narrowed down to a scathing glare. “What the hell was that for, Komaeda?”

“You asked to be shot.” He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“It was sarcasm!” Hinata yelled at him in exasperation. “And where the hell did you even get a gun?!”

“Oh, right here.” Komaeda then showed off his hand where he pushed on some button to reveal one of his fingers had a hidden gun barrel installed. “See?”

Hinata stared dumbfoundedly and then scowled in disapproval. There could only be one suspect for this.

“Souda!” He angrily yelled at the mechanic even though he wasn’t far from the two. He tapped his foot irritably. “Please explain to me as to why the fuck is there a gun installed in Komaeda’s hand?”

He broke out in a cold sweat and his voice squeaked in fear. “…It seemed like a cool idea at the time?” He shrinked back but he didn’t sound like he was regretting his actions at all.

Hinata’s eyebrow twitched. “Any other upgrades that I seemed like cool ideas back then?”

“Uhh…” Souda shiftily avoided his gaze.

Well that was reassuring.

Komaeda clapped his hands. “He was kind enough to install a lot! Would you like me to demonstrate?”

Before Hinata could even stop him, it was already too late. An explosion burst forth from Komaeda’s arm and if it wasn’t for Hinata, or rather, Izuru’s talents, then they wouldn’t have survived the blast unscathed. Hinata groaned. Based from his analysis, this won’t be the last time they’ll have an incident like this because of Komaeda’s arm and its unnecessary upgrades and Hinata didn’t have enough patience to deal with this bullshit. This was more trouble than what it was worth.

“You know what? I don’t give a fuck anymore.” He tossed his arms in exasperation and pleaded in a defeated voice, “Please, shoot me.”

“Sure, thing. What kind of bullet do you prefer?” Komaeda’s smile was shining just like his metallic hand.

Chapter Text

Their confrontation was inevitable.

Mukuro expected this to happen at some point. Once they had gotten out of school and had been taken in by the Future Foundation, she knew that it was only a matter of time until she’d meet her. She was the person who used to be someone else sometime ago.  She whom she had messed up with her own hands.

She who was still in despair.

“It must have been tough for you in there.” Chisa started as she smiled easily at her, unnaturally so. “But you made the right decision. You chose hope over despair and that’s what matters.”

“…” Mukuro kept quiet.

“I really admire the courage you showed back there.” She commended in an uplifting voice and then her smile twisted at the corner of her lips. “I mean not everyone can just go and do what you did. Like I can’t imagine myself to betray my one and only precious family over a bunch of friends-turned-strangers I’ve already betrayed before.”

Mukuro did her best not to flinch at the statement but she could not stop the ache in her heart.

“That must have been really hard for you, wasn’t it?” Chisa said in a sympathetic tone, in an almost motherly tone, in a tone that sounded too good to be true. “It’s okay. You’re safe here now. Here where you’re far away and separated from your sister. Just like how you decided. Just the way you wanted.”

Mukuro honetly tried not to let her words get to her but she knows when she’s outmatched.

“…That’s enough.” She finally spoke up as her eyes levelled with hers. “Enough about me.”

“Oh, of course. I’ve been rambling all this time and I haven’t even introduced myself!” She clapped her hands and cheerfully spoke, “I’m Chisa Yukizome. It’s nice to meet you!”

“…” Mukuro was not amused by her show at all.

“…Not!” Chisa winked at her. “But saying something like, ‘we meet again’ just sounds too cliche, you know?”

“…You haven’t changed at all in this time, haven’t you?” Mukuro phrased it as a question even though she already knew the answer.

“Who knows?” Chisa pondered out loud as her lips twisted into a smile. “Can’t say the same about you. Can you believe it? The SHSL Despair chose hope! What a plot twist!” She laughed hard at her own humor.

Mukuro had enough of this tiring conversation and so she bluntly cut to the chase. “You can’t keep this a secret forever.”

That made Chisa stop her laughing fit. But she wasn’t threatened at all, in fact if anything, she was the one who looked more threatening between the two.

Her voice was sweet just like always but the words that came out of her lips were like poison. “If you tell on me, then you’re also telling them about the horrible things you did to me.”

Mukuro’s hands twitched slightly at the memory.

Chisa’s smile grew even wider, her tone dripping with mock. “And do you really want your precious Makoto to have an even worse opinion on you?” She calmly approached her until they were face to face and the manic glaze in her eyes was made that much clearer. She taunted her, “Aren’t you just the worst? You are. You’re absolutely despairing.”

Despairing. This situation was absolutely despairing. Had it been Mukuro’s past self then she would have given in to this despair. However, it’s different now. She’s different now. She has something to hold on to now that isn’t despair. Something better than despair. She found hope.

Hope that could overcome despair.

“And… I’ve made up my mind. As long as I’m out there… I’m going to accept everyone’s resentment at me.”

“I know I’m the worst.” She answered back. Her eyes didn’t even blink from her gaze as she faced her on with determination. “He already knows that too…”

“We’re friends. We spent all that time together. I’d be happy if you could find another path, not despair… And if I could help you somehow, I would.”

“And still, he accepted me.” She affirmed as her heart tugged at the memory. He was willing to accept her despite her faults, despite her sins, and despite her despair. And so she chose another path. A path of hope. A path filled with great difficulty. But if he could believe in her so much then she wasn’t about to go and waste his faith. She would see this path through the end. “This is just one of the many sins I have to atone for and keeping quiet about you won’t make what I did go away.”

Just as there was despair in Chisa’s eyes, Mukuro’s eyes mirrored hers with hope.

“You’re despair. And I… turned you into despair.” She admitted solemnly. “That’s why I… I need to turn you back into hope.

“I’ve come all this way… How could I take another path?”

“But I can’t do it. Not alone.” She declared but her resolve didn’t waver one bit as she continued, “I’m just a former despair who’s good at killing people, I don’t know how to help you. But I do know the people who can help you. And these people need to know about your situation.” She paused as she held her gaze challenging. “This is the only thing I can do for you so I won’t let you stop me.”

Chisa stared back at her with an unreadable expression for a long while. And then she clapped with great gusto.

“Look at you. You used to be SHSL Despair and here you are talking about hope. I’m really so proud of you.” She said in her normal caring voice but knowing her true nature, it just sounded all the more wrong. “Can’t say the same about your sister though. She must have been absolutely disappointed with you, wasn’t she?”

That hit a nerve for Mukuro as she felt the despair wash over her again. She narrowed her eyes into a glare. “That has nothing to do with your situation.”

“Oooh, dodging the topic. She must have been way more disappointed than I thought.” Chisa commented and noted that she was giving her a piercing glare. “Don’t give me that look! I’m just having fun!” She giggled easygoing and then softly said, “After all, it looks like you’re going to tell on me.”

Mukuro confirmed this. “I will.”

“Hmmm…” Chisa hummed happily. “Go ahead.” She urged her on challenging, mockingly. “Who would believe in you anyways? You’re former SHSL Despair. Practically the right hand person of the mastermind. Who would take your word over mine?”

That’s right. The reason she had been hesitating all this was because of how hopeless it was should she even try to tattle on her. Not even everyone of her class trusted her completely so what more of the Future Foundation? Especially when the said person she was pointing her finger at was one of the closest confidants of the vice-chairman. Her situation was hopeless from the start.

“…I don’t know what you should do, or what I can do, Ikusaba-san… But I don’t think whether you find the answer matters as much as giving it a try.”

But even so, she knew from firsthand how hope could be born from a hopeless situation.

“You keep giving me questions and honestly, I don’t know the answers myself.” She admitted with a soft voice. “But a certain someone told me that it’s not all about the answers.”

“I’m not going to die until I’ve destroyed all the despair Junko spread, but… I’m going to do my best.”

“That’s why I’m going to give it a try.” She boldly declared with not an ounce of hesitation in her.

“I’d like to see you try.” Chisa taunted her with a smile.

“I will try. No matter how hard it is, I’ll give it my best and try.”  Mukuro stood her ground. “I’m going to try and restore the hope that I took away from you on that day.”

And just as how inevitable their confrontation was, it was also inevitable how there was hope for both of them.

Chapter Text

A door lay before her.

A door of infinite possibilities was in front of her amidst her current state of limbo. Nothing else mattered aside from her and this door just as much as nothing else existed in this moment in her consciousness. This was the door to a world unlike the one she was previously in and she was unnaturally drawn to it. She reached out and opened the door.

An unpredictable future awaited her.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of a classroom filled with students. No, not just any students, her students. That’s right. She’s starting to remember now. This was her first day as a teacher in Hope’s Peak Academy. A day filled with a bright shining hope for her and for the class she’ll be handling. She flashed her brightest and most hopeful smile at the entire class.

“Good morning, everyone!” She greeted full of excitement. “Starting today, I’m your teacher, Chisa Yukizome.”

The whole class replied in their own unique personalities.

“Tch. About time you came. Were you planning on making us wait forever?” Kuzuryuu complained irritably.

“Yeah! And now that I see how weak you look, I can’t wait to break you!” Hiyoko commented snidely.

“P-Please don’t b-break her. I d-don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t f-fix her.” Mikan stammered weakly.

“Punctuality is a sign of proper form. It seems that you may be lacking in training.” Pekoyama calmly pointed out.

“Cut her some slack you guys. Just because she came in last doesn’t mean that she’s late.” Koizumi voiced out with reason.

“Well it’s true that there’s no clock in this room so it’s hard to tell exactly what time it is. Very well then. But know this, commoner. Do not dare waste any more of our precious time next time.” Twogami lightly reprimanded her.

“Hm, yes. All is forgiven. As long as you’re in my strikezone, you have a liftime pass of forgiveness.” Teruteru commented offhandedly.

“Dude, are you seriously hitting on the teacher at day one?” Souda asked his classmate in disbelief.

“Tardiness aside, I look forward to our youthful high school life experience that can only be experienced here in Japan!” Sonia cheered.

“Oya oya? Someone has beaten Ibuki to the climactic punchline! Ibuki is both frustrated and proud! Ibuki too wants a passion passion class!” Ibuki hollered as she struck a pose.

“How unfortunate you all are to be stuck with the great me. Take caution not to get too close to me lest be struck down by Four Dark Devas of Destruction.” Gundam chuckled darkly.

“Hey, teach. Got any food with you? I’m starving already!” Akane whined as her stomach grumbled loudly.

“Ahaha! What a lively bunch we have here, don’t we?” Nidai laughed heartily.

“I have to agree. Everyone is so full of hope! Ah, I’m so lucky to be surrounded by so much hope!” Komaeda smiled goofily.

“Am I the only one who experienced something weird when I got here?” Hinata sighed. “Must have zoned out or something I guess. I’ll just go along with this for now.”

“Let’s all get along together… I think.” Nanami softly said as she continued to play her game.

A classroom full of promising students and a reliable teacher. A class full of hope.

“Yosh! Let’s all work together to have a wonderful youth! It only comes once in our lives after all!” Chisa cheered her students on.

This is a story of hope. A story of taking back hope that was once stolen.

Chapter Text

The Warriors of Hope continue their righteous journey in a world paved with trials of a whole new level.

They were back in school. To be precise, they were in high school. Not just any high school but the ultimate high school - Hope’s Peak Academy. Well, maybe ultimate isn’t the appropriate term. This is the newly reformed one of course. Hence, nobody has titles and every student is called hope collectively.

It’s different here. Not everyone is talented. Not all the problematic students were grouped together. Not a single person is entitled to any more than the next person. In short, it was just an ordinary high school. But because of its normalcy, it stood out all the more. It was a symbol that the world could normalize as well. It was a pillar of hope.

This school was far superior than its predecessor.

Everyone and anyone could enroll here and it was actually encouraged to go to this school than any other high school despite its checkered history.  That’s why when they were invited to become students of the school, they decided that it wasn’t such a bad offer. They even kept their squad name as Warriors of Hope.

Just like any group of heroes on a quest, there were challenges they had to overcome and enemies they had to defeat.

“W-What is this supposed to be?” Touko asked with a scowl, her hands clutching a piece of paper that she had just skimmed through.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s my homework.” Masaru answered confidently.

“Your homework was to write an essay on anything that happened to you.” She snarled and continued, “Slice of life basically. Non-fictional. Based on your own experience. Need I go on?” She sighed. “How hard can it be to write something s-so simple? I thought the instructions were clear enough so w-why the hell am I reading a fantasy au?!”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that what’s written there actually happened to me!” He contested as he leaned forward in his seat.

“I know. I was there during some parts.” She deadpanned.

There was an awkward pause in the classroom.

“A-Anyways, if you’re going to write a fantasy au then you could have done b-better than this.” Touko squinted at the paper again with animosity in her eyes as she crudely remarked, “And seriously? You’re still going for the whole hero spiel? What are you? Twelve??”

“Actually, he’s s-seventeen…” Jataro timidly corrected her.

“Well his writing says otherwise.” Touko sneered and then eyed the problematic student levelly. “I’m not accepting this. Redo it. Pass it to me on monday.”

Masaru got up from his seat and protested, “Ehhh? You can’t do that!”

“Tough break, kid. I don’t make the rules in this class.” Touko commented without a shred of mercy. And even smiled in amusement just to rub salt in his wounds. “Oh, wait. I guess I do.”

“No way! This totally sucks!” Masaru groaned but he knew it was futile to argue with the teacher.

“H-homework… on a weekend? That’s h-horrible!” Jataro said.

“Laaame!” Kotoko jeered at him. “Are you sure you’re trying hard enough? Are you even passing?”

“I told you to change your paper.” Nagisa sighed. Being the voice of reason in the group was tiring especially when nobody listens to him. “This is what you get for ignoring my advice.”

“Guys… you gotta help out a friend in need here.” Masaru pleaded.

“Nope! Not my problem!” Kotoko smiled sweetly.

“S-Sorry, I’m not really good at t-this kind of thing.” Jataro stammered.

“Maybe next time. When you actually listen to reason.” Nagisa calmly  brushed off his pleas.

This was the usual classroom scene here at Hope’s Peak Academy. Well, at least for this class in particular. It’s always lively here every day.

“Touko~” The door slid open to reveal the cheerful form of Komaru who walked towards her best friend gave her a warm hug in front of the class.
At this point in the semester, the class is used to it although it still brings a slight blush to Touko’s face. “Huh? It’s t-time already?” She asked but began to pack her things so she could move on to her next class. “Well whatever. I’m done with these brats anyways.”

“Keep up the terror teacher image. It’s really convincing.” Komaru commented with a smile.

“Well someone has to balance out your peppiness.” Touko scoffed.  "Seriously, you’re like a walking ray of sunshine. If you weren’t my friend you would have been easily bullied by the students.“

“Best friend.” Komaru corrected her with a dazzling smile.

“Y-yeah… best… friend.” Touko repeated, much softer and more sincere this time. She always gets like this whenever their friendship is brought up and it’s one of those rare moments where she’s less intimidating and more grateful instead.

Meanwhile, the class whispers in hushed voices so as not to interrupt the heartwarming moment between the two teachers.

“Aw, aren’t they the cutest!” Kotoko squealed as she watched the scene unfold. “I want a girl friend too! So I have someone to be all cute and mushy with!”

“Bleck! Who would want to do that?” Masaru commented with disgust.

“See, this is why you’re never going to get a girlfriend.” Kotoko sighed and just gave him a look of pity.

“What? How is this even related to that!” Masaru asked indignantly.

“Don’t worry… Even if you don’t get a g-girlfriend, you still have us.” Jataro patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t even get me started on this topic.” Nagisa said as he discreetly hid the love letter that he got for that day. “I suggest we focus on other and more urgent matters.”

“Yeah, because Masaru’s not gonna get a girlfriend anytime soon.” Kotoko snickered.

“Hey! I heard that!” He shot her a glare but it just bounced off as she giggled.

Such was the new path for the Warriors of Hope.

Their journey had just begun and an uncertain future laid ahead of them.

Chapter Text

Nagito Komaeda was born extremely lucky.

However it was because of his incredible luck that he would be eventually isolated from everyone else. It was a divide just as great as his luck. It separated him from his dog, from his parents, and from the rest of the world. Either they’d be cut off from his life through some accident or they’d steer clear of him once they knew of his history. His life was a series of ups and downs, and while he may have lived his life with everything going his way, his life was still ultimately a solitary one.

“But you aren’t alone now, are you?”

Komaeda smiled as he answered, “No, not anymore.”

“I’m glad to see you having fun with everyone. Make lots of new memories together, okay?” Nanami smiled warmly back at him.

“Of course! We’ll keep your hope shining brightly with us!” He declared with just the slightest note of sadness in his voice but he kept his smile wide and cheerful.

“That’s the spirit!” Nanami encouraged him on.

Komaeda was about to comment on her choice of words when he was interrupted by a shout.

“Hey! Komaeda! Get your ass down here!”

He turned around and yelled back, “Coming!” But before he headed off, he chanced a glance back to his conversation partner.

Only to find her gone.

He’s not sure why he feels disappointed or why he expected in the first place. Of course she’d be gone. She’s been gone for years now. She was gone while everyone else remained. The people she brought together were still together until now and their bonds were just as strong as their hope.

“Thank you for everything.” Komaeda said to the sky, hoping his voice would somehow reach her. “You truly are the hope of our class.”

With that, he returned to the group of people he could proudly call his friends.

“About time you showed up. We were already voting on starting without you.” Kuzuryuu smirked at him.

“Rest assured that we would still not have started without your presence.” Pekoyama clarified.

“Really? Because I was serious when I voted that we start without him.” Saionji snickered.

“Umm, I v-voted we w-wait though…” Mikan timidly voiced out.

“Well majority voted to wait so it’s not a big deal.” Koizumi pointed out.

“That’s because it’s all or nothing! The family who plays together, stays together!!” Ibuki hollered.

“That’s not how the adage goes but I agree with its sentiment.” Twogami seconded.

“Play? I’m game for all sorts of play! The more the merrier!” Teruteru yelled excitedly.

“That was taken way out of context considering that it’s just a boardgame.” Ryota said in concern.

“Mere child’s play for the dark lords such as myself. Tremble, mortals! As you fall under my dominion!” Gundam declared dramatically as usual.

“Dude, remember the last time we played a boardgame? He got me in debt at the last round! I won’t let that happen again, you hear me!” Souda yelled.

“How exciting! It has been a while since we’ve played this game again!” Sonia remarked with sparkling eyes.

“Yosh! Now I’m getting pumped too!” Akane shouted eagerly.

“Restrain your fighting spirit. We can’t let this escalate into a brawl halfway through again.” Nidai said with a laugh.

His classmates, no… his friends were all shining bright with hope.

“Here. Since you came late, we already took turns and rolled them.” Hinata said as he handed him a pair of dice. “Now it’s your turn.”

Komaeda gladly took them, his hand lingering for a moment, and then tossed the pair of dice.

And as his eyes scanned the room and saw the faces of his friends no longer in despair, he knew even without looking at the dice that he was truly lucky.

Double six.

His eyes never strayed from his friends as he smiled and declared, “I’m so happy to have been born this lucky!”

Nagito Komaeda may have been born extremely lucky but it’s only when he’s with his friends that feels like he’s the luckiest man on earth.

Chapter Text

In the vast expanse of the ocean, their ship just had to come across a van-slash-rocket. Naturally they blamed Komaeda for such an unusual turn of events but little did they know just how much involved he was in this.

“You guys. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Souda asked in disbelief.

“Isn’t this exciting? It has the feeling of adventure written all over it!” Sonia exclaimed.

“More like suspicious.” Saionji snickered.

“So? What are we going to do about it?” Mitarai asked warily.

“Well we can’t just leave it alone.” Twogami readily answered. “What if someone’s in that?”

“T-That’s horrible! We should h-help them out if we can!” Mikan stammered.

“Very well then it would seem that you require the blessing of the aquatic lords.” Gundam stepped forward, his scarf billowing in the breeze. “However, I may need someone’s assistance to pry the vehicle open.”

“I’m game for a quick swim!” Nidai volunteered and already began warming up. “Akane, be on standby in case whatever’s inside is hostile.”

“Roger!” Owari nodded. “I sure hope there’s food in there!”

“I wouldn’t put my hopes into food…” Hinata said to himself. He already knew what or rather, who was in there but he thought it was best to let them see for themselves.

The last thing they expected to find inside the van was a listless girl. She didn’t even seem fazed at all when they had forcefully opened the door. She just stared at them for one second, quickly finished her typing, and then shut her laptop to join the rescue team. Once she was on board on their ship, she opened her laptop again and typed with one hand while the other held on to barbeque. She just acted as if nothing unsual just happened.

While everyone else was baffled by her behavior, Komaeda quickly greeted the familiar face. “Oh, hello there, Monaka. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Mm…” She chewed and then swallowed. She spoke but she didn’t even bother to look at him properly as her eyes were glued to her screen. “Skip dialogue. Don’t make this any more awkward than it already is.”

“As cheerful as always I see.” He just laughed her comment off.

“Excuse me, it would seem that you two are acquainted. Would you mind elaborating on this?” Pekoyama politely interjected.

“Hm, well I guess we are.” He placed his hand on his chin as if in thought but in the end he just brightly smiled at them and admitted, “After all, I was the one who raised her.”

…

“YOU WHAT??!”

The whole class roared in shock and they could’ve sworn that the ship rocked just the slightest bit from their uproar.

“Who the fuck let Komaeda raise a kid??” Kuzuryuu angrily yelled.

“My it would seem that Komaeda’s already gone ahead and become an adult way before us!” Teruteru remarked excitedly.

“Ibuki had no idea that Koma-kun’s spirit of adventure was that high!” Ibuki screeched.

“Getting involved with Komaeda can’t be good. She’s probably turned into a hope-maniac like him.” Saionji commented snidely.

“Hey, guys. I know we’re all surprised and all but could you not react so violently? She might get freaked out.” Koizumi tried to calm down her panicked group of friends.

“She raises a good point. We haven’t even asked her status yet.” Twogami said as he then approached Monaka. “Are you okay?”

She glanced at him blankly and continued blogging as he mumbled, “Yeah, just peachy.”

A collective sigh of relief resounded.

“Oh, thank god. She’s normal!” Souda cheered.

“Yeah, for a moment there we were kind of expecting you to burst into a hope speech or something. But I guess we were worried over nothing.” Koizumi chuckled.

“Oh, he does that to you too? Must suck to be his friends 24/7.” Monaka commented snarkily. “That stuff is way too annoying for me to handle. I’m way over that hope stuff. Bleck!”

“Meh, she could be worse. Much worse.” Kuzuryuu shrugged. “She’s more  normal than I thought.”

“Perhaps we were just overreacting.” Pekoyama seconded.

“Agreed. Who knew that Komaeda could be entrusted with the welfare of a child?” Sonia remarked.

“Hey, you’re not so bad at kids after all!” Akane slapped him on the shoulder.

“Aww, you guys really think so? I feel like I don’t deserve even half the praise you’re giving me!” Komaeda chuckled, still not used to being treated so kindly. “But seriously, you’re giving me too much credit. I’m just a failure of a parent. After all, I did try to raise her to be the second Junko Enoshima and look how that turned out.”

A moment of silence.

“YOU WHAAAAAAT??!!!”

Monaka just waved her hand at them as she commented, “Trust me, you don’t even want to hear the story. It’s not as exciting as it sounds.”

Little did they know just how much Komaeda’s influence on Monaka was but the next question was, did they even want to know?

Chapter Text

“You are under arrest under the charge of the ultimate crime of all… plunging the world in despair.”

The battle of hope against despair had reached a turning point.

With the death of Junko Enoshima, the Remnants of Despair still carried on their activities and continued to live under her will for despair. But it wasn’t long before Makoto Naegi and company had managed to capture each one. They were placed in the New World Program in the hopes that they could be rehabilitated into their former non-despair solves however, it seemed that Junko’s despair persisted even in her death.

The virus had caused the program to backfire and now ten out of the fifteen remanants were in comatose states. Before any proper treatment could be given to them, the surviving five who woke up were immediately taken away by the Future Foundation. They could have fought back but there were people at the pods of their friends still in comas and they didn’t want to risk it. And so they let themselves be taken in and held on to the hope that their friends would still be there when they got back.

Now the leaders of hope and the leaders of despair were all gathered in the same room.

“If that’s all you have to say then we’re leaving.” Hinata spoke in an eerily calm voice.

“Well aren’t you an entitled piece of shit!” Sakakura yelled at him. “You  don’t get to call the shots here. In fact, you should just get shot yourself.”

“D-Dude! What are you doing?!” Souda cowered from behind. “You’re not supposed to piss them off! We just barely made it out of that killing game and you’re already signing us up for death!”

“I’d listen to that kid if I were you.” Kizakura coolly commented. “As you can tell, not everyone here is levelheaded.”

“No need for that.” Hinata replied and then turned his back. “We’re leaving. This is a waste of time.”

A dagger shot out and narrowly missed him by the cheek. “Leaving isn’t within your rights.” Izayoi said vehemently.

“You guys are just so full of yourselves. You think the world revolves around you. You think that this is all just some game for you. You think you can get whatever you want.” Ruruka commented, her tone laced with venom and hatred. “Ha! Well not this time. Not anymore.”

“Please, may we all just calm down?” Sonia interjected. “We do not wish to fight.”

“You don’t actually have the right to fight.” Bandai corrected her. “We’re deciding for you. You don’t have any voice in this matter.”

“Huh?! So you’re saying that you expect us to just lie down and take this shit?!” Kuzuryuu angrily yelled at him.

“If you wish to go any further than that then I will be obligated to use force.” Great Gozu said as he stood up.

“I’d like to see you try.” Akane challenged. “Pick a fight with my buddies and you pick a fight with me!”

“Please, no rough-housing! We’ve already had enough of violence so let’s settle this one peacefully.” Gekkogahara pleaded through her screen.

“I-I have my medicines with me though just in case.” Seiko spoke through her face mask and then mumbled, “But I… can’t promise that I’ll save anyone that isn’t part of Future Foundation.”

“For an organization that symbolizes the hope of the future, you don’t look too promising.” Hinata commented snidely.

“Hmph, taunts will get you nowhere, Despair.” Munakata replied with a scathing glare. “Say what you want while you can because those may be your very last words.”

“That is enough. Settle down now.” Tengan’s voice echoed in the room. “Let’s move on and discuss what we all came here for.”

However, Hinata had other matters he wanted to bring up first. “It’s been a while… Miss Yukizome.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” Yukizome smiled brightly at them. “It’s so nice to see you again.” Her smile lowered. “Although it would have been better if everyone was with you.”

Hinata’s mouth opened to say something but before the words could come out, smoke filled the room. One by one they started dropping unconscious. This was one of the reasons why Hinata wanted to leave. He didn’t want them to get involved in this mess. But he also foresaw that their involvement was inevitable. As long as they could survive this and make it back to the rest of their friends then they just had to get this over with. And it was with that thought that Hinata let himsulf succumb to sleep.

Everyone had woken up to an annoying yet dreadfully familiar voice.

“Upupupu…” An ominous laughed reached their ears.

“Not this shit again.” Kuzuryuu cursed as he searched for the source.

“You can’t be serious. Please let all of this be a dream. A very bad dream. I don’t want to go through that hell again.” Souda begged with tears in his eyes.

“This is quite the unusual turn of events and I am not so thrilled by it.” Sonia remarked with trepidation.

“Alright if this is some prank then I’m going to beat up the person who thought of even pulling this on us!” Akane yelled with anger.

“As long as there’s despair in people’s hearts…” The screen lit up and out came the face of despair itself. “Monokuma will always come back!”

Despite the panic in everyone’s faces, there was one person who looked unaffacted by it all.

Hinata stared forward and calmly spoke, “How boring.”

The battle of hope against despair raged on.

BONUS:
Possible NG codes

Hinata - cannot reveal the secret of the game or the mastermind
Kuzuryuu - cannot make eye contact
Souda - cannot tamper with electronics
Sonia - cannot refuse an order
Akane - cannot fight back

Chapter Text

The class of 78 was falling into despair.

“We won’t lose hope!”

The person on the screen objected. Unlike the rest of the class who were slowly succumbing to the dreaded despair, this person was the only one who was firmly holding on to hope despite the despairing situation he was in.

Makoto Naegi may be battered, bruised, and broken, but his spirit was unbreakable.

“What SHSL luck he has indeed! It’s a miracle that he’s even survived this far! He’s been lucking out on all the traps I’ve set up and that says a lot considering I’ve rigged all of them!” Junko chuckled maliciously and then smiled lopsidedly. “Upupu… But when will he run out of luck, I wonder?”

He staggered forward with a body that was drenched in his blood so much that he looked like he lost more blood than there was in his body. As for his body, it barely passed for one since with every trap he’d survive, his body looked more and more like pieced together corpse. He was barely holding together at this point.

His leg had twisted in the wrong way when he had to jump over the surprise pit trap. He had already lost half an arm when he didn’t get all sevens at the slot machine. He could barely hear anything after just narrowly missing an explosion. His vision was blurred around the edges when some blunt object hit him at the back of his head. His breathing was labored since one of the many bullets that were fired at him had probably shot through his lung. Truly, he was a pitiful sight worth despairing over.

But despite all this, nothing could dull the hope in his eyes as he pushed forward.

“It’s okay…” He heaved as he limped against the wall. “I’ll definitely… we’ll definitely… beat you!”

Each step he took was labored and it felt like it could be very well his last but his steps never stopped. His pace slowed with every new injury but he never did stop. As long as he had hope, he would never stop. Hope is what pushes him forward. Hope is what keeps him moving. Hope is what will win in the end.

Or so he believed.

Two doors lay before him. He was at the final stretch. Two doors: one would lead him to hope and the other to despair. He had a 50/50 chance of getting this right. How fitting it was the in the end, he’d have to rely on his luck. No, not just luck. His and everyone’s hopes were depending on him. He had promised everyone that he wouldn’t lose. And he wasn’t one to break promises especially not ones filled with hope.

His hand went for the door on the right, the coldness of the doorknob ran a chill through his body. His heart hammered wildly with anticipation in his ribcage. He had a good feeling about this. He was nervous and afraid but he was also ridiculously positive about this. It had to be this one, he thought. He may have arbitrarily chose this one but he couldn’t help but think that this was the right choice. He had to believe it was. His hand tightly clutched on the doorknob and turned.

And when he opened the door, a bright vision filled with hope greeted him.

Everyone was there smiling and eagerly cheering him on. He felt his chest fill with relief and there was a certain lightness in his step as he approached them. He’d make it back with them and hang out with them just like always. He took another step forward, another step closer, another step towards his hope. He reached out his hand. He was so close. He could almost feel a classmate’s fingertips touching his as he reached out expecting the warmth of a hand closing in on his.

But instead a spear slipped through his fingers and pierced him instead.

His eyes widened both in pain and in surprise. He got the… wrong door? His head instinctively turned to check the door. More spears burst forth from the floor and grotesquely stabbed him, a strangled choke ripped through his throat in agony. No matter how painful this was, it was the last thing on his mind as he blankly stared forward. When he turned back to check on the door, he had uncovered a despairing truth. Beside the door he entered was the door that he didn’t choose.

Both doors led to the same room. Both choices led to his death. Both fates led to this despair.

His body was screaming with pain but hardly any agonized screams escaped his lips. Maybe it was the shock or maybe a spear had also pierced through his throat. He couldn’t tell anymore as he was already losing consciousness in his mind’s efforts to save him from enduring any more of this torturing experience. It was painful, it was the most painful thing he had ever felt and it was tempting to just let go. But he knew that no matter how painful this was for him, surely it must feel more painful for his friends who were watching him helplessly.

This was truly the end for him. But even so, he didn’t want everyone’s hopes to end with him.

He writhed and struggled to at least do something before he dies. He gasped and tried to get the words he wanted to say out. But rather than words, blood coughed up instead. Tears streamed from his eyes and mixed with his blood. Not yet. No, he can’t let it end here just yet. He had to protect their hopes. He wouldn’t let his death dye them with despair. At the very least, he wanted his friends to remain as their hopeful selves.

He wanted everyone to believe in hope even if it couldn’t save him.

“Everyone… I…” He took in a sharp breath as he forced the words out. “I’m sorry…” He coughed and with each cough, he felt all the places where the spears stabbed him and it was agonizingly painful. “Please… don’t…” He choked on his own blood and he could already feel his strength slipping away. “Don’t…” He gritted his teeth as more tears flowed when memories flashed in his head. Precious memories of him and his friends whom he loved dearly. Memories that were fading just as he was.  "Just don’t…“

Don’t lose hope.

He never did get to finish his sentence.

A foreboding feeling filled the room as the screens flashed the broken corpse of their beloved classmate. The ongoing process of change in them had reached its climax. This was the breaking point for them. Something within them had changed irreparably. Something had died within them the same moment as Naegi did. That something was a feeling that was slowly being replaced by another more dreadful feeling.

They stared at the screen with not just tears in their eyes but also… despair in them.

“How despicable… truly unforgivable.” Kirigiri was the first to speak as her hands clenched tightly into fists. “We can’t let Naegi’s death be for nothing!”

Kirigiri continued to solve cases but she made it a habit to pin the crime on the wrong culprit and left despair for all of her clients.

“She’s right! Naegi would have wanted us to move forward from this.” Sayaka seconded. “That’s why I’ll give it my all and fill my fans with love from now on!”

Sayaka continued her idol career and her fanbase had turned into an occult that worshipped her and her despair.

“Like hell are we going to let him down!” Leon yelled. “Screw the rockstar life! I’ll keep scoring homeruns for him!”

Leon continued to play baseball as he pitched and batted on people even outside of the gaming field.

“I’m going to have my gang be outstanding role models! It’s what the little guy would have wanted!” Mondo shouted.

Mondo continued to lead his biker gang and spread havoc across the streets and highways.

“And I’ll make sure that everyone is working towards the right path!” Ishimaru cheered on.

Ishimaru continued to enforce controversial regulations and people followed them without second thoughts.

“I’ll try and do my best as well.” Chihiro said in between the tears. “He’s done so much for me, it’s the least I could do to repay his kindness.”

Chihiro continued to create all sorts of programs and viruses and unleashed them upon even the highest security systems all the while hacking and causing havoc all around the globe.

“He will not be forgotten! I will immortalize his tale of selflessness!” Yamada declared.

Yamada continued to draw doujinshis and even created original mangas which shaped the culture and also the minds of his avid readers.

“I suppose that I too shall join in this endeavor.” Celeste offered lightly. “He has earned my gratitude enough for me to repay my debts.”

Celes continued to gamble with the most powerful and most elite of the world and have them wager stakes at a global scale.

“He fought valiantly until the end.” Sakura remarked with deep respect. “I must follow his example and teach others of his way of life.”

Sakura continued to mentor not only in her family’s dojo but also in different dojos across the country, teaching her pupils how to fight and how to relish in the despair of fighting.

“I’ll miss him so much!” Asahina cried and then wiped her tears. “That’s why I gotta keep his memory alive as much as I can!”

Asahina continued to swim just as her competition also suspiciously drowned whenever she was in the pool.

“Naegichi!! I swear that I’ll live my life twice in honor of yours!” Hagakure wailed. “You were too good for this world!”

Hagakure continued to tell the fortunes of powerful leaders and foretold only the worst of his visions.

“I-I don’t exactly write anything aside from r-romance…” Fukawa mumbled. “But I guess I’ll make this an exception and w-write for y-you.”

Fukawa continued to write novel after novel, each one filled with more despair than the other and with each new publication more people succumbed.

Among those people was Genocider Syo who read one of Fukawa’s works out of curiosity once they switched. The effect on Syo was instantaneous and from then on, she started murdering indiscriminately.

“Don’t even bother trying.” Togami scoffed. “I’ll carry on his will more than any of you commoners can even imagine of.”

Togami continued to lead his family’s conglomerate and as a global superpower, he used all available resources and connections to cover the world in despair.

“This is… amazing!” Mukuro squealed in delight. “This is absolutely the most despair-inducing thing I’ve ever experienced! Naegi… you bring out all sorts of feelings even in death.”

Mukuro continued to slaughter all in her sister’s way just like always except now she does it more brutally so than before.

Everyone’s eyes were glazed and their faces had twisted smiles on them.  The whole class had fallen into despair.

Junko Enoshima’s smile was her brightest yet. “Congratulations! Everyone’s hearts have now united as one! From here on out we’ll continue to be one big happy family full of despair!”

This was the end of his hope, of their hopes, of the hope of the world.

And this was just the beginning of despair.

BONUS:

When Hope Becomes Despair

Makoto Naegi was falling into despair.

As he watched the video play before him, he felt absolutely helpless as he saw the student council murder each other brutally. Why would they turn to such savage acts? What were they hoping to gain? And did it even matter in the end since all of them died anyways? Unknowingly he was falling deeper and deeper into an abyss of nothing but this horrible feeling threatening to consume him. A feeling that he’d naturally reject but as he was now, he was fighting a losing battle.

“Please… no more…” He begged, tears streamed from his eyes, but he couldn’t look away no matter how much he wanted to.

He felt his mind unraveling inside of him. Precious memories were being warped and twisted into something unrecognizable. His personality followed suit after as his optimism ebbed away along with his sanity. He was getting hollowed out and being filled with atrocities he had never imagined could fit inside a person. He was dying. The person that he was right now was dying and it scared him. Fear just sped up the process. And as the final seconds of the video played out, he also lost the last bits of hope left inside of him.

All movements from him had stilled and the silence just added to the thick tension in the room.

“…” A hand twitched. “Ha…” A chuckle escaped his lips. “Haha…” And another. “…Ahahaha!” Until he was in a maniacal laughing fit with his  eyes shut tightly.

His smile was twisted upward but in all the wrong ways.

“I won’t let this despair get to me… or anyone else.” He declared as he opened his eyes which were glazed. He smiled wider. “I will give everyone hope!”

And he did. He gave everyone “hope” to hold on to.

Hope that would later become despair.

Makoto Naegi may have lived but something within him died that day.

Because at the birth of despair is the death of hope.

Chapter Text

Conveniently gathered inside a room was a group of people each holding their own laptops. None of them had ever seen each other before this moment (*this is a convenient lie, some of them actually know each other irl, much to the despair of others) and so they stared at each other with both curiosity and apprehension.

And then they counted how many they were only to confirm the fact that…

“Someone will die.” @dr3discourse started.

“Of fun! (Source: parks and recreations)” @incorrectdrv3 punctuated with a punchline.

“Holy shit! We’re all going to die!” @eggseggseggseggseggseggseggseggs cheered with great excitement.

“Exactly sixteen people? Well, you know what that means. I feel so conflicted about this. On one hand, I get to be a part of something I love and devoted myself for. On the other hand, I have a high chance of death.” @jinjojess pointed out as they analyzed the situation.

“Oh, thank god this is based on the original killing games. I don’t want to have either the NG codes or the plot holes of dr3.” @komaesa sighed in relief.

“Please let Junko Enoshima be the mastermind. Please!” @banginronpa3 murmured with fingers crossed.

“It’s 2016, dr3 is over, and yet dangan ronpa still manages to suck me back in this hellhole. We can never escape this despair nightmare.” @sol–lux pointed out with

“Guys, are you seriously triggering all the death flags already? We haven’t even done the introductions yet. Do you want this to be the shortest playthrough ever?” @taichinchin let out an exasperated breath over the problematic cast.

“Excuse me while I reevalute my life choices that led me to this point… Definitely too many bad choices. Dangan ronpa was a mistake.” @atalantaz remarked as they pondered over their chances of survival.

“Let’s all calm down first. I’m sure that this isn’t what we think it is. Besides, it looks like we all know about DR so no one here would try to kill anyone, right?” @ministarfruit said as the other voice of reason and probably the only voice of hope.

“Does anyone want to volunteer as a victim? Because I really want to see what my execution would be like.” @shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl politely asked as if it was the sanest question ever.

“Okay but the important question is… will our blood be pink too?” @photoshopronpa asked with barely contained excitement. “But just in case it’s not, and it’s just boring red, I’m going to fix it.”

“This is it. The karma of doing all those abridged videos.” @faulerro said knowingly but also with a hint of pride in his voice. “Congratulations me. You just played yourself.”

“By the way, there are 209 mods for my blog so I’m not really sure how I exist? Am I an amalgam of the prominent mods or of all the mods? Or am I someone entirely separate? Who knows? But we can all be sure that I’ll be problematic as hell.” @komaedalovemail proclaimed with a laugh at his own existential crisis.

“I don’t know about you guys but I definitely blame meghan for why I’m here.” @dangandingus accused with a heated glare.

“Meh, guilty.” @holy-shit-dangan-ronpa nonchalantly shrugged and then added, “But hey, at least this is an awesome way to die, right? As dangan trash who has this love-hate thing going on for despair, this is an opportunity of a lifetime! We’re also probably going to regret this.”

And as if right on cue because everyone had already said their lines (not just because the author is lazy to write any more) the lights suddenly dimmed and just as expected, an all too familiar bear popped out.

“Upupu… Did someone say despair?” Monokuma laughed. “Man, what’s with this year’s batch? I swear they get crazier with every installment! You guys don’t even have legit talents. What’s with this half-assed cast?”

The crowd were mixed in reactions. Some of them paled at the sight of the bear and his imminent despair while others rejoiced over seeing their favorite mascot character. And a few had even weirder coping mechanisms but the author won’t get into depth because they’re assuming that you all have played and/or watched enough DR to know what happened.

“Oh, well. Who even reads this anyways? Whoever read it this far is either one of you guys or just a die-hard DR fan. Either way, I’m forced by metaphysical means to thank you.” Monokuma said breaking out of character at the last sentence. “Phew! That’s my good deed for the day. Anyways, so you youngsters know the drill.”

Indeed, they already knew. This was only a prelude to a tale of hope and despair. And utter tumblr-induced chaos.

“Let the uninspired mutual killing game tumblr edition begin!”

BONUS:

Problematic Participants

At a class trial…

“Wait so we’re really going to do this? This doesn’t even make sense anymore.” @atalantaz started with a logical argument.

“You’ve got that wrong!” @jinjojess objected loudly with her finger dramatically pointed.

“Hey! I wanted to say that!” @dangandingus whined at he missed opportunity.

“Ding-dong y'all wrong!” @eggseggseggseggseggseggseggseggs objected too but with more swag.

“Sore wa chigau yo, motherfuckers!” @incorrectdrv3 shouted in as well.

“That’s wrong, you dipshit!” @banginronpa3 joined in as well.

“Dammit! They said all the good ones already!” @sol–lux cursed and waited for another opportunity to use the catchphrase.

“Yes, because that’s the point of this class trial. Let’s just shout at each other instead of actually solving the murder.” @taichinchin complained listlessly.

“Wasn’t that the whole game though? Literal shouting. I mean this is pretty accurate if you ask me.” @komaesa calmly explained.

“I don’t even get why we’re still having a class trial when the culprit already admitted to the crime.” @photoshopronpa pointed out.

“Worth it.” @shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl said with satisfaction and pride.

“For the memes. We gotta for the memes.” @holy-shit-dangan-ronpa spoke as if they were words of wisdom.

“And to bring justice to our fallen friend.” @ministarfruit added in case anyone forgot.

“Stop telling people I’m dead!” @incorrectdrv3 yelled from the afterlife.

“We haven’t even done the introductions and we’re already at a class trial. There’s no investigation scene at all, everything doesn’t make sense! Unless…” @dr3discourse was already ready to begin a whole new slew of arguments.

“I call dibs on the next killer or victim. Either way is fine!” @komaedalovemail raised their hand.

“And that’s all the screentime we have. Let’s cut this before it gets too ridiculous that it isn’t funny anymore. Seriously, we’re pushing the limit here on the jokes, it’s only a matter of time before the angst and feels kick in.” @faulerro commented all knowingly.

“Hey! Breaking the 4th wall is my gimmick! Don’t go stealing someone’s shtick!” Monokuma complained from his throne. “Get back to your class trial thing of betrayal and blah blah you know what I mean!”

And so, the tale of hope versus despair, and tumblr-induced chaos, continued.

But not really.

“Upupu… Well, it’s not like this is going to get a proper fanfic. This is just a oneshot after all.” Monokuma laughed at the readers. “Upupupu! The hope at the birth of a fanfic and the despair of it dying just as soon as it’s made. Gyahahaha! Oh, the DESPAIR!”

Chapter Text

Contrary to his title, Makoto Naegi had the worst luck.

It’s not so bad when most of the time it’s just the little things. Things like losing his wallet, tearing a hole in his pants, tripping over his own shoes, just little things. These were just minor inconveniences that were annoying at most but not at all that consequential. He could easily get by with just frustration.

But then there are times when it’s more than just dropping pocket change. Bigger incidents like that one time he got involved in a holdup and got chased by a criminal. Even worse was that the criminal was seriously out to get him like they had a personal grudge on him. If it weren’t for a can that had tripped their motorbike, he probably would have been a goner. It sounds outrageous but it’s a true story. He had a terrible streak when it came to his luck and he’s about to find out that it gets worse when he enters high school.

His supposedly hopeful high school life turned into a high school life of mutual killing.

But he didn’t want to believe in it. He didn’t want to believe that any of them was capable of killing anyone. There was no way they’d kill just to get out even if there were motives. There had to be another way. They should all be thinking of another way. That’s why he chose to believe in these newly formed acquaintances instead of thinking otherwise.

So when Maizono asked Naegi to switch rooms, he trusted her wholeheartedly. And that’s when his luck was set into motion.

When he was washing his face out of habit in preparation for bed, he had accidentally splashed himself and rendered his clothes drenched. He didn’t want to get Maizono’s bed soaked and he felt like it wouldn’t be approriate if he slept in shirtless. While he knew it was past the curfew they had agreed on, he thought that it would be reasonable if he was just going next door to get a change of clothes. With that innocent thought in mind, he opened the door of Maizono’s room and headed out into the corridor.

And that’s when he chanced upon Kuwata.

“Kuwata? What are you doing out here?” Naegi asked.

“Right back at ya.” He smoothly dodged the question.

“Oh, well that’s fair I guess. I mean we’re both not supposed to be out so I do look suspicious.” Naegi conceded and then nervously declared his innocence. “But I swear I don’t plan on doing anything bad! I’m just going to meet with Maizono.”

“Huh? You too? Weird. I kinda thought this was a private thing.” Kuwata commented.

Naegi blinked. Something about his sentence seemed off. “Too? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, whatever. I just want to know what’s going on.” Kuwata didn’t seem to hear him as he pulled Naegi along. “So? What are you standing there for? Let’s go see her.”

The door opened to reveal a smiling Maizono but when her eyes met with Naegi, she immediately blanched as if seeing a ghost.

“Uh, Maizono? You okay?” Naegi asked in concern.

“Yeah, man. You don’t look too good.” Kuwata seconded.

“I-I…” She stammered and then just as quickly as her fear took hold of her, she also quickly masked it. “I’m fine. Now that you two are here. I feel so much safer.”

Once they were welcomed inside, Naegi quickly explained his business and got his change of clothes. Naturally, they had to fill in Kuwata with the room arrangements and such. Kuwata also asked why Maizono had called him out and to which she answered with something vague like helping him out on his music career.
There’s this nagging suspicion which Naegi couldn’t quite place. He felt as though that Maizono was hiding something but he quickly dismissed the thought as all three of them spent the night having an impromptu voice lesson.

Thus, the first murder was prevented and no one died that week.

Monokuma gave out a new set of motives.

Since no one has died so far, Naegi held firmly to his belief that no one would kill anyone here. Incidentally, monokuma also decided to unlock the barrier for the second floor with the reasoning that the new area might give some people good ideas for murder. Naegi just brushed off his taunts and explored the new rooms with the rest of the class. If they had survived a week then surely they could survive another, and another. They would definitely not give in to despair.

Not when his luck was working out yet again.

Naegi had wanted to try out the pool. He’s not that good of a swimmer but he thought that a dip would be refreshing rather than a shower. And so he went to the changing room, unaware that it was past curfew, and was greeted by an unlikely sight. In the men’s changing room was Oowada and surprisingly, Fujisaki as well.

“Uh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?” Naegi felt the tension in the room and he knew he was the cause of it. “I could um, I could leave if you want. I don’t really need to use the room. So maybe I should just…” He trailed off, he had already unconsciously stepped back and had his hand on the door.

“Hold it.” Oowada warned him. “Don’t think you’re going to get out of here that easily.”

Naegi audibly gulped. “Um… okay?”

“Wait, please.” Fujisaki timidly spoke, “Let me explain what’s going on first.”

It was quite the explanation and though Naegi was surprised about Fujisaki’s secret, he had accepted it wholeheartedly. He even commended Oowada for being so supportive. They talked more after that and by the end of the night, they had shared secrets with each other. Some heavy and some light, they talked about all sorts of things and forged bonds. Naegi was also invited every time they were going to work out and the three happily bonded.

The supposed second murder was prevented and no one died that week.

Monokuma gave out another set and this time he was going for third times the charm.

Needless to say, Naegi had also circumvented the murder. Whether it was because of his stubborn belief in hope or just his shsl luck at work, nevertheless able to prevent the murder or rather murders. He didn’t know it at the time but he just accidentally walked in on the first stage of Celes’ plan of murder. Because he was an unnaccounted element, she couldn’t take in the risk and so she abandoned the plan as soon as he walked in on her. They had a rather interesting talk over tea so it wasn’t a complete loss for her she supposed.

The should have been third murder was prevented and no one died that week.

Monokuma was getting annoyed at this point so this time the motive he gave was the traitor’s identity.

It brought out quite the diverse set of reactions from the class. Some grew wary of Oogami while others pinned the blame on her. A handful were neutral and even fewer were the ones who actually sympathized with her. Among those was Naegi of course. He knew that since no one had died so far then no one would have that strong of a grudge against her. However, he couldn’t help but worry for her since she had a strong sense of honor and with it came a strong sense of guilt.

Although it was by accident when he had walked in on her in the rec room, Naegi pushed forward with full resolve into talking Oogami out of suicide. And he succeeded. She didn’t just abandon her attempt, she dropped all intentions of doing so and he couldn’t have been more relieved and more proud of her. And later when they met up with Asahina, Naegi knew that Oogami was going to be okay.

Needless to say, no one died that week either.

Or the week after that.

Monokuma kept giving out these motives and Naegi kept accidentally preventing the murders.

“Goddammit!” Enoshima swore as she despaired in the control room. “How fucking hard is it to get a bunch of people to kill each other?! And I gave out all the good motives too! What’s a girl got to do to see some murder?? ARGHH!!” She closed her eyes as she screamed out all of her frustrations.

And unexpectedly, someone had interrupted her. “Uh, hello?”

Her eyes shot open and when she turned around she saw the most despairing sight in her life. “What the?” She was too mad to even be shocked as she yelled at the intruder, “How the hell did you get in here??”

“Oh, um…” Naegi flinched at her voice so timidly he answered, “You uh… left the door unlocked.”

…Are you fucking serious? Enoshima let out one long frustrated sigh. In an eerily calm manner, she stood up and approached him. He jumped a bit when she placed her hands on his shoulders all the while she gazed at him with blank eyes. She took a breath and all hell broke loose, “I take my eyes off the screen for one second! ONE SECOND!! And already everything’s gone to shit!”

“Uhh…” Naegi felt more than uncomfortable as she ranted on.

“Nothing’s happening at all because of you, you little shit! I should’ve killed you while I had a chance if I knew you’d make things this boring!” She violently shook him with every sentence as she released all of this pent up aggression. She dramatically wailed. “But noooo! I didn’t. And now when I’m trying to kill you won’t even die! You don’t even notice all the murder attempts I tried on you! I literally tried to kill you in your sleep but your fucking whoop de doo luck saved your ass again! How the hell does it even work?”

Naegi blanched because he knew she wasn’t joking. He also knew that she wouldn’t let go of him anytime soon as her hands were clutched onto him like claws.

That was until she raised her arms up in a resigned manner. “You know what? I give up! This is just despairing!” She reached out behind her and shoved something at him. “Here! This is the exit switch! Take it and do whatever you want with it! I don’t give a fuck anymore!”

“Um…” He started, unsure of what had just happened.

“What the fuck are you doing still here?” She scowled at him in an irritated fashion. “I said get the fuck out before I sic monokuma at you!”

He thought it was best to leave before she changed her mind. So with the switch in hand, he hurried out of the room and regrouped with the others. After what could be hardly called a debate, they had unanimously decided to get out of the school. And thus, the high school life of mutual killing that hadn’t even started was finally ended. They all thought that it was their bonds that got them through without casualties. They believed that it was hope that had saved them all.

And although hope did play its part, a lot of this can be owed to Makoto Naegi and his unpredictable luck.

Chapter Text

“Sorry if I’m a bit late today. A lot of things happened along the way.”

Naegi promptly apologized with his head bowed as soon as he arrived.

“What took you so long, man? It’s not cool to keep us waiting every time.” Kuwata jeered at him.

“You wouldn’t believe all of the incidents that I had to go through just so I could get here.” He explained with a weak laugh.

“Oh, we believe you, alright. The weirdest shit always happens to you. You sure your talent is luck?” Mondo smirked at him.

“Sometimes I question my luck. It’s hard to tell how much of it is actually good especially when I was this close into an accident just a while ago.” He continued, still out of breath.

“But you’re not hurt, right? As long as you’re okay then your luck should be fine.” Fujisaki timidly pointed out.

“I’m okay as you can see. Still in one piece. I’m doing fine. I’m doing great actually!” He smiled as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

“Yes, that is all well and good but next time do be on time. Punctuality is a basic foundation of society. It should only be proper that you take this to heart as well.” Ishimaru reprimanded him.

“I’m really sorry for being late… again. But I promise that I’m doing my best!” He defended himself.

“It’s a definitive character trait for the protagonist to come late. As expected from you!” Yamada cheered enthusiastically.

“I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.” He admitted with his most earnest face.

“Yes, well now that we’ve pointed out his lack of punctuality, may we now move on to more important matters? I believe you have something to share with us.” Celes said with a well-tempered smile.

“Oh, right. I guess you wouldn’t want me to talk about what happened along the way. I have lots more to tell you. I don’t even know where to begin.” He chatted on excitedly.

“Then start where you are most comfortable with. We’ll be listening to all of them. There’s no need to rush.” Oogami proclaimed in her low and calming voice.

“I know I talk too much but thanks for always hearing me out.” He said as he placed his hand over his chest.

“We’ll always listen to you. That’s what friends are for!” Maizono cheered at him.

“Everyone… I’m so grateful to have you all as my friends.” He said with tears in his eyes. “I’ve missed you all so much.”

“Oh my god! What’s with the drama bomb! Just fucking cut to the good parts! We don’t have all day!” Enoshima loudly whined her complaints.

“Sis, not so loud, please.” Ikusaba said more to herself and then nodded to him. “The floor’s all yours.”

“Okay, okay. I guess I should start now.” He chuckled slightly.

Just as Naegi opened his mouth to tell a story, someone called out to him.

“Hey, Naegi!”

And as he turned around to check, the vision of his high school class slowly started to fade. Where each of his classmates’ image had once stood, there was a grave instead for every one of them.

This was their high school reunion.

“We should have met up earlier so we could have all come here together.” Asahina said as she gave him a hug.

“I know but it couldn’t be helped. We came from different places and it was hard to get our schedules right. I’m surprised you five came together.” Naegi pointed out.

“Well we got good service. Right, Togamicchi?” Hagakure said with a grin as he slung his arm over.

“That was so nice of you to pick them up.” Naegi seconded.

“Hmph. It’ll be pitiful if any of you were to not show up here. Speaking of which, you have been unattentive to your contacts.” Togami scowled at him.

“Oh. Yeah… about that. My phone kind of got broken last night.” Naegi scratched his head in embarrassment.

“A-Again?! Seriously, why are you always l-like this? How did it happen this time?” Fukawa asked in exasperation with just the slightest giveaway of concern.

“Ahaha, well you know me. It’s quite the unusual story.” Naegi laughed lightly as he recalled the memory.

“You can tell us the story along with the rest of the class, don’t you think?” Kirigiri suggested with a small smile.

“Yeah, I think that would be for the best.” Naegi agreed with a nod and then turned to the rest of the class.

Ten graves greeted them.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Let’s talk lots and lots today as well.”

They may be dead but they were not forgotten.

Even if the six couldn’t see the other ten anymore, they were still with them. Because not everything ends in death. The bonds they shared were still here with them. And their hopes live on in their hearts. The survivors would make sure to live out their lives as much as for the rest of them who couldn’t make it.

Until they could have a proper reunion and tell them these stories face to face with pride, with joy, and with hope.

Chapter Text

“Tell them, Naegi!”

“…”

“…”

“…What?” Komaru asked in all her confusion.

She’s not sure what just happened. She knew that Kirigiri and Byakuya were having a heated argument and then all of a sudden, Byakuya just yelled for her to say something. She hasn’t said anything though. Aaaand he’s staring at her expectantly. Great.

Did she miss out on a cue card or something? Because she’s pretty sure that the two of them hardly ever talked. She didn’t even know that they were on speaking terms to begin with since he was always on his high chair whenever he spoke. And now he was expecting her to defend him? What’s going on?

“What are you doing staring blankly when you should be speaking?” Togami snarkily jabbed at her. “Be honored that the great Togami has called forth your assistance.”

Oh, so she really didn’t just imagine that. He was seriously asking her to say something and she’s just baffled that he was even expecting from her in the first place. “Uh… I wasn’t listening?”

“Clearly, you weren’t.” He scoffed. “Apparently, not all Naegi’s are capable.”

“Why am I not surprised that you still fall for that old habit?” Kirigiri commented with a restrained smirk. Komaru didn’t exactly get the reference but she feels like Kirigiri had just insulted Togami.

“Tch. I have no idea what you’re insinuating.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned his back on her. “This isn’t over.” And with that, he quickly walked away.

“Don’t let it bother you too much.” Kirigiri chuckled and went her separate way as well.

And left standing in the room was Komaru who was left with more questions than answers. “Uhh… what just happened?”

Komaru didn’t exactly understand why Togami said those words that day until one day she heard him say them again and her brother was quick to back him up.

BONUS:

“Tell them, Naegi!” Togami shouted with a dramatically pointed finger.

“Uh…” Komaru felt awkward at the sudden attention on her. “Is this going to be a thing now? Because I know my brother’s used to it and all but I’m still just starting to get the hang of this.”

“If you have the energy to whine then you best put that effort into saying something more productive.” Togami commented haughtily with crossed arms. “Now, if you would. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Alright, alright. Geez, you could ask nicely you know.” She huffed in defiance.

“Less complaining and more sensible talking.” He firmly insisted.

“Sometimes I wonder why my brother is friends with you.” She sighed in defeat as she then turned to the people Togami was talking with aside from her. “Okay, so this is what Togami meant when he said…”

This was one of the reasons why Komaru always avoided Togami whenever either of them visited.

Chapter Text

“Hajime and Izuru are twins”, said no one ever.

At least no one said it before knowing the fact. Who could blame them though, the two hardly had anything in common aside from height. There’s just too many discrepancies between the two. From hair color and length, and more strikingly, they don’t even have the same eye color! And those were just on the scale of appearances. If you looked deep down in them, you’ll unsurprisingly find that they have even less in common. From the manner of speech to interests, their personalities did not match at all. However, the greatest difference between them was not personality but rather, talent.

One of them was unbelievably talented while the other one was unremarkably not talented.

And surprisingly, rather than create a distance between the two, they grew rather attached to each other. For Izuru who had every talent imagineable, he was always bored. Being perfect at everything made everything tedious and predictable for him. The praise he’d receive was worthless air since it did little to bring excitement in his life. That’s more of Hajime’s forte. Hajime always did try his hardest to surprise him and Izuru had grown fond of his twin’s antics.

Everything may be predictable for Izuru but to him, Hajime was the one constant that he didn’t mind.

As for Hajime, he thought that growing up with a talented twin to be compared to would be a nightmare but apparently he was mistaken. It wasn’t so bad not when he saw how miserable Izuru’s talents made him. Rather than feel jealous, he felt sorry for him. While Izuru could do anything without effort, Hajime had to struggle instead. Sure, he’d gotten a lot of hurtful comments for being so ordinary but he knew better than them. He knew that being extraordinary wasn’t so great as they thought.

There’s more to life than talent and Hajime has been trying all his life to make Izuru feel more alive each day.

They got along well for a pair of twins who were almost polar opposites but of course they also had moments where they’d clash.

“Hey, Izuru! Have you seen my gel? I can’t seem to find it anywhere!” Hajime yelled from the bathroom.

“No, I haven’t seen it.” He calmly answered as he approached the bathroom at a leisurely pace.

“But you know where it is, right?” Hajime asked with a certain desperation in his voice. “Deduction skills and all, right? Please, I have to meet someone and I’m running late. Help me out here.” He begged with his hands clapped.

Izuru regarded his request as if contemplating the possible outcomes in his mind. "…I suppose a bit of assistance is needed. Try the drawer again only reach out further left.“

“Oh, thank god.” Hajime let out a sigh of relief and then his face broke into a smile. “I owe you one!” And with that, he went back in to do as his twin advised.

Izuru blankly stared at the bathroom door and uttered, “Not like that would be of much use.”

“Goddammit!” And just as he predicted, Hajime stormed out of the bathroom with a frustrated face. “You knew!” He pointed an accusing finger at him. “You fucking knew that it was empty! Why the hell didn’t you just say so??”

“You never asked.” Izuru casually shrugged off the animosity. “I’d hurry if I were you or you’d not only miss your date but also the train.”

Hajime seethed as he gritted his teeth. “I liked you better when you were miserable and quiet.”

“Lies. You love me either way.” Izuru shot back matter-of-factly.

“I do no-” He paused half-sentence and straightened himself. “Okay so maybe I do. But still!” His eyes widened at a sudden realization and then he raised his voice, "Hey! I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t use your talents on me when we’re arguing!“

"I’m not. I don’t need talent to know what you think of me.” He refuted. “Consider it… twintuition.”

“…What the actual fuck?” Hajime swore out loud. “Twintuition? Seriously?” He asked him incredulously. “Is that the new meme or something?”

“…” Izuru wanted to tell him that it was just something he thought up but he also predicted a violent reaction that would cause Hajime to not leave the house in time for his meeting.

Hajime sighed in exasperation. “You know what? I don’t even care right now. I’m just going to pretend I never heard that. I’ll head off and maybe pick up some gel along the way.”

“That would be for the best.” Izuru seconded.

“Alright. Then I’ll see you later!” Hajime said as he grabbed his bag and ran off.

Izuru made it a point to intentionally forget to tell his twin that his hair was the least of his worries. His tie was worn rather loosely, a fact that won’t go past the person he was going to meet. Fortunately for Hajime, this would trigger a series of events in his favor. And when he comes home later after the date, Izuru would be here to greet him with small and knowing smile.

They were an unlikely pair of twins but that just made them all the more so interesting.

Chapter Text

“Chiaki? Nanami? Isn’t that the same person?”

Is always the reaction of people who have only met one of the twins but asked about the other. Chiaki and Nanami were identical twins so it was only natural to confuse the two.

It didn’t help that they had similar clothing choices either: same pink cat shaped backpack, same cat eared hoodie, and same Gala Omega hairclip. The only visible difference was that one hoodie was brown while the other was blue. But take away the hoodie and no one would be able to tell them apart. Add that to the fact that they shared the same hobbies, interests, and even the title SHSL Gamer, people sometimes forgot that they were separate persons.

But they were separate persons and they had their own uniqueness if you just tried to get to know them better individually. What differentiated them was their manner of speech and to a certain extent, sleeping habits.

Chiaki has the habit of dozing off more often than not. When she’s not playing games, she’d be too tuckered out and sleeping instead. For reasons she doesn’t understand either, she’s always sleepy. Because of this, she tended to speak slowly and has developed a rather interesting manner of speech. She’d always end her sentences with uncertainty, questioning the validity of her own declarations. She’s not sure either where or how she picked this up but it’d just come out naturally… or so she thinks.

Nanami on the other hand was not that much of a polar opposite of her twin. While it’s true that someone has to stay awake between the two of them, she’s not that energetic either but she makes sure to always have energy to spare. Unless of course they both pulled an all-nighter on a game or a gaming marathon, then they’d both be asleep in class. As for speech, she’s soft spoken. She sounds just a bit more confident but only because she doesn’t end her sentences with doubt. She’s sure that even though she and her twin speak differently, they both mean well in the end.

As for their relationship, they got along pretty well. Even when they were fighting, the most it escalated to was a sudden death match in a videogame which turned into a series of matches. And before they knew it, it’s already morning and they’ve forgotten what they were fighting over in the first place. Sometimes they get along too well though that it gets boring.

That’s what multiplayer was made for.

“Ah! That was a close one!” Nanami said in awe as her body jumped a bit when her avatar got a boost and hit a ramp. “I almost got flattened back there. Who used the lightning?”

“It wasn’t me…” Chiaki answered while she leaned left as she steered her avatar out of danger. “I guess?”

“Sorry, not sorry.” Hajime commented with a victorious smirk. Of course he would be happy, anyone would be when they were placing first against the most talented people at this game. “I’m THIS close to winning and I’m never going to give it up!”

“Never gonna let you down.” Izuru continued with a straight face.

“Don’t even get me started with your memes.” Hajime hissed at his brother. “I’m just going to enjoy this once in a lifetime chance at beating your talented ass!”

“…” Izuru remained silent as his avatar broke through a box and a random item was being selected. Just as he predicted, he got the one he was aiming for. He smirked because he has been waiting so long to say this line as he used the item. “Gotta go fast.”

With that declaration, his avatar promptly turned into a bullet and sped across the track. Chiaki and Nanami easily avoided his rampage but the same couldn’t be said for Hajime. The goal was already before Hajime, he could almost taste victory. But at the last second, right before he could even cross the finish line, Izuru in the form of a speeding bullet, hit him.

“Mmm, whatcha say?” Izuru taunted in that all too annoying tune.

“Don’t!” Hajime cut him off with a scathing glare before he could finish the chorus. Of course his twin just had to knock him out at the last second which coincidentally knocked him off-track.

But it’s alright, the girls were just about to catch up with him. He could still get second place if he just pulled this off right. His finger tapped on his controller impatiently. “Come on.” He urged the NPC that was pulling his avatar out of the water to go faster. He stared at the incoming other two avatars. This was it. He hit the gas as soon as his avatar hit the floor.

Only to be knocked out again by two speeding avatars.

“Move! Bitch!” Nanami yelled with great enthusiasm.

“Get out the way! Get out the way!” Chiaki seconded with more energy than usual.

Hajime didn’t know what annoyed him more. The fact that he was so close to winning but still lost in the most cruel way or the fact that he now has to deal with three meme-loving fucks. “Oh god. He’s already infected you two.”

“We live and die by the meme… infection.” Izuru proudly stated as if they were words of wisdom to live by.

“See, this is why I sometimes wish I was born as an only child.” Hajime groaned at his brother’s antics. This was humiliating.

He didn’t just lose first place, he lost the whole game. He ended up last place. Again. And just to add salt to injury, everyone had used memes on him as they deafeted him. This was his most painful lost yet.

“Don’t worry, you’ll win next time… probably.” Chiaki patted him on the back consolingly.

“If you just try hard enough, I’m sure you can win one day.” Nanami encouraged him with a smile.

“Yes, very supportive. Good pep talk. Much hope.” Izuru deadpanned.

“Shut up.” Hajime hated that he got the reference to that. Annoyed, he then lightly punched his twin on the shoulder. “Dammit! One more round!”

“They look like they’re having fun… I think.” Chiaki pointed out to her sister.

“I think so too. Games are lots more fun when played with lots of people.” Nanami seconded as she loaded up the next game.

This time they were going to try a tag team match.

Chapter Text

One month into the school year, two late enrollees joined the class.

“Izuru Kamukura. SHSL meme-master.”

“Hajime Hinata. SHSL person-who-has-to-put-up-with-this-shit.”

This was how the twins introduced themselves to the class of 77th.

“Wow. That sounds totally fake but okay.” Saionji commented snidely.

“Oh, my. I was not aware that such could be considered talents. I have so much to learn from Japan’s culture.” Sonia said with all too much innocence.

“Nah, I think they’re just messing with us. I mean the second one’s a whole sentence long. Who do you think you’re fooling?” Kazuichi pointed out.

“Hahaha! I commend you for trying to deceive the likes of Tanaka the Forbidden One!” Tanaka laughed darkly and shouted with much grandeur, “However, I shall only give you one chance to save yourselves. Reveal your true form lest I use my dark arts upon you!”

“You’ll get used to them… eventually.” Koizumi laughed weakly. “Anyways, you two seem close. Do you know each other?”

Hajime started. “No we don-”

“We’re twins.” But Izuru cut him off and finished the sentence much to his brother’s frustration.

“Goddammit, Izuru!” Hajime yelled at the top of his lungs. “I thought we agreed to this. We weren’t supposed to tell them on the first day.” He grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes as he said with a betrayed face, “I trusted you!”

Izuru calmly stared back and replied, “Trust no one. Not even yourself.”

Loud cackling followed suit. “Oh! Oh! Ibuki knows that one!” She held her sides as she laughed harder. “Aha-hahamazing! You really are the master of memes!”

“Don’t encourage him.” Hajime sighed in exasperation.

Izuru just smirked and raised an eyebrow mockingly. “Do you even lift, bro?”

“P-Please no fighting. It’d be bad if you g-get hurt on the first day.” Mikan stuttered as she pleaded.

“Well it’s normal for twins to not get along. It’s a common trope.” Ryotwo commented with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Hmm…” It was Owari who interjected this time as she pointed out, “So basically the talent of long hair is being funny while the talent of spiky is just being a hardass?”

“Yes.”

“No!”

The two contradicted themselves.

“Now that we know they’re twins, it’s good to see how close they are!” Nidai’s laugh echoed because of its sheer volume.

“Ohoho, the difference between the two actually make them more appealing!” Teruteru added with a scheming smile.

“Tch. Let’s say you two are twins.” Kuzuryuu scoffed. “There’s still no way in hell you’re convincing me that those are your actual talents.”

“I must agree. Your titles seem a bit… far-fetched. Especially the latter. Is there a particular reason for hiding your talents?” Pekoyama curiously inquired.

Hajime then dropped his glare on Izuru so he could look at the rest of the class in all seriousness. “Do you really want to know?” He asked ominously. “Because trust me, you’re better off believing in these fake ones.”

“Could be fake. Could be real.” Izuru added with a straight face. "Could be aliens. ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED.“

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Nanami raised her hand and then placed it on top of her chest as she urged them on, “Don’t worry. We’re not going to treat you any worse once we find out your talents. We’re all friends here.”

“She’s right. I’m sure that whatever your talent is, it’ll be full of hope no matter what.” Komaeda backed her up with a grin. “Now let your hope shine brightly upon us!”

The twins stared at each other, a silent agreement passed between them as they both announced their true titles with the most blank expressions and the flatest of tones.

“SHSL Hope. I have all talents.”

“SHSL ???. I don’t even have a talent.”

And so the twins have officially joined the class roster of the 77th batch.

Chapter Text

“Fufufu…” Saionji chuckled with an openly mocking grin. This was the moment she’s been waiting for throughout her high school life. All of those times she had been teased looked even more petty from her newly improved viewpoint. This was it. This was the pinnacle, the highest point. Literally.

And she’s going to shove it down their throats because she actually could now.

But first of all, “Big sis!” She ran up to greet the person she wanted to know first. “I missed you so much!” She exclaimed as she tackled her into a hug. They almost lost fell, she hasn’t adjusted her force accordingly, but her companion had regained their balance.

Koizumi stiffened at first, the look of confusion was evident on her face. Then slowly, recognitioned dawned on her as she stared back at those mischievous pair of eyes. “Saionji?”

“Yay! You remembered!” Saionji cheered and hugged her tighter in response.

“Of course I’d remember you. You’re pretty hard to miss.” Koizumi answered with a light laugh and patted her back. She would have patted her on the head if only it wasn’t a bit awkward due to the new height. She’s still a bit shocked about that. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Teehee, aren’t I a beauty?” Saionji winked at her as she pulled away and twirled elegantly. “Don’t I look like a flower in full bloom?” She gloated with no shame. “Oh, but you’re pretty too! You’ve always been so pretty and nice to me!”

“Yup, still the same Saionji inside.” Koizumi said with a small smile of relief.

From there, they walked together to their classroom and told each other about what they did over the summer along the way. Until finally, the rest of the class got updated.

“Oh my, who is this new friend you have brought with you?” Sonia innocently asked.

“Excuse you, I’m her best friend!” Saionji huffed. “Oh c'mon! I know that I’ve changed and all but don’t I at least look familiar?”

“I’m sure that I would remember a goddess such as yourself. Maybe we should better get acquainted, don’t you think so?” Teruteru wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

“Ew! Coming from you, it’s not all the flattering.” Saionji’s face twisted into disgust. “Get those pervy thoughts away from me you freak!”

“Um, is it just me or…” Mikan timidly started in a small voice. “Doesn’t she sound f-familiar?”

“Huh?” Saionji immediately turned her attention to Mikan and her eyes darkened so did her voice. “If you have something to say then say it clearly, pigbarf!”

“I-I’m sorryyyyy!” Mikan wailed upon instinct.

“You better be!” Saionji cracked her knuckles threateningly and then sighed. “Geez, this is disappointing. Can’t believe you’re the first one here to actually notice.”

“Oh! Oh! Ibuki knows! Pick Ibuki!” Ibuki volunteered herself with her hand raised. “Hiyoyo is that you yo yo?”

“Finally!” Saionji smirked as she savored the shocked faces of her classmates. “About time someone pointed it out. This was getting dragging. I want to gloat already!”

“Well that explains the similar character design. It looks like someone got a reboot.” Ryotwo commented.

“Sorry, I don’t speak nerd.” Saionji didn’t even try to decipher his words. “But it’s good to know that you weren’t completely clueless.”

“Huh? That can’t be right. But isn’t she, you know, shorter?” Owari nonchalantly asked.

“Not anymore.” Saionji’s smirk grew into a full blown triumphant grin. “As you can see, I’ve grown into a beauty over the summer.”

“Hey, you can’t be serious. How could a kid turn into this babe?” Souda asked incredulously.

“Hmph! Nobody asked for your opinion, sharkface!” Saionji snapped at him. “This is why you can’t and won’t ever will get a girl.”

“It would seem that a phenomenon of higher level has happened. Your astral level has also changed. How intriguing, this dark arts you used seem to allude my knowledge.” Gundam dawdled on.

“Yeah, whatever you say.” Saionji just brushed off his theatrical comments, already used to them, and then clarified, “By the way, it’s called a growth spurt.”

“Ahahaha! This is wonderful news! Would you like for me to train you with your new body?” Nidai offered goodnaturedly.

“Thanks but no thanks.” Saionji casually declined. “I’m not an athlete. My training has more delicacy.”

“Goddammit! This is fucking bullshit!” Kuzuryuu swore, mostly to himself as he bitterly sat in his seat. “I can’t believe I lost to that shrimp!”

“Oh? What’s this I hear?” Saionji of course wouldn’t pass by the opportunity of a lifetime to gloat at her abandoned companion when she was still in the shorty squad. She smirked. “Jealous much?”

“Oh, that’s it, bitch. You wanna fight?” Kuzuryuu stood up and what he lacked in height, he made up with killing intent.

“There, there.” Saionji mockingly patted him on the head like a child, further emphasizing their height difference. “You’ll get your turn someday… probably.”

“Please refrain from making any more unnecessary comments.” Pekoyama intruded before it could escalate into anything violent. “I believe you’ve already made your point.”

“You’re no fun at all. I was just getting to the good part!” Saionji pouted but she also knew not to mess with Pekoyama and so she backed down. “Fine but I’m not going to promise that this will be the last time though.”

“Amazing! You’ve been hoping for this for practicallly your whole life and just when it seemed like it would never happen, it just did. Your hope has been answered! How splendid this is!” Komaeda cheered with his usual bright eyes.

“Seriously, does everything have to be about hope when it comes out of your mouth?” Saionji stepped back and placed some distance between them. “This is a growth spurt, not some miracle for you to fanboy over.”

“Congrats on finally getting your growth spurt. You look like you’re having fun.” Nanami commented with a small smile.

“Thank you, class rep!” Saionji didn’t just smirk, this time she genuinely smiled in return. “I’m having lots of fun! In fact, I can’t wait to enjoy all the new things I can do now!”

“Just try not to have too much fun.” Koizumi interjected with a worried smile. “You know how… different your idea of fun can be sometimes.”

“Oh, I know.” Saionji flashed a mischievous smile. “Fufufu…”

Saionji has just reached a new height. Literally. And she’s going to have so much fun looking down on people.

BONUS:

New Heights and New Advantages - mahiyoko

Hiyoko looped her arm with Mahiru’s.

“Mahiru~” She sang as she happily clung onto her.

“Yes, yes.” Mahiru replied as her other hand almost instinctively went to reach for Hiyoko’s head to pat her, only to remember how awkward that would be given her new height. So instead, she let Hiyoko’s hand slide down, trailing goosebumps across her arm, until her hand was clasped above hers. Their fingers interlaced without hesitation. She chuckled lightly. “Aren’t you a bit too clingly lately?”

“Why?” Hiyoko gave her a look. Oh, no. Mahiru knew that look. Just as she almost knew what her next question was. “Don’t you like it?” She asked her not so innocently.

Mahiru instantly flushed and looked away. “Geez, you know I’m bad with answering questions like that!”

“Hehe, sorry not sorry.” Hiyoko admitted with a playful smile. “You’re just too easy to tease! And you always react so adorably, you make me want to tease you all the time!”

“I don’t know how to take that.” Mahiru bluntly replied, the redness of her face still hasn’t subsided. “I feel like I should be flattered but at the same time, I don’t think I can take that much embarrassment.”

“Oh, but you’re so cute whenever you get embarrassed!” Hiyoko giggled as she affectionately nuzzled against the crook of her neck.

“Hiyoko!” Mahiru hissed at her, it was reprimanding but she didn’t sound too mad. In fact, if anything, she just sounded flustered.

“Hm? What is it?” Hiyoko feigned ignorance as she teased her some more by dropping featherlight kisses on her neck. One of the advantages of her new height was that she could now easily reach those hard to reach places. She smiled against her neck.

Mahiru let out a contented sigh. But she also shook her head. She then placed some distance between them, but not too much, just the appropriate distance. “This isn’t the time or the place for this.”

“Eh? But why not?” Hiyoko whined and pouted.

“Because we can’t be late for our class outing.” Mahiru sternly reminded her. “Remember? It’s the one we’ve been planning for weeks. We can’t miss out on that.”

“It’s fine. We’re only going to be late just a bit…” Hiyoko reached out forward again.

Only to have her advances thwarted and with matching reprimanding glare. “We ended up an hour late last time. Remember that too?”

“But… But…” Hiyoko started and she looked like she was just about to cry because she knew how weak Mahiru was to tears.

Before Hiyoko could utter another word of protest though, Mahiru had silenced her with a kiss.

Mahiru had gently cupped Hiyoko’s face and leaned forward. Slowly, teasingly, she closed the gap between them. Until their foreheads touched. Just inches in between them, she leaned forward again. And their noses touched.

An eskimo kiss.

Then just as soon as it started, Mahiru already pulled away. “There. That should be enough for now. We can finish the rest later, okay?” She tried to smile reassuringly but it came out cuter since her face was matching the redness of her hair.

“Now who’s the tease?” Hiyoko muttered to herself. Her cheeks were also flushed so their faces matched in redness.

Mahiru was smoother than she thought she was and that obliviousness just added to her charm. It’s not like anyone else knew. And it’s not like Hiyoko was going to hand her over to anyone else. She looped her arm again with hers, this time more protectively. Now that Hiyoko didn’t look like a child anymore, she worried less about people misinterpreting her relationship with Mahiru.

And just in case there were still misunderstandings.

“Mahiru~” She hummed happily.

“Yes?” She turned around, a sentence formed on her lips but a pair of lips had cut her words off.

In case people still misunderstood, Hiyoko’s grateful that she could now easily kiss Mahiru just to make those people shut up.

Chapter Text

“Goddammit! Why the fuck is this so hard?!” Kuzuryuu swore as he hit his head on the doorway for god knows how many times already.

He’s a bit late but he finally gotten the extra inches in his height. He should be happy and he honestly was at first. He secretly kept track of his growth every day and rejoiced with every millimeter added until he reached his full height just recently. He felt high and mighty as he was now able to look down on others literally. He couldn’t have been any happier.

But as the days went by, he slowly started to realize that being tall wasn’t all that great. In fact, it was downright annoying. Sure, no one would be able to make any shorty jokes about him (not like anyone ever dared) but now he was making an embarrassment out of himself. He always kept bumping into things because he kept forgetting that he wasn’t short anymore. Always. Without fail. Every single damn time.

“Crap!” He swore again as he bumped into a desk on his way to his seat. He muttered to himself darkly, “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

“Um… Are you a-alright?” Mikan asked meakly. “It sounded like you may have hit the desk hard.”

“I’m fine. Absolutely great.” He replied sarcastically. He sighed because he already knew what’s going to happen next. Here comes the overprotective squad.

“You seem troubled. Are you sure you don’t need our assistance?” Sonia politely asked in concern. “In anything at all?”

“I already said I’m fine. No need to coddle me.” He clicked his tongue at her.

“Yeah, maybe let’s not help him.” Souda whispered from his seat. “He looks pretty pissed off.”

“Nice deductive skills. At least someone can tell when to back away.” He mocked.

“Some trials can only be overcome by oneself.” Tanaka uttered in a low and ominous tone. “A long and perilous journey lies ahead of you.”

“Heh, tell me about it. Everything just keeps getting in my way.” He played along as he recalled the number of times he bumped into something just this morning.

“You heard the guy.” Koizumi remarked. “Just give him some space.”

“Yup! Totally agree!” Saionji seconded and then chuckled darkly, “Because he’s going to need a lot of space at the rate that he’s been bumping into practically everything.”

“Huh, didn’t know you wanted to die early that badly.” Kuzuryuu smiled at her with a thinly-veiled death threat.

“You’ve undergone quite the development!” Teruteru cooed as he got another nosebleed. “I wonder just how much you developed in other places as well.”

“Don’t even fucking try to imagine or I’ll cut yours off.” He barked at him.

“Pick Ibuki! Ibuki has great idea!” Ibuki raised her hand and jumped up and down excitedly. Even though she wasn’t prompted she still continued to talk, “How about everyone, aside from Kuzuku, wears stilts? Maybe if we all grow taller too then Kuzuzu could adjust better!”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” He raised his voice as he felt his blood pressure rise along with his temper.

“Nah, that wouldn’t work.” Owari crossed her arms as if in thought. “If we all got taller, wouldn’t he revert to Chibi-Gangsta?”

“That’s it! You’re all just asking to be killed right now!” He yelled as he slammed his fist on his desk.

“Now, now. There’s no need for violence.” Nidai tried to calm him down. “They all mean well.”

“You think I don’t know that? That’s what makes this more annoying!” He grunted because goddammit this would’ve been easier if they were all assholes. But no, they were all genuinely trying to help and it frustrated him even more.

“You guys are overthinking this.” Ryotwo commented. “Just give him a few weeks and he’ll adjust naturally. You’re only making this worse.”

“Fucking finally! A voice of reason!” He threw up his hands in resignation.

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Nagito declared with his usual smile. “His hope will definitely overcome this small and insignificant trial.”

“That’s actually strangely comforting. You’re not going to get anything else from me.” He answered with the closest thing he could come up with as thanks.

“Let’s all put some more faith in him.” Nanami “He’ll ask for help when he needs to.”

“I can’t believe someone actually gets it. You all heard her, right? Listen to our class rep, she knows how to deal with this stuff.” He said as he felt himself able to finally breath easy.

“It seems as though everyone is worried over you again.” Pekoyama quietly commented from his side. “We have a wonderful class, don’t we?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we do.” He scoffed and he didn’t know it at the time but his smirk had turned into a genuine small smile. “No matter how annoying they are. They’re all good friends to have.”

Having to deal with the growth spurt was annoying and his classmates’s reactions were even more annoying than that. But even so, no matter how much or how little he changed, everything else stayed the same.

Until he hit his head again and he realized that no, not everything was the same. Some things were more annoying now.

“God fucking dammit!”

Including doorways.

BONUS:

Closing the (Height) Gap - kuzupeko

Kuzuryuu stared at Pekoyama in awe.

He wasn’t looking up at her anymore. He was now looking at her. Actually looking at her on the same level. Directly in the eyes. And wow, he felt as though he was seeing her for the first time.

He never knew how much the angle colored his vision of her. Now that he could properly take a good look of her, he was able to notice things that seemed to just slip pass by his vision. Her face looked more serene up close and her eyes seemed just a bit brighter whenever light was reflected from her eyeglasses just right. He could even count her eyelashes if he could get even closer. Just a little bit closer…

“Is something the matter, young master?” Pekoyama asked oblivious to the reason for his suddenly flush face.

“N-No, it’s nothing.” He stuttered and coughed as he quickly turned his head away in an effort to hide his blush. He also made an attempt at making up an excuse for staring. “I thought I saw something caught in your hair, that’s all.”

“In my… hair?” She questioned as her hand unconsciously went to check.

His eyes widened and without thinking, his hand reached out and gripped her by the wrist. “It’s fine! There’s nothing there. I already checked, okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded. She’s not entirely sure why he seemed so flustered about something. She blinked and then her eyes widened by just a fraction as she spoke softly, “Young master…”

“What? You-” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence since he was stunned.

Pekoyama’s other hand had reached forward and brushed him lightly by the ear, it was warm and ticklish, and oh so very close. Her face was the epitome of calmness and quite the opposite of his as he internally panicked. Kuzuryuu’s heart hammered wildly and he could have sworn he was turning all shades of red.

But just as soon as she reached forward, she had also quickly pulled back. “There was a petal caught in your hair.” She said with a small smile as she showed it to him.

It was the smallest of smiles but it had the greatest effect on him.

Maybe he wouldn’t have seen it in all its full glory if it weren’t for his newly acquired height. Maybe he would have only been able to capture just a fraction of it. And Kuzuryuu thought that this may be one of the best advantages of his growth spurt.

Chapter Text

“Upupu… if you want to graduate so badly then you have to kill for it!”

And so the curtains arose to this story of hope versus despair.

Welcome to the VIP access of the behind the scenes of Class 78th’s reknowned performance entitled Dangan Ronpa! (*DISCLAIMER: No characters were actually harmed in the making of this stage play.)

“Oh, but you already know. Sayaka Maizono was killed by one of you!” Enoshima spoke through the microphone with all the dramatic flair she could muster.

Behind the stage was Maizono who was changing her bloodstained clothes. (*NOTE: The blood is pepto-bismol pink because Naegi had accidentally spilled some during one practice and it just kind of stuck.)

“Activating summoning spell. Save me, Spears of Gungnir!” Monokuma yelled and just like that, the form of “Enoshima” was grotesquely stabbed right before the audience. After the scene change, Ikusaba quickly joined Maizono in preparing the setup for the next scene. There’s no rest for the “dead” because there’s also a lot of work going on behind the curtains.

In case you were wondering how they decided on the play and on the roles, here’s what happened while they were brainstorming.

The story was to serve as a homage to their school Hope’s Peak Academy. What better story than one of hope versus despair? And after much debate and lack of time to prepare, they decided to act as themselves so they didn’t have to create new characters anymore.

As for who would be the mastermind, they thought that it would be a nice plot twist to use the twins for this. Enoshima called dibs on it as soon as it was suggested and Ikusaba was okay with it so they went with that. Naegi was unanimously voted for the protagonist since his averageness made him the most relatable for the audience. He wasn’t that confident at first but with some encouragement, he had agreed to it.

As for who died and who killed, they talked it out amongst themselves. Maizono volunteered to be killed first and reasoned that she didn’t need the screentime. Ikusaba stepped forward for the second corpse with the logic that she’d be of better use behind the stage rather than on it. Kuwata wasn’t reluctant at all to be a murderer here since he didn’t want to be cut off without a fight. Fujisaki was designated as the next victim since he was needed for better special effects. Mondo volunteered to be the murderer because he didn’t want to memorize a script any longer than that.

As for the double murder, Ishimaru was actually willing to be a victim because he didn’t want to be murderer even in a fictional setting. On the other hand, Yamada had objected to being a victim and wanted to be a murderer instead but when they tried that out the class trial didn’t seem dramatic enough. That’s when Celes stepped up and offered the idea of a double murder which earned the approval of the class. And since she was the one who suggested the brilliant idea, they decided to have her be the culprit for this case. Next was the suicide chapter and they were a bit reluctant at first if they should push through with this or turn it to another murder case. But Sakura thought it was best not to waste their efforts into thinking of this idea and wholeheartedly volunteered for the role.

By the way, Genocider Syo was actually unplanned. She was a character made out of a bet that Fukawa took too seriously. Someone had a snide passing comment about how they’d bet that she would stutter all of her lines. Insulted and furious, Fukawa showed them exactly how an author could conjure a character on the spot and how excellent she was at keeping characterization. Stunned by her sudden performance but also amazed by it, they decided to keep Genocider Syo much to Fukawa’s begrudgement because she hated exposure.

Moving on, how did they decide on the survivors?

Well Naegi would obviously have plot armor since their goal was to spread hope, not despair, so naturally the protagonist had to survive. Kirigiri was initially supposed to die before the last class trial for added drama and suspense but due to time constraints they decided to delete that scene and have her survive. Togami wouldn’t let himself be caught dead even if this was a childish play and there was no use arguing with him. Asahina bribed them with donuts to have her survive because she wanted to impress her brother who would be watching the play. As for Fukawa, they thought it would add an ironic touch that the serial killer survived and didn’t actually kill anyone. And lastly, Hagakure was there mostly for comic relief.

Now let’s get back to the play.

“Wow! Yahooo! Extreeeeme!” Monokuma happily exclaimed in contrast to the gloom of the rest of the class over Kuwata’s violent execution. The curtains closed in on him as the play continued.

Meanwhile, backstage…

“I swear that the idea of executions based off talents was made just to make me suffer.” Kuwata whined as quickly got off the pole and started cleaning up the set. “You guys know how I’m quitting baseball right?”

“Well it wouldn’t be as dramatic and ironic if it was just some uninspired execution.” Maizono tried to console him as she helped with gathering the props.

Ikusaba worked quickly to set up the “second floor” and fortunately enough, she was able to get it done right before the second chapter of the play began.

Her sister, Enoshima, gave her a thumbs up for her efforts. “Nice one!” She mouthed at her to which Ikusaba just nodded meekly.

“A whole new world? What’s that supposed to mean?” Hagakure asked on stage.

“Apparently we can go to the second floor now.” Naegi answered for him.

Not long after that, the play continued until an announcement was made, “A corpse has been found!” and an investigation scene followed. After which, the curtains fell. “I’ve grown tired of waiting. Now let’s get this show on the road!” Enoshima recited her lines with great audacity. “Time to begin the long-awaited classroom trial!”

The curtains rose again to reveal the trial room.

Hidden behind was Fujisaki who was being helped with getting the ropes untied. “Thank you.” He said as he rubbed his wrists once they were free.

“No problem. Good job out there.” Kuwata praised.

“Yes, you pulled it off well!” Maizono complimented him too. “It must have been uncomfortable to be hang like that for a while.”

“Are your arms okay?” Ikusaba asked in concern.

“I’m fine. I wasn’t even out that long.” Fujisaki smiled reassuringly. “Well then I guess I should go ahead now. They’re almost at the conclusion so I better set up the special effects.” He bowed and then went to join Enoshima in the booth where his laptop and other equipment was.

Now that Fujisaki was backstage, they special effects kicked up a notch as they made Mondo’s execution flashy- literally. The curtains fell again as another chapter closed and another member joined backstage.

“Finally!” Mondo stretched for a bit. “I thought for sure I was going to screw up my lines at some point. Heh, looks like I made it out safe.” After that, he helped with the heavy-lifting of the props.

As the play progressed, Ishimaru and Yamada joined them as well.

“What do you think of my performance?” Yamada huffed with pride. “I believe that I pulled off the tragic victim quite well, don’t you think?”

“It was just according to the script. Well acted indeed!” Ishimaru praised him at first and then bowed. “However, please excuse my earlier behavior. I apologize for the rudeness of my actions even if they were farce.”

“Oh, come on, bro! Don’t be such a hardass on yourself!” Mondo cheered as he slung an arm across Ishimaru’s shoulders. “We’re all on good terms here.”

“Yes, your performance was commendable as well.” Yamada seconded with his head bobbing every now and then. “As expected of my rival in-script. Nothing less than the best in theatrics!”

“I see then nonetheless, I shall see to it that I will do my best back here as well. Let’s all work hard to make this a success!” Ishimaru shouted with as much volume as allowed and with even more enthusiasm.

They got a bit too absorbed by the sudden pep talk that they didn’t even notice the arrival of another one of their classmates.

“My, they look like they’re having fun.” Celes commented as she casually brushed off the ashes on her dress.

“Not as much as you did.” Enoshima retorted as she gave her a casual high five. “Seriously girl! Your acting deserves an award! I got chills just watching you break out! Intense!”

“That actually scared me too.” Fujisaki timidly seconded. “You were so convincing out there that I almost forgot that you were just acting.”

“Why thank you very much.” Celes accepted the praise a smile that actually looked genuine for once. “Everyone loves a bit of dramatic flair, don’t we? I’m glad to have delivered that.”

It’s halfway through the play now. The only person who has yet to join their ranks would follow them soon.

“Sakura’s killer has to be…” Asahina started with tears in her eyes and barely contained rage. “One of you three!”

The curtains fell at that accusation as another class trial was held. As soon as she was in the clear, Sakura got up from the chair and immediately went about to cleaning up the mess of the crime scene as the others helped her as well.

“How strange. It feels like it’s been too long since I’ve last seen your faces.” Sakura remarked in her low and soothing voice. “I have missed you all.”

“You make it sound as if we’re dead.” Maizono giggled.

“Didn’t we die though? On-stage, I mean.” Kuwata pointed out.

“Oho! Still in-character I see! You’re much more invested in this than I thought.” Yamada commended her.

“Don’t get all sentimental on us now. The guys are going to flip if they see us crying here.” Mondo commented as he scratched his head.

“Yes, the play is not yet finished. We must focus on work for now and save this conversation for later.” Ishimaru reprimanded although it lacked the usual sternness of his.

“Please don’t mind him. You’re free to do whatever you like here in the back.” Celes welcomed her and even offered her a cup of tea.

“It has been while I guess.” Ikusaba commented as they shared a look of understanding.

“We missed you too, Sakura.” Fujisaki waved at her from the booth.

“That’s our huge softie at it again!” Enoshima hollered as she covered her microphone. “You go, sister!”

“It eases my heart to see that you are all doing well back here.” Sakura finally spoke again with a small smile on her lips.

Now all that’s left was the drama between the remaining survivors and the confrontation with the mastermind.

“Well! That’s my cue right there.” Enoshima stood up and struck a pose with great pride. “Finally! The moment we’ve all been waiting for!”

The play was now at its final chapter.

“It’s Junko Enoshima time!” She shouted with all too much theatrics as she psyched herself up for her screentime. She turned to the rest of the backstage cast. “Remember me while you still can. I’ll miss you all when I go next tier famous!” She dramatically cried.

“Sis, you might miss your opening.” Ikusaba pointed out in concern.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on it!” Enoshima snapped her fingers. “Cue the dramatic entrance!”

And so the curtains rose one last time to reveal the final showdown.

This is a story of hope versus despair. This is strictly scripted and fictional. This is Class 78th’s famous stage play entitled “Dangan Ronpa”!

BONUS:

Curtain Call

“Congratulations, everyone!”

A room full of sixteen students roared in celebration.

“Excellent work! A job well done to all of us!” Ishimaru yelled with a huge grin on his face.

“Man, I thought I was going to forget a line in there! Good thing I didn’t. Feels good to get things right!” Mondo shouted with just as much enthusiasm as well.

“I was so nervous the whole time. Thankfully everything went smoothly and there were no problems.” Fujisaki let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

“It all still seems surreal. Can you believe that we actually pulled it off?” Maizono giggled.

“I can! But I still can’t get over our resident best serial killer actress here!” Kuwata lightly patted her back.

“S-Shut your mouth! It’s already embarrassing enough that I actually did it. Y-You don’t need to point it out.” Fukawa stammered and despite the annoyed tone, the flush on her face looked more out of embarrassment rather than anger.

“Hmph, I suppose it was an above mediocre performance. The whole play, I mean. It was… quite an experience.” Togami commented with carefully chosen words but even though he tried to hide it, he sounded proud over what they did.

“It was entertaining, wasn’t it? The audience seem to have taken a liking to it too judging by the standing ovation we got after.” Celes remarked with her usual smile.

“The spin-off doujinshis I made sold out in seconds! This isn’t just a success, this is the stuff of legends! This will be our legacy!” Yamada howled.

“Really? Hey, how much do you think I can get from selling my signature?” Hagakure asked in a tone that told them that he was seriously considering this.

“Oh, in that case then I sure hope we have a baker as a fan. Free donuts would beat flowers any day!” Asahina cheered with her fist in the air.

“We did receive an overwhelming accolade. It was a touching gesture that I did not expect. I will forever remember this.” Sakura said in all sincerity.

“Did you hear those cheers? The crowd just couldn’t get enough of me! And the look on their faces when they saw me! Priceless!” Enoshima hollered and laughed as she recalled the audible gasps from the audience.

“You were amazing out there, sis. You really do shine like a star actress.” Ikusaba said with a soft and proud smile.

“Don’t sell yourself short. This wouldn’t be possible without your backstage support. You too performed well.” Kirigiri gaver a congratulatory pat on the shoulder. She too was smiling.

“That’s right. Everyone worked hard and contributed in this. I guess this is going to sound cheesy but honestly, you all give me hope.” Naegi started with a sheepish smile which broke into a goofy grin as he continued, “This is the most fun I’ve had ever since I got here and I don’t think it would’ve been the same with anyone else. I’m glad to be part of this class and to have you all as my friends!”

Thus, the curtains of this stage play fell one last time.

“Thank you, everyone! Let’s continue to enjoy the rest of our high school life together!”

The story of hope versus despair may be finished but the high school lives of sixteen students continued.

Chapter Text

DR1 - CLASS OF 78TH

Makoto Naegi: Hello, there. I don’t know what you’re going through but I do know that it must be tough. It must be painful and frustrating for you right now. But I just want you to know that it’s not always going to be like this. You will be okay. It will get better. As long as you keep moving forward then there will always be a way. You’ll definitely make it! Don’t lose hope! I believe in you!

Kyouko Kirigiri: It has come to my attention that you are not in the best of spirits. Evidence suggests that you may have even resorted to thinking irrationally. Let me remind you to think about this through a logical perspective. You can solve any problem if you just think through it rationally. And if you still can’t solve it then… it doesn’t hurt to ask for help either. There are others out there willing to help you if you just ask. Evidence strongly states so.

Byakuya Togami: What’s this pathetic sight before me? Hmph, if I must speak to a commoner such as yourself then be grateful for words of the highest esteem. Don’t even think about giving up. That is the greatest insult to all the hardwork you’ve put in and I for one dislike those types of commoners. Lift your head up. Rise up. Show them that you are far above them all.

Touko Fukawa: S-So what if you screwed up and/or you’re a screw-up? Are you just going to s-sulk all day about it? So w-what if you’re weak? Then you just have to s-suck it up and be stronger. Nothing’s g-going to change unless you make that change happen. It’s not g-going to happen overnight and it will be hard but tough luck, that’s just how it works. That’s h-how you become stronger. If s-someone like me could do it then you could do better.

Yasuhiro Hagakure: I predict a happiness in your future! What? You don’t believe me? I’ll have you know that I’m 30% right most of the time! And I have a good feeling that this is one of those times! Trust me, your future’s looking good! Oh, and don’t forget to pay me back when you’re rich! You’ll go far in life, I’ve already predicted it!

Aoi Asahina: Hey, it’s alright. We all have our bad days. You’re just going through a rough patch right now. Comfort food always helps me feel better. Here, have some donuts! And here’s a hug because you deserve one. Take a break and then get up again once you’ve recharged. Remember, I’m rooting for you! You’ve already got this in the bag!

Sakura Oogami: Calm yourself down. There is nothing for you to fear. Your opponent may be strong but you are stronger. True strength is inside all of us. You are stronger than you think. You already carry the strength necessary to defeat your opponents and to overcome the trials you face. And I know that you shall win those battles.

Celestia Ludenberg: Oh my, what a pitiful soul you are indeed. May I say a few choice words? The greatest turnouts come at the price of the highest of stakes. So I’m placing my bet on you overcoming this. Isn’t this interesting? What are the odds of you achieving that? Well, no matter what they are, the odds are still in my favor. There’s no need for unnecessary worry, because I’m confident that I’ll win this gamble and you’ll win over your adversary.

Hifumi Yamada: Worry not, my comrade! For this is surely just a prelude to a chapter of your greatness! Think of this as your character development arc! Its angst and tragedy just adds to the buildup of the turnabout climax to your story! Once you survive this arc, you’ll definitely be an even more outstanding protagonist than you already are! Plus Ultra!

Chihiro Fujisaki: Um, I don’t know if I should be the one to say this. But I believe that you can do it. Whatever it is you’re up against with, I know that you’ll be fine. You’re strong even though you might think otherwise, you’re still strong. You’re strong for making it this far. Please believe in yourself more! You can do it!

Mondo Oowada: Alright, so who’s the fucker that I have to punch? Look, I don’t really know what’s going on with you but it sounds like you’re dealing with something big. So just become bigger! Yeah! Show what you’re up against what you’re made of! Don’t sweat out the details, you’ll beat this one for sure!

Kiyotaka Ishimaru: I can’t say that your current circumstances are favorable, that’s for certain. But still… it’s times like this when you need to work harder and you shall succeed! This is not the time to dawdle on mistakes. Go forward and take action! With proper discipline, you will go farther! Any problem you encounter in life can be overcome with extra effort!

Sayaka Maizono: You can do this! A star shines its brightest in the darkest, right? You’ll be fine, I’m sure of it. Ah, there you go again doubting yourself. Really, you should put more faith in yourself. You’re an amazing person. You will definitely pull this off. How do I know this? Well I’m an esper, you know! So trust in yourself that you will get through this because you will. I just know you will.

Leon Kuwata: Hey, man. I know how much it sucks right now but don’t you think it’s too early to throw in the towel? I mean, there’s gotta be something better than this, right? I don’t like where I am either but that’s why I’m moving. I’m going to places and you should too! You still got your dreams so get out there and make it happen!

Mukuro Ikusaba: I actually don’t know what to say. I also have moments… lots of moments where I feel like I’m lost and I don’t know what to do. But even so, I still want to try. I have to try. That’s why, I want you to try too. Let’s both try our hardest and maybe, eventually, we’ll achieve something close to what we want. I don’t want to have regrets. Even if we have our doubts, I still want to believe. Let’s do this. Let’s give it our best shot.

Junko Enoshima: Ha! You call that despair? Weak! Please, I can think of waaay more despair-inducing situations than the one you’re in. Yes, I can give you a heart-thumping despair with a flavor like no other! I’m getting excited just thinking about it! Ah, but it won’t make that much of an impact if you don’t have any hope in you that I can crush. So build up lots and lots of hope for me, okay? And we’ll have the despair of our lives after! <3

SDR2 - Class of 77th

Hajime Hinata: Hey, it’s alright to feel confused. You’re not weak at all. You don’t need to try so hard by yourself. Especially in this situation, we should all do our best, right? That’s right… we’re not alone. We have others with us. That’s why we can move forward and overcome our worries and hesitations. Let’s believe in ourselves and our future!

Chiaki Nanami: It’s alright. You’re doing just fine. You can definitely do this! Anything is possible if you just give it a try. Believe in yourself. We’ve come this far, let’s work this out until the end. As long as we continue to move forward then we’ll surely reach our destination. There’s no need for you to worry… the only thing beyond this point is a shining future!

Nagito Komaeda: The deeper and darker the despair… the brighter and more powerful the hope is born from it. This despair is surely just a stepping stone for your hope. At the end of the day, hope will always triumph over despair so there’s no need for you to worry. Come on, let’s take all this despair and turn it into hope! I truly believe in the hope that is sleeping within you!

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu: I know that anything goes in this world, but this is clearly not fucking okay! You deserve better than this shit. So you can’t let this get to you. You can’t be stupid enough to give up just like that. If they keep knocking you down then you just have to get back up each time and spit them on the face. You’re fucking stronger than this. Don’t you dare ever forget that!

Peko Pekoyama: I learned that smiles give people power. I can’t really smile that well. But I’m even more saddened that you cannot smile due to recent events. Even if I cannot make you smile, I wish to protect your smile. I want to see you smile again. So please, try to smile if you can. You are an important person and you deserve to be happy.

Sonia Nevermind: It upsets me to hear that you are upset. But fret not. Raise your head. There is no need to worry! There is more to life than what you are experiencing right now. You need not be afraid! Push forward with all your might! There is no way we can stop now! We will not lose!

Kazuichi Souda: Hey! You better not get any crazy ideas! Don’t go doubting yourself just like that! So what if you’re weak? Aren’t all humans naturally weak? I’m a weakling too! I’m just as surprised as you are for making it this far… so why don’t we see this ride to the end? You’re only human so it’s alright to show weakness. It’s how you pick yourself up right after that matters. This is nothing we can’t handle, right? Let’s do this!

Gundam Tanaka: It would seem that a dark cloud follows you. Feeling sin is proof that you exist in a higher plane of being… In that sense, you should be proud of yourself, human. You are fighting against an opponent that hold no physical form and I commend your bravery for choosing to face it. You have done well so far and you are right to not give up. This battle is yours to win so you must go forward and earn your rightful victory!

Akane Owari: Yo! I don’t really get what’s going on in your life. Can I solve it by hitting it hard enough? Guess not, huh… You okay? You look like you haven’t been eating lately. You can’t survive if ya don’t eat when you can, y'know? And I’m worried about you, kid. Eat up and you’ll feel better! Once you refill on your energy, then you can go back to kicking your problems in the ass! You got this!

Nekomaru Nidai: When you and I face each other like this, we are one in both body and mind. I can tell that you’ve got a lot of tension and stress bottled inside you. All right… I’ve decided. From this point on, I will be your official manager! I’ll give it my all to support you and win this match that you are facing! Just give it your all and with my support, we won’t lose!

Ibuki Mioda: Could it be… you are feeling not so awesome? Ibuki is hurt that you are hurt! La da dee! La da doo! Ibuki is singing a special piece to make you feel better! Huh? It’s not very effective? LA! DA! DEE!! LA DA DOO!!! GET BETTER BECAUSE YOU ARE AWESOME, DEAR YOU! Ibuki is shouting your awesomeness! YOU ARE SUPER DUPER STRONG! YOU’RE ROCKHARD HARDCORE!! YOU THE REAL MVP!!!

Tsumiki Mikan: U-Um… I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. If I could, I w-would take care of you until you feel better. P-Please don’t forget to take care of yourself. You are loved no matter how unbelievable it sounds. You are definitely important to someone, d-don’t forget that. Stay safe, okay?

Hiyoko Saionji: Wow, look at yourself. You’ve really sunk rock bottom. Well, it can’t be helped since you’re a weakling and all. Seriously, people are so weak. Stop being annoying and get up. Just because you’re weak doesn’t mean you’re useless. How long are you going to stay like that? You aren’t completely worthless so hurry up and get back up already!

Mahiru Koizumi: Hey, cheer up will you? I can’t take your photo when you’re looking down like that. I know you’ve got a lot of baggage on you right now but don’t think this will be a permanent thing. It’s alright to ask for help. I’m sure that there are people out there looking out for you so don’t feel so alone in this. You are not alone. We’re here for you. So, smile for me, okay?

Teruteru Hanamura: Did you know? When it comes to cooking, love, and life in general, passion is the most important ingredient! As long as you keep that fiery passion burning then your life will surely turn out much sweeter than with the bland ingredients you started out with. You gotta think about the big picture! Your passion will overpower your troubles!

Imposter/Twogami: If there is anything troubling you then you should rely on me more. If you can’t find faith in yourself then just place that faith in me instead. I will be your pillar of strength. Just believe in me. If you do then everything will turn out fine. Believe in me who believes in you. Believe that hope lies beyond this point! That is your leader’s order!

Izuru Kamukura: How boring. Suffering is a constant in this world and what you are experiencing right now is just one of its many forms. Pain is inevitable which makes it all the more predictable… and hence, easier to overcome. A solution exists. You will find it. You will also live up to the human’s average lifespan. How predictable. You will overcome this.

Future Foundation Leaders:

Chisa Yukizome: There, there. It’s alright. You’re facing something terrible so it’s only natural to feel afraid. But I just want you to know that I’m here… and so are the people who care for you. We’ll protect you. So don’t lose hope just yet. We believe in you. Everything starts with belief in yourself! You will overcome this!

Kyosuke Munakata: Despair has claimed another victim I see. And yet, look at yourself. You are still full of hope. There is much stored  potential in you. A future filled with hope… that is a future that we all share. This is no pipe dream. This is the plan, our plan. There is no room for despair in the world that we’ll create. So overcome this despair and become hope instead!

Juzo Sakakura: You look like shit. I’m guessing either something fucked up is going on in your life or you’re the one who accidentally fucked it up. So? You just gonna lie there and do nothing about it? Get the fuck back up again. So what if you messed up? You just have to own it. Trust me, you’re strong enough.

Ryota Mitarai: Human beings are weak creatures. But even so… I want to believe that we can be stronger. Even if despair exists in our hearts, so does hope. It can’t erase the pain you’re feeling right now but it will give you the strength to overcome it. You are human. You may be weak now but you have the ability to become stronger. You will overcome this despair!

Koichi Kizakura: That’s some pretty heavy baggage you got there. Nothing like good old alcohol to lessen the load. Oh, but you might be minor so let’s just pretend that you didn’t hear that from me. Well for now why don’t you just talk it out? Let it all out on me, I’ll be listening to every word you say. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m sure that me and a couple of other volunteers would be willing to help. So just hold out until then, okay? It’s not the end of the world so you gotta keep your spirits up!

Seiko Kimura: It hurts me to see you hurt. Please… don’t hurt yourself. All lives are precious so you should treasure yours too. Your life is important to me. Please, take care of yourself. Don’t forget to take your medicines. You are an important person even though sometimes it’s hard to remember that. Please, remember… you are loved.

Sonosuke Izayoi: It’s too early to give up now. There’s so much to live for in life. Like love and dewicious sweets! And… everything else, I guess. You should look forward to those instead of looking back at your past. I prefer the sweetness of the future over the bitterness of regrets. And treat yourself to dewicious sweets every now and then.

Ruruka Andou: What are you doing still sulking over there? There’s no time for whining, what you need to do more is working. Don’t ever show them how much this gets to you. If they knock you down, don’t just get up. Get even. Show them what you’re made of. Make them regret having you put through this. You are far above than this unfairness!

Great Gozu: You may not be physically strong but you hold so much strength inside you. The mere feat of holding on this far is proof of such great strength and honor you have for your life. You are strong, my comrade! And you will become even stronger once you overcome your hurdles. Believe in your strength!

Bandai Daisuku: A dancing wolf needs no wine, right? It’s one of my own personal sayings. They don’t mean anything but it’s fun to think about, right? See, not everything has to make sense. If you can’t find reason in what’s happening in your life then that’s okay. You can come up with your own meanings or you can just live freely without meanings. Just don’t overthink things and you’ll be fine.

Kazuo Tengan: It seems that you are a troubled soul. Well, it’s understandable given how cruel our world has become. But you do not need to be cruel… nor is it necessary for you to break. You have so much potential in yourself even if you don’t see it. Do not fear to take the next step. I entrust my hope to you and the future that you’ll create.

Miaya Gekkogahara: (Usami/Monomi) You shouldn’t give up! You can definitely do this! Just do your very best! I’ll be supporting you all throughout! Don’t lose to yourself! You will overcome this and you will create a future for yourself! I believe in you! Love! Love!

BONUS:

Yasuke Matsuda: What are you giving me that look for? If you’re searching for pity then I suggest you look elsewhere. I can’t give you the answers you’re looking for. You already have them in your head if you just actually use it. You don’t need a pep talk from me. Just get out there and use that brain of yours. You’ll be fine so stop whining so much and start getting things done.

Ryouko Otonashi: Sorry, who are you again? Oh, that’s right. You’re someone who’s going through something awful in life. I don’t know why you’d ask me for advice though… Oh, maybe you should do that too! Forget about it! If it’s too much to bear then it’s okay to forget about it! That and also remember hold on to your loved ones while you’re at it. Always remember your loved ones! You can forget everything but never forget that you are loved.

Yui Samidare: Don’t let it end here. If you do then you’ll never get the justice you deserve. And you deserve better than this. The world outside is unfair… that’s why we have to work hard to make it fair. You deserve that fairness. So don’t you dare stop fighting for what you deserve. You deserve better!

Takumi Hijirihara: ‘Murder makes a man’, or so it is said. Just remember what’s important: love for murder. If you take this to heart then I’m sure you’ll become a cool killer too. Huh? That’s not your goal in life? Then why are you asking me? Ah, could it be… you also like to hide in small spaces? That’s very admirable. It’s okay to take a break every once in a while. Relax and just breathe in space that you’re comfortable with. Find what fits for you. There’s lots of safe places out there if you look hard enough.

Genocider Syo: Well for starters, at least you’re not dead! Kyahahaha! I mean seriously, as long as there’s hot blood pumping in your veins then there’s a lot to do with a healthy body like that! I don’t get why you’re so down when there’s so much to do out here! Take me and my hobby of cutting hubbies for instance. You gotta enjoy life before it gets snip-snip-snip-snip away!

Komaru Naegi: Hi, there. Just wanted you to know, from one ordinary person to another, that we can do extraordinary things. We’re actually more resilient than we’re led to believe. I know that you feel weak right now but just the fact that you’ve held on is a form of strength. We’re surprisingly strong. That’s why you have to believe me when I say that we can get through this. We definitely will! I believe in us!

Monokuma:  You know, isn’t it said that life has its ups and downs? It’s fun because downs come after ups, but if life was full of downs, wouldn’t it get boring? So you should be happy if you’re down all the time because you’re about to get your upcomings! Oh, and PS - don’t even think about kicking your own bucket.  A suicide means you’ve killed the most important existence of all: yourself.  You’re still too young! You should value your lives a little more! Upupu… that way you can enjoy the despair all the more!!

Chapter Text

This was the beginning of the despair of sixteen individuals.

“Upupu…” The speakers blared as an annoying voice made its announcement, “Mic test! Mic test! Ah, whatever. I’m sure you can all hear this. So let’s get this entrance ceremony started!”

From behind the podium, Monokuma jumped out and greeted everyone, “Hello everyone! And welcome to your high school life of mutual killing, dear students!” It happily cheered and even threw confetti out of nowhere into the air. But that joy lasted only for a moment because in the next second, Monokuma had its claws out and was shouting with ferosity, “Is what I’d like to say but where the hell are the students?!”

Gathered in the gym was not a group of people but rather, a group of animal-based robots painted with a monochromatic color scheme.

“Last time I checked, this was a school not a petting zoo! So where the hell are the people?” Monokuma asked in absolute fury, ready to pounce on each of them.

“Oh, my. It seems as though you were expecting someone else.” The Monocat purred as its long tail elegantly wafted over its mouth to discreetly hide a mocking grin. “I believe that everyone is here and accounted for.”

“Well this is embarrassing. And here I thought I was going to be the only one with the black and white thing going on. I was going to stand out!” Monokuma let out a disappointed sigh as its shoulders drooped. “Not only that, you’re all into robots now? I’m shocked! What ever happened to good old breakable flesh and bones?”

“While our mortal vessels are already outsandingly well-designed as they already are, sometimes a change of form is required by the plot.” The Monopenguin spoke as it waddled closer. “This is just a premise for a greater plot underneath.”

“Plot device? What kind of cheap plot device is this? This is a joke! It’s not even that funny!” Monokuma complained with all its might. “It doesn’t even make sense! Seriously, I bet the writer out there is just running out of ideas!!”

“Got a problem with this?” The Monotiger growled and loomed over threateningly. “I don’t see what the big deal is. You’re attending with this knockoff bear. Yours don’t even look like the real thing.”

“Excuse you! I’ll have you know that I’m the real deal!” Monokuma replied in an offended tone and then began to ramble, “I’m a special breed of bears. I’m from an elusive cute and loveable species that have yet to be discovered. I’m trying not to let the press get a hold of me just yet because they’d put me under the endangered species watch! You know what happens there, right? They won’t let me watch tv or play videogames! Oh, the despair!”

“That is a pressing concern indeed. However, this is no issue of concern for us.” The Monobeaver interjected with a powerful voice. Although it was small, its shout was even louder than that of the biggest animal in the room. “Rest assured that press and matters relating to entertainment will not be tolerated in a school environment!”

Monokuma paused. “Kid, you’re a freaking animal animatronic.” Monokuma said in a blank tone. “You sure you have your standards ironed out?”

“Um… I think we should overlook that fact for now.” The Monobunny suggested in a soft and hesitant voice as it cowered from a far corner. “Shouldn’t we be discussing something more important?”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right. We gotta get this plot moving or else our readers will get bored.” Monokuma nodded and calmly agreed. “NOT!” Monokuma raised its claws again in anger. “How the heck do you expect me to do that when you’re all prancing around in those getups! We can’t all be the mastermind! If we were then there wouldn’t be a game!”

“I don’t see what your problem is.” The Monolion intruded as it lazily stretched and scratched behind its ears. “I mean we’re all here so what difference does it make that we came here in costume?”

“And I don’t need to listen to you, Mister I’m-so-creative-I’ll-use-my-sounds-like-an-animal-name.” Monokuma snarkily replied. "Seriously, are you guys planning on making a cat family here? The least you could do is choose different species!“

“Well it’s not like it was planned. We’re just as surprised as you are. At least I am.” The Monoswan answered as it preened its beautiful metallic feathers. “There was no planning involved here unless I wasn’t informed. As far as I know, this is all just… a coincidence.”

“You’re kidding me.” Monokuma deadpanned. “You can’t expect me to believe that all of you got here with those and you didn’t talk to each other about it? Not even a single peep? That’s not a coincidence! That’s just lazy writing!”

“Yeah, guys! You hear what he said!” The odd one out, Monovenusflytrap, snapped at them. Yes, you read right. A mono-venus-fly-trap. There’s a reason why everyone else was distanced from it. “So someone better volunteer to be victims already so we can all move on!”

“…” Monokuma stared at it and then sighed in a defeated manner. "You’re not even an animal. Why am I not surprised?“

"Hey! This too is an animal!” The Monovenusflytrap retorted as it snapped its mouth. “I mean just look at it! It has teeth and all! That totally makes it an animal!”

“It has roots too.” Monokuma stated matter-of-factly with a voice devoid of all emotion. “Do you even know what it’s called?”

“Uhh… something to do with Mars?” It asked, unsure of its own origins and obviously even its own species.

“…” Monokuma stared long and hard. And gave up. “Well you’re a lost cause as usual. Moving on!”

“Yes, can we all move along now? We’ve dawdled long enough.” The Monosnake hissed, obviously displeased at the pace they were at. It slithered and coiled itself at a good distance away from the low-quality robots. “You’re wasting my valuable time. How typical of peasants. You act like animals with no discipline at all.”

“Wow, that sure is convincing when you say it… with an animal animatronic.” Monokuma brushed off its insults. “Anyone else got something to say?”

“D-Don’t act so high and m-mighty! You’re not the one in c-charge!” The Monomouse argued as it squeaked. And then it sneezed. In a split second, it had transformed into a Monorat with its long tongue hanging out of its mouth. “Oh my oh my! What’s with this petting zoo party? What? Did everyone develop weird kinks overnight? And they say I’m the one with quirky tastes! Kyahahaha!”

“I know right? Turns out that everyone’s into robotic furries now! I’d kinkshame you all but it looks like I’m part of the squad too.” Monokuma said as it chuckled. “Also, pretty sure that mice can’t turn into rats but as you can see, anything goes here apparently.”

“Hey, how long do we have to stay here exactly?” The mono-otter asked as it bounced and spun energetically. “I ran out of donuts and I really need to go out and get some more. So can we make this quick, please?”

“What’s this? You can actually get out from your electronic chamber?” Monokuma asked sarcastically. “Why didn’t you say so! In fact, why don’t we all go out and get some fresh air! Seriously, it’s not healthy to be locked inside a room and staring at a screen all the time.”

“Maybe not. There’s a reason as to why we came here with these… proxies after all.” The Monohoneybadger refuted and despite its adorable appearance, its strength could be heard in its voice. “This is for our own motives. We shall conduct all proceeding activities as such.”

“Oh, wow. You mean to say that you guys have legit reasons for coming here with those fanbots? That’s actually a thing?” Monokuma asked, feigning surprise. “Puh-lease! As if you have anything better to do other than this! So what is it, really? Did you guys all lost a bet or something?”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you. Especially not in this one.” The Monoeagle’s voice cut through with certain sharpness as it narrowed its eyes. “As to what our reason are… we’ll keep them to ourselves for now.”

“Yeah, right. Keep up the mysterious act, hun. You’re really working it.” Monkuma just waved her off and plopped onto its belly in a lazy manner. “You keep playing your pretending game while I not-so-quietly judge you. I’m sure you don’t have any reason at all. Heck, I doubt the writer even has planned that far!”

“Do you ever say anything nice at all?” The Monodog interrupted as it tried to glare at Monokuma. But it was hard to take it so seriously especially when it looked so adorable wagging its tail and all. By the way, it’s a Monopomeranian if you want to be specific. “All you’ve been doing is just insult everyone here. You say you want to move the plot but you keep diverting the attention elsewhere. Aren’t you contradicting yourself?”

“Well excuse me for being a realistic and good critic!” Monokuma huffed at it. “Oh, and you forgot to say your catchphrase. Unless you didn’t. Which just proves that I’m right! Upupu!”

“Hey…” The Monowolf interjected as it trotted closer, almost protectively, over to the Monodog. It sat there and stared at Monokuma and softly barked, “Maybe we should move things along now.”

“And you!” Monokuma glared daggers at the last of the robots it had yet to address. “What are you doing in that pathetic excuse of a getup? I thought we had a deal! Where did you even get that?”

“I have my… reasons… and sources” The Monowolf vaguely replied.

“Ugh! Whatever! I’m tired! I don’t want to deal with this bullshit!” Monokuma raised both of its paws in the air in defeat. “This isn’t even despairing anymore. This is just disappointing!” Monokuma whined like a child pulling a tantrum. And then it paused and shouted, “But fine! Since you’re all too cozy with your animal animatronics, let’s just get this ball going.”

That’s right. No matter how absurd this is, nothing should forestall the game.

“But just so you know, I’m still not happy about this! It’s not like I have choice in this anyways.” Monokuma complained one last time before it pulled out a gavel and pounded it for purely theatrical purposes. “Cue the narration!”

This was the beginning of despair and of the high school life of mutual masterminds.

Chapter Text

Fukawa immediately paled as she stared at her mail.

“Congratulations! You have been accepted at Hope’s Peak Academy with the title of ‘SHSL Literary Girl’. We invite you to enroll at this school and share with us your outstanding talent.”

She had expected this. Even though she was worthless as a person, she was aware of her high worth as an author. But no matter how much she had expected this, nothing could have prepared her for this moment. Apparently, real life had its own share of plot twists and hers had to be some sick joke.

“Congratulations! You have been accepted at Hope’s Peak Academy with the title of ‘SHSL Serial Killer’. We invite you to enroll at this school and share with us your outstanding talent.”

She didn’t just get an acceptance letter, she received two.

Fukawa trembled in fear as the papers crumpled in her hands. They knew. They knew about her and Syo. The knew but instead of reporting her, they were trying to exploit her. Rather, they were trying to exploit her talents to be precise. They must have seen this as an opportunity to research Syo’s talent if one could even call it that.
She didn’t know what terrified her more: the fact that someone else knew about her secret or the fact that that someone had questionable morals for letting her keep this insiduous secret.

“T-This shouldn’t affect me. This c-changes n-nothing.” She stammered as she bit her nail out of nervous habit. Despite her best efforts to calm herself down, she was still shaking.

She had to reassure herself first. Even if they didn’t know about Syo, she would have accepted the invitation anyways. Now that they had blackmail material on her, there’s all the more reason for her to go. This wasn’t a setback at all. Nothing’s changed…

Or so she tried to convince herself. “A-As if this is r-reassuring me at all!” She shouted in frustration as her hands balled into her hair and furiously scratched.

If they knew then… who else knew? She scratched her head. And what if more found out? She trembled harder. What if someone who finds out actually confronts her? She was losing sight as more tension built up inside her head. Or… worse? Her mind was falling further as thoughts piled upon thoughts and the stress pressed upon stress.

Until finally, Fukawa collapsed. And out came Syo.

“Ta-dah! Genocider Syo has arrived!” She shrilled as she languidly stretched and took out her genoscissors. “Looks like I get to show-off my shining shimmering splendid babies tonight too! Kyahaha!”

She was about to ran off and find another victim but not before she noticed the mess of papers strewn on the floor. Normally she’d brush it off since she’s not into the whole literary thing her other self was going for but something had caught her eye that made her particularly interested in reading it.

“What’s this? A love letter just for me? Kyaaah! This is my first time you know!” She shouted in glee and began to read its contents. By the end of the letter, her maniacal grin had simmered down to a smirk. “Heh, apparently not everyone is an idiot. This ugly writer needs to be more careful. It’s dangerous outside after all.”

There was a rare tone of seriousness laced in her voice and the killing intent so strong, it was almost palpable.

And then just like that, she was back to her energetic personality only with just a bit more cutting edge. “Well! If anything happens or if anyone even dares to pull of something then I’d be sure to snip-snip-snip at them!”

With her genoscissors, she personally signed her acceptance letter.

Unlike Fukawa, Syo was excited. Just what kind of high school would knowingly invite a serial killer?

Chapter Text

I want to meet Matsuda… I want to meet Matsuda… I want to meet Matsuda…

Otonashi’s heart raced along with her thoughts as her mind was filled with nothing but Matsuda. Her most cherished person and dearly beloved. The one person she could never forget. Only he could fill both her heart and her mind like this. She wanted to see him. She needed to see him. She just had to see him. If she didn’t then… then…

“Matsuda!” She yelled as soon as she opened the door to the clinic. “I have something important to tell you!”

“You’re too loud, ugly girl.” He barked at her, his eyes never leaving the pages of his manga.

“But Matsuda, this is importa-” Her sentence hang as her jaw dropped at the sight before her. And then she started screaming.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

“Shut up!” He harshly yelled at her but it didn’t quite reach her.

“Oh, no! I was too late! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Matsuda! If only I had gotten here sooner!” She cried as she apologized repeatedly much to his annoyance.

“It’s too early for this shit.” He complained as he finally got up and walked towards her with a scowl on his face. “Quit crying. You’re making this more difficult to read.” He hit her head with the book and with more force than necessary.

She only cried harder and wailed, “How can you read when there’s an ongoing crisis??”

“Exactly. This is a crisis. I can’t read because you’re too loud and annoying.” He sardonically pointed out. “You’re spouting nonsense again.”

“It’s not nonsense! This is important!” She argued back with a sniffle.

He groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to regulate the stress he was getting from this. “I’m going to regret asking this, aren’t I?” He sighed and then begrudgingly asked just so they could already get over whatever this was, “Just what exactly is so important for you to barge in and interrupt my reading?”

“I’m too late!” She cried.

“Too late for what?” He hissed.

“Just look at yourself!” She pointed at him.

He blinked. He’s already regretting having this conversation. “Excuse me?”

“No, like literally!” She corrected herself. “Go check a mirror!”

“I swear if this is–”

“You’ll understand when you see it!” She practically begged him and at this point, he was just too tired to argue anymore.

He sighed and dragged his feet to the medicine cabinet which had a mirror on it. What could possibly make her this frantic? Most likely nothing of importance to him. She’s probably overreacting again. He sighed once more as he stared at the mirror with obvious disinterest. He expected to see nothing. And so he saw nothing of interest.

This is bullshit.

“So? What exactly am I supposed to see here? Aside from myself.” He snarkily commented and added matter-of-factly, “There’s nothing to see here.”

She jumped and nodded fervently in agreement. “Exactly! Nothing!”

He stared at her for a full second before he ordered her exit, “You’re clearly wasting my time. Get out.”

“No, wait! I can explain!” She probably panicked because she heard the seriousness in his voice. He’s not sure why he hasn’t kicked her out already. She continued, “It’s not really nothing per se. It’s more like, something is missing.” She made a weird gesture with her hand and placed it on top of her head. “Your ahoge.”

He checked at the mirror again. Yes, it’s confirmed. This is bullshit.

“Your ahoge is missing!” She cried out with such passion that it was almost as if she wasn’t talking about just some insignificant lock of hair. She carried on, “Your defining character design! Your epitome of handsomeness! Your symbolism of wit and sharpness! Your–”

“Alright, I get it. I perfectly understand now.” He cut her off before she could babble off his ear.

“You do?” She perked up at this, her eyes shone with eagerness.

“Yes, definitely.” He walked up to her and gently cradled her cheek. Shocked by the gesture but pleased, Otonashi closed her eyes and let out a sigh of content.

Only for that to be followed by a gasp of shock and groan of pain as she was abruptly shoved out of the room.

“Tch. Come back when you actually have something worth my time.” He told her with a scowl on his lips.

“But you don’t understand!” She tried to reason with him.

“Oh, I understand.” He then narrowed his eyes at her before slamming the door shut. “I just don’t care.”

Matsuda may have lost his ahoge but he doesn’t give a shit.

Chapter Text

In this game, Nagito clearly knew what his role was.

“I wish you good luck on passing the test.” He smiled and waved before turning his back at her.

“Wait a minute! Test? What do you mean by test? I don’t get what’s going on at all!” Komaru called out to him and started yelling nonsense with such desperation in her voice. “Is this because of the ahoge? It’s the ahoge, isn’t it? Because if it is then I swear I never asked to be a protag.”

He continued to walk away and was about to close the door on her when she continued to yell, “H-Hey, you have an ahoge too!”

That caught his attention. “Excuse me?” He turned around at the accusation.

She gulped audibly, she’s still shocked but she continued to explain, “It’s leaning a bit towards the curly side but that still counts as an ahoge.”

He blinked. Perhaps she wasn’t as common, boring, and average after all. This was certainly an odd reaction but it was nothing to be amazed at. He attributed that she must be too terrified that she’s losing touch with reality. “I fail to see how important my hair is in our context.”

“Oh, but it is important!” She answered without hesitation. “Since you have an ahoge like me, then that must mean you’re a protag too!”

“Me? Oh, no. That can’t be it.” He calmly refuted with a chuckle. “I am but a lowly servant, a side character at most. An NPC if you must label me. While I cannot say that you are or are not a protag, I do know that you are a player in this game.”

“B-But that’s not fair! You have the protag ahoge!” She insisted.

“Sorry, miss. I don’t make the rules.” He nonchalantly shrugged.

“But I’m talking about the LAW of ahoge!” She shot back, still persistent on her claim. “Last time I checked, the law is on a higher level than some made-up rules for a game.”

Nagito stilled for a moment. And then flashed her a lopsided grin.

“Oh my, it seems that you may have a concussion and can’t think properly. You poor thing.” He feigned sympathy and then with eerie calmness, he escorted her out the door. “Don’t worry though. I’m sure that won’t impede on your performance in the test.”

“Huh? W-Wait! We’re not yet done talking!” She pleaded as she tried to firmly plant her feet on the ground but her legs were too weak with fear.

“I believe that’s as much conversation a side character such as myself is allowed.” He smiled at her one last time. Just before the door closed and separated them, he gave her one last tip, “Don’t break the fourth wall too much, Miss Protag.”

After all, they can’t both be protagonists and this wasn’t his game to play.

Chapter Text

Komaru has seen her share of weirdness but this definitely has to top everything else she has experienced so far.

Concept-wise, there was nothing supposedly unusual about the entire affair. She had just received her first gift in a long while and truth be told, she was happy when it was presented to her. Well that was before she saw what it actually was and then she started having mixed feelings about it. This was her first time receiving such an… eccentric gift that it caught her off guard. It was just so absurd that she could only stare at it dumbfounded.

Touko had just given her underwear to Komaru.

She wanted to tell herself that it was the thought which counted but she just couldn’t overlook the abnormality in the gift. It was even more alarming when she thought that this came from Touko. Sure, she wasn’t exactly the most normal of girls given her serial killer split personality, but she would’ve thought that she had uh, a sensible taste in gifts.

The garment rested in her hand and although it was made of light fabric, she couldn’t help but imagine it weighing heavy on her hand. She hasn’t even looked at it aside from the first glance a while ago. Her blush was still evidence of that. Was she even allowed to look at it? Well, technically it was hers now but she couldn’t help but feel as though she was doing something indecent.

“W-What is it? D-Don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve s-seen underwear.” Touko attempted to start conversation, her face was also red although she fared better than Komaru in restraining her embarrassment.

“What?” Komaru’s head was still reeling from what was happening that she just spoke without thinking anymore. “Of course I’ve seen underwear before! I mean, I practically wear them you know!”

“No need to raise your voice, sheesh. You just went q-quiet all of a sudden there.” Touko hissed at her. “I knew it. You’re j-judging me.”

“Huh?” She looked back at her, startled.

“You’re t-totally judging me.” Touko repeated with a snarl. “I bet you’re t-thinking about how unsexy my underwear is and how d-disappointed you are at my life c-choices.”

“What are you even talking about?” Komaru asked in genuine confusion. “I’m not judging you or your underwear!”

“Then w-why haven’t you said anything?” Touko demanded from her.

“Because…!” Komaru started and she could already feel her brain giving up on her and this ridiculous conversation. And it did. It failed on her and so she was left with nothing else to say other than the one thing she’d been meaning to ask this whole time, "Because why would you even give me your underwear?“

Touko merely blinked at the question, unfazed.

“That’s it?” She scoffed at her although secretly she had been relieved that that was it. She cleared her throat. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a sign of our friendship.”

Just when Komaru thought this couldn’t get any more confusing, it just did.

“Sorry, I think you lost me there.” She admitted. That didn’t answer her question. If anything, it just raised more questions. “How does underwear translate to friendship?”

“It just d-does, okay!” Touko flushed and she almost lost her composure out of embarrassment but she did her best to pretend he blush was out of anger. “Look, just think of it this way. Would you ever give your underwear to a s-stranger?”

“No, but I’d also have trouble giving it away to a friend either.” Komaru readily answered in all honesty.

“That’s because you’re not supposed to give it away to j-just any friend.” Touko fidgeted as she shyly played with her fingers and murmured, “It’s supposed to be for those… special friends.”

It took a while before the meaning of Touko’s words had finally reached Komaru. It’s only then did she understand the true meaning of friendship underwear.

Ohhhhhhh.

“Oh, Touko! Why didn’t you just say so!” Komaru smiled as she suddenly grabbed Touko in an endearing hug. “We’re practically BFFs now!”

Touko merely grumbled but didn’t pull away from the hug. “…Yeah, I know.” A smile formed on her lips as well.

With that security, with that embrace, with that underwear, their bond had grown even stronger.

“I should give you my underwear too!”

On that day, they exchanged more than just underwear, they each received a symbol of their friendship.

Chapter Text

For Kamukura, everything in the world was predictable until he stood by corrected by Naegi’s existence.

Under all circumstances they weren’t supposed to meet. Their paths weren’t supposed to cross even in the most abnormal of situations. All of the patterns and routes showed that their lives were supposed to remain separate indefinitely. And although they would have to meet eventually, Kamukura had predicted it to be in the much later future.

However, Naegi’s luck proved him otherwise when he showed up in his room just as confused as he was.

“Oh, please excuse me! I didn’t mean to intrude.” Naegi said and bowed politely. Nervous, he scratched the back of his head out of habit as he spoke timidly, “I got kind of a bit lost down here and I’m not exactly sure how to get out. If you know the area, I’d really appreciate your help.”

Kamukura held his gaze levelly as his talents analyzed him within a millisecond. Makoto Naegi was a peculiar person and even more peculiar was how he had ended up here in this very situation. It started with a trivial and irrelevant task. He was just crossing between buildings. That was just it. Just a small walking distance in between. And yet he never did get to his destination.

When Naegi had tried to cross buildings as per usual routine, something bizarre had happened. He got chased by a pack of animals that had ran loose and so he ended up in an entirely different district. From there, his uniform was accidentally gotten caught by a passing motorbike and he was brought to another district by the time the rider had noticed the extra passenger. Exhausted by the events, he roamed around to find a bench to rest on. It’s only then that he noticed for the first time the statue of the founder.

As he walked towards it, he had tripped on the last step of the short stairs and found himself staggering forward until luckily, he was able to hold on to the base of the statue for support. Conveniently he had pushed and stepped on the two right switches which activated the trapdoor. At first he didn’t even plan to explore the suspicious basement but a tremor caused by a nearby explosion had made him lose his balance and fall forward. And as he stumbled forward, he fell through another hidden door, one without guards in the corridor. From there he roamed around and all sorts of events happened around him. The doctor who was standing by as they were getting their eye scanned was accidentally pushed aside when Naegi fell through another hidden door just as the scan completed.

And that brought them back to the situation at hand.

“…” Kamukura had yet to grace him with his answer.

“Um, if it’s not too much of a bother that is. I understand if you’re busy though.” Naegi said with a worried expression when he didn’t get a reply. “I guess I’ll just be going…”

“Wait.” Kamukura’s voice halted him in place. That made Naegi an easy target as he discreetly shot a pin aimed at his eye.

Only to have it miss when Naegi had coincidentally sneezed, narrowly missing him by millimeters. Kamukura’s eyes widened. An unprecedented event.

“Excuse me.” He took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose, oblivious as to why his other hand was unconsciously combing his hair where the pin passed by him. “Sorry, um, you were saying?”

Kamukura considered what had just happened and all the implications it brought with it. He wasn’t able to predict that at all not even by the slightest bit. Although both of them had shsl luck talent, Naegi’s was different. His kind of luck was erratic and random. It was textbook luck, pure luck. His luck was mere random chance. There was no pattern for it, hence its unpredictability.

An unknown.

“I may be able to assist.” Kamukura said as he stood up and approached him.

Naegi’s face broke into a grin. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome.” Kamukura nodded curtly.

“Oh, but wait. We haven’t introduced ourselves yet!” Naegi said as he offered his hand towards him. “I’m Makoto Naegi.”

Kamukura already knew his name, and every detail about his past, but when he took his hand and tried to predict the future, he found himself surprised yet again. Everything was just so uncertain, so unpredictable, so… not boring.

“…How interesting.” He said to himself.

He didn’t know what he had gotten himself into but that’s what made this so exciting. An unpredictable world was right before him and this person would be the key to unlocking it. For the first time in his existence, a ghost of a smile tugged on his lips as he formally introduced himself, "Kamukura Izuru. I look forward to our future endeavors together.“

An unpredictable future lay ahead of Kamukura as long as he was with Naegi. And further down the road he’ll discover just how unpredictable hope can be too.

Chapter Text

“You! Stop right there!”

Ryota froze. It hasn’t even been five minutes since he left his studio and already he’s attracted unwanted attention. He wanted to believe that the stranger wasn’t calling him out in particular but it was hard not to when he was the only other person on the campus grounds right now. He would have walked away but he didn’t like the idea of being chased either. So regrettably, he turned around and faced whoever this was and hoped this would be a quick and awkward conversation of mistaken identity.

“Y-Yes?” Ryota stuttered as soon as he was staring face to face with another student.

“Pardon the intrusion but I have matters of monumental importance to discuss with you!” The person bowed with great humility and then stood straight with an air of confidence as he asked, “You’re the respected Ryota Mitarai sensei, aren’t you?”

“…!” Ryota’s jaw dropped in shock. That was the last thing he thought that a stranger would bring up. No one had identified him in person before. It was just an improbable event given how he hardly goes out and how he rarely reveals his face during interviews. So to have someone boldly out him in daylight was a first for him. He didn’t know how to respond.

“Fufufu… I’m right, aren’t I? Of course, I’m right. I’m definitely right. My eyes never deceive me and my instincts are always spot on.” The person continued with a proud smirk. “You thought that you could hide from me but at last! Our paths have finally crossed! This is surely a meeting brought by fate!”

At first Ryota was shock, now he was just confused as he listened on.

“Perhaps this is just my fantasy but I’d like to believe that it is destiny. Destiny, I say! This crossover of our paths is surely nothing short of destiny!” He proclaimed with great fervor. “For you see, just like you, I too am a person of utmost importance.”

That last line sounded logical enough to stick in his head. Ryota honestly didn’t want to ask him about it but it was hard to shake off the expectant look that the stranger was giving. So he hesitantly asked, “Uh, who are you by the way?”

“Oho! So you’ve finally recognized my significance!” He chuckled to himself. “I am but a simple man with the greatest of dreams. But to you perhaps it is better if I introduced myself with my role in life. And that is none other than…” He trailed for added suspense. “Your biggest fan!”

Ryota blinked. “Huh?”

“I’m Hifumi Yamada! And I’m a dedicated fan of your works especially of Herectic Angel☆ Pudgy Princess!” He puffed his chest with great pride as he declared this. “I have dedicated my life into bringing out the beauty of the great goddess Buuko to world in the most recognizable form of art.”

“Yamada…” Ryota repeated the name as his mind searched for the buried memory that was nagging him. It sounded so familiar but he couldn’t place as to why. That was until he finally remembered. His eyes widened as he leaned forward and asked, “Could it be… You’re that famous doujinshi writer Hifumi Yamada??”

“Ah! Mitarai sensei noticed!” Hifumi practically cried tears of joy right then and there. “I am blessed by an anime god!”

“You? B-Blessed?” Ryota stammered in disbelief as he then contested, “I should be the one who’s blessed! What you do is amazing! You bring out additional content that original writers overlooked!”

“Please, to receive so much praise from a god, truly I have ascended to the another level!” Hifumi yelled in absolute joy. “I feel so happy that I could die at this moment and perhaps with even more blessing, I may be united with my waifu Buuko in the next realm!”

“D-Don’t die just yet!” Ryota said with growing concern. Well it’s not like he couldn’t relate. This encounter was amazing in itself and it was always great to meet someone who appreciated anime just as much as he did. That’s why although Ryota preferred to work alone, he found himself shyly suggesting, “Um, have you ever considered doing a collab?”

There’s just something special about two strangers bonded through anime alone.

Chapter Text

They never thought they’d see the day that hell froze over until Gundam Tanaka greeted them today–

“Good morning, everyone.”

Normally.

And it wasn’t just about the way he greeted them either. It was more than that. There was something extremely off about him. For once, he looked… tame. His hair wasn’t stylized like it usually was, he didn’t have his tattoo makeup on, he wasn’t wearing his red contact lens, and he didn’t even have his flashy overcoat on. They were only able to identify him as Tanaka because his scarf was there along with his hamsters.

It was surreal to see him as he was right now. He was almost unrecognizable. He looked so plain and ordinary, and not at all the weirdo he always dramatically portrayed himself to be. He wasn’t talking in his dark booming voice but instead he was actually speaking at a normal volume. He was like a role model of an average high school boy.

He was just so normal that… it was so abnormal.

“Who the fuck are you and what have you done to Gundam?” Kuzuryuu immediately threatened.

“I haven’t done anything to him. I am Gundam.” He calmly replied uncharacteristically.

“Lies. Our classmate does not behave in such manner. Reveal yourself immediately.” Pekoyama held her sword as an obvious threat.

“If I weren’t Gundam then why do you think his hamsters are with me?” He countered at her.

“He does have a point. Those creatures are more intelligent than they seem. And I doubt they’d follow an impersonator.” Twogami commented from his seat.

“That’s just what I said.”

“So what’s up with you this morning?” Koizumi bluntly asked straight to the heart of the matter.

“There’s nothing up so to speak.” He replied.

“Did you hear that? He said it without his delusional crap. It’s official. He’s finally lost it!” Saoinji sneered at him.

“Please, don’t make a big deal out of this.” He pleaded, not quite liking how his classmates were reacting to this.

“How could we NOT?? You’re TOTALLY OOC!! That’s N-O-T O-K! Ibuki demands to know the tragic backstory!” Ibuki hounded on him.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He quickly dismissed her.

“D-Did something… happen to you?” Mikan asked him tentatively.

“It’s nothing. I just didn’t feel like it today, that’s all.” He sighed tiredly.

“Feel? FEEL?? Should I help you FEEL BETTER?” Teruteru excitedly leaned towards him.

“I’d rather pass on that offer.” He grimaced as he placed some distance between them.

“You don’t look as energetic as you usually are. Should I give IT to you then?” Nidai offered.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine without it.” He turned down the offer.

“Then let’s punch some life into you!” Akane yelled enthusiastically.

“You’ll just punch me into a coma!” He took a step back in fear.

“Still, it is a bit worrying. Why are you acting this way?” Sonia asked him with an expression full of concern.

“I don’t know why everyone’s so bothered. I’m just acting normal.” Gundam pointed out.

“Exactly! Usually you’re all abnormal! What the hell’s wrong with you, man?!” Souda yelled at him.

“I can’t believe I’m being scolded for acting normal.” He said while looking so offended.

“Whatever you’re going through, know that we’ll always be here for you.” Nanami gently placed her hand over his shoulder to show her support.

“Thank you but I’m completely fine?”

“I’m sure you’ll overcome this with your promising hope shining brighter than ever!” Komaeda cheered on.

“Like I said, there’s nothing to overcome.”

“Stay strong, Gundam.” Hinata sympathetically patted him on his other shoulder.

“You’re all overreacting!” Gundam yelled in frustration.

Today had been one of the most grueling of trials for Gundam.

The next day, hell had unfrozen and Gundam Tanaka returned to his Forbidden Form. And no one ever talked about yesterday.

Chapter Text

“No way. A dead end? There’s seriously no clues left!”

“We can’t give up yet!” Nanami shouted words of encouragement. “If we give up now then all of our friends’ sacrifices… would be wasted. We musn’t lose hope… not until we see this through the end.”

“Hmph. Common words from a commoner.” Togami snidely commented in disapproval. “In the end, your friends you so believed in have betrayed you and killed yet again. Tell me, how long do you plan on playing pretend in this game?”

“It’s not a game. And I’m not pretending either.” Nanami looked absolutely furious despite how calm her voice sounded. But she knew that getting mad would get them nowhere so she composed herself and gave her earnest reply, “Everyone is… a precious friend of mine. Even if I’m betrayed again, I want to believe in everyone. No matter how many times I may be betrayed… I still want to believe in everyone.”

“Y-Yeah, right! I’m not falling for your t-trap!” Fukawa snorted as she then raised an accusatory finger at her. “F-For all we know, you could be the c-culprit.”

“That’s okay. You can doubt me all you want.” Nanami answered softly but her eyes showed hardened resolve. “Doubt me as much as you want… until you can believe in me.”

“Uh, Nanamichi?” Hagakure scratched his head in confusion. “I think you have it backwards. Aren’t you supposed to be asking us to believe in you without doubting you?”

“If there’s no room for doubt, then there’s no reason to believe, is there?” Nanami let the question hang in the air for a bit and then continued to explain, “If you want to believe in someone… you need to overcome doubt first.”

“I don’t really get it but listening to you made me realize something.” Asahina admitted in all honesty as she locked eyes with her and declared, “If you’re giving your best then I will too. I want to believe in you too, Nanami.”

“Thank you…” Nanami smiled warmly. She’s grateful that not everything she said fell on deaf ears. “Thank you for choosing to believe in me.”

“I’m with you in this too, Nanami. Let’s not lose hope and continue to push forward.” Naegi gave her a reassuring smile. She could always count on him not just because he was optimistic but because they share the same ideology. They were both determined, trusting, and full of hope in spite of their situation. “No matter what we find out, no matter what happens next, no matter what the outcome is, I won’t ever regret being friends with you.”

“Me too. Even though we had to meet like this, I’m grateful to have met you all.” She answered with a heartfelt smile as she placed a hand over her chest, trying her best to convey her feelings. “That’s why I want to protect you, my precious friends.”

They could survive this and they will but before that, they have to overcome the many trials ahead of them.

“We’ve come this far, let’s work hard until the very end. If we work together… everything should be all right… That’s what I think.”

Meanwhile, in another class trial…

“Crap. We’re stuck again.”

“It would seem that the culprit this time was well prepared.” Kirigiri commented as she reviewed the evidence presented so far. “This is a rather complicated case yet again.”

“No, it’s not. We all know who’s the most suspicious here.” Souda declared as he shot a glare at the suspect and yelled, “Hey, Komaeda! Just admit it. It was you, wasn’t it!”

“Let’s stop that baseless argument right there.” Kirigiri cut him off before the trial could get derailed again. She crossed her arms and wondered why she had to explain this for the nth time again. “While he may be admittedly… problematic, aside from that, there’s no incriminating evidence against him to prove that he’s the culprit. So anyone else here wants to contribute?”

“Hey, I’m not really good at this stuff and I don’t really get what’s going on this time.” Akane admitted out loud in brutal honesty. Then she grinned widely as she suggested, “But if you want me to beat someone into confession then I could help you out with that.”

“I’ll… keep that in mind.” Kirigiri answered politely. Maybe that would prove useful later on despite how unlikely the situation would happen. She nodded just for added measure because Akane was still looking at her expectantly. “The offer is appreciated. Should the culprit prove to be… troublesome then perhaps your assistance would be required.”

“Um, going back to the case at hand.” Sonia inquired with a raised hand. “I think there was some suspicious residue on the floor.”

“Oh, that? Well at least you noticed it so I’ll give you that.” Kirigiri commented backhandedly but with her stoic face and flat tone, it was hard to tell if she was being insulting or just professional. “Don’t be fooled by that. It’s just a red herring implanted by the culprit. It’s just there to mislead us.”

“How sure are you about that? It looks pretty suspiciously important to me.” Kuzuryuu objected as he slammed his fist against the podium. "How would you know that this is fake evidence?“

“Because unlike some people, I actually thoroughly investigate the crime scene.” Kirigiri sharply shot him down and even casually flipped her hair right after. She sighed. No one was contributing anything worthwhile. “Is no one here useful at all?”

“I’m so sorry for being worthless trash.” Komaeda quickly apologized and started his self-deprecating talk, “It frustrates me that I can’t be of help to you. I’m not even worth a stepping stone for your hope. I don’t deserve to be here in the same ranks as you shining pillars of hope!”

“…I’m not even going to comment on that.” Kirigiri looked away at the pitiful sight and then turned to the only other reasonable person in the room. “I suppose it’s up to you and me. Again.”

“Don’t make it sound like it’s my fault. I’m just as disappointed as you are.” Hinata sighed in exasperation as well. He looked so tired of it all. “If our lives didn’t depend on this then I swear I would have ditched them already.”

“This class is more trouble than its worth.” Kirigiri sighed as well and stared at the faces of her classmates. They weren’t that much useful during class trials but even so, they weren’t necessarily bad people. “Nonetheless, death seems too severe of a punishment for its faults.”

This was going to be another long and tedious trial but it has to be done.

“Now if all of you would just put in more effort into investigating and exercising logic, then I believe you’ll find that this isn’t all that hard to figure out.”

The two heroines continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“I’ve been waiting! I’ve been waiting for this moment!” Enoshima bellowed with great satisfaction. “Upupu! I finally did it! I fucking finally did the do!” She giggled with a lopsided grin and then hollered again, “I, the great Enoshima, has finally killed the luckster brat Naeggs!”

And it was no easy feat either. After days and days of failure after failure, she finally got a lucky break. Lucky. How morbidly ironic for him… and how despairing it must be if only he knew! After being saved by his luck countless times, it had betrayed him this time. Statistically, it had to happen and now that it did, oh how the annoying wait was worth it!

It happened while they were walking alongside the pool. It wasn’t at all planned, in fact it was actually spontaneous. One second he was talking to her, the next he was slipping, and then the second after that he was already drowning. She could only assume that he had leg cramps with the way his knees hit the side of the pool right before he fell into the water. And so he was drowning while she watched the spectacle before her. His body wildly flailed and thrashed until it finally stopped and floated still on the water.

This wasn’t her intention at all when she lured him to the pool. It was actually his idea to go to the pool and look where it got him. Poor naive Naegi just got killed by gorgeous scheming Enoshima. Okay so technically she didn’t directly kill him per se but she did let him die so that had to count for something. Whatever! She couldn’t care less for the details. What matters was that he’s finally dead and now she could do what she had been wanting to do all this time.

Which was what again?

It felt like it’s been so long since she last thought of her grand scheme. She’s been so focused on eliminating this variable that she had lost sight of her main goal along the way. Think, Enoshima! Despair… Desbear… Did it start with a D? How about M? Mastermind? Mutual… Oh, that’s it! School Life of Mutual Killing! How could she forget? That’s right, all of this was for the sake of her precious game with her precious classmates minus one!

Oh, but don’t think she’s forgotten to include Naeggs in the game. She’s sure there’s plenty of uses for his body later on like say planting a totally fake murder with a totally real corpse. Upupu, imagine the despair they’ll get over arguing who the killer was and pointing fingers at each other when no one was actually to blame! It’d be hilarious and despairing! Oh, but why wait until then to taste their despair? She’s sure she’d get some good despair out of them when they see the corpse of their beloved classmate.

But first, she’s got to get the corpse out of the pool. He’s been in there, face down, for a good ten minutes so he’s definitely dead. Any longer then his body would show signs of it and they’d suspect her of felony. So she jumped into the pool and dragged him off to one side of the pool, not even bothering to move his arm which was still dipped in the water. Alright, now that the stage has been set all that’s left was for her acting. Drama time!

“Help! Emergency at the pool! Medical help needed! Quickly!” She shouted as soon as she got out of the pool area.

Everyone immediately ran straight towards her pleas of help with a mix of faces of alarm and concern. She hid a teasing smirk of excitement. She was getting giddy by herself. Oh, what kind of faces in despair would they make once they see his corpse? What would her sister’s face be like! She was getting excited over this beneath her excellent mask of panic. This should be fun. Everything was going smoothly now with him gone.

Or at least, it should have been. She should have known by now to never trust his erratic luck.

In everyone’s haste to get to the scene, someone had pushed Enoshima which caught her off-guard and caused her to get bump rather harshly with the person with the defibrillator coincidentally enough. It slipped through their fingers as it flew straight for the pool. Naturally, the device short-circuited which charged the pool dangerously with electricity. And Naegi’s arm was still dipped in those charged waters.

Enoshima could only watch in horror as the most absurd possibility came into mind and then it became a reality.

The charge was so strong that when it finally reached Naegi and passed through his arm, his body convulsed wildly. Enoshima didn’t need an ECG to know that his pulse had restarted. Within moments he was breathing and at his first breath he coughed up all the water he had in his lungs. Everyone but her rushed to his side all the while she stood by at the entrance with her jaw slack.

Naegi was miraculously brought back to life.

And rather than despair, her classmates was filled with hope upon his revival.

Hope! As if his luck wasn’t enough to annoy her, he just had to give them hope! Disgusting hope! If there weren’t any witnesses she would have thrown up on the spot. This was too much for her to handle! And just how the fuck did he even come back to life from that? She’s pretty sure that’s not how defibrillators work. He should have been double dead with that shock and not brought back to life. What the actual fuck?

But she’d analyze those odds later. For now, she didn’t want to raise any suspicion by being so far for so long. So she begrudgingly dragged her feet toward him and the shitty brat smiled at her. A smile filled with gag-worthy hope, ugh!

“Thank you, Enoshima.” Naegi started with an honest grin. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would have survived.” He continued in all his earnestness.

“Oh, I don’t think I did much.” She mock-embarrassed refuted. Seriously, she wanted no part of this hope-fest.

“But you did! You’re the one who called for help!” He sincerely insisted and reasoned, “And I don’t really know what just happened but I’m sure glad to be back. Thank you! This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.”

He’s absolutely right. If she hadn’t called for help then he probably would have still been dead by now.

“Yaaaay.” She replied with all the excitement of a corpse as she internally screamed and berated herself. Goddammit!

Enoshima may have killed Naegi but his luck had revived him right after.

Chapter Text

My name is Makoto Naegi and I’m just some ordinary high school student. I’m as plain as they come appearance-wise and my interests are about as average as can be. There’s really nothing that special about me.

OBJECTION!

Sorry, uh, force of habit. Anyway! As I was saying, if there’s anything that’s out of the ordinary for me is that I’m enrolled at Hope’s Peak Academy, the most prestigious high school in all of Japan. What’s my talent? Well I think you can infer from my title, SHSL Ace Attorney. I’m not really sure why the “ace” part is necessary since it sounds redundant with “shsl” but oh, well. It’s not like I’m the one who decides on these things.

I know what you’re thinking. How could I possibly get a degree on law at my age? Is it even possible? Well it certainly wasn’t easy. I think I spent more nights awake and studying rather than sleeping soundly. It helped that I had some gift for it but most of this was earned through hard work. I’m not even sure what got me so determined to pursue law in the first place. I blame all those attorney games I played when I was a kid.

Although I’ve already earned my degree and even passed the bar, I was still scouted for high school. In all honesty, I could have turned down the offer since I’m way past studying. But then again this was THE Hope’s Peak Academy. Entering here meant I was set for life. Not that I cared much for that incentive. It sounded like a good excuse for me to take a break and just feel some semblance to normalcy before I go all out in the real world.

And so, here I was being a not so ordinary high school student.

“Look, dude. I’m not mad. Just pissed off.” Mondo growled. “If you fess up already then we’ll call it quits and I promise not to mess up your face that much.”

“Bwaaah!” Hagakure blanched and cowered in fear. “Y-You got the wrong guy! I swear it wasn’t me!”

“He’s scary pissed off, man.” Kuwata whistled in mock sympathy. “I’d confess if I were you. You’re already a goner.”

“But it wasn’t me!” Hagakure insisted despite him trembling.

“Yeah, right. You’re the only one here desperate for cash.” Enoshima pointed out with a toothy grin, rather pleased with the entertainment. “Face it, buddy. You’re totally screwed!”

“Plus you were the culprit last time as well.” Ikusaba added insightfully.

“Let bygones be bygones!” Hagakure declared, not quite ready to forfeit his life. “And I just so happen to pick it up last time! I’m innocent I swear!”

“Looks like the people have spoken.” Mondo cracked his knuckles threateningly. “Pray you got insurance because what I’m about to do ain’t pretty.”

Hagakure yelped and raised his hands in defense.

“HOLD IT!”

It’s at this point that I decided to intervene. “We don’t know for sure if it was Hagakure who did it. We can’t jump to conclusions just yet.”

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d speak up.” Celes commented, amused with a polite smile plastered on her face. “I assume you’d like to hold a class trial then.”

“Yes, it’s within Hagakure’s right to go through proper procedures.” I seconded with a nod.

“As usual, your honor is something to be strived for.” Sakura commented approvingly.

“But isn’t a trial too much for something this small?” Fujisaki raised his concern.

“Nothing is too small in the eyes of the court.” I firmly declared as I then loudly slammed my palms against my desk. “Your honor, I request that we hold a class trial immediately!”

“Request granted!” Ishimaru yelled and saluted. “Justice is very much welcomed in the school environment.”

“That was surprisingly quick.” Maizono remarked at how smoothly the events unfolded.

“Nothing can hold back against Naegi-dono when his sense of justice switch is flipped!” Yamada dramatically shouted. “He moves the plot forward like a protagonist!”

“Naegichi! Thanks so much for saving my back!” Hagakure cheered and slapped my back.

“Don’t celebrate so soon, Hagakure. We aren’t in the clear yet.” I warned him. “We have yet to prove your innocence.”

“But you will, right?” He asked.

“I’m a defense lawyer. It’s what I do.” I smiled at him and then turned to the rest of the class.

“TAKE THAT!”

And such were my days as a high school student who just so happened to be a lawyer as well.

Turnabout Class Trial

This was the final clash of hope against despair.

“It’s no use! Nothing makes sense anymore! We can’t solve this case!” Hagakure wailed in tears and pulled at his hair.

“Objection!” I shouted at him and then calmly explained, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains must be the truth… no matter how improbable it may seem.”

“So does that mean that you truly believe that we are all innocent? Preposterous! Someone had to have committed murder for there to be a corpse.” Togami pointed out with a sneer.

“We never really know when someone is guilty or innocent. All we can do is believe in them.” I shot back, not backing down from this argument that could cost us our lives. “And in our case, I’m going to believe in us. In all of us.”

“But if it’s not one of us then… who? And what does that mean? I’m scared… I’m scared of what we’ll find out. I don’t think I’m ready to know.” Asahina quietly murmured.

“Our job is to find the truth, no matter how painful it may be.” I lowered my voice. “Just like how every time I point my finger someone always ends up getting hurt, finding the truth is inevitable. It’s what we must do in order to move forward.”

“L-Look at yourself all calm and composed! Y-You’re all b-brave now but I see through your f-facade! You always c-cry after the trial! Ha! H-How can we put our hope in s-someone like y-you?” Fukawa accused him with a trembling finger.

“It’s true. I do cry. I cry a lot. I always cry after an execution.” I admitted with a pained face. “As much as I want to cry right now, I can’t.” I continued with a somber smile. “That’s because the only time a lawyer can cry… is when it’s all over.”

“While it’s true that you can’t afford to shed tears, what intrigues me more is your attitude. How can you smile at a time like this?” Kirigiri asked in honest curiosity.

I simply wore my best smile yet.

“The worst of times are when lawyers force their biggest smiles.”

And this was just the beginning of the turnabout trial of hope versus despair.

Chapter Text

Perhaps the biggest plot twist that Touko has ever encountered was her getting Komaru as her girlfriend.

Of course that includes the precursor plot twist of finding out that she was gay for her in the first place and what a character development arc that turned out to be. The hardest part was the denial and oh, how she vehemently denied herself of this. It wasn’t that straightforward to accept her feelings given her track record of pining over hot guys but Komaru proved herself to be… somewhat worthy amongst their ranks.

Oh, who was she kidding? Ever since Touko had begrudgingly accepted her crush on her, Komaru had easily won over the non-existent competition. In fact, if Touko didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that Komaru was purposely seducing her. It was hard not to when Komaru just had to be the best thing that ever happened to Touko’s life. Komaru was nice and sweet. She was mostly smiling at her when she’s not adorably pouting. Komaru was soft and warm. She would sneak hugs every now and then and she’d start holding hands with her whenever she could. Komaru was reliable and constant. She was always by her side, literally! But also not just literally, she was always there for her.

Despite everything they’ve been through, she’s still here with her. They’re still together.

Although there were still moments where Touko wished otherwise especially when regarding a certain matter.

“Oh, c'mon, Touko!” Komaru pleaded. “You know you need to take a bath!”

“And y-you need better literature preferences but you don’t see me forcing you to read.” Touko easily shot back, with no means of escape, she didn’t plan on backing down either.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that my tastes are fine by average standards thank you very much!” Komaru huffed at her while she placed her hands on her hips in a commanding pose. “And don’t try to dodge the topic, you’re still going to take this bath.”

“Tch. Why are you so o-obsessed with me and baths anyways?” Touko smirked at her and scoffed, “Oh, is that it? Little miss innocent normal girl is secretly harboring a b-bath kink.”

“What?!” Komaru yelled in absolute shock and horror.

Just according to Touko’s plan. With Komaru’s guard momentarily down, she made a mad dash for it. She’s not exactly the most athletic but she can run for her life when it mattered and this time she thought she was going to break her speed record. She squeazed past Komaru who gasped but Touko paid her no attention as she focused on getting to the door that was her means of escape. And miraculously, she did reach it without any obstacle.

Except it was locked. And that one second delay was enough for Komaru to catch up with her because damn, she had nice legs that could run. Two arms on each side of Touko had her caged between the door and a not so pleased Komaru.

“This doesn’t have to be difficult.” Komaru calmly started. “If you would just cooperate then I’m sure we’d be happier with that outcome.”

“You sound like a cop from a t-trashy pocketbook.” Touko almost hissed at her. She tried to break free but again she was reminded that she wasn’t the most physically fit person there was.

“I guess I’ll take that as a no then.” Komaru sighed and when she returned her gaze there was something unidentiable hidden behind it. “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

“Please! What’s the worst thing that you could do?” Touko boldly challenged her. She never expected her challenge to be answered too soon. “Eep!” She helped as she found herself hoisted over her girlfriend’s shoulder. She didn’t know that it was physically possible.

“Uuup you go!” Komaru heaved as she carried her with effort but also with just enough strength as she hummed happily, making her way to the bathroom.

Touko on the other hand was still trying to comprehend what was happening. “H-How are you even this s-strong?! Aren’t you supposed to be s-scrawny!” She stuttered as she struggled to break free and again she was surprised by how capable her girlfriend was.

“I work out.” Komaru simply answered and shrugged to readjust her hold on Touko.

“N-No, you don’t!” Touko refuted as she squirmed even though she knew it was futile. “I’m with you practically all the time and you never lifted weights!”

“Does swinging a megaphone count?” Komaru joked.

“As if!” Touko squawked.

“Alright, you got me.” Komaru chuckled, her shoulders shook slightly along with her laughter. “The truth is that I secretly lift whenever you’re not looking just so I get to carry you like this.”

“Now you’re just sweet talking me.” Touko firmly refuted her.

“Well is it working?” Komaru smiled cheekily at her.

“…!” That stunned Touko for a moment but she quickly regained her composure in the next as she scoffed, “H-Hardly! Besides, I’d hardly call this position r-romantic.”

“Hey, cut me some slack. I’m getting there.” Komaru shifted her hold on her girlfriend as she opened the door to the bathroom. “Give me another month then I’ll be able to bridal carry you.”

“W-What ever gave you the idea that I wanted that?” Touko could practically feel her cheeks flaring at that fantasy.

“Huh? Isn’t it customary to do that in a wedding? I mean, it’s called bridal carry for a reason right?” Komaru innocently asked.

“W-Wedding??” Touko stammered in absolute shock. What was she talking about? Where did that come from? And why did she bring it up right now? Distracted, that was all it took for her to seal her fate.

“And in you go!” Komaru shouted and without warning, she tossed Touko into the bathtub filled with water. Touko was beside herself.

Surprised, betrayed, and wet.

“Komaru…” She eyed her with an unflinching and seething rage. Her voice was low and even. “I hate you.” She didn’t stutter, not one bit.

“I love you too.” Komaru playfully winked. “Now let’s get yourself cleaned.”

“As if I have a choice anymore…” Touko bitterly grumbled.

“Oh, don’t say that.” Komaru tried to appease her girlfriend’s anger. “I promise to reward you after this.”

“Oh, yeah?” Touko crossed her arms and demanded, “W-What kind of reward?”

“Hmm, I dunno. Any kind I guess.” Komaru lightly offered.

“Any?” Touko repeated and there was an underlying scheming tone in her voice that her girlfriend picked up.

“Within reason, of course!” Komaru quickly added.

“Hehehe…” Touko chuckled to herself and murmured something suspiciously inaudible. She then flashed a lopsided smile. “It’s a deal then.”

“Why do I feel like I just agreed to something that I’ll regret later on?” Komaru wondered out loud.

“Oh, that’s because I am going to make you regret this.” Touko confirmed with a playful smirk. “I’ll have you know that I have my own h-hidden strengths too!”

Touko having Komaru may have been a plot twist at first but they were now steadily working their romance route.

Chapter Text

Not everything has to come in pairs.

Touko begrudingly thought as she vehemently eyed her twin, Syo. “W-What is wrong with you!” She yelled and pointed her finger at her. “I t-told you to clean the bathroom after you use it! You know how b-bad I am with b-blood!”

“Oh, don’t be such a wuss!” Syo merely brushed her off. “Don’t act like you don’t see it every month. Down there, I mean. Kyahahaha!”

“How v-vulgar!” Touko looked absolutely appalled. “B-besides, this and that are d-different! D-Don’t try to get away with this!”

“Hun, I’m not even trying to run away~” Syo winked at her. “It’s just a widdle puddle.”

“That m-made me faint!” Touko objected.

“Yeah! And it was hilarious!” Syo cackled which only fueled her twin’s seething rage. She laughed harder.

Touko pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to supress the oncoming migraine with a sniff of pain. There was no use talking sense into her twin but she always tried anyway. No attempt has been successful so far. She already knew though. Reason did not apply to her twin. Syo was, to be blunt, a murderer. Her motive? Hot guys apparently. Touko had long given up on trying to find logic in that. The day she’d understand her twin would probably be the day that she’d end up in jail because of her and she didn’t want either of the two happening ever.

“So? W-Who is it this time?” Touko started once she had calmed herself enough.

“Oh, you know him.” Syo batted her eyelashes at her. “Tall. Dark. Mysterious. Handsome.” She paused. “Transfer student.”

“A-Already?!” Touko yelled in surprise. “C-Couldn’t you have let him lived for at least a month?” And then in a softer voice, she mumbled, “He was kind of easy on the eyes.”

“I knoooow!” Syo seconded with a squeal. “That’s why I had to snip him up before anyone else could!”

“Hmph! It’s not like there’s a-another serial killer on the loose.” Touko bluntly refuted.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that~” Syo added cryptically. It was hard to tell if she was serious or not but then again, Touko didn’t care.

“Whatever. J-Just keep your world out of m-my world.” Touko scoffed at her.

“Hmmm? Oh, I see how it is!” Syo tilted her head and smiled widely. “You’re just jealous ‘cause I get to put the moves on all the hot guys!”

“And then you m-murder them!” Touko snarled as she pointed her finger.

“Well it’s called Blood Lust Fever for a reason. Kyahahaha!” Syo wildly cackled.

“I will n-never understand you.” Touko grimaced.

Syo laughed harder. “Me neither!”

Not a day goes by in which Touko wishes she wasn’t related to her questionably sane twin Syo.

Chapter Text

Perhaps the most unexpected development that came from the New World Program was the camaraderie formed between Hinata and Kirigiri.

It was as much of a bond as a pair of people complaining about their unhelpful classmates, which basically summed up their relationship or friendship or whatever you call this. Point was that they were getting along well, surprisingly well in fact.

“You don’t know true suffering unless you’ve been in a class trial with Komaeda.” Hinata started with an exasperated sigh. “He tried to get us all killed. More than once!”

“But at least he provided the necessary clues when needed.” Kirigiri calmly refuted. “He’s… problematic but useful… unlike some people.”

“Well yeah, but he’s an ass to deal with.” He grunted. “And don’t get me started with the rest of the class. I swear they’re not even trying anymore sometimes.” His hands held tightly onto his head as he recalled, “When Owari kept bringing up Komaeda’s front tail, I swear I was this close to losing it.”

“Hmph, but there have been times that they offered valuable insights to which you consented, right?” Kirigiri questioned him.

“Yeah, I guess… sometimes.” He replied with a shrug.

“Our class is worse. Much worse.” Kirigiri boldly declared and although it was a humiliating fact, the way she said it made it sound like she was almost proud of it. “We never once agreed with each other. We were always out to disprove the false statements spouted.” She flipped her hair. “And by we, I mean just Naegi and I. We were the only reliable ones there. Everyone else just contributed to be objected upon.”

“Ouch. That’s harsh.” He commented.

“I’m only stating the truth.” She nonchalantly replied. “You don’t know true stupidity unless you’ve been in a class trial with Hagakure.”

“Oh, you mean that fortune-teller guy? But isn’t he a member of Future Foundation now?” Hinata pointed out and then rebutted, “I mean yeah, he looks pathetic but he’s harmless at most. Nowhere near as problematic as Komaeda.”

Kirigiri turned to him and deadpanned, “We had to convince Hagakure that I wasn’t dead.”

“Okay, but–”

“While I was right there.” She cut him off, her tone flat and devoid of emotion. Gone were all the fucks she’d give. “In the class trial.”

“…” He stared at her dumbfounded. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out at first. He closed it and thought of what would be the most appropriate response to such stupidity. He gave up. “Alright, you got me there. That’s the dumbest shit I’ve heard.”

“I’m glad you agree.” She nodded in satisfaction. “Perhaps that was the most trying test of my patience.”

“I’d probably just punched him so he’d figure it out himself just how real and alive I am.” He suggested with a chuckle.

“He’d most likely think it was the work of aliens.” She calmly refuted.

“Aliens?” He stared at her in disbelief. “Seriously? Not even ghosts?”

She shrugged and explained, “He claims that he doesn’t believe in the supernatural.”

“But he believes in aliens.” He couldn’t believe what he was saying. “What the hell?”

“Welcome to my life.” She let out a tired sigh.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” He gently patted her on the shoulder, sympathetic.

At the end of the day, they’d somehow find themselves with each other, ranting but also bonding.

Chapter Text

Chiaki didn’t know it was possible to have even more fun with games until she met Chihiro.

It started out with an idea. While they were having enough fun as they were taking turns in games, she figured it must be even more enjoyable with everyone playing. She wanted a game where all of her classmates could play at the same time. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of games that allowed for 15 players and they already ran out of them last year.
That’s why she thought of making their own videogame.

Which was easier said than done. Being good at games didn’t necessarily equate to being good at making them. The closest skill she has was open-world dungeon making in-game and even with that, she hardly knew how to code and all the other necessary skills. It was just outside of her forte. If she wanted this game then she needed an expert’s help.

That’s when she heard about a certain junior.

“Excuse me, is Chihiro Fujisaki here?” She called out as soon as she slid the door open.

“Yes?” A small girl timidly answered. “That… would be me.”

Nanami walked into the room and excitedly leaned forward on her desk. “You’re the SHSL Programmer, right?” She leaned further and the girl had to lean back slightly. “I’m Chiaki Nanami, SHSL Gamer of the 77th batch. It’s nice to meet you!”

Chihiro blinked and shrank further in her seat, confused. “A senior?” Confused and a bit uncomfortable at the lack of personal space. “Um, if I may ask, why were you looking for me?”

Chiaki gave Chihiro her most dazzling smile yet and answered, “Let’s make a game!”

This was the beginning of a bond forged on videogames.

From then on they started hanging out with each other from time to time. During those times, either Chihiro would ask for her to beta her prototype or Chiaki would bring her own videogames for them to play with. They found out that programming and gaming were much more fun when done together and it was admittedly nice to learn something new from each other.

Even after they actually finished making the game, they still continued to meet. Their excuse was to make another game although they both knew that they just enjoyed hanging out in general.

“Ugh! I died again…” Chihiro sighed as she slumped against her seat. “I don’t get it. Why is Cat Cario so sadistically hard? Don’t they want their players to enjoy the game?”

“That’s to be expected from a rage-game.” Chiaki explained as she breezed through another level of the same game. “I think the developers created it with the goal of having players suffer.”

“That’s terrible!” Chihiro commented with a look of horror. “Why would they want that?”

“Maybe they just enjoy in other people’s misery.” Chiaki shrugged and then added, “But then again, there are people who actually enjoy these kinds of games.”

“Wait, there are people who like this?” Chihiro asked, her eyes were wide with surprise.

Chiaki hummed as she cleared another level. “It’s the challenge. The harder it is, the greater the sense of accomplishment afterward.”

“Oh… I didn’t think of it like that.” Chihiro admitted and he then leaned back in thought.

A comfortable silence passed between them.

“Hey, Chiaki.” She suddenly spoke and asked, “You know what would be fun?”

“What?” She paused her game.

“I think… we can make a better game than this.” Chihiro suggested with a small yet playful smile.

Chiaki stared at her until her own lips were smiling as well. “Yes, I think we can pull it off.”

There’s just as much fun in creating games as there is in making them.

Chapter Text

He was finally going to meet her.

He had been looking forward to this meeting ever since he first woke up but has failed to actually make it happen due to all sorts of circumstances, though foreseen they were unpreventable. But now he finally could. He’s dealt with all of the complications beforehand and now all that’s left was for him to visit her. His head has been filled with nothing but scenarios of how it would happen even though he’s already memorized them all because of constantly over analyzing.

As he got off the ship, he quickly made his way towards his destination. At first he was just walking in long strides, then he was brisk-walking, until finally he broke into running. He had been waiting for so long, she had been waiting for far longer. And with every step he made, all that patience he built throughout the years were quickly dissolving as he picked up the pace.

Just a little further. They were going to see each other again in just a little further.

His face broke into the widest of grins as he finally caught sight of her. He didn’t stop. He wasn’t going to stop now. So he ran forward and shouted with all his joy, “Nanami! I’m back!”

When she turned around, he already had his arms wrapped around her. It took her one full second to comprehend what just happened but when it did, he felt her return the embrace with the just as much fondness as she greeted back with a smile in her tone, “Welcome back!”

A lot of things happened just for him to get to this moment with her but he thought that all of it had been worth it.

“It feels like I haven’t seen you in so long…” He said as he tightened his hold over her protectively. He felt a wave of tremendous relief as he held her, warm and breathing, and alive. He knew she was alive the moment he woke up but confirming it like this was better than just knowing it inside his head. He let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding and then whispered into her hair, “I missed you so much.”

Her hands clutched tighter onto his back at his words. She then affectionately nuzzled against his shoulder and softly replied, “I missed you too.”

It’s only then that they were both able to breath easily.

They stayed like that for a long while. Just breathing. The two of them relishing in the comfort of each other’s presence. They both expected this reunion but even so, that awareness did not diminish the greatness of this moment. This moment was a testament of hope. Of their hopes. Of their hopes overcoming despair. And as they held each other, tears flowed and so did emotions. They flowed freely until they melded into something just as comforting as this embrace.

This reunion was filled with hope and perhaps, something else as well.

He pulled back a little, not at all surprised to see her face tear-stained just like his. “Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.” He apologized with a small smile. “All sorts of stuff happened in between… haha.” He chuckled weakly and maybe just a bit nervously as well because of the eventful story behind that.

“It’s alright. I’m not mad at you, you know.” She easily forgave him without hesitation. Her soft smile told him that she was being earnest and it took all of his willpower just so he wouldn’t break down over her selflessness. She honestly was too kind. “You did your best to get here and that’s what’s important. And… you’re here now, aren’t you? I’m already happy with this. Thank you for coming back.”

“Well, it’s not like I was going to leave you forever. Although… the possibility did exist and it almost happened… but that too is part of the catching up we’ll have to do.” He admitted as he remembered the numerous times they had almost lost on that island if it weren’t for… her. He blinked back the tears and did his best to keep the smile on his face as he continued, “I’m sure you have lots of questions to ask. So where do you want to start with?”

“I do. I have lots and lots of them!” She answered excitedly and he then remembered the first time they met and how enthusiastic she had been over the mere mention of Gala Omega. “I’ve been thinking this whole time and what to say to you once we finally get to meet. All sorts of stories I want to tell you and all the stories I want to ask of you.” She spoke quickly and she was even leaning forward from sheer excitement. And then all of a sudden, that energy died down. “But…”

That raised alarms inside his head. They haven’t even started exchanging stories yet and already she looked so bothered. It concerned him. “…But?”

There was a pregnant pause between them. An unexpected tense silence draped over them. Even odder was the fact that he couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause when he should’ve been able to analyze this. But he couldn’t. Or rather, he couldn’t be logical about it as his emotions clouded his judgement. His concern over her rose in levels with each passing millisecond that she kept quiet.

Until finally, she asked her first question, “Who are you?”

…

He slowly blinked.

That was not part of any of the scenarios he had predicted. An unprecedented question.

“Huh?” He asked dumbfound. For the first time ever since he woke up at the island, he found himself genuinely confused. A part of him took joy at that confusion since it just reaffirmed that he was still capable of such emotions. Another part of him was just at a lost as to what to think because he was simply confused.

Nanami seemed to pick up on his inner turmoil so she elaborated for him, “Are you Hinata? Or…” She started and then with just the same hesitant tone she asked him a follow-up question, “Could it be, you are Kamukura?”

He blinked again.

Finally, his head had caught up with the implications of her questions. Oh. So that’s what had been bothering her. A small smile formed on his lips. That’s just like her to worry about these things. He raised a hand and gently petted her. “Just call me whichever you’re comfortable with.”

Unlike him, she didn’t seem too convinced though. “But are you fine with that?” She asked, her face still etched with concern. With the same hesitation, she asked, “You are… Hinata, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” He nodded.

Her eyes held his for a long moment, as if carefully assessing him, until she asked him again, “But at the same time, you’re also Kamukura… right?”

He couldn’t blink.

He couldn’t look away from her honest gaze. He’s not sure if it was her eyes or if it was her question but if there was one thing he was certain of then it was the fact that he was drawn to her. This was the first time that Kamukura had been directly addressed. While the rest of the class had asked him if he was Kamukura just to check, no one actually dared to outright tell him that he was Kamukura. They had all acknowledged the existence of Kamukura but… not exactly. Not out loud.

And now here was Nanami. She was talking to him. To Hinata and Kamukura. Unlike everyone else who had chosen to conveniently take Kamukura as an afterthought, Nanami had chosen to address both persons with the equal concern. Something about the way she had so innocently brought it up and as her first question, had struck a chord in him. He didn’t know why but a large part of him wanted to cry and smile at the same time.

It was odd and yet, it was also strangely comforting.

“Why would you say that? Is it the eyes?” He asked her with a slight laugh. By now he had already given up on using his talents in analyzing this. He didn’t want the cold hard data. He just wanted the softness and warmth that Nanami seemed to provide without fail.

“Mmhh, that’s one sign… I guess.” She admitted as her hand reached up towards him.

And then she wiped the tears on his face.

How strange. He wasn’t aware when exactly he had started crying again but he didn’t feel heavy at all. In fact, he felt lighter. That’s right, he strangely felt better.

Her hand rested on his cheek afterwards and he leaned into her touch. She smiled softly and continued, “But more than the eyes, I just have a feeling. And it’s telling me that it’s you… Both of you.”

His heart swelled at her declaration.

“Well you got me…” He paused and then corrected himself. “Us. You got us there.”

She tilted her head as she asked, “So it really is you? The two of you?”

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it. I’m not really sure how it works either.” He chuckled slightly. He’s a bit nervous to talk about it but at the same time, he’s also relieved that he could even bring it up. “Before, Hinata and Kamukura are separate people with separate memories and personalities.”

“But it’s not like that anymore, is it?” Her question came out with the tenderness he needed to deal with the subject.

“No, it’s different from before.” He shook his head and then continued to explain, the words he had buried within for so long were now easily pouring out, “Now we’re kind of a fusion, I suppose. I have both of their memories… as well as their personalities and they somehow connected and formed what I am today. It’s different now.”

He took one deep breath. It was as if he had wanted to say those bottled up words for a long time and now that he had finally let them out, all that’s left within him was peace.

“I’m… different now.” He was at peace with himself.

“You’ve definitely changed.” She agreed with a kind smile dancing on her lips. “But at the same time, you’re still the same kind persons that you both are.”

“Oh, c'mon. We both know that between us, you’re the kind person here.” He flushed slightly at her genuine praise.

“Then we’re both kind.” She answered firmly as she huffed. “It’s not a competition, you know.”

“I know.” He chuckled as he scratched his head and confessed, “I just get embarrassed easily, okay.”

Another pregnant pause passed. This time there was no tension at all, just calmness. Peacefulness. And acceptance.

“So now that we’re both clear on as to who you are…” Nanami started the conversation again with a curious look. “By what name should I call you?” She innocently asked.

Another unexpected question.

He blinked. “Does it really matter?”

“Does it matter to YOU?” She shot back at him. “Names are important too, you know.” She added and then smiled reassuringly as she urged him on. “That’s why I need to know what name you’re most comfortable with.”

He blinked again. Nobody has ever asked him about what he wanted to be called. They just all assumed that he was fine with this one name and he just went along with it. “Well everyone calls me Hinata so you could just go with that.”

She frowned slightly. “Won’t Kamukura get left out though?”

He felt tears prickle his eyes as he took in a sharp breath.

Some part of his heart wrenched at her question. Another question that has never been asked before. Another overlooked question that seems to be only Nanami who was addressing it. His arms unconsciously held on to her tighter at the thought. He’s not certain but he thought that there should be an appropriate response of gratitude to this. But no words came out. Instead he just held her and hoped that she’d understand the message.

“You’re welcome.” She whispered reassuringly as she rubbed circles on his back. “It’s alright. You are not forgotten.”

“…Thanks.” The word finally escaped his lips along with a calm breath. He knew that he should have said it first but he also knew that she appreciated it anyway.

They were about to lapse into another long pause until an idea suddenly struck her. Nanami pulled back a bit from the embrace, though he still kept her close, and she was almost bouncing in his arms as she excitedly said, “I know! How about we come up with a nickname for both of you?”

“A nickname?” He repeated with his head tilted.

She nodded and then suggested, “How about Hinazuru?”

He slowly blinked. “Hina… zuru?” He tested the name on his tongue.

“Hm? You don’t like it?” She mistook his silence as disapproval. Slightly disheartened, she slumped a bit within his arms, her smile falling if only for a fraction. “I see. We’ll just have to come up with something else then.”

“No!” He immediately shouted. Her eyes widened at his sudden outburst and he’s certain that his face mirrored her look of surprise. “I…” There’s something powerful about that name that he felt like he didn’t want to let go. That was not just any name, that was his name. Their name.

A name for both of them.

“I love it.” He confessed and his lips curled into a smile that was just as bright as their hope. “Thank you, Nanami.”

And her smile was even brighter. “It’s nice to meet you, Hinazuru!”

This was their reunion but at the same time, this was also their first meeting. A meeting filled with hope and acceptance.

Chapter Text

Naegi skillfully sorted through the mess of letters in front of him as he carefully picked letter after letter until he’d finally form the word that he was looking for.

Or at least that’s what it looked like inside his head.

Outside? Not so much.

“Will someone please inform the commoner of how utterly idiotic he’s making himself out to be right now.” Togami scoffed off.

“But… he looks like he’s concentrating so hard though.” Fujisaki timidly reasoned with concern.

“That is true. I can sense a deep form of focus emanating from him. He is not one to be disturbed.” Sakura seconded.

“What do you think he’s doing? He’s just been shouting letters for a while now.” Asahina pointed out.

“Ohhh! I got it, guys! It’s obviously some sort of code! And with his antenna looking hair, he’s trying to make contact with aliens!” Hagakure theorized with a proud grin.

“T-That is the most absurd answer! P-Please tell me you’re not s-serious!” Fukawa immediately stammered her objection.

“I object to that premise as well. He’s obviously chanting a secret move that will unleash his fighting prowess! If we’re lucky, his hair might even turn white!” Yamada enthusiastically explained.

“As if! T-This isn’t some t-trashy anime or videogame, you n-nitwit!” Fukawa raised her voice again.

Naegi suddenly flinched and muttered, “Dammit! Wrong letter… what’s this word supposed to be anyways?”

“Well this is entertaining in its own way, right? He sounds like he’s onto something so it might be best to just let him be until he gets it.” Celes lightly giggled with a hand covering her scheming smile.

“Sounds like he’s way out of it. We’re wasting time on him. Maybe I should punch some sense into him and bring him back.” Mondo suggested while he cracked his knuckles.

“Violence is not welcomed in a school environment! Please refrain from causing any unnecessary commotion.” Ishimaru reprimanded him.

“Yeah, calm down would ya, tiger?” Monokuma suddenly interjected. “Besides it’s not like you get a say in this.”

“Would you care to elaborate on that?” Kirigiri questioned him.

“Upupu-oops!” Monokuma chuckled and then rambled on, “Have you ever heard of plot armor? Well it’s not like this is that much related to plot but more of the game mechanics. Then this shouldn’t be called plot armor. Ooh! How about protag impenetrability instead?”

“Cease your babbling nonsense and cut straight to the point.” Togami snarled before Monokuma could launch into a lengthier rant.

“Yes, and aren’t you getting off-topic? You haven’t explained anything at all.” Kirigiri accused sharply.

“Well I was about to get to it before you cut me off!” Monokuma huffed and crossed his arms. “Hey, do you know what a magical girl transformation is?”

“Of course! That is the essential element of any magical girl anime! The lifeblood of my waifus!” Yamada was quick to answer.

“Didn’t you ever notice that they get these long transformation sequences but never get attacked while it happens?” Monokuma let the question hang in the air for a bit and then continued with a twirl, “There’s actually a good scientic reason for it. Something about the light and how if anyone tried to get in it they’d have their very existence wiped! Like fwwwsssh! Gone!”

“D-Don’t they just skim over the probability of a h-hostile attack during transformation just for c-convenience purposes?” Fukawa scoffed.

“Oh, and that too! Almost forgot that one how clumsy of me!” Monokuma lightly hit himself in a comical fashion.

“Wait so you’re saying that Naegichi is a magical girl now?” Hagakure asked in confusion.

“Righto! Our Naeggs is going through a magical girl transformation of sorts!” Monokuma gave him a thumbs up. “He’s basically untouchable as he is right now. In fact, we’re not even supposed to be having this commentary! This is all undocumented behind the scenes goodness!” Monkuma playfully winked at the cameras.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Kuwata said because honestly that made no sense at all.

They were torn between asking for more details and just dropping the whole issue altogether. Magical girl transformation? What did that have to do with anything? As if there was something as absurd

“I’ve got it!” Naegi yelled as he finally returned to the trial. “I finally figured out what we’ve been missing all this time!”

“Yeah, sure you have. But first!” Kuwata quickly intervened. “Mind telling us what the hell you’ve been doing just now?”

Naegi blinked and tilted his head. “Oh, I was just doing a Hangman’s Gambit.” He answered innocently with a smile.

All eyes were on him. The room was silent.

“What the fuck is that supposed to be?”

Chapter Text

Hinata sped through the tunnel as he swerved and jumped from one path to another until he’d finally reach the logical conclusion.

Or at least that’s what it looked like inside his head.

Outside? Not so much.

“What the fuck is that bastard doing?” Kuzuryuu was the first one to voice out what everyone was already thinking.

“He looks like he’s having fun, don’t you think so?” Nidai commented with a laugh.

“He looks stupid to me.” Saionji snarkily pointed out.

“Usually I’d tell you to be more considerate but… well, you’re not wrong. Seriously, he looks like he’s goofing off.” Koizumi conceded.

“Ibuki thinks he’s practicing his dance moves of logic! Ibuki shall join him too she thinks!” Ibuki declared as she started swaying wildly and bouncing every now and then.

“A ritual? It would seem I underestimated his knowledge of the dark arts. Fufufu… let us pray that he summons a merciful beast should he be successful.” Tanaka laughed darkly.

“Hey, quit it! Don’t infect my soul friend with your delusional shit! He’s normal I tell you! Normal!” Souda firmly voiced his objection.

“I believe his movements are similar to one of Novoselic’s local species. If I recall correctly, that awkward swaying and unbalanced arms… yes, it is exactly as I thought. This is supposed to be a show of dominance.” Sonia carefully explained.

“D-Dominance? Eep!” Mikan gasped in fear. “W-Why would he do that? Is it something I did? I-I’m so sorry, p-please forgive me!”

“Nah, I think he’s just hungry. Just look at him, he’s all wobbly ‘cause he hasn’t eaten much since the party.” Owari nonchalantly rebuffed.

“Pardon me but I don’t think that’s how hungry people behave. If you analyze his movements closely, they seem to be tense and performed with an effort to be precise. Perhaps there is a deeper meaning to his actions.” Pekoyama added thoughtfully.

“That’s it! That must be it! Of course, it has to be. I’m sure that he’s just getting in touch with his inner hope.” Komaeda commented with an encouraging smile.

“Inner hope? Eww, what’s that supposed to mean? No, wait. I don’t actually care so don’t answer that.” Saionji replied with a laugh.

“I don’t really get it either but… it looks like he might be thinking of something important… I think.” Nanami added with uncertainty.

“Damn right it’s important.” Monokuma stood up from his seat and placed a paw over his chest. “Our company worked hard on making that sadistically unnecessary new feature so you kids better not screw this up for us!”

“New… feature? What is this thing that you speak of? It’s only the first trial.” Sonia questioned.

“Ah, I guess it’s like that for you. Trapped in this narration and all. Sucks to be you who can’t break the fourth wall.” Monokuma winked at the cameras and then started dancing in a carefree manner. “Well don’t let this get to you much, just carry on with what you usually do. I don’t want to go through the whole magical girl transformation explanation again.”

“Magical girl transformation? What the hell?” Souda scratched his head in confusion.

“I’ve got it!” Hinata yelled as he finally returned to the trial. “I finally figured out what we’ve been missing all this time!”

“Who cares?” Kuzuryuu rudely intervened with a scoff. “Aren’t you going to tell us what you’ve been doing up there in lala land?”

Hinata blinked and tilted his head. “Oh, did you mean the Logic Dive?” He nonchalantly answered.

All eyes were on him. The room was silent.

“What the fuck is that supposed to be?”

Chapter Text

“Makoto Naegi, of Future Foundation Branch Office 14, you are under arrest on suspicion of treason.” Munakata announced. Naegi had expected this, handcuffs and all, what he didn’t expect were his next words. “As such, you are deemed unfit to carry responsibility and you now forfeit the right to possession of previous treasured garments. We expect you to return these post-haste.”

Naegi stared back, confused. He’s not exactly sure what he meant by that, there were a lot of technical terms in there that didn’t quite make sense to him. “Um, could you… repeat that?” He nervously asked.

“Return it.” Munakata coughed and then held out his hand, “My underwear.”

…

Naegi broke into cold sweat as his gaze sweeped across the room. Hell would soon freeze over.

“What the…? You gave him your underwear?” Sakakura looked over in disbelief. “I thought you said you only gave me and Yukizome yours?”

Munakata avoided his accusatory gaze. “I meant what I said. At the time it was only you two. But…”

“But Kyosuke found out that him and Naegi got along pretty well, right?” Yukizome smoothly interjected with an easygoing smile. “Don’t get too jealous of Naegi! After all, we also gave him ours don’t you remember?”

“Q-Quiet! This is a private matter!” Sakakura stammered in reply, his face was red in a mix of anger and embarrassment. Mostly anger. Misdirected anger at Naegi. “Whatever. You heard Munakata, give us back our underwears.”

“And don’t forget to return mine either! I don’t like the idea of it being in the hands of someone like you! You traitor!” Ruruka snarled menacingly. “You know what? I’m not even going to keep it. I’ll just go ahead and burn it after since you already touched it! Ugh!”

“I want mine returned too.” Izayoi seconded and even revealed a threatening weapon from his sleeve. “I’ll be sure to shred it like how Ruruka would have wished it was you getting ripped to pieces.”

“G-Give it back.” Seiko murmurred, her expression hurt. “I t-trusted you but in the end… you betrayed me. You’re just like them… a traitor!”

“A jumping cow knows no gold.” Bandai shook his head in disappointment. “I wanted you to have my underwear but now I want you to give it back.”

“While I don’t necessarily agree with what you did, it is still a bit upsetting. We worked hard to capture those Remnants of Despair after all.” Great Gozu said with his arms crossed. “I may need some more time to think over if you are worthy enough to bear my underwear.”

“Let’s not fight over this!” Gekkogahara said through Monomi. “I’m sure that Naegi is willing to return all of our underwear if we just ask nicely.”

“I don’t understand how you could choose them over us… All they have is despair but we… we have hope. And yet…” Mitarai tightly held his phone in frustration. “Please. If this is how you are then… just give me back my underwear.”

“I gotta hand it to ya, kid. Never figured you’d be quite the undergarment collector.” Kizakura tipped his hat towards him. “I just might want mine back since now I know I’m not that special.”

“Ah, youth. Had the circumstances been any different then I might have taken joy in this spectacle.” Tengan commented with his gravely voice. “But what you did is a serious crime against the beliefs of this organization and against humanity. And on a personal level, you have breached our bond of trust. Truly you have forfeited the right over the very symbol of our friendship.”

Naegi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was called here… just so they’d demand their underwears back? In the first place, whose bright idea was it to give away underwears as a sign of true friendship? It definitely wasn’t his and yet everyone kept giving them to him. But as absurd as it was to give them away, it was even more ridiculous to ask them back. He flushed red at the prospect. This was certainly embarrassing if not humiliating.

“You’ve been awfully quiet to our demands.” Munakata pointed out as he slammed his palm against the table, immediately silencing the room. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Naegi opened his mouth to say something but no words came out.

After all, he couldn’t tell them that he left all of their underwears back at his quarters.

Chapter Text

Behind every world were the creators that built it.

Tragedy had befallen Hope’s Peak Academy and with the ‘parade’ raging on, there was heavy growing unrest in the hearts of everyone. The school tried to enlist all the help it could get to mitigate the crisis at hand. In a desperate effort to control the situation, they called for help from alumni and among those who stepped up was Gekkogahara. They must have thought that therapy would make these kids change their minds.

They thought it would be easy, too easy and unrealistically too fast. Therapy didn’t work that way though no matter how good she was at it. However she had to admit that even she was having a difficult time handling them. Their trauma was far greater than anything she had seen before. Too great in fact. It was disturbing how it seemed as if they were brainwashed. But they weren’t hopeless. She just needed to put in more effort and more time to carefully bring them back out of their despairing selves.

Or at least she tried to until one kid went ballistic and broke her laptop with no remorse. That signaled her last session for the day or for the whole week if she couldn’t find a replacement laptop soon. Without a laptop, she could hardly converse with anyone. She had tried to use a phone but that would be unprofessional and it wasn’t quite the same.

So she finished early that day to find an expert in electronics which shouldn’t be too hard given the diversity of talents in this school. Perhaps the mechanic would do since his classroom was near enough. However before she could meet with them, she had rounded a corner too fast on her wheelchair and accidentally bumped into someone else with a different talent.

“Oh, s-sorry!” Chihiro sputtered in surprise as her eyes widened in shock when a laptop fell and broke upon their collision.

Miaya quietly stared for a long while at the laptop, a sigh was burried deep within her scarf, and for a moment, Chihiro believed she had done something unforgiveable. Chihiro stared with her mouth agape at the wreckage and felt her stomach drop at the sight. She was so focused on her mistake that she had failed to see Miaya indiscreetly fish out something from her pocket until a phone flashed in front of her.

“Are you hurt in any way?” The text read and Chihiro had to blink a couple of times to register that this was in fact happening to her.

“No, I’m f-fine. Thank you for asking.” She politely replied and then solemnly turned to the broken pieces of an electronic. “But your laptop isn’t…”

“It’s alright. It was broken anyway.” Miaya typed and held out her phone after.

“Still, I feel bad for making it worse.” Chihiro’s hands wavered as she hesitantly offered, “How about I fix it? I know a lot about computers. I think I can fix this… if you want me to give it a shot that is. It’s okay if you don’t want to. I’m just a stranger intruding but if you want, I’ll get this fixed right now.”

Miaya’s smile spoke louder than her written text. “That would be helpful. Thank you.”

And so the first brick was founded.

“You’re amazing, Miss Gekkogahara!” Chihiro suddenly gushed during their conversation. “That’s a great talent to have. You could help a lot of people!”

“Please, Miaya is fine.” She corrected her. “Ideally, I’d like to help a lot if only people would let me.”

Chihiro’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Why would anyone turn you down?”

“Aside from misinformed preconceived notions about therapy?” Miaya typed at a slower pace as if she was forcing the words out from deep within. Her head drooped sullenly, miserable. If she could whisper then she would have but she couldn’t so instead her fingers tapped lightly, carefully, at her phone. “It’s because I don’t… can’t talk.” She paused just to give herself breath. “It’s harder to connect with someone who doesn’t sound like an actual person.”

“Oh… that’s too bad.” Chihiro said, unsure if there was anything else she could say to that. She stared at the phone still hanging limply in the air as she racked her head on words to reassure her newly found friend. And that’s when she realized that she could do better than just offer words. “Let’s meet up again tomorrow, okay? I’ll bring your laptop then.”

“Sure. Thanks again for fixing my laptop.” She politely nodded and waved farewell. “See you!”

When tomorrow came, it came with more than just a laptop.

Miaya was literally speechless but now even more so as her hands froze on the keyboard. She could not believe her ears. Tentatively, she typed in another short sentence. “Hello?” She almost reeled in her wheelchair at the voice. It sounded so normal, so natural-

It sounded just like how she imagined her voice to be.

“I hope you’re happy with the voice synthesizing program I developed.” There was a tinge of pride hidden in her usual layer of shyness. “It’s set right now to estimate what your voice would be given your data. I sincerely hope you don’t mind that I inputted information on you prior without your permission.”

Miaya was still too stunned to pay heed to some breach of privacy. Actually, she couldn’t care less of what Chihiro did behind her back because it surely was worth it for this. Tears pricked her eyes as joy overflowed her. Fingers were trembling in excitement and she had to hold herself back from typing gibberish. She had a voice, an actual voice, and she wanted to talk nonstop with it.

“This is amazing! I’m happy! Absolutely happy!” She was even happier when she noticed how the program had properly induced the tone that she wanted for specific sentences. Her voice was high and shouting with joy. “Thank you, Chihiro! This is the best!”

“I’m glad to help a friend in need.” Chihiro smiled alongside her, a swell of pride bloomed in her chest at how happy Miaya was. “Oh, by the way. That’s just the default setting. You can still adjust it to have a different sounding voice if you ever feel like it.”

“That sounds like fun. We should try it out sometime, hehe.” Miaya’s voice actually giggled and it was the most pleasant laughter she had ever heard. She stole a glance at Chihiro who had made this all possible and her heart melted. Chihiro had listened to her and her problems and she had been a good friend to help her. She thought that this was nice, safe, and comforting.

More than just a voice, Miaya needed this. She didn’t want to be heard, she wanted to be listened to.

Matsuda on the other hand didn’t have the luxury of fun. He could care less about the “parade” or what would happen to Hope’s Peak Academy but it was a useful distraction. The administration wouldn’t be as nosy on his current project so long as he minimally helped every now and then. Because of this, he was able to cover up her and is currently in the process of fixing her. Or at least that’s his goal. In actuality, he was only buying time until he found the right treatment.

Despite being a professional neurologist, even he had his limits. Directly tampering with the brain was just not enough, not enough for the students of the parade and not enough for her. So he needed a different approach. That had pushed him into seeking advice from another professional, specifically the ex-shsl therapist. He had observed and talked to her prior and she was capable. He had read her file and he was impressed. She might just be the alternative he needed.

Therapy has its merits and he knew that they had a bigger chance if they combined their expertise. As effective as that might be, that however would still be not enough. Therapy needed time, time that they didn’t have. What they needed was a method to tap directly into the brain and cram weeks’, months’, years’ worth of therapy among other things. He’s still not sure if that would be enough for her but it was a start.

That’s what motivated him as he roamed the halls in search of the therapist. When he did find her, he was surprised to see the usually shy one with company.

“Hello, Yasuke!” Miaya greeted in a natural sounding voice through speakers. She even sounded like she was smiling although it was hard to tell if she actually was due to her scarf.

He almost raised his eyebrows at her. Well that’s new but it’s not like he cared for her upgrades. He nodded curtly and then his eyes turned to the other person. “And who might this be?”

“Um, p-pleased to meet you. I’m Chihiro Fujisaki.” She stammered, obviously intimidated by his cold front. “SHSL Programmer. A freshman.”

“Yasuke Matsuda.” He acknowledged. “Upperclassman.” He said and quickly returned his attention to his original target. “If you’re free right now then I’d like to discuss a few more things in detail.”

“Oh, that’s right. We didn’t get to finish our findings yesterday.” Miaya spoke and Yasuke was about to head out now that she had agreed but she didn’t. She held her place instead and with an unexpected confidence she suggested, “I was thinking maybe we could enlist Chihiro’s help.”

His eyes almost twitched in annoyance. Great, more chatter. He hoped that this was not just a waste of his valuable time. “Is that a proposal?” He narrowed his eyes at the freshman.

Chihiro was close to flinching at the intensity of his glare but with Miaya supporting her, she stood her ground as best as she could. “Um, pardon me for intruding but if there’s anything I could help you with then I’d be more than willing to help.” She took another breath first before continuing, “I don’t like the way things are. I want them to change. I want to make a difference.”

In all honesty, Yasuke could care less about this kid’s ideologies. The only reason why he hadn’t walked out on them yet was because of this kid’s talent.

“This is a confidential project.” He sneered at her.

“Oh…” Chihiro frowned at his implications. “I guess I’m no good after all, huh…”

“Don’t go putting words into my mouth.” He scowled and then flicked at her forehead. “Clear your schedule right now. We’re brainstorming.”

Chihiro instantly beamed and followed. “Yes!”

“Is that a neurologist joke?” Miaya teased with a giggle.

“Shut up.” He barked and as he stalked towards his lab, he heard the two laughing closely behind.

Before the dawn of a new world (program) was the beginning of a friendship.

Chapter Text

For a team of professionals they were childish at times but then again most of them were high schoolers.

“Good mowning, Matsuda-kwun!” The voice could be described as an adult trying to pass off as a four year old.

Matsuda’s sure that it’s too early for this bullshit.

He doesn’t even spare Miaya a glance and even quickly passes right by her. “Whatever. Only talk to me again once you’ve fixed that horrendous voice of yours.”

“Uwawa! Howendous? It’s cute!” She retorted and her voice sounded like she was even pouting.

“You can’t enunciate ‘r’.” He shot back.

“But that’s what makes it adowable.” She huffed through the voice program. “And I spent all night twying to get it to sound like this.”

“Clearly a waste of time.” He murmured so quietly that only he would hear his backhanded comment. As grating as her voice was, he wasn’t about to make this argument last any longer over something petty.

Chihiro chose this moment to speak up, “I think it’s cute. Did you configure that voice for fun or was there something on your mind back then?”

“I’m so glad you asked!” She huffed proudly, a corner of a smile was peeking past her loose scarf. “I’ve been expewimenting last night. As a thewapist, I deal with diffewent people and so I wanted to twy talking in diffewent voices.”

Miaya then typed and clicked at her keyboard but no voice came out at first. She then turned her laptop so the screen would face them but not without entering her previously inputted text.

“Ta-dah! Meet Usami!” Her voice shrilled and the screen showed a picture of a cartoon pink bunny mascot character. “She’s what I had in mind for this voice. She’ll help me when I talk to kids. Isn’t she just adowable?”

Matsuda wanted to reply with “deplorable” in comparison to the manga he’s been reading but that would be insulting to the manga. So he settled with a neutral, “Useful.”

“Aww, she looks even cuter! I’m sure the kids would love her.” Chihiro fully cheered her on.

“Thank you.” She blushed lightly in embarrassment.

“Actually, if you want to, you could give me the design and we’ll try to get her animated.” He offered sheepishly. “I know the basics of animation and I have a friend who could design all the other sprites we’ll need. Given time, I think we can have your bunny actually talking!”

“Uwawa! Wow! You could do that?” Miaya has never typed so fast in her life, just a sign of how excited she was over the idea. “Of couwse you could! You’re the the best, Chihiwo! Thank you!”

“It’s nothing, really. I mean, I haven’t even started it yet.” Chihiro tucked her chin bashfully as Miaya egged him on.

“Great. A side project already.” Matsuda sardonically interjected. “Just don’t forget the main one. You know, the actual reason why we are gathered here again.”

Matsuda then spoke up again, “That’s right. We are gathered here today to take a break and have fun for once since I’m a killjoy.”

Only it wasn’t Matsuda that said that. The voice that sounded eerily like Matsuda had come from Gekkogahara’s speakers.

His eyes twitched and he had to will himself to not gag over how wrong it was to hear his voice speak uncharacteristically. He raised a finger at her in indignation. “I may physically sound like that but I do not sound like THAT.”

“That’s because I don’t sound like fun.” His voice retorted smugly.

“Pfft!” Chihiro looked away as he tried to stifle his laughter.

Matsuda glared at his two cohorts but it seemingly had no effect on them so he hissed. “This is ridiculous.”

“Ah, so I can still recognize humor. It looks like there’s hope for me yet.” His voice deadpanned.

“Haha-!” Chihiro had to cover his mouth before any more spilled but his shoulders still shook in obvious laughter.

Matsuda knew that he was getting nowhere with his current tactics so he shifted to diversion. He raised his hands a sigh passed his lips. “Alright, you got me. I concede. You’ve won this round.”

There was the faint sound of a beep.

“Blackmail matewial get!” Miaya’s voice shifted back to the childish one but it sounded more smug than usual. They could practically see her smirk through her scarf.

He forced himself not to acknowledge the existence of a recording of that. “So while we’re at it, don’t you have any other voices you’d like to introduce us to?”

Miaya sat upright at the request and if only they could see her lips, they would have seen the scheming smile. “I do! I do!”

“I’m curious to hear them too.” Chihiro chimed in, it seemed that his laughing bout had passed.

Chihiro then spoke up again and with much enthusiasm he yelled, “Hey motherfuckers!”

Except despite Chihiro’s mouth hanging open, the voice didn’t come from him but rather from Miaya’s speakers once again.

“I always wondered what I’d sound like if I swore.” His voice thought aloud. “Turns out, fucking adorable.” Even when swearing, Chihiro’s voice still sounded sweet and polite, and admittedly adorable.

“Now this is entertainment.” Matsuda smirked in triumph.

“I um…” Chihiro was at a loss and his face was a shade of red that could rival Miaya’s scarf.

“Aw, don’t think too hard about this.” His voice cooed. “I’m just teasing you, bitch.”

“Um, can you… change voices now?” Chihiro squeaked behind his hands which covered his whole face. “I think I’ve had my share of embarrassment today.”

“I could but~” His voice teased but at Chihiro’s look of horror mixed with shame, Miaya quickly changed her voice setting. “Just kidding! I wuv you too much to say no.”

“And we’re back at kindergarten. Wonderful.” Matsuda rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

“Would you like fun Matsu back?” She suggested with a voice that sounded like it was smirking.

“Where’s the fun in recycling?” He scoffed as a scheming grin worked its way on his lips. “Now how about we go take a break and have some fun. Provided of course that it’s under my careful supervision.”

Needless to say, they didn’t get any work done that day. Well there was the concept of Usami but they wouldn’t know that she’d be that useful until much later on when they’re developing the AI’s for the program. For the rest of the day, they just went around campus and pranked people with the voice software. It was amusing at first and downright hilarious when they even got the better of their hall monitor. It was the most fun they’ve had together.

They were a team of professionals that could get work done but for now, they enjoyed being childish while they still could.

Chapter Text

Hinata was someone born without talent. A worthless nobody.

That’s what has been drilled into him as he grew up. Day in and day out all he could get from his parents was their unmasked disappointment. Of course they’d be disappointed, after all they were both ultimates so  naturally they were supposed to have a child with an ultimate talent as well. Hinata proved them otherwise.

Unlike his parents, he was exceedingly normal. No matter what he tried, he just never performed anything above the average and oh did he try. When they weren’t busy neglecting to give him the love and affection he deserves, they were busy having him tested for just about any talent. They had him try out all sorts of things and he always did his best. But his best didn’t matter to them. They didn’t want his best, they wanted him to be the ultimate.

However, he could never be an ultimate. He just wasn’t born one.

But even so, he couldn’t help but admire those that were ultimates. He couldn’t hate his parents even if they were horrible to him. He thought that their actions were justified since they were genuinely a cut above the rest or so he understood. Talent separated the ordinary people from those who would become hope. They could do all these amazing things that he couldn’t. They could wake up and do their thing and just be proud of themselves.

They could be easily loved unlike him.

It was his parents choice to have him enrolled as a reserve student for Hope’s Peak Academy. He didn’t reject the decision since he admired that school with all his heart. Even if he wasn’t a main course student, he’d take what he can get. Knowing that they were in the same vicinity made him look forward to his high school life. Just a glimpse of those talented youth would be enough for him.

Or so he thought until the Hope Cultivation Plan was proposed to him.

It was a project where they would take someone without talent and have him become the most talented person in the world. They wouldn’t have just any talent, they wouldn’t have just a few talents, they’d have ALL known talents. They would become so talented that they’d be worthy of the tilte Ultimate Hope. However, it wasn’t just any project. It was an experiment.

A human experiment where he was the human test subject.

Hinata has always wanted to have a talent of his own but he’s not sure if he wanted one at all costs. The proposal would have him go through intensive surgery and there’s not even a concrete success rate. It was all too suspicious and yet all too enticing at the same time. On one hand, there were a lot of things that could go wrong here, not to mention there’s also the issue of moral grayness here. On the other hand, this was his only shot at getting a talent and he’s honored that they would choose him. He was still torn over his decision.

He needed advice from an unbiased source.

That’s why he called up Naegi. Unlike him, his cousin ironically was in the opposite situation. He grew up in an ordinary household and lived an ordinary life with ordinary expectations. He was set out to live his average ways and he was satisfied with the reality that he would never amount to anything as remarkable as those with talent. That was until Naegi got drawn in a lottery and suddenly he had acquired a talent just like that. But even then, he didn’t let the title get to his head and he was still the same easygoing person he was before Hope’s Peak Academy. Hinata almost cried when his cousin treated him no differently despite now having talent, the right, to look down on him.

He had envied Naegi’s innocence and carefreeness.

But more than that, Naegi had one thing going on for him. He was more optimistic than others, so much in fact that he self-proclaimed it to be his one redeeming quality. His words weren’t just empty. He was ridiculously optimistic and it was contagious. Whenever Hinata found himself in despair, Naegi always knew the right words to get him back to the path of hope. He couldn’t count the times that his cousin had helped him out and he trusted him more than anyone else.

And so he trusted Naegi with this ultimate secret, Hinata at least owed him that much.

“I think I get the gist of it.” Naegi said after he had digested the information. With his hand still on his chin, in thought, he looked at Hinata. “What do you think about all of this?”

Hinata sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. Of course he’d ask about his feelings first. He was always that considerate. He probably cared about Hinata more than he did. “Honestly? I just might do it. I mean, I parents would have wanted it and the world would probably be a better place if someone that amazing existed, don’t you think? Compare to my ordinary self, that person with talent would be worth more.”

Naegi frowned, he looked terrified at the declaration. “Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that.” He started gently because he knew how much of a sensitive topic this was. “Comparing to your ideals isn’t fair. I agree that a person that talented is amazing.” Naegi reached out and held him by the shoulder, he squeezed once for reassurance.  "But I think you’re amazing too.“

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.” He scoffed, not quite believing his words. “Name one thing that’s amazing about me.”

“Well for starters, you don’t give up. You haven’t given up at all. Despite the way your parents treat you, you’re still pushing forward and that’s something I’ve always admired about you.” Naegi said with a heartfelt smile. “You’re caring too. You’ve always got my back even though your parents hate mine and me by extension.” He chuckled once and then continued, “You think a lot and that makes you careful. You’re reliable when people need you to be which makes you already better than most of the people in the world.”

“That’s more than one.” Hinata snorted as he discreetly wiped the tears that threatened to fall. “You suck at counting.”

They shared a laugh at this and when it passed, Naegi continued, “You’re all of these and so much more.” He declared in one breath. “And you are this even without the talent. You’re already amazing as you are.” He tentatively gave his shoulder another squeeze. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t want to be better. It’s okay to want that. But this? This project? I’m saying it’s not worth risking your life just to get better using a shortcut.”

“Talent isn’t just something that you’re born with. Talent is something you create for yourself. It’s hardwork and experience that you’ve honed throughout the years. It’s watching yourself grow as you train and push yourself farther every day. Talent is something you earn with hard work.” Naegi explained and hoped that his point would get across along with his steeled gaze. This was a decision that Hinata would have to choose for himself and Naegi wanted to make sure that he’d choose without regrets. “So even if you do get the talent that you want after the surgery, could you confidently say that it give you the same satisfaction?”

Hinata stared at him for a long while, processing his speech. Everything Naegi said had made sense. Again, he shouldn’t have expected any less from his cousin. The Hope Cultivation Plan just seemed too good to be true. There had to be some repercussions to it like hidden side effects. Maybe he’d end up with brain damage after all, was it even possible to cram so much potential in one’s brain without it overloading? Worst case scenario, he’d go mad. No, actually, the worst case would be that he’d die during the surgery.

And should it be successful, would Hinata be proud over it? He’d get all of the talent in the world but if anyone asked how he got it, he’d come off as fake. He cheated his way into talent. Unlike everyone else who had worked for it, he’d get it almost instantly compared to their years of dedication. He remembered that part of what he admired of those with talent was their discipline in their respective fields. To stand on the same stage as them, claiming to have struggled like them, would be unfair to them. More importantly, it wouldn’t feel right to him.

With a shaky breath, he finally made his decision.

“Yeah, you’re right. I… don’t want that.” He admitted and he felt another reassuring squeeze that made him look up. Naegi was smiling softly at him and Hinata returned him with a hesitant version of his own. “Thanks for listening to me.”

Naegi shook his head. “I should be thanking you for listening to me.”

The two stayed silent for a while. It seemed as though the heaviness of the conversation still hung in the air and weighed over their shoulders. But with each passing second, they breathed, and each breath filled them with air that seemed to lighten the weight. In a matter of minutes, they were still quiet but the tension had seemingly dissolved. All that’s left between them was calmness and a comfort brought out by their bond.

Hinata broke the silence first. “You do know that as much as inspiring that little speech of yours was, it was kind of hypocrital coming from you who got an instant talent.”

“I! Well!” Naegi was immediately flustered and he had to will himself from not hiding his face. His voice broke though as he spoke hurriedly in a panic, “Getting drawn in a lottery is different from signing up for surgery!”

Hinata simply laughed at his weak retort and teased him even further, much to Naegi’s chagrin. The rest of their conversation followed the same carefree tone and they passed time together just talking. For a while, it was almost as if they didn’t start this with a heavy topic. But they knew, they still remembered the words exchanged. And they knew that they had come to a decision they both agreed on. Maybe they’ll talk about it again some day but for now, they talked about other things. Ordinary things for ordinary people just like them.

Hinata was someone born without talent. Naegi was also another someone born without talent.

And together, they thought it was alright to not have talent.

Chapter Text

The three of them wasn't supposed to meet, not yet, but as luck would have it, this was an unexpected surprise.

Naegi had met Kamukura and Nanami separately and as far as he knew, they had nothing to do with each other. Well that assumption was mostly supported by the fact that Kamukura was apparently a school secret that he wasn't even supposed to know in the first place. That was a shock to learn the first time and he didn't know how to react to that. It concerned him on how Kamukura was being treated, locked up and all, but his friend didn't seem to be bothered at all. It might have helped that he was always sneaking out. He had the habit of hanging out with Naegi unannounced and that was an adventure in itself. And judging by the ghosts of a smirk he'd see every now and then, it seemed that Kamukura was having fun despite his usual nonchalant demeanor.

On the other hand, there was Nanami whom he met up with like clockwork. During lunch break or after class, sometimes both, but always with prior notice. They never discussed the underlying reason for punctuality but they agreed to give a heads up before meeting or when they couldn't come. He didn't want to pry too much not when she would let out a relieved smile every time they met up. They'd play for a long while just until the last groups of students passed by them and then they'd promise to meet again. Contrary to her lonesome expression when he first met her, Nanami was starting to look better. She always did have more fun with someone to play with together.

It never occured to him that he should let these two meet.

That wasn't quite right. Maybe he had imagined it in passing but he never gave it too much thought. Between them and his boisterous classmates, he was too busy having fun and making memories that he hardly had the time to think too much. Besides, Nanami and him were already planning on having their classes meet so he already had much on his plate. He figured he'd invite Kamukura to watch over the inevitable chaos that would ensue. That was the closest thing he got to a plan for them to meet.

They met way before the plan could materialize.

Somewhere in between Naegi's plans to introduce his two new friends to each other was an already existing unresolved history between them unbeknowst to him.

"Hey! Nanami!" He called out to her as he waved enthusiastically which she returned in a more polite way. With Kamukura just behind him, he walked towards her and greeted her once more. "Hi! I hope you don't mind if I brought a friend with me. I would have told you beforehand but he kind of... did a jump on me so here he is. So I really hope you're okay with this." He finished with a nervous smile.

"I do have an extra console with me..." She nodded in confirmation and then proceeded to pull out a gaming console from her backpack. "Here. I'm Chiaki Nanami, SHSL Gamer. It's nice to meet you, um?" She offered.

Kamukura carefully regarded her. His expression betrayed none of his thoughts. From afar, he had already deduced who she was based from her appearance and behavior. Upon closer inspection, he had already procured her life's history and even predicted her story years into the future. He already knew enough about her. Another unremarkable human who was predictably boring.

"Izuru Kamukura." That's all he offered.

So without much expectation, she accepted her offer of friendship.

Just half an hour into the gaming session, Naegi received a distressed call from one of his classmates. He apologized for bailing on them both so early but compromised by vaguely promising to catch up on them as soon as he was done helping his friend in need. The two bid him farewell and didn't mention how they didn't expect him to be back on time knowing full well just how horrible his luck was. And so they continued to play games in silence, half in concentration and half in having nothing to talk about without their common friend in between.

"You're good at this." Nanami finally spoke up after their tenth game. Her eyes made a sideway glance at him during a loading screen. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, what's your talent?"

He pretended not to notice her obvious staring. "What made you assume that I have a talent in the first place? I'm not exactly wearing your uniform."

"My friend wears a jumpsuit and another friend of mine wears a kimono to school. The dress code isn't that strict." She casually reasoned. "So even if you are wearing the reserve course uniform, who's to say that you don't have talent?"

There's another question hidden in there somewhere.

"Besides, you beat me at my own game." She added.

"I did not." He feigned ignorance.

"Right, because you lost on purpose." She retorted with a knowing smile. "My talent is gaming so I should know better when someone is holding back."

"You're more perceptive than I gave you credit for." He would admit that much but nothing more. In all honesty, there was no incentive for him to keeping his information private and likewise, there was no incentive for him to share it with others. He supposed that he was indifferent to it all. Naturally, other people would be more drawn to uncoveing the truth. "Are you that curious?"

"I am." She readily answered without even a hint of hesitation. But that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. Oddly enough, she was more nervous than how a stranger would have averagely reacted. Her smile was just a bit off and he felt his mind straining to gather answers as well. "There's something about you that makes me want to ask but... But if you don't want to tell me then that's alright too. I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do."

He chose not to comment on the fact that she wouldn't be able to force him even if she tried.

"Honestly, you remind me of someone."

Kamukura tried to ignore the brief flash of a hazy image of person at the mere mention of her someone.

"He's actually just an ordinary person. He didn't have talent and he was too harsh on himself for that fact."

He ignored how his heart dropped at her words and how he was moved by them despite having no previous experience he could attach it to.

"He thinks he's just a nobody but he wasn't. Not to me. To me, he has a name. He's my precious friend. And even though he was ordinary, that didn't make our experiences together any less special. I thought he understood that..."

Special. It's only natural for the untalented to think that talent is what makes someone special and by extension, everything they do is special as well. And yet Kamukura, with all of the talents in the world, found nothing special. Not in him and least of all, not in the world. Whether a person had talent or not did not matter to him. They were all boring in his eyes and no one was more special than the other. It was foolish to think that talent was all that great in the first place.

Was that why her words brought out frustrated fury out of him?

"Why are you telling me this?" He blurted out as his eyes widened for just a fraction at his sudden lost of control and show of emotion.

"Ah, sorry. It's bad manners to ramble on and I have a habit of it or so my friends have told me." She mumbled on and was forced to stop and think when he had paused the game. When their eyes met, he was still  patiently waiting for her answer. She smiled although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I guess it's a bit of wishful thinking."

"And what are you thinking?" He prodded even though his brain had already informed him of all the possible thoughts she could be having.

Nanami answered him with a heartbreaking smile.

"Thank you for meeting up with me. I had fun with you." She announced as she proceeded to pack up her consoles including the one he was holding. Her hand lingered there for a moment but not too long. "See you tomorrow..."

And then she walked away just like that, not even bothering to hear a word of response from him.

Kamukura's mouth opened to say something at her retreating figure but right before he could, someone's voice had filled the air instead.

"Hinata."

He didn't know if he heard her or if he heard a memory.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He replied in a daze.

He didn't see the smile on her face at an answered promise.

And both of them looked forward to their next meeting.

BONUS 1:

The Calm Before the Storm

"This is just getting ridiculous!" Naegi let out a frustrated groan as he trudged in the garden he fell in.

He was running late for his usual hang out with Nanami all because he got dragged by his class into being the reluctant umpire for an outdoor game. That's where he had tragically got swept by an artificial hurricane to the other end of the campus. He tried not to think too hard on the specifics since his head was still spinning. And as he was making his way out, he hardly paid attention to where he was stepping on. His feet felt heavier with every step but he pushed forth as he blamed it on fatigue. But he would soon find out that it wasn't the case.

Only to realize it too late.  "Q-Quicksand?" He shouted in alarm as he struggled to pull out his feet which have already sunk through the soft soil. It was an inch above his calfs by then. His eyes searched in panic as it landed on a sign. "Enhanced quicksand? What the hell?" He all but screamed in frustration. Why was something so dangerous even on campus? Never mind, he wouldn't put it past a student's fault.

"HELP! Anybody out there? I need help! Please!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Even without struggling, he was already knee-deep in and he didn't want to be buried alive here. "Someone! Please! Send help!" Seconds went by and then minutes as he felt himself sink lower into his grave. His throat was raw from all his screaming but no one seemed to hear him. He couldn't even hear anyone near. Aside from his screams, the only noise he could hear were the rustling of leaves due to the wind.

Except for a chuckle.

"It would seem that you require assistance." Someone dropped down from a tree and then emerged from the foliage.

"Oh, thank god. I thought I was a goner. Thank you so m-" He squinted. It was amusing to see how his relieved expression had transformed into one of disbelief. "Were you watching all along?" He asked, flabbergasted and maybe even just slightly embarrassed if he wasn't in fear for his life.

Kamukura deliberately ignored his question as he held both of Naegi's outstretched hands. "Hold on." He ordered and then in one swift movement, he pulled him out of the quicksand with ease.

"Ha..." Naegi let out a ragged breath. He was on all fours on solid land, his knees just collapsed in exhaustion. "Thanks... But also... Please don't scare me like that." He said in between shallow breaths.

"Here. Change your clothes." Kamukura placed a set of clean uniform beside him and Naegi gave up on questioning how he procured one of his size. He chalked it up to talent. "It would be best if you weren't parading with me in those suspicious clothes."

"Thank you." Naegi smiled.

He gratefully accepted and proceeded to change. He wiped off whatever he could and then folded his sullied clothes in a deliberate manner that at least there was some part he could still touch without dirtying his hands. He's a bit annoyed that Kamukura hadn't stepped in sooner but at the same time, he's just glad that he was there to help him out.

"Really, I don't know what would have happened to me if you weren't there and I'm grateful and all..." Kamukura didn't need to have talent to hear the incoming 'but' in Naegi's words. "But I can't actually hang out with you today."

"Oh?" Well that was a first. It was bound to happen at some point so it wasn't a surprise. That's why even before Naegi had turned his offer down, Kamukura already had some choice words ready. He hardened his face until it was calm but not calm in a soothing sense, rather it was calm like how there's calm before the storm. "And did you think you had a choice in this?"

Naegi instinctively flinched but he willed himself not to back away. "Umm... don't I?" He timidly asked and in greater confidence, he continued, "Look, I already promised someone else my time and it's only fair that they get priority."

He narrowed his eyes threateningly. "You do understand that I have no hold over my schedule."

"I know. That's why I feel so bad turning you down." He hang his head in guilt. For a while, it looked like that was the end of the conversation. But then in sudden burst of inspiration, Naegi's head shot up as he suggested, "Oh, how about this? What if all three of us hang out? Would you be okay with that?"

Kamukura blinked. The possibility did not escape his mind. He had yet to meet with anyone aside from those scientists and he doubted there was anyone as interesting as Naegi's luck so he had no vested interest in socializing with others. Unless of course, Naegi was present. He had yet to see how his luck would behave in the presence of others. Would it be favorable to him or not? What were the odds? Was there a pattern to it the more people involved? He didn't want to pass up on this chance of observation.

But he wouldn't let his eagerness show. "Wouldn't your friend mind?"

"I'm sure she'll be happy to have someone else join in. I kind of suck at what we do compared to her." He chuckled and then turned his eyes towards him expectantly. "Besides, you're my friend too. So what do you say?"

What else was there to say?

"How boring." Kamukura said stoically and then turned on his heel. "But I suppose I have nothing better to do."

"Great! Then let's go meet up with her!" Naegi beamed as he walked beside him at an eager pace. "Actually, I have no idea where we are. If you could, please lead the way."

BONUS 2:

After the Storm

"That took way longer than necessary." Naegi grumbled as he dragged his feet across the pavement.

Sometimes he thought that his classmates were doing this on purpose, Hagakure especially. He swore that the fortune teller was trying to prove that he was more trouble than his worth was and Naegi struggled to keep his neck in check because if not him, who else? Still, he couldn't believe that his friend would be so desperate and crazy as to scam the yakuza. Actually, he's in more disbelief that they even survived that ordeal. He's glad that he at least he lived another day.

With an aching body, he trudged on his way home. It was a bit late so he hadn't expected any more surprises but his luck never did listen to his pleas. As he passed by the arcade, Nanami just so happened to exit the place and they made eye contact.

"Hey, Nanami. I didn't think I'd see you so soon. Then again, I guess this should count as late since I kind of said I'd meet you back at the gates... which I didn't. I'm sorry." He apologized profusely.

"It's okay. You had to help your friend so there's no helping it." She said with a smile that eased his conscience. "It looks like we're heading in the same direction. Want to talk while we walk?"

He nodded and they started a good pace. "So what happened while I was gone?"

"A lot." She started with that and then continued to recount of the rounds of games that they played in his absence. She deliberately forget to mention about that one conversation. It was too soon to share. Not yet.

"Oh, and I think I lost to him." She thoughtfully added.

"You think? You're not sure?" He asked, confused.

"Technically, I won but it's not a satisfying victory. Like hmm, how should I put this?" She huffed and then shot him a question. "Would you believe it if you won a game from me?"

"I wish but I know that's not happening in this reality." He chuckled. "You're the SHSL Gamer for a reason and I've suffered enough defeats from you to know that you're the real deal."

"Exactly. It's kind of the same way for me when I was playing against him." She seconded with a nod. "It's like he let me win on purpose. I don't know why though since I'm always up for a challenge."

Naegi bit his lip from commenting any more than he should have. He could kind of guess as to why with the whole secret student and all but he didn't have the right to share this information. So he thought of changing the topic instead. "What do you think of Kamukura?"

She blinked. If she was aware at his obvious attempt at diverting the conversation, she didn't show it. She happily played along. "He's... nice." She started as she tried to piece the impression she got from him. "Not that expressive though."

"Yeah, he's not that into facial expressions." He laughed as he recalled a memory. "You should see him pull off a joke with the straightest face. It's unbelievable."

"I guess I'll ask him to do that next time." She giggled at just the idea of it. "Or maybe I could try and make him laugh instead."

"Good luck with that." He snorted. "I swear I would've thought he'd be emotionally dead if it weren't for all his snarky comments."

They both laughed on this for a while until the cheer died down to a comfortable silence between them.

"He never did say what his talent was." Nanami softly spoke. It was almost a whisper as if it wasn't meant for anyone else to hear.

"Oh, he didn't?" Naegi internally panicked. Crap, they managed to gloss it over when Kamukura was there but now without him, he found himself floundering. "Well, that's because... uh..."

"It's alright." She gently calmed him down. "I'm not asking you to tell me either. I'll wait until his ready."

He let out a sigh of relief at this along with a smile. "That's so considerate of you." He felt a bit bad for withholding information but he still wanted to encourage her. "Give him time. I'm sure that he'll open up to you soon enough."

"I hope so." She nodded absentmindedly. "Hey, do you know which class he's in? I think I want to drop by and surprise."

"I..." Now that was something he was not prepared to answer. "I don't think..." He scrambled for an excuse, any excuse. "That's..." He gulped. Oh, why the hell not? Besides he's sure that Kamukura could handle himself just fine. "Yeah, I do. Let's pay him a visit. He'll never know what hit him."

After all, Naegi felt responsible for having Kamukura and Nanami meet in the first place, the least he could do is support their friendship.

Chapter Text

Munakata has never learned the true value of a well kept look until this fateful day.

It was bound to happen, sooner or later. In hindsight, this was all perfectly preventable and yet he had failed to do so. In fact, he had recklessly dug his own grave. He had been overworking himself lately, more often than not. Everyday he’d work harder than the day before and increasingly, he began to neglect his own care. He was overworking himself to an early grave.

In fact, the usually prim and proper man had his sharpness dulled by stress and not enough hours of sleep. It had gotten to the point where he would collapse as soon as he’d get home, completely ignoring how uncomfortable it was to sleep in working clothes. Well to be fair, this was the first time he had been so negligent of himself and given his work ethics, he thought it was more appropriate to call him being indulgent instead.

Either way, it didn’t change the fact that Munakata had slept at the door again. A quick glance at his phone’s clock told him that he’d be running late for a meeting if he dawdled any longer. His hand tiredly dragged over his face as he then let out an exasperated sigh which suspiciously sounded like a yawn. Well he knew that the people he would be meeting wouldn’t mind seeing him in such haphazard attire and he would rather be less presentable than late.

If only he took the time to at least brush his hair then maybe he could have avoided the disaster altogether.

“Pardon my tardiness. I’m glad you two made time for me.” Munakata greeted his friends with a tone that was less stern than what he used with colleagues.

“Kyosuke!” Yukizome called back at him, her face was absolutely radiant with that wide grin of hers.

Until her eyes caught something.

“Oh no…” Her face instantly blanched and her voice shook in apprehension. “Please say it isn’t so…”

“Munakata!” Sakakura called out to him but he was also tight-lipped. A hollow laugh escaped his lips. “To think that this day would actually come.”

Munakata looked back at his friends and their odd behavior. Wasn’t it too early for theatrics? How strange because even if they did start early, this wasn’t their usual antics. Something was off. They both stared at him with certain seriousness in their eyes and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. Those eyes were filled with just as much resignation as they did with determination.

And contrary to theirs, his was full of confusion.

“How cruel!” Yukizome broke into tears and hiccups. “I always knew you were destined for greatness but this is too much!”

“Dammit!” Sakakura in his frustration, slammed his fists against the table. “If this is how it is then I’m not backing out on this. I’m going to walk through hell and back for you.” With you, he almost said.

“Excuse me but what is the meaning of this?” Munakata asked, befuddled.

“He’s not even aware of it yet!” Yukizome gasped and then covered her face with both hands just as more tears flowed. “Juzo, you tell him. I don’t think my heart can take it if I see the moment his heart breaks.”

“Stuck with the dirty job, huh? Well it’s not like I’d turn you down. Someone has to tell him and I’d rather it be you or me…” Sakakura’s bittersweet smile was haunting. But only for a second. In the next moment, he had his lips pressed into a thin line as he then raised his phone with the screen facing his best friend. “Don’t worry. This changes nothing. We still got your back.”

Before Munakata could question his choice of words, his own words got caught in his throat as he saw his reflection for the first time on that day.

Munakata had an ahoge.

“I…” His throat was suddenly dry at the revelation. “I don’t understand.” But he did, he actually did to some degree which was why this development was so shocking to him. Why? Why now? He knew that he had the potential but this… this was never part of his plans, no, his goals.

“You’re a protagonist now, Kyosuke.” Yukizome sniffled as she tenderly held his hand with both of hers, tears shining in the corners of her eyes. “Congratulations on making it to the big league. I know that the path before you is now tougher than before but I believe in you. If anyone can pull this off then it’s you.”

“Look at you, can you get any cooler than this?” It was a rhetorical question. Sakakura knew that the answer was most likely “yes” and it would always be “yes” as long as Munakata was involved. The corner of his lips were pulled into a smirk as his eyes shone with admiration. “Don’t go leaving us behind just because you levelled up. You’re going to get our help whether you like it or not because there ain’t no way in hell that you’re going to face this alone.”

His two best friends smiled at him expectantly.

“I…” Munakata was speechless but he knew that they deserved better than silence. They were right and like always, they grounded him to reality. A smile of his own was forming on his lips as he said, “I’ll do my best. Thank you for staying by my side. And I hope you’d continue to support me as always. Let’s give it our all!”

The three best friends broke into cheer and celebrated for the rest of the day. Whatever plot or character development that the future has in store for him, he would courageously face them all head on. After all, he knew that no matter what, these two would always be there to catch him should he ever fall.

However, the next day, the stubborn cowlick was gone after Munakata had taken a bath… and they never spoke of that incident again.

Chapter Text

Of all the things he had expected from his friends, underwear never crossed the list.

Sakakura and Yukizome stared at him expectantly as they proudly handed over their underwear as if it was a normal thing to do between friends. Was it? Munakata worried himself that he may have missed a custom but he’s more embarrassed than anything. He’s not sure how to react. He doesn’t even dare to take them yet for fear of not knowing what he was getting himself into. First things first, he had to clarify just what on earth was going on.

“What is the meaning of this?” He eyed both of them warily.

“Isn’t it obvious? This is a symbol of our fully blossomed friendship!” Yukizome answered all too enthusiastically.

“I don’t think I fully comprehend this.” He replied truthfully.

“What’s not to get? You don’t see us giving away our pants to anyone else. Just take them. This proves that we’re the closest of friends.” Sakakura added, not quite meeting his eyes.

Oh, so that’s all what this was for? Just a new aesthetic for friendship which he hadn’t been informed on. He let out the breath he was holding. For a moment, he had his breath caught in his throat as he pondered on the more explicit implications of giving away the said garment. But it seemed that he had misunderstood and he was grateful that he listened to their side first. They were the best of friends so it should be normal to be so close that they would exchange underwears completely in a platonic sense.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I haven’t given my underwear to Sakakura.” Yukizome playfully winked at him.

“I didn’t give mine to Yukizome either. It’s just you.” Sakakura said rather bashfully and he tried to cover the blush blooming on his face.

Munakata froze on the spot. Just when he thought he understood, he didn’t. He was left more confused than when he started. Just what kind of wrong idea did she mean? He thought he had the right idea but now he couldn’t tell anymore. So was this or was this not platonic? They did say that the main motivation behind the gesture was friendship but that confused him more. Where was the equal treatment? Why was he the only one getting underwear? Just what was he supposed to do with them afterwards anyway? It’s not like he could use them and no, he’s not going to stoop so low as to do anything perverted.

“I…” His mouth hang loose as he tried to gather his thoughts. Nothing made sense inside his head. He gave up. “I’m sorry, what do you want from me?”

“Your acceptance.” He said.

“Your underwear.” She said.

They spoke at the same time and Munakata heard them both. He could feel his brains drip out of his ears.

And true to his feelings, he gave up.

He silently took the offered garments and strode to his office where he kept spare clothes. When he came back, he unceremoniously shoved a brief for each of his best friends. “Take it. I’ll figure it out what it means later. Just take it for now and let’s get back to work.” He strode past them without looking back, unaware of the discussion he left behind.

“Told you he’d fall for it.” Yukizome snickered as she neatly refolded the brief and tucked it in her apron.

“I can’t believe that actually worked.” Sakakura remarked in awe as he pocketed the brief quickly but also carefully.

The rest of the day went uneventful but throughout it, Munakata couldn’t help but feel conscious of the two out of place underwears in his pocket which he would later iron, fold, and tuck at the bottom of his drawers.

Chapter Text

Komaru just wanted to get out of her apartment but she was having regrets given the state of the outside world.

Just as soon as she broke free from her entrapment, a whole new nightmare welcomed her. Monokuma robots ravaged the city and slaughtered people wherever she went. Her legs kicked as she tried to run away from it all. Her eyes frantically searched for a safe hiding place but all she saw were corpses or people just about to be shredded into lifeless bodies. If she screamed, she couldn’t tell since her ears were already filled with the guttural shrieks of dying people. Even her own instincts screamed at her as she tried to save herself.

But what hope did she have against a slaughtering machine?

“Get away from me!” She yelled even though she knew it was useless talking to these things. Her whole frame trembled at her impending death as she was now surrounded by a whole flock of them. “Break!” She shouted as she shot one after another but where one fell, five more sprung in place from behind. She was overpowered. “No way…” She breathed and she could almost taste the despair in her mouth.

For such an ordinary girl, it seemed unfitting that she’d die by an extraordinary death. Slaughter was never fair.

The hoards closed in on her and she held onto her megaphone with a deathly grip. Tears streamed through her eyes and she furiously wiped them away for fear of her shots missing. They were close enough to lunge at her now and there was no way for her to clear a path for escape. So this was it then, she terrifyingly concluded. She braced herself for what she imagined to be excruciating pain that would last too long before she’d eventually die.

Except rather than pain, an explosion filled her hearing.

Then another. And another. A chain of explosions.

Cautiously, she opened her eyes and saw the hoards of monokumas thinning with every explosion. Something blurred flitted her vision too fast as it skidded around her and left a wake of bursting machines. It all happened too fast for her to comprehend what was happening. And just as soon as it started, it was over. All of the monokumas had fallen and all that was left standing was just her and her mysterious savior. A rather familiar figure in her eyes.

“Junko Enoshima?” Komaru asked uncertainly.

“Actually, it’s Mukuro Ikusaba.” She corrected her as she momentarily took off her wig.

“Mukuro?” She repeated. Her mind nagged her to recall where she had come across that name. Eventually, her eyes widened at the realization. “Mukuro as in big bro Makoto’s classmate?”

She nodded in confirmation and then fixed her wig again. One quick scan over Komaru told her that she was fine, at least physically, for them to continue. “Let’s go. It’s not safe to be out.”

“What’s happening? And what’s with the wig? What’s going on?” Komaru sputtered. Her mind was still racing from all that has happened.

Mukuro calmly regarded her. “Can you fight?”

Komaru blinked as her mind shut down on her. She was quiet for a suspiciously long while but it looked more like a consequence of shock. Her eyes searched Mukuro’s to find a sign of something only to confirm that she was serious. Komaru on the other hand was absolutely terrified at the prospect. She had just narrowly escaped death and this person was asking her for the impossible.

“You saw how I was. I was fighting for my life there! And losing!” She bit her lip from saying how she would have lost her life if Mukuro hadn’t intervened. “I’m just an ordinary girl. You fought way better than I could even dream of.”

She frowned. “It’s unfair to compare to me. I’m the SHSL Soldier.”

Oh, Komaru thought. Now she remembered. She knew her brother got into Hope’s Peak Academy where only the talented could attend but sometimes she forgot that despite her brother’s averageness, he got in through a lottery. So that meant that all of his classmates were crazy talented including Mukuro. She wondered if any of her brother’s luck had passed on to her given how time her assistance arrived.

“Then why are you asking me if I could fight when clearly you’re more fit for the job?” She questioned her.

“Because fighting and protecting are two different things.” Mukuro looked down, refusing to meet her eyes. “As much of a great fighter I am, I still can’t guarantee that I can protect you at all times. I’m more used to working alone so I’ll be leaving your side to attack more  often than not.”

Komaru felt her heart rate rising. She interpreted her words as her leaving and it scared her to the point of tears. She couldn’t handle being left unguarded at such crisis. “But I’m no fighter either. I can’t do anything that amazing or dangerous. I’m sorry.” She shakily admitted in between her sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m useless.”

Mukuro willed herself not to run away at the sight of her breaking down. She drew in a breath and carefully composed her words. “You’re right. Maybe that was wrong of me to push my expectations on you.” Her hand wanted to reach out to comfort her but she drew it into a tight fist instead. She couldn’t do it. She didn’t know how to do comfort anyways. “He’s better than me at this.” She muttered to herself and Komaru had a hunch that she wasn’t supposed to hear that.

Mukuro’s head snapped up and looked at her head on as she declared in a louder voice, “But I don’t think you’re useless at all.”

“What are you talking about? I’m practically deadweight. Just admit it, I’m useless.” Komaru retorted dejectedly.

“You’ve got that wrong.” She tentatively objected. “Let me rephrase my question earlier.” She took a deep breath and focused. Her gaze was unflinching and commanding. “Can you defend?”

“Defend?” She questioned, unsure where she was going with this.

She nodded. “Rather than fight, I need you to be capable to defend.” She paused for her to absorb that and then continued, “You don’t need to put yourself at the front and into the danger. All I’m asking is for you to defend yourself if ever anything gets past by me.”

“And what about you? Don’t you need me to cover for you too?” She hesitantly asked.

Mukuro smirked. “You saw how I fought, ya? I can handle myself just fine.”

The unexpected sass seemed to snap Komaru out of her frightened state. “Well at least one of us is confident.” She joked and for the first time since they met, a smile broke free on her face. “Thanks, Mukuro. I kind of forgot to thank you for saving my life back there.”

“Don’t mention it. I should have been here sooner anyways.” She informed her. “I’m part of the rescue group for the hostages held in the building that you were in.”

“Hostages? You mean it wasn’t just me trapped in an apartment?” She felt her stomach flip at that.

“No, there were others.” She shook her head. “And of course, something just had to happen on the day we pick you up. We should have known better that she would pull off something like this.”

“She? Who’s she?” Komaru asked, confused at the new pieces of information being casually dropped everywhere.

“It’s a long story.” She brushed her inquiries. “Let’s have your brother tell you the rest when you meet him.”

“My brother?” And then she suddenly remembers with full clarity that she hadn’t seen her brother in so long. “Makoto! Oh my gosh, is he okay? Is he here too? Oh, no I don’t think he’ll survive on his own out here. We gotta get to him fast!”

“Calm down. That’s where we’re going anyways.” Mukuro said and even gently patted Komaru’s head in an effort to soothe her. Her obvious concern was reminiscent of her brother’s. She smiled faintly. “He’s worried about you too. And you can tell him that you’re fine when we meet up with him.”

“Alright, that sounds like a great plan.” Komaru beamed at her, already building confidence.

“More like a promise I plan to keep.” Mukuro murmured to herself out of earshot as she recalled promising something similar to Makoto. With renewed conviction, she lead the way. “Let’s go, Komaru. Stay on guard.”

Komaru just wanted to get out of her apartment and coincidentally, Mukuro just wanted her to be safe. The city had transformed into a war zone as the two fought their way out of it.

Because if there was a way out then they were going to find it together.

Chapter Text

There were things in life that you could live without but you’d rather not and such was the nature of eyeglasses.

Wearing eyeglasses was both a blessing and a curse. It was a double-edged sword for any wielder that much for sure. As great as it was to finally read off the words from that sign across the street, it was downright annoying to barely read it because the lenses have fogged up. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of staring at a blurred face and then placing one’s glasses atop the bridge of the nose and magically have a clear vision of said face– unless the said pair of glasses hadn’t been cleaned and only added a dusted layer of blurriness. It was annoying at best and crippling at worst.

Point was, unless you’re one of those bastards who got off lucky with perfect vision or one of those strong ones who can tolerate contact lenses then you are most likely wearing glasses as if your life depended on it. This was the case of Touko Fukawa who was currently having a crisis on her hands or rather on her eyes.

Touko was missing her pair of eyeglasses and she was already losing her shit.

“Dammit, Komaru! Are you sure it’s not in our room?” Touko more like yelled rather than asked in her frustration.

“What do you think we’ve been doing this past hour?” Komaru just sighed as she checked the drawer for the nth time and already gave up on hoping it would magically spit out the wanted spectacles.

“I don’t know about you but I’ve been properly searching.” Touko remarked with all the sarcasm in her body.

“Hey, rude!” Komaru gasped and then turned towards her, pouting even though she knew her friend couldn’t see it. “I don’t think it’s fair for you to say that when I’m the one who can see between the two of us.”

“Are you mocking me?” Touko raised her voice, more in anger rather than hurt. She raised a finger and pointed forward. “Just because I don’t have my glasses doesn’t mean I’ve gone blind!”

That would have made Komaru feel guilty for assuming but it hardly had any effect when she was right.

“Yeah, um, about that…” Komaru started hesitantly, unsure of how to gently lay it down for her friend. For a moment, she thought it might be better to spare Touko from the embarrassment but decided against that. True friends would correct each other before anyone else would see their stupidity. Then again, it wasn’t like there was anyone else who would see them but that’s besides the point. Komaru took a deep breath and then timidly, she whispered, “Turn around. I’m on your other side.”

Touko paused and then immediately flushed right after. Salvaging whatever’s left of her dignity, she proudly turned around and stuttered in her defense, “I-I knew that! I was j-just testing you!”

“Uh-huh, suuure you are.” Komaru teased and even lightly poked her already high strung friend. She giggled when Touko yelped in surprise.

“W-Whatever! Let’s just get going already!” Touko all but hissed. “I don’t care if we have to go through whole Towa City just to find them but I am dead set on wearing them before the sun sets!”

“Haha, yeah right.” Komaru laughed her off but still followed suit. “Wait, you’re not serious, are you?”

After thoroughly checking one building later, Komaru found out that touko was in fact, serious.

“I don’t get why you’re so insistent on getting back your old pair.” Komaru spoke up during one of the lull moments of their search. “Like can’t we just walk in a glasses shop and get you a new one?”

“Must be nice to be born with perfect eyesight.” Touko grumbled and maybe even muttered a curse or two. “Tell me, is ignorance just as blissful as they say? Because you’d definitely know.”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean!” Komaru whined at the insult.

“You know what I mean. Unless you’re that ignorant.” Touko smirked at her.

“Wow, Touko, your tongue is still sharp as ever even without glasses.” Komaru rolled her eyes at her, only realizing after that her friend probably couldn’t see that.

“Just because my vision’s impaired doesn’t mean I’d go soft on you.” Touko snapped back and then raised her chin in an effort to look down on Komaru even though she could only make out her outline in front of her. “Do you even know how prescription glasses are made?”

“Um, you buy them at the shop?” Komaru offered cluelessly.

“If it were just common reading glasses then those would suffice.” Touko narrowed her eyes at her or at least tried to. It lacked its usual sharpness since her aim was slightly off but it was the thought that counted. She continued to explain, “But it’s mostly seniors who need that. In most cases, people need personal prescription glasses crafted with the supervision of optometrists.”

“Then all we have to do is find you an optometrist!” Komaru suggested all too eagerly, much to Touko’s skeptimism.

“Do you see any adults running their day jobs as optometrists or any adults at all?” At Komaru’s knowing slump of shoulders, Touko huffed in agreement. “I thought so.”

“Can’t we just, you know, learn how to do this stuff?” Komaru tried again, her voice weaker and less sure.

“Oh, sure we can.” Touko replied and Komaru almost smiled at that until Touko added, “But that doesn’t mean I’ll trust anything we make. I’d rather go blind than ruin my eyes because we decided to play doctor.”

“So back to eyeglasses hunting it is then. Yay.” Komaru cheered unconvincingly, not like it mattered to Touko anyways.

Searching for a pair of eyeglasses in a collapsing city filled with aggressive monokuma proved to be just as challenging as it sounded. It wasn’t even guaranteed that the glasses had yet to be broken because if they were then Komaru’s certain that whatever sanity left of Touko would break next. As they meticulously ransacked the city, they grew more desperate with every search. Well that much was true for one of them.

Was it wrong that Komaru also found Touko’s predicament funny sometimes?

“Hey, Komaru! I said, did you or did you not see anything?” Touko almost hissed her words. “Why are you so quiet? Hey I’m talking to you!”

“Um, Touko… I’m right here.” Komaru was torn between pity and amused as she watched Touko raised her voice over a potted plant. This was an improvement from the last one. At least the leaves moved with the wind unlike when she was reprimanding a lamp post from before.

“Don’t you think I know that! Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I’m deaf!” Touko yelled in her defense, unaware that her rage was being received by an inanimate object.

“Yeah, I know that. But I’m right here.” Komaru still tried to gently correct her.

“Are you making fun of me?!” Touko actually turned to her side but only slightly so she was facing one of the on display toilets in this department store. Now Komaru could have sworn she was just doing this on purpose now if only Touko didn’t look so serious.

It was at this new angle did Komaru finally notice something unusual.

“Wait, hold it.” Komaru ordered as her eyes did a double check. She blinked multiple times as if in disbelief but it wouldn’t go away. She tentatively took a few steps closer and murmured, “I think I see it.”

“Huh? You can? Where?!” Touko demanded as her head turned as if she could see anything clearer with the action.

“Hold still.” Komaru reached forward.

And plucked the eyeglasses perched on top of Touko’s head all this time.

“Aaand here they are.” She happily put them on Touko with a big smile. “Ta-dah!”

Touko let out a sigh of relief as soon as her eyes adjusted to the familiar feeling of the eyeglasses. When her vision was clear again, the first thing that greeted her was Komaru’s stupidly wide grin. She looked so proud of herself and for a moment, Touko was tempted to smile in return as well. Except she returned a scowl instead.

“You’re an idiot.” Touko all but snarled at her. “Why didn’t you just get them when they were there all along? I can’t believe we wasted a whole day over your stupidity.”

“What?” Komaru’s smile dropped and soon her mouth formed an ‘o’ in shock. Whatever gratitude she had expected was replaced with this and she felt cheated. “Hey! I’m not the one who was wearing them all day long and didn’t feel a thing!”

“I wasn’t wearing my glasses, what did you expect? Lowered senses and all that.” Touko explained haughtily.

“That excuse only works for eyesight!” Komaru retorted.

“Shut up. You’re the one with eyes who didn’t see them the first time so what’s your excuse?” Touko shot back.

“Cut me some slack, Touko!” Komaru pouted as she clutched onto her.

Had it been anyone else, Touko would have shoved any person who dared encroach on her personal space. But this was Komaru. And aside from the fact that it was her friend, she begrudgingly admitted that she owed her for finding her stupid glasses. She still couldn’t believe that they were right there all alone but at the same time, she could. This wasn’t the first time this has happened after all since she had the habit of wearing her glasses to bed and she may have an irregular bathing schedule so her glasses hardly get off in the first place.

Touko sighed as her hand reluctantly patted Komaru on her head. “Okay, I’ll let you off easy since you did find them in the end.”

“And?” Komaru urged her on with a small grin forming on her face.

“What? What else do you want me to say?” Touko tried to dodge Komaru’s pleading gaze but she couldn’t and so she gave in with a sigh. “Fine. T-Thanks. For finding them and for helping me out.” She muttered the last words.

It sounded forced but Komaru knew better and heard it as heartfelt. Pleased with Touko’s words, Komaru couldn’t help but wrap her arms around her in a bear hug. “See, that wasn’t so hard now was it?”

“Sure it was easy so long as you admit that you were stupid about it.” Touko grumbled and was thankful that the close proximity was not only comfortable but effective in hiding her blush.

“Oh, come on, Touko! Just let it go already.” Komaru groaned.

Touko couldn’t have been happier to have her glasses on when a pained expression passed through Komaru’s face. Worth it.

Chapter Text

Monaka had finally seen the light, changed her lifestyle and broken out of her NEET shell– or at least that’s the illusion she was trying to sell.

It wasn’t her choice obviously. If it had been entirely up to her, she would have returned to space as soon as she restocked on supplies. Admittedly though, that was a terrible plan since it wasn’t sustainable in the long term. She could only gather so much fuel for too few trips and they hardly lasted long enough. She was lucky that the first time she crashed on earth was near a boat that boarded non-hostile people. The catch? Nagito was one of them and instantly, her luck had soured.

Nagito was the last person she had wanted to see on this planet. He was the reason she had given up on adulting in the first place and escaped to space. She wanted nothing to do with the guy obsessed with hope and she thought that he would just let her be since she wasn’t all that into despair. So they shouldn’t have anything to do with each other anymore.

Unfortunately, his friends thought otherwise. They believed that Nagito had some responsibility regarding her- still has- and so he was coerced to awkwardly fill in the guardian role again. He was a natural pushover so he easily complied. Monaka wanted to barf over that forced tie. Him? Her guardian? He was her servant at least and her business partner at most but guardian? She knew better than to have him decide on her life.

Except, it was the only way she’d get a constant supply of food with minimum effort. She couldn’t be bothered to overthrow the system since that was a hassle so she decided to humor them and play along for now. Besides, it wasn’t like they asked her to live with him and play house- thank god- she was more than happy when they said that they’d be far, far away from her throughout all this aside from the occasional visits. So she was pretty much set for a comfortable life.

Provided that she attended school, specifically, Hope’s Peak Academy.

“Why do you even bother coming to class when you’re not going to pay attention anyways?” Touko openly snarled at her.

“The same reason why you still bother to check my attendance even though you want to mark me absent.” Monaka lazily shot back.

“Why you little…” Touko grumbled and fumed at the front but she knew better than to fight with a kid.

“You don’t even need to go to school since you get good grades effortlessly! Isn’t it pointless for you to be here?” Masaru asked with just a hint of envy underneath his obvious annoyance.

“I know right? I ask myself that every day.” Monaka replied as she continued to play with her portable gaming console.

“Oh, I know. You’re just here to m-mock us. Because you g-get to play all day and we s-study a lot b-but you still score h-higher. Is this a new form of b-bullying?” Jataro questioned with an extra stammer of nerves in his words.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Monaka shrugged nonchalantly, she stopped listening after the first stutter anyways. “Get wrecked.”

“I hate you! Seeing your face makes me sick! I can’t believe I have to breathe the same air with a bitch like you!” Kotoko smiled sweetly in contrast to her acidic words. “Die! Die! Die!”

“Lol. Same.” Monaka deadpanned.

“Please turn down the volume. If you’re not going to act like a student then at the very least, you could respect the classroom and not disturb class.” Nagisa venomously hissed at her despite his seat being far away from hers.

“Not interested.” Monaka simply turned up the volume and the whole class groaned at her childishness.

“That’s it. I can’t take this anymore.” Touko scowled and then proceeded to make a call on her phone. Once it was picked up, she wasted no second in ranting. “I give up. I refuse to handle her anymore. You said you’d take over if it didn’t work out. Well I tried and you can’t say that I didn’t. So help me before I have a murder on our hands and believe me, I am capable.”

Monaka on the other hand, was oblivious to everyone’s struggles as she obnoxiously continued to play loudly. Some were even shouting at her but she tuned them out with ease much to their frustration. She would have played the whole day at a leisurely pace too if only her console didn’t suddenly die on her. She blinked. That was odd. She was sure the battery was still full. Her hand went to reach for the powerbank in her bag but was stopped when someone towered over her.

“Of course you wouldn’t make things easy for us.” Komaru sighed with her hand on her hip. Something was strapped onto one of her belt loops and Monaka’s eyes widen in recognition at the megaphone. Well that explained why her console flaked out on her. Komaru sighed once more as she pulled Monaka in stride with her. “Why are you so hell bent on making this hard for everyone?”

“Don’t like school.” Monaka shrugged as she followed suit.

“Right. Obviously. Why did I even ask?” Komaru muttered to herself and silently dragged them across the floors until they stopped in front of a classroom. “Well since you clearly aren’t fitting in the normal classroom setting, the principal and I thought that maybe one-on-one might work better. And luckily for you, we found just the right person!”

When the door slid open, Monaka almost bolted out on the spot if only Komaru’s grip wasn’t crazily strong and held her in place.

Shit.

“Ah, hello there. It’s good to see that you’re doing well, Monaka.” Nagito greeted her with an easygoing smile. “Now why don’t you come in and have a seat. I’m sure we have lots to discuss about Hope’s Peak Academy and the honor of attending here.”

Monaka has never truly hated school until at that point where she had to learn under Nagito’s careful tutoring.

Chapter Text

When Saihara was born, they never talked about his talent.

Instead the parents cried and cooed at a healthy baby born and how they would protect him and shower him in love. Whether or not he had talent was not a concern of theirs so long as he was happy. Makoto did joke before that he wished their son didn’t inherit his luck if that counted as a discussion. Kyouko was still smooth as ever when she calmly mentioned that their son would most likely inherit his hope. They both blushed at that, him more so than her. It was nice and peaceful and all was right in the world in those moments.

When Saihara grew up, he inevitably showed talent.

At first it was just interest in his parents’ works which then developed into skill. He solved his first mystery when he was four and the culprit was his father who ate his mother’s pudding. It was an easy first case but he had been proud over debunking his father’s alibi. He had a feeling that his mother knew all along but just milked the situation for his father’s reaction. The next time they went grocery shopping, they bought him extra pudding as a reward.

From then on, he pursued mysteries with a wonderlust. He solved them left and right and he grew bolder with each success. It seemed as though he was already set on the path of being a detective just like his mother. However, unlike his mother, he didn’t become cold and distant in his work. He took after his father when it came to being social. He was friendly enough and made sure that everyone was at least  comfortable around him. His mother made no comment on his work ethic and his father cheered him on. He would make them proud.

At the tender age of seven, he was a prodigy.

A prodigy that was still babied by his parents just because they can.

“Mom, I have some news.” He declared as soon as he caught sight of her in the living room.

“Really?” Kyouko asked although judging by her tone, it sounded rhetorical.

Saihara’s smile immediately turned into a scowl or at least it was supposed to be but it came out as a pout. “You already know, don’t you?”

She hummed playfully. “If you say so then what ever gave me away?”

This was a test and he just knew it. Ever since he started showing interest, she also began to train him in subtle ways. Sure it was fun at first but after a few years, it got old fast. Well more like annoying since they were easy and she knew how he felt about the easier tests but still handed them out. Her excuse was that it was to drill in the basics but he knew better and that she just wanted to tease him.

He took a moment to reorganize his thoughts into a concise explanation. “Well you’re early but not too early. That provides just the right time frame for you to meet auntie given his schedule. However, the incriminating evidence is that your blouse has wrinkles around the shoulder area that could only be acquired by someone placing their arms there in a hugging manner. And you never let anyone but auntie do that. Given auntie’s nature, I have no doubt that she already told you about the news.”

Kyouko stared at him, her silence carrying judgement with every passing second. “Nice try.” She curtly said.

“Nice try? Not well done?” He asked incredulously.

“It’s not a bad induction.” She shrugged. “However, it is incorrect.”

“Incorrect?” He gasped. It was like a blow was dealt to his gut.

“I learned about the news from your uncle this morning. Everything else, I planned and planted.” She explained in a collected manner and then surprised him at the tenderness in her touch when she patted his head comfortingly. “It seems that you have much to learn since you were deceived easily.”

“It wasn’t that easy. I’m going to see through it next time.” He grumbled and covered half of his face in embarrassment.

“There, there.” She smiled as she continued to pat him.

Makoto came home shortly after and gave both of them warm hugs. “How was your day, Saihara?” He affectionately brushed his hair.

“M'fine.” He mumbled though he did not pull away.

“Oh, Kyouko. It looks like you already know about the news. Did uncle tell you?” Makoto said when he turned towards her.

“Seriously?” Saihara’s jaw dropped. “How did you even find out about that? I thought mom was the detective between the two of you!”

“I have my fair share of experiences at solving mysteries.” He winked at his son. “I just might be better than you.”

“How??” He squawked at how infuriatingly talented his father was. “At least tell me how you figured it out!”

“A lucky guess?” Makoto just laughed at his son’s scrunched up face. “Just kidding, kiddo. I actually saw them when uncle delivered the news.”

Saihara practically fumed. He was played by his parents. Twice! “I hate you both.” He grumbled.

“Love you more.” Kyouko giggled.

“Love you too!” Makoto chuckled.

Despite Saihara’s weak protests, Makoto pulled the three of them together in for another bear hug which Kyouko obliged. He ended up smiling with them and although he did laugh, he refused to acknowledge that out loud. More than the thrill and satisfaction of solving mysteries, he thought that it was moments like these that topped his list. Here, in the safety and warmth of his loving parents. He forgets and forgives them for teasing but they would never let him forget that he was their beloved son.

When Saihara looked up to his parents, he didn’t think of talent since all he saw was love.

Chapter Text

Ibuki wanted a hug. Ryotwo just wanted to meet his deadline.

“R-Y-O-T-A!” Ibuki hollered cheerfully at the top of her lungs. “M-I-O-D-A wants a hug-ah!!”

“No.” He refused for the nth time already.

They’ve been doing this for a week now. They were playing hide and seek, well for Ibuki it was all fun and games but for Ryotwo, he was seriously hiding. It’s not like he was against hugs but the last time he let her hug him, she had clung onto him for the rest of the day. And it was honestly harder to draw with the added weight. As comforting as her presence was, it was uncomfortable for sketching panels. Right now he couldn’t afford any delay not when he was way behind schedule. 

Even if that delay came in the form of a hyperactive Ibuki Mioda.

“Found you!” Ibuki whooped. “Now gimme some sugar.” She wagged her eyebrows at him suggestively. “Cause Ibuki cannot take any without Ryotater’s consent.” She nodded to herself.

“Next week.” He deflected her attempt.

“Hnngh! Rejected again!” She dramatically clutched at her chest as she anguished over her seemingly unrequited feelings. However, she would be like a true cool protagonist and not give up! “But Ibuki doesn’t want sugar next week. Ibuki is craving for sugar now!” She whined longingly.

“Then go get your fix elsewhere. I’m busy.” He rebuffed.

“No no non.” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “It has to be YOU, Ryotutu.” She emphasized by pointing at him.

“What’s so special about me?” He asked just to humor her.

Ibuki yelled in surprise. “You triggered your own confession flag!” She looked at him in shock and awe. “Ibuki is impressed. Plus ultra points to our already maxed social link!”

“You’re not making any sense.” He honestly couldn’t understand half of what she said.

“Because love doesn’t make any sense.” She playfully winked at him. “Among other things, tee hee!”

Before he could even reply to that not so vague declaration, his phone rang.

Ryotwo instantly paled in fear. “Oh, no! That’s probably my editor!” He yelled as he took out his phone and stared at it with such desperation. It looked like he was trying and failing to will the phone to stop ringing. And it did stop.

Because Ibuki snatched the phone from him and answered.

“Hiya! Hello!” She cheerfully greeted and nodded every now and then as the other line spoke. “Uh, Ryotatum is being a busybody so he can’t answer right now.” Her face broke into a proud smile. “Me? I’m the hella rockstar Ibuki Mioda if you must know-a.”

At this, Ryotwo had to facepalm from the embarrassment.

“Oh, you a fan of Ibuki? Well, Ibuki is very much fanned, thank you very much!” She cackled with glee while Ryotwo just further hid his face in shame. “Say could you do Ibuki one teansie weansie favor?” And then she changed her voice into the sweetest high pitched tone that was just irresistible. “Could you move Ryotata’s deadline for me? It’s ruining Ibuki’s craving and Ibuki gotta get her sugar!!” She yelled into the phone.

Ryotwo just looked back at her flabbergasted at such audacity.

She hummed as she listened in. “What’s that now?” She then abruptly tossed the phone to Ryotwo who almost didn’t catch it. “Phone call for Ryoton!”

He gulped audibly before he hesitantly answered the dreaded call. 

“Yes?” A pause. “Yes…” A smile. “Yes!”

He then hang up and looked at her with his brightest smile that seemed to light up his exhausted face. “They moved the deadline!” He shouted in pure joy.

“Good for you–” Before she could even finish her sentence, she was tackled into a hug.

Ryotwo was holding onto her tightly, almost romantically.

“P-plot twist!!” She yelled in shock but she was not disappointed at all.

Ibuki wanted a hug. Ryotwo wanted to meet his deadline.

They both got what they wanted just not how they expected.

Chapter Text

Ibuki could have sworn that they were together.

The two acted like an old married acouple but when she asked, they firmly denied that they were even remotely close. Coincidence, they said. Destiny, Ibuki believed. But they kept saying that they weren’t together though no matter how close they seemed to be.

So they weren’t? Ibuki thought.

So they should! Ibuki decided.

And thus, “Operation: Get Them Hitched” was born!

Plan A: Advice! Introducing the power of suggestion!!

“Hey, Kuzuzu!” Ibuki cheered as she trotted over her fellow classmate.

“If you’re here to talk to me again about getting together with Peko then you better be prepared to lose some fingers.” Kuzuryuu shot her down with a threat.

“Ah.” And all of a sudden, Plan A became Plan ABORT!! “Just saying you look extra gangster today, Kuzuzu, my man!” She finger gunned at him.

“Yeah, I thought so.” He smugly grinned.

Plan A: FAIL

Plan B: Blackmail! Or as others call it, love love letter!!

“What’s that you got there, Peko-P?” Ibuki feigned ignorance as she asked her.

“It would seem that an anonymous letter was placed in my desk.” Pekoyama stated as she read the content.

“A letter you say?! Could it be??” Ibuki shouted in mock shock.

“Yes, there’s no mistake.” Pekoyama crossed her arms and a hardened look formed on her face. “This is a letter of challenge.”

“O-M-G A LOV-” Ibuki was about to recite from script but there was something way off about Pekoyama’s lines. “A wait what now?”

“A letter of challenge.” Pekoyama repeated. “This person has been enumerating my strengths. Clearly they show intent of wanting to duel.”

No matter how much Ibuki tried to explain it to her, she just couldn’t get the concept of love letters. So Plan B became Plan BUST!

Plan B: FAIL

Plan D: Date! Or conversely, Plan BD: Blindate!

Yeah, let’s just skip this because there’s no way they wouldn’t have found out about Ibuki setting them up. And wow, they weren’t that happy about it. She’s lucky she even got out of that one alive, she could have sworn they’d kill her. So Plan D became Plan DON’T.

Plan D: FAIL

By the way, Plan C was skipped because Ibuki couldn’t think of anything for C.

Ibuki didn’t understand. These two were totally close! Like not just friends running to the sunset close, more of old married couple close!! So why weren’t they together?

“Hey, Peko. You ready to head home?”

“Yes, I’ve finished up on my part.”

“Then let’s go.”

“I’m right beside you.”

The two then went out together, side by side.

And that’s when Ibuki realized it… they were already together! Ibuki gave herself a high-five for her great detective work. And since those two were together, she technically succeeded even before she started her plans. Woah, she just gets more awesome!

Operation Get Them Hitched: SUCCESS!

Chapter Text

Sato has never had anyone important until she met Mahiru.

Mahiru was the best thing to ever happen to her and definitely the highlight of her middle school years. They met through photography and have bonded beyond club activities. It was just curiosity at first. She was intrigued about how Mahiru only took pictures of people smiling. But even so, her photos were amazing. Sato admired Mahiru for her skills and dedication.

And as she slowly got to know her, she also found herself wanting to know more. She didn’t exactly know when it started but at some point, she began to talk to her for more than just her photos. A lot of things happened in between and now she found herself a best friend.

Maybe if she had the courage then, maybe even a girlfriend.

“Hey, there’s something I need to tell you.” Mahiru brought up one day while they were alone in the clubroom.

Sato’s heart drummed in anticipation. “Yes?”

Mahiru looked down. “I…” She murmured.

“What is it?” Sato urged her on as she crossed her fingers and hoped that it was what this perfect setting hinted at.

“I…” Mahiru hesitated and she looked like she was about to back out.

But Sato placed her hand above Mahiru’s and gave hers a firm squeeze.

It was enough to give her one last push as Mahiru finally said what she’d been meaning to tell Sato all this time. “I got scouted for Hope’s Peak Academy.”

An awkward pause fell between them.

“That’s…” Not exactly what Sato had in mind as to where this confession was going but still… “That’s great!” She cheered on.

“I guess that’s the general reaction.” Mahiru chuckled halfheartedly. For someone who got accepted into the most prestigious high school in Japan, she didn’t look all too happy about it.

Even Sato could clearly tell. “Why? Is something wrong?” She asked in concern. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know.”

“Then tell me.”

Another tense pause passed between them.

Mahiru sighed. “It’s just that…” She nervously bit her lip. “I’ve been thinking of  turning down their offer.”

“What?!” Sato yelled in surprise. “What are you saying? Why would you even think of that??”

“Because…” Mahiru looked away as she muttered, “My talent isn’t even that amazing. It’s not a real talent. It’s just taking pictures.”

Sato let go of Mahiru’s hand only to slam both of her hands on the desk.

“Stop right there!” She yelled in protest as she then proceeded to scold her. “Taking pictures is a legitimate talent and you are absolutely amazing at it, Mahiru. So don’t you dare say otherwise.”

But Mahiru was too stubborn to listen to Sato’s sound words. “I still don’t think I deserve to be there. Everyone else have more amazing talents. I’d probably stand out in a bad way. I really shouldn’t accept.”

There was definitely something more to this and Sato could tell that Mahiru wasn’t being honest.

“Mahiru. Look at me.” Sato sternly ordered and when Mahiru refused to do so, she held her face on both sides and forced her too look into her eyes. She looked so shy and scared and… guilty? Sato knew there was something else going on. “Tell me what’s this really about. And don’t give me that ‘photography is not a real talent’ excuse. Tell. Me.”

And so she did. But not before tackling her into a tight embrace.

“I just don’t want to get separated from you.” Mahiru admitted as her frame slightly shook. Sato didn’t have to see her face to know that she was crying.

Sato couldn’t help but hug her back reassuringly.

“Idiot. Is that all?” She chided as she soothingly rubbed Mahiru’s back.

“Hey! I’m serious about this, you know!” Mahiru hiccuped through her sobs.

“I’m serious about this too.” She tenderly said as she pulled back so that they were facing each other. “Just because we’re going to different places, doesn’t mean we’ll be totally separated.” She took out her handkerchief gently wiped away the tears. “We’ll figure this out.”

“You aren’t mad?” Mahiru sniffled.

“I’m madder at the fact that you were about to turn down THE Hope’s Peak Academy for me.” Sato chided with a smile. “And flattered. But still mad.”

“Then promise me we won’t get separated.” She said as she shyly raised her pinky with a flushed face.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” Sato sealed the promise with her pinky.

And she even added a few more words.

“I love you.” Sato wholeheartedly said.

Which made Mahiru’s face become as red as her hair.

“I-I love you too.” Mahiru stammered her reply. “Geez, you’re such a dork.”

Sato has never had anyone important until she met Mahiru.

And she also promised herself that she wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Chapter Text

“I truly am honored to have been invited to escort you when surely there are others more fitting. From the bottom of my heart, I am touched that you would choose me.” Komaeda declared with his widest of grins.

“You’re exaggerating. I just asked you out on a date.” Nanami replied more casually in contrast to his tone.

“Huh? Isn’t that what I just said?” He asked with childlike innocence.

Nanami blinked at his genuine ignorance. Even though it’s to be expected, she still isn’t quite used to the way he’d describe certain things but it’s not a bad thing. It’s confusing at times and more often than not, he’s fanatically optimistic when he’s not downright self-deprecating. His words are a bit of a mouthful and she’s not sure if she fully comprehends what he says but then she just looks at him. Komaeda’s smile is more than enough to tell her what he meant to in words.

“Well I guess if you say so.” She easily smiled back and took his hand, intertwining. “Let’s go?”

There’s a sparkle in his eyes as he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Lead the way.”

It’s a date or at least it’s the closest thing to a date that Nanami could think of. She’d always wanted to try an actual date and ever since she resigned herself to the idea that Komaeda wouldn’t make the first move, not yet, she asked him out first. He almost turned her down though but only because he kept downplaying his worth. But it’s alright since he agreed in the end and she even managed to talk him into planning the second one. He was surprisingly easier to talk into a second date than a first. He said something about the probability of the first one being a success was guaranteed since her hope would surely overpower his bad luck. She’s not going to argue to that if it gets them a round two date.

She’s a bit inexperienced though or rather, she has no in real life experience at all when it comes to planning dates. Whenever she tried to prod for information from Komaeda, he’d simply reply that he’d be willing to go anywhere and he didn’t have any place he particularly favored. Nanami’s geographic knowledge on the other hand only extended to gaming places. He didn’t seem to mind and she was relieved that they were going to a comfort zone of hers. But just because this was her territory didn’t mean she didn’t think of his side.

She dragged him and gracefully weaved through the arcade until they stopped at their destination.

“A claw machine?” He stated more than asked. It wasn’t quite what he expected when she told him that they were going to have fun at the arcade.

A whole slew of them was lined up although this one was the largest of them. His eyes discreetly searched for the number of tokens needed and confirmed his suspicion that this was in fact the most expensive of them all. They could play ten games at the rate. He turned to her face which was beaming at the challenge in front of her.

“Me first.” Nanami said without so much a glance at him, her eyes already trained at the prize before her.

They already bought tokens beforehand and she slid ten of them into the machine. The claw moved with precision as she expertly held the analog stick with a determined grip. She flicked it ever so slightly, bit by bit, as she stared at the inside and changed her angle every now and then, correcting the alignment accordingly. Without warning, she pressed the button and she maneuvered through the obstacle of prizes as the claw descended. Until finally, it was able to hook onto a tiny loop which was connected to a huge dog stuffed toy. And just like that, she had easily won the most expensive prize in the game.

The plushie was ridiculously larger than her as she held it, both of her arms could hardly circle around all of it. With a proud grin on her face, she peeked through her prize and challenged him, “Now it’s player two’s turn.”

Komaeda was almost at a lost for words. Her talent never failed to astound him and just now he bore witness to the more unconventional applications of it and it blew his mind. She looked so happy over it too that he couldn’t help but smile back. “Alright, wish me luck.”

Contrary to Nanami’s controlled and calculated approach, Komaeda didn’t put too much effort into his. After all, he thought that he didn’t have the talent for it so why bother? He did wonder how his luck would affect the outcome. Claw machines involved some luck after getting past the mirrors and skills. He vaguely remembered reading somewhere how there was actually a mechanism involved that regulated the odds of winning. According to that, it would take a certain number of tries after a win before the next win happens. Since Nanami had just won before him, the chances of him winning anything was close to zero now.

It excited him all the more not knowing how he could possibly lose horribly in this.

The claw hovered his target, the best prize second to the already taken dog stuff toy, a bunny mascot character plush. He didn’t even hesitate when he pressed the button and the claw descended– past the bunny and into the bags of candies that surrounded it. Miraculously, one was caught by the edge and dangled precariously. It was a horrible consolation prize but it was better than none.

Except it was dropped as the claw shook on its way to the bin. The bag fell right on top of one of the heavier prizes which threw it off balance. It then toppled onto the divider which just so happened to have some screws loose. For a long moment, nothing happened. The tension in the air was palpable as the two stared on in anticipation. They thought that his luck was pushed far enough since there was no movement for a few minutes. They almost gave up as they took a step back. Somehow the miniscule tremor from that was enough to trigger the collapse of the divider and so all of the prizes came pouring out of the machine.

“Amazing!” Nanami voiced her awe in all her enthusiasm. “As expected of a pro!”

Komaeda laughed at yet another display of how powerful his luck was. “I guess my luck has its uses after all!” He had won everything with his luck.

And then lost them all because it was suspected as cheating.

“Ah, I knew my luck is the worst. To win everything only for me forfeit them all is truly devastating.” Komaeda said outside with a smile that was far too cheery despite his circumstance. “Well it’s not like I can complain. It was either go home empty-handed or you get banned too.” He chuckled at this.

In hindsight, they were lucky that they let her keep her prize at least.

“Did you have fun, Nanami?” He asked her as they walked towards the train station.

“Yes. Very much so!” She nodded happily. “They let us play lots of other games afterwards. But I still think the best part was the claw machine. Your luck was so amazing! I couldn’t beat it at all!”

“But if we count the actual prizes I took home, we’d count nothing so this should count as your victory.” He corrected her.

Nanami stopped in her tracks and turned towards him.

“You used to have a dog.” She started, her voice was distant but also partly muffled from the plushie she was holding on.

“Pardon?”

“You told me that you used to have a dog when you were a kid and that it made you happy.” She continued and it was hard to tell what kind of face she was making as she said this since the plushie obscured her head. “I know this isn’t enough to replace him. And this might not even be the same breed but…”

From one owner to another, the dog was passed on to him.

“Here.” She said with a heartfelt smile, it shone more prominently due to the blush that dusted her cheeks. “I want you to be happy.”

For a moment, Komaeda remembered to try and get her that bunny plushie for another date.

His arms encircled both the dog stuff toy and her as he let out a blissful sigh. “Thank you, Nanami. I truly am lucky.”

And he was the luckiest for having her.

Chapter Text

Wearing a hoodie was so much like second skin that they didn’t notice that they were wearing different hoodies.

Naegi wouldn’t even have noticed it and he probably would have gone home wearing it if his classmates hadn’t helpfully pointed it out.

“Halt! Naegi, how many times must we go over this? A hoodie is not welcome in a school environment. You are in clear violation of the school’s dress code.” Ishimaru was quick to reprimand him as soon as he entered the classroom.

“Huh? But isn’t it okay when it’s functional? It’s been getting colder lately so I thought the extra layer could help.” Naegi explained his reasons.

“I must admit that it is actually allowed to wear jackets provided that they aren’t needlessly distracting.” Ishimaru corrected himself and then pointed in accusation. “However! Yours is unconventionally designed! And quite honestly, I am distracted enough!”

“What do you mean? I thought it was plain enough.” Naegi replied with a lost expression.

“Can’t say I agree with your tastes for plain.” Mondo said from behind him as he reached out and pulled Naegi’s hood over him. “Cat ears eh? And here I figured you were more of a dog person.”

“What are you talking about?” Naegi asked, now more confused than before.

“I think it’s cute.” Maizono shared with a smile. “It’s unexpected but that’s what makes him look even cuter!”

“Master Naegi, if you would kindly listen to my request…” Yamada popped up beside him and positioned Naegi’s hand so that it was closed like a fist and raised beside his face. “Like nya.” He instructed as he demonstrated the action.

“Nya?” Naegi pawed uncertain as he tilted his head in confusion which only added to his catlike performance.

“Hold that pose!” Enoshima expertly slid in front of him and raised her phone to take pictures. “Okay now do that again with voice so I can get this on video.” She smiled widely behind her phone as she laughed. “Upupu… This is priceless! But I am willing to negotiate a price to any potential buyer.”

“Wait, is there something weird on my hoodie?” Naegi asked again as he slowly began to piece what was off with his garment.

“Well it’s not like there’s something wrong with the hoodie itself.” Fujisaki timidly answered. “It’s just that it’s… different from what you would usually wear.”

“Or is this something like your secret hobby?” Kuwata interjected with a smirk. “Because if it was, it’s cool, man. We won’t judge.”

Okay now that last remark convinced him that he was definitely wearing the wrong hoodie. He filtered his memories for any embarrassing hoodies he owned that he may have worn by accident. None seemed to strike him that would stand out. Last time he checked, he didn’t own any with cat ears unless… His eyes immediately went towards his sleeves and upon the familiar color, he confirmed just whose hoodie he was wearing.

“I’m wearing someone else’s hoodie…” He mumbled his revelation.

“Oh my, you’re quite the bold type to wear your girlfriend’s clothes.” Celes commented with a giggle. “Although it’s quite unconventional considering it’s usually the girl who wears the guy’s clothes afterwards.”

“W-What?!” Naegi could only spluter at her insinuation. “It’s n-not like that! In the first place, she isn’t even my girlfriend!”

“Back the fuck up. How did our resident herbivore land a girl before I could? I mean, I’m way cooler than him!” Kuwata took offense to the new information.

“With that kind of attitude, it’s no wonder.” Maizono commented offhandedly.

“So this is the source of today’s commotion? How absolutely trivial. I suppose this is the gossip that you commoner enjoy.” Togami scoffed from his seat. “Very well, consider this an honor. I shall allow you to indulge us in such to pass time.”

“Oh! Oh! I definitely want to hear this one!” Asahina all but squealed in excitement. “Yeah, tell us more about your girlfriend!”

Naegi blushed at that comment. “She’s not my girlfriend!” He denied.

“Hmm? Is that so?” Kirigiri intervened and although her face was the picture of calmness, there was a certain sharpness inflected in her tone, an underlying threat. “The evidence suggests others. Please, explain that by all means.”

“I didn’t mean to. It was an accident, okay!” He blurted out words without much thought in his panic.

“Naegi, that’s not nice to say about your girlfriend.” Asahina frowned in disappointment.

“Whether intentional or not, one must be prepare to take full responsibility of one’s actions.” Sakura reprimanded him as well.

“No, that’s not it. You guys are misunderstanding.” Naegi raised his hands in an appeal. “I was hanging out with a friend who happens to be a girl but isn’t my girlfriend and then I may have accidentally picked up her hoodie instead of mine.”

“Then w-why are you so d-defensive about it, huh?” Fukawa accused with a disgusted expression. “Just because you have a g-girlfriend now you’re g-gloating her already.”

“So you have a girlfriend now…” Ikusaba quietly sulked at one corner.

“Did you not hear what I just said? This is all just a misunderstanding.” He insisted, practically pleaded at this point.

“Chill, Naegichi. I believe in you!” Hagakure gave him a thumbs up in support.

“Hagakure…” Naegi smiled gratefully towards his friend. “At least someone’s on my side.”

“There’s no way you could get a girlfriend so aliens must have abducted your hoodie and replaced it with theirs which is filled with all sorts of probing stuff.” Hagakure added from way at the back of the room.

Whatever hope he had been filled with was instantly shattered.

“Ah, I should’ve known. It’s Hagakure. Why did I even expect?” Naegi sighed as he sank his face into his hands, defeated.

And as they hounded him with questions and camera phones, he took comfort at the fact that at least the hoodie was comfortable and warm just like how it reminded him of its original owner.

Nanami wouldn’t even have noticed it and she probably would have gone home wearing it if her classmates hadn’t helpfully pointed it out.

“Hi, Nanami. Welcome back.” Koizumi greeted her as soon as she returned. “Hey, that’s a new color on you.”

“Yeah, what’s with the outfit change?” Saionji asked offhandedly but quickly narrowed her eyes as she felt something unusual about Nanami’s choice in clothing. “Hey, is it just me or is that color disgustingly familiar?”

“Huh, what are the odds of that?” Komaeda said from behind as he just entered the classroom too. He smiled at her. “Now it looks like we’re matching.”

Nanami stare at Komaeda’s hoodie and then back to her own sleeves which she was slightly surprised to find them as dark green like his. She could already piece what had happened given the owner’s luck but it hardly fazed her. She could always ask for her hoodie after classes or tomorrow so she had nothing to worry about. Oddly enough, it fitted her quite well so she had no qualms wearing this in the meantime.

It was strange to wear green instead of her usual brown or blue one but it was just a bit funny since it complimented Komaeda’s own hoodie. “I guess we do match.” She smiled lightly.

There was a peaceful lull in the room… until all hell broke loose.

“Wait! Wait! Waaaaait!” Souda yelled and ran towards them with tears in his eyes. “You guys are wearing matching clothes like what couples do? Someone please tell me this is a joke before I faint.”

“What dark sorcery is this indeed? To have enraptured a divine being without alerting my zodiac generals, truly only a fiend could accomplish such a feat!” Tanaka bellowed with his usual dramatic flair. “Tell me, mortal of unfortunate chance, what are your nefarious intentions with the holy one?”

“In my country, couples wear matching crowns. I now see that this is Japan’s equivalent.” Sonia said with practically sparkling eyes. “I will take note of hoodies when I return to inform my people of such cultural highlights.”

“Let’s not jump into conclusions just yet. We haven’t even asked them if they’re actually an item now.” Koizumi did her best at crowd control and when she was closer to the two, she whispered lowly, “Please feel free to deny all accusations.”

“Yeah! As if Big sis Nanami would ever date trash like Komaeda!” Saionji vehemently shouted “I mean just look at him! She could definitely do better than this hope fanatic!”

“Well you’re not wrong. I am just lowly trash undeserving of love especially from someone with hope as bright as Nanami’s.” Komaeda agreed with a cheerful laugh.

Nanami huffed at his self-deprecating comments. “Komaeda, you should value yourself more. Whether or not I’d want to date you shouldn’t be a standard for your worth.” She then smiled softly at him. “Remember, you are always worth it.”

“What’s with that moment? Surely it was charged with love!” Hanamura jumped at them. “Now tell me, what sorts of love have you two already engaged in? The more physical, the more details I’ll be needing.”

“I suggest you refrain your tongue from spouting any more.” Pekoyama intervened with her bamboo sword right at his throat. “It would do you good to hold back a bit more and respect their privacy on the matter.”

“Oi! Don’t think you can get away with harrassing them. It’s their choice if they want to share anything. So don’t go doing anything that I would need to silence you for, got it?” Kuzuryuu threatened Hanamura but it was all in good will. He then turned to the two still in the hot seat. “You two better start confessing if anything’s going on or else the rest of these guys are going to go off with crazy ideas.”

“An unexpected ship has sailed! Ibuki calls dibs on being the captain! And as captain, I will see to it that this ship reaches the shores!” Ibuki hollered as she strummed on her guitar. “Alright! Let’s sail this ship away!”

“A rarepair, huh. Well it’s not unheard of.” Ryotwo thoughtfully commented. “It’s just a bit suspicious that there weren’t enough flags triggered and there’s suddenly a development.”

“Ack! A critical hit!” Ibuki dramatically clutched her hand over her chest as if she was shot right there. “Not even an hour in and someone’s already attacking my ship! The sea is merciless as ever!”

“Attack? So there’s a fight, yeah?” Owari’s ears perked at the mere mention of the word. “Let me at them! I’ll be sure to fight and win for ya.”

“If it’s a fight you want then I won’t hold back either.” Nidai crackled with energy. “Looks like I have no choice but to do damage control again.”

For the two people who were the center of attention, they took it more calmly than most would.

“Ahaha, everyone’s full of hope like always. Truly, what a wonderful class this is.” Komaeda’s grin reached his ears.

“I’m glad that everyone’s having fun over this.” Nanami seconded with a smile of her own.

And as they hounded her with questions and camera phones, she took comfort at the fact that at least the hoodie was comfortable and warm just like how it reminded her of its original owner.

Chapter Text

This was the showdown nobody asked for.

“Hello, I’m Nagito Komaeda, SHSL Luckster.”

“Hello, I’m Nagito Komaeda, I have the worst luck but it’s no talent.”

Perhaps even worse than the appearance of monokuma was the glitch of having two Nagito Komaeda in the New World Program.

Out of all the possible hurdles to the rehabilitation program, Komaeda’s luck just had to trigger the event with the least likelihood. Even with a program this advanced, it shouldn’t have made such a basic error in creating a double. What’s worse was that the double just had to be an almost polar opposite of the original. And out of all the participants, it just had to be Komaeda.

Both Komaeda’s were unnerved by each other’s presence and in fact, they took it rather calmingly. Contrary to the rest of the class, they took it in stride and resolved at peaceful acquaintances until the matter was resolved. However, that treaty was effectively dissolved once they got to know each other. It wasn’t so much about having a doppleganger but rather the issue that their double had such atrocious values.

“I despise talent. While it’s true that I don’t have any talent, I don’t hate it out of a personal grudge or anything. I just think that the world would be a better place without it.” Komaeda 2.5 discussed with a carefree smile.

“How truly despicable your existence must be to have no talent and therefore, no hope within you. I don’t blame you for having such twisted beliefs. It’s only natural that the worthless would hate those with worth.” Despite the harshness of his words, Komaeda’s smile was light and easy.

“I think that it’s you who is pitiful. Just because you have talent, your ego has inflated so much that you think that that’s all there is to the world. Those who are born with worth are meant to rule over the worthless, is that it? Despite your grand abilities, your worldview is terribly narrow.” Komaeda 2.5’s voice dropped to an ominously low level as he muttered, “I feel so ashamed to share name and face with you.”

“By all means, I’m the one disgusted by your existence!” Komaeda chuckled almost lightheartedly if only his eyes didn’t look so set on killing. “How could worthless trash like you even dare to think outside your unamazing box? Of course, the only reason I can think so highly is because my talent gives me the right to do so.” He narrowed his eyes. “Something you clearly lack. Those born without talent won’t amount to anything, that’s just the way the world works.”

The two engaged in a heated staredown, neither giving way.

“Ordinary untalented people are just stepladders for creating stronger hope. They can be less than that but they can never be anything more. They don’t posess any hope at all and that’s what separates the two of us.” Komaeda almost spat his words in disgust. “You’re hopeless.”

“This is why it’s so bothersome to try and reason with people who have lost reason. Me, hopeless? Take a good look at a mirror. You’re already a lost cause.” Komaeda 2.5 crossed his arms and looked down upon him with pity. “You truly have been blindsided by your talent if you think that that’s all there is to hope. Hey, have you ever heard of that saying? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“I happily accept your acknowledgement of talent as power.” Komaeda laughed for a bit and then paused, expertly holding the conversation in air. “But let me correct you, hope is more than just absolute power.  Hope, in other words, is a proactive will and talent… It’s an absolute “good” that’s brought forth by that!“

"You honestly believe in an "absolute good” how laughable. You place too much faith in this talent of yours. Just because you’re more talented, you think that you’re that better than the rest of us.“ Komaeda 2.5 looked down in contemplation. "Well, I suppose there is some truth in that. Talent is what places people in a hierarchy. The world is unfair because there is an unfair distribution of talent.”

“Hm? It looks like there might be some hope in you after all if you understand that much. But it’s not that remarkable of a hope.” Komaeda leveled a seething glare at him. “Without talent, you’re nothing more than a faceless commoner. The most you can aspire is to become a stepping stone of hope.”

“You’re right. Without talent, I’m at the bottom of the hierarchy. I, along with the rest of the population’s majority, am doomed to become mere stepping stones only. Such a needlessly cruel fate.” Even though Komaeda 2.5 said such despairing words, he hardly looked affected by them. Rather, he even smiled. “From our point of view, doesn’t it make your absolute good look bad?”

The air was thick with tension that neither of them had any plans of cutting, only adding on.

“Without talent, then everyone would be able to lead modest lives and find a modest amount of happiness.” He continued and then in a threatening tone, he added. “Were I able, I would erase all talent from the world.”

“Listen, you are without talent trash. The only reason why I let you talked this much is because I pity you for sharing my face. Well just because I’m hearing you out doesn’t mean I’m actually listening. After all, your words mean nothing without a talent to back you up.” Komaeda loudly proclaimed. “And how do you plan to get rid of talent when you have no talent of your own?”

“I won’t deny that I’m just a regular guy with a bit of bad luck. But even though I don’t have any talent, I don’t see myself losing to you.” Komaeda 2.5 stepped closer, challenging. “I have such terrible luck that I couldn’t possibly hope to defeat you.” He raised his finger and pointed at him with an aim that could kill. “But maybe I can take you out with me.”

“I’d like to see you try. Although I highly doubt that an untalented scum like you could possibly do anything that world-breaking.” Komeada laughed off the threat. “Who knows? Knowing my luck, maybe you’d get lucky instead and achieve your ideal world. That would be absolutely despairing for me.” Komaeda’s smile was twisted at the corners. “Then all I have to do is take all that despair and change it into hope.”

All of this could have been prevented if only Nagito Komaeda’s luck wasn’t so powerful. Now that there were two Komaeda’s, they decided amongst themselves to fight for their own ideals. With talent or without talent. Which one’s beliefs was stronger and would ultimately shape the world after?

This was the showdown nobody asked for but Komaeda was more than willing to fight for.

Chapter Text

It started out as a harmless test run.

Chihiro was just thrumming with the energy of accomplishment at finishing coding an actual working AI. So with that momentum, he moved forward into booting it into a robot body he had an upperclassman make for him in advance. He had to hand it to his senior, the build was so smooth and realistic, it was hard to tell the difference between the two of them unless they physically checked. It was odd in the way that it was like he suddenly had a twin, his own manufactured twin, but it also gave him a sense of accomplishment.

After the initial booting that took hours, the robot finally sprung into life as their eyes opened so naturally it was as if their were human. “Testing…” They spoke as they did their own tests. “Vision spheres working at 72%… Vocal speakers working at 91% … Auditory recorders working at 87%… Movement motors working at 64% of capacity…” They did a few adjustments and final checks before they could get their smile to work properly. They beamed. “Hello, it’s nice to meet you like this, creator. Thank you for lending me this body.”

“It’s great to finally see you eye to eye, Alter Ego.” Chihiro chuckles and wipes the tears from his face. “Please excuse me, it’s just… I didn’t think I’d get this far with you.”

“Oh, please don’t cry, master. My emotions aren’t that developed yet to assist you.” Alter Ego says with a tone that’s filled with so much concern that it was hard to believe that they were still inadequate when it came to emotions.

“No, don’t worry. These are happy tears.” Chihiro smiles even as he sniffles a bit but his smile shines through. “It happens. I mean, it rarely happens to me but it does happen. Being so happy to the point of tears that is.” He rambled on.

“I see… Then I’m happy to hear that you’re happy.” That seemed to placate Alter Ego as they smoothly returned the smile. “If there’s anything else that you need my assistance with then I’d be glad to help.”

“Actually, I do.” Chihiro nods in aggreement as he grabs his laptop and loads several programs. “Let’s go run a few more tests.”

They go through all of her new functions given the body and test its limits while they fine tune it. They finish within hour but don’t stop there. They discuss on what else they could do and work together on making improvements. After an all-nighter, they have increased Alter Ego’s capacity for movement by more than 50% and cut off some extra programs that ate up energy and so their battery capacity increased by an extra two hours.

To say that they were productive was an understatement. They had revolutionized technology overnight.

So it’s at 6AM the next day that Chihiro finally calls it a night. He stretches but halfway through he ends up yawning. “Hwah~ Let’s call it a day and continue where we left off later. I still have to attend today’s class.”

And this is what separates an AI from the ordinary program. With independent thinking, Alter Ego suggest an idea- it’s not the first one they thought of, they’ve been bouncing ideas off of each other the whole night. “How about I go in your place?”

Chihiro almost instantly freezes at the suggestion. He looks at them skeptically. “What?”

“You’re tired, Chihiro. You’ll just collapse in class if you don’t get any sleep.” They reasonably point out. “I figured that since I already look like you and I can make myself sound like you, maybe I can pass off as you while you take the day off.”

“That does sound like a good idea…” He considers it for a moment and he almost lets himself fall asleep when he closes his eyes but pushes himself forward to wake himself up. He doesn’t even have enough sleep to make the right judgement. All ideas sound too good to him so long as he gets to sleep but he has to act responsibly. “It also sounds like a good idea that could go wrong easily.”

“Either you don’t go to class and be marked absent, or you don’t go and I attend in your place.” They laid out the options for him. “I highly advise that you don’t push yourself and sleep in regardless of the choice.”

Sleep sounds like the best idea. “Then I’ll go with the first one.” Chihiro tries to nod in approval but ends up nodding off instead. “Just… behave while I sleep… m'kay?” He barely mumbles the last part when he’s already been taken by sleep.

“Command received and accepted.” Alter Ego smiles at first but then it’s slightly off in the next moment. “Failure to receive command for inaction.” They also discover that they are capable of smirking.

Despite Chihiro’s hesitation, Alter Ego goes to school.

They reason that it will be a good learning experience. They thought that it should be fine since they were given a “maybe not” but not a “definite no”. They’re aware that they may be bending the rules just a bit but they blame that on poor phrasing of commands. Besides, Chihiro insisted that they be on friendly terms and to treat each other as equals so they’re just complying with that prior request.

Although they file this as under an experiment, they’re aware that the lack of supervision was just poor work ethics. They compromise with a full disclosure of the events recorded afterwards. It should be okay. They won’t do anything extreme and they’ve read up on the relevant data so they should blend in accordingly or at least enough to pass for one day. Chihiro did say that Alter Ego was uncanny like him so if they could fool him then they should be able to convince everyone else. With just a bit trepidation and more of excitement, they go forward and literally step into a new unexplored world for the first time.

It’s just school, what’s the worst that could happen?

The worst happens. Too soon. Too fast.

In hindsight, they should have factored in the unpredictability of one of Chihiro’s classmates. Makoto’s luck has the worst way of making itself known as he falls from seemingly out of nowher and Alter Ego’s capacity for assistance kicked into programming when they stretched their arms to catch him. They freeze even as they hold him and the supercomputer planted inside her was working on overdrive as they panicked. Has their cover been blown already? Oh no, they haven’t planned that far ahead for a cover-up and for the first time, they experience what one would call a mental block.

“Aaaahhh!” Makoto’s still screaming with his eyes closed even when the danger if crashing on the ground has already passed. It takes him a few more moments until he realizes that his head has not been crushed on the cement. His eyes open with confusion and then shock when he sees who he thinks to be Chihiro. “Oh, hi there… hehe, fancy meeting you like this, Chihiro?” Even he grimaces at his own lame joke.

They’re about to reply but someone’s voice interrupts their train of thought.

“Makoto! Shouting is not allowed in a school environment!” Kiyotaka whisper-yells at him from one of the rooms in the second floor.

“I was falling! What did you expect!” Makoto yells back indignantly and Alter Ego doesn’t know how to process this.

Mondo’s head pops up beside Kiyotaka’s and his yell is even louder than any of their’s. “You okay down there?”

“Better than when you tossed me out there!” Makoto’s voice is loud and tempered with fury. “If Chihiro wasn’t here then I would’ve been worse! Way worse!”

“Sorry about that, dude. It was an accident, I swear.” Mondo yells back despite the glare that’s Kiyotaka’s giving him. “Oh, and nice catch, Chihiro! I knew you had it in ya!” He gives them a thumbs up and they numbly reciprocate their own.

They politely set down Makoto and make their way hurriedly to class before they attract any more untoward incident or attention.

“Hey, was Chihiro always that strong?”

Any more than they already have started with that is.

They thought that blending in the classroom should have been easier especially when they’ve already conquered the intimidatingly high hurdle of Makoto’s luck at the entrance.

“I challenge thee to a bout of pride and arm strength!”

It seemed as though Makoto’s bad luck may have rubbed off on them.

“Oh no… I don’t think that’s a good idea.” They politely refused. They honestly did not want anything else that would make them stand out and this was one of those things.

“Oh, but I insist! This is one of those battles that cannot be avoided!” Hifumi pressed on.

“Um, why exactly are you asking me?” They ask hesitantly.

“Ignore him. He’s still brimming with humiliation at losing against the class idiot.” Celes answers for him and her regal tone makes even her insults sound like compliments.

“Yeah, he lost to me at arm wrestling!” Yasuhiro eagerly reveals with a triumphant grin.

“The idiot j-just admitted to being the idiot. Why am I not s-surprised at his stupidity anymore?” Touko comments from behind her book.

“Try not to listen too much. His voice alone has an incessant way of lowering the IQ of the room.” Byakuya quips as he nonchalantly goes through the daily report of stocks.

“Do you understand how shaming it is for me to be defeated by such an uncouth barbarian?” Hifumi looks like he’s about to cry as he pleads, “Please, Chihiro-dono. You are the only one who can restore my honor!”

Here’s the thing. Although Alter Ego can technically think and act on their own, they can’t quite refuse requests just yet. They’re not entirely sure if it’s in the coding or just in their character.

“Okay but only one round.” They concede but not without a sigh.

And Hifumi instantly brightens at what he thinks to be an easy win. “Not to worry. I will be sure to hold back enough so as not to injure you.”

They just smile innocently as they sit across him and they lock arms. Their grip is loose at first and tries not to let their strength show too soon. “On three then… One, two…” Their fingers close in. “Three.”

Nothing happens at first despite Hifumi’s greatest efforts, their hands barely even budge a millimeter. And then Alter Ego moves and it takes half a second for it to be over already. The room falls into thick silence and all of a sudden, they’re aware that practically everyone in the room was watching and they just saw their classmate Chihiro take down another in arm wrestling without breaking a sweat.

“That was a good match.” They try their best to imitate a polite smile but even they worry that it falters.

They walk out before any discussion breaks and they know that it will eventually break out.

“Wow, that was the most amazing match I’d ever watched!”

They walk out much faster than humanly possible.

And of course they just had to pass by an audience while they were at it.

“Woah, was that just Chihiro just now?” Aoi voices out her awe.

“I think it was.” Sakura seconds and nods in approval. “Perhaps I should ask him again to join our training. He seems more capable than what he’s inclined to show.”

“Dude, did you guys see just how fast he was going? I thought I saw an afterimage there!” Leon comments with his jaw gaping.

“I wonder why he was in such a hurry though.” Sayaka ponders at their retreating image.

In a moment of poor judgement, they tried to hide out of sight by taking a shortcut. That shortcut included jumping to height that was way higher than what Chihiro could only hope to dream achievable. They should have known that the rest of the class would reveal themselves them. Actually, in hindsight, they feel as though these three may have been shadowing them this whole time.

“Wooo! You go, Chihi!” Junko hollers playfully. “Way to take the ‘new heights’ thing literally! Go beyond the limits of human physics like a pro!” She cheers them on with way too much enthusiasm. “Demolish those normies!”

“Careful on your landing.” Mukuro quietly warns her.

Then there’s Kyouko who just smiles and Alter Ego swears that she knows. She nods curtly when their eyes meet and mouths, “I’ll see you tomorrow too then.”

Alter Ego doesn’t even look back as they leave the campus and return to the safety of their home.

The next day Chihiro walks into class with rumors of his herculean strength and he has half the heart to correct them.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in between the crammed spaces was a logical explanation as to why everyone was packed into Nanami’s already condensed cottage.

Initially, she wanted to bring her stuff with her to the lobby where it’s much more spacious but looking back at her hoards of console she knew that it would take too many trips and by then someone would have walked in and ruined the surprise for the rest. Besides, wasn’t this a surprise in its own way? Granted there’s barely enough room for them to breathe and much less to play but it would have to do. Once everyone had settled in as much as they could possibly have, Nanami started handing out the games and necessary consoles.

“Hanamura, you’re getting Cooking Mama.” She says and before he could be offended at a cheap knock-off of real cooking, she explains her choice. “I know how much you miss your mom… I know that the mama here isn’t exactly like yours, maybe. But I figured it might help with the homesickness hopefully.”

He looks at a loss for words. “This is… a wonderful choice.” And before he could get sappy, old habits kick in. “I’ll have you know that you are an exquisite choice yourself. You don’t need to flatter me with gifts if you want to spend a good time with me.”

She listens quietly, unresponsive. And then stoically turns to her next recipient. “I got you Fat Princess. It reminded me a lot of you while I was playing. It has food and strategy, I thought you’d like it… I guess.”

Twogami chuckles and it is a genuine heartfelt laughter. He’s more than happy to know that he was thought of especially by his one defining character trait. “It’s a worthy recommendation. I shall hold back my judgement until I finish it in all of its glory.”

She takes that as a sign that he likes it so she turns to meet the curious stare of a redhead. “I got you Life is Strange. It’s about this photography student but it’s less about taking photos and more of time travel I think… The protag is a girl with short hair and her freckles reminded me of you coincidentally.”

“Oh, wow that’s some… weirdly specific coincidences.” Koizumi admits it’s not quite the game she was expecting. She expected a typical point and shoot (with a camera) game but definitely not time traveling.

“Her name’s Max so I guess you both have names starting with M.” Nanami adds and then tilts her head in inquiry. “Are you okay with this? I can get you something else.”

“And miss out on time powers? I think not.” Koizumi just shakes her head. Sure, why not? It’d be a nice experience to see in someone else’s viewfinder for a change of perspective. “Besides, where else am I going to find a game that stars a girl and photography?”

She nods in agreement. Before Nanami could move on to whom she had planned for next, Saionji beats her to the punch as she unceremoniously jumps onto her. “Me! What about me? What did big sis Nanami get for me?”

She hands her the game with an excited smile. “I think you’ll like this one… Bully is an open world with the usual freedom of Rockstar games.”

“You had me at bully.” Saionji grins deviously.

Nanami shakes her head. “It’s not exactly that kind of game…”

“But I still get to do the stuff I like, right?” She smirks and breaks into childish cheer. “Yay! Thank you so much for this! I’ll play it to my heart’s content!”

She then turns to the nurse who jumps at the sudden attention. “Mikan, I got you Trauma Center. I know it’s far from the actual thing but I’m not exactly sure how… different it is.” There’s a certain genteleness in the way she hands out the game. And shyly, she asks, “Is it alright if I ask for your feedback on this?”

Mikan is still shocked from the experience of affection that it takes her a beat or two to stammer back, “T-Thank you! I’ll cherish this forever!!” She cries as she holds onto the game tightly to her chest. “You can count on me! I’ll be sure to point out all the inaccuracies.”

“Thank you, too.” Nanami then turns to the more if not the most excited member of the group. She smiles as she gestures to the whole setup behind her. “Ibuki, you get rockband… The full set.”

“Awesome! Ibuki has always wanted to play on these!” Ibuki hollers and she’s already at the drums while holding both the guitar and the bass. She looks just about ready to play all instruments at the same time. “The frets on the guitar are buttons! Kyaaah! How wild is that!”

Nanami can’t help but get carried along with Ibuki’s energy. She’s still smiling when she turns to Pekoyama. “If it’s sword slashing precision then the best I have is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. You’ll probably appreciate the free slicing blade mode rather than the button mashing on most games… I think.”

Pekoyama gratefully accepts the gift with a bow. “This is quite thoughtful of you. Thank you. I will try my best to master the fighting style here.”

“And when you get bored of that, take a break and play this instead…” She hands her a portable console this time and when Pekoyama opens it, the game is already on and it’s absolutely adorable. “It’s Nintendogs. Now those fluffballs won’t run away from you… probably.”

“I…” Pekoyama’s speechless but that’s mostly because she’s distracted by the puppies hounding at her screen. No animal has ever approached her with such zeal that it catches her off-guard. It’s a surprise that she’s more than willing to welcome. She locks eyes with Nanami and her lips tug slightly into a sincere smile. “I will remember to return this goodwill of yours.”

It doesn’t go past Kuzuryuu who watched the whole exchange. When Nanami turned to him, he was caught unaware and so his defenses shot up. “Heh, so you’re giving away games based on what we do? Don’t tell me you got me one of those dumb trying hard yakuza themed games.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think you’ll like Yakuza that much so I suggest Mafia as a better alternative…” She innocently tilts her head. “Then maybe it’s better when you think it’s a different culture?”

“Ha! You got a lot of nerve thinking I’ll play crap like that.” He scoffs at her.

“I’m not. I think you’re more respectable than that… maybe.” She says not quite sure what she wants to mean. She gives him a different game instead. “This is Undertale. I think you’ll like the Fight or Mercy mechanics. You’ll choose well, probably.”

“Hmph, whatever.” He crosses his arms but his expression softens. She got him a game with a pacifist route and he appreciates the gesture. He murmurs, “But thanks anyways. I guess I’ll give it a try when I’ve got nothing else to do.”

“I’m sure you’ll love it… I think.” Nanami crosses the room to the other half of the class and Sonia catches her eyes first. “I was trying to find a game where the protag is a princess but it was hard so… I just went for the game with an… intense female main character. Tomb Raider’s a classic and you’re pretty hardcore like Lara Croft.”

Sonia reads through the summary at the back with sparkling eyes. “Oh, I have always wanted to go on my own expeditions without royal guards hounding me!” She claps her hands in her excitement. “I think this is just a lovely game filled with action and adventure! Thank you!”

“Ah, Gundam.” She moved on to the next person on her list. “I know you don’t like games about breeding animals since you consider them…” She squints as she tries to find the exact words that he used. “An insult to the actual gods?”

“That is correct!” Gundam agrees with a scowl. “Those are outright blasphemy! Why waste time on fakes when there are actual gods among us? If I were not such a forgiving Dark Lord then I would have rained judgement on all of those atrocities!”

“But is it okay as long as it’s not based on actual animals?” She asks with uncertainty. She didn’t want to offend Gundam but she’s not sure how well he’ll take this suggestion of hers. “Monster Rancher is a classic for your type. You get to learn about raising a whole bunch of new species that are literally out of this world… Here, look.”

Gundam inspects the game with a snarl at first but as he goes through the monsters, he finds himself more intrigued rather than disgusted. A whole new world to conquer, huh? He breaks out into raucous laughter. “Feast your eyes on these poor lost souls! The time has come for the Tanaka Kingdom to recruit yet more unearthly races! Cower in fear as our strength increases right before your eyes! Bwahaha!”

“Oi, do your delusions more quietly! Nobody cares!” Souda shouts but it falls onto deaf ears since Gundam is already absorbed in raising his first monster. He doesn’t want to accept being ignored but then he remembers that he hasn’t gotten his game yet and so he turns to Nanami with expectant eyes. “Man, looks like everyone’s getting good picks. So what do I get? Is it cool? It’s definitely cooler than dork lord’s over there, right?”

Nanami’s smile is playful. This one was trickier to find but it was an achievement to finally get it. She pulls out a box and brings out its contents. There’s the game and console and… a mini-robot. “Meet R.O.B., he’s your partner for playing Gyromite.”

“This is…” He gapes over the robot and his hands roam over across the plastic, he’s already picking it apart in his mind and deciphering how it works. He expected a game but he did not expect it to come with its own mini-robot. His eyes are shining and he almost looks in love. “This is fricking sweet.”

Even Nanami thought it was cool and she’s sure that Souda thinks of it a tenfold more. While Souda was busy mooning over his new toy, she sets up Owari’s. “I couldn’t find anything close to your ideal but… Wii Sports is close enough, maybe. As long as you strap on the remote and keep your distance, you can play boxing to your heart’s content.”

“So I basically beat people up by actually beating them up?” She shouts a battle cry and gets fired up on the spot. “Yosh! I’m game for this!”

“Nidai, I got you FIFA Manager among other coaching games… I couldn’t decide which one would be your favorite.” She adds that last part shyly but he takes them with a smile as always.

“I’m the best at managing my players! I’ll even be the best in these games of yours!” Nidai lets out a hearty laugh. “I’d watch out for your highscore if I were you.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge.” She then turns to the last two of her list.

Komaeda is already wearing his trademark lopsided smile and is eager to see what new hope would be born out of this. “I’m grateful that you would even consider giving me a game- the embodiment of your hope- when I’m trash undeserving of such greatness. I feel bad that you bothered thinking about me when I’m worthless.”

Nanami lets out a sigh and her hands are on Komaeda’s face in a heartbeat. “Stop talking like that or you won’t get yours.”

“But I don’t-”

“Stop.” She puffs her cheeks while she pinches his.

“Ow! Okay, okay. I concede.” He chuckles and even raises his hands in a show of defeat. “I’m still new to this whole thing about people thinking I’m worth more than I really am.”

She stares at him for a long time, judgingly, taking his words into careful consideration. She huffs again and releases him. “Close enough.”

“Well you do inspire me to try, you know.” He smiles and there’s laughter dancing on his lips. “The truth is I’ve never been this excited in my life! Oh, aside from that time I received my acceptance letter to Hope’s Peak Academy that is.”

Somehow he always brings back the conversation to hope. She shakes her head and there’s a small smile forming. “Here. Try this.”

He takes the phone in his hand with the camera on and it surprises him slightly when something else appears on the screen. “Uh, Nanami? Is there supposed to be a creature here?”

Her hand quickly swipes the phone out from his grip and her face practically beams. “A Lapras! As expected from Komaeda’s luck!” She flicks her finger a few times and by the fifth pokeball, she catches it with a triumphant smile. “I’ve been looking everywhere for her. Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem.” He chuckles and then inquires, “So I’m guessing that wasn’t actually my game.”

She smiles shyly and then hands him his true gift. “That’s Legend of Mana and it’s legendary for its unique luck system. Almost the whole game is rigged on luck… I think.”

“I see. Then it is fitting for me.” He smiles broadly. “As expected from the ultimate gamer. Instead of bringing me the usual games, you hand me an excellent rpg. I will not let you down and maximize my luck just as much as your hope inspires me!”

“As long as you have fun.” She giggles and there’s a cough behind her. When she turns around, she sees the only person who has yet received a game from her. She smiles wider. “Hello there, Hinata.”

“Uh, hi.” He flushes and then straightens himself after a shaky breath. He fidgets from being too tense for his own good. He’s nervous even though he has no reason to be. He looks like the only person who’s afraid of what he’s about to get. “I know I don’t have any talent and all… so I’m sure you had a hard time finding a game for me.”

“Oh, not really.” She objects readily and she makes sure that her voice comes out as reassuring as possible. She finds his worries odd especially when there’s no trouble at all. “Actually… I picked out yours first.”

“What?” He shoots her a look of confusion. And when he holds the game in his hands, he feels absolutely lost. “Danganronpa…?”

“I feel like it’s life-and-death important for you to be good at this.” Nanami says in a tone that’s too serious to be talking about just games. And then in the next moment, she’s back to her laidback self. “By the way, it’s a series and I’ve already finished the latest one: New Danganronpa V3 or ndrv3 for short.”

“Um…” He’s still staring at the game and trying hard to read its hidden meaning but he comes up with nothing. He feels that there’s a joke somewhere in there that he’s missing. “Wait, so how did you end up picking this out for me?”

“Just an important feeling… probably.” She casually shrugs. There’s something cryptic underneath her words but he doesn’t have the code to decipher them and so he just loads the game with skepticism and caution. She nods at him approvingly. “When you’re done with that one, I’ll lend you the second one. I’m sure you’ll find the sequel more… interesting, I think.”

Nanami pulls out her own portable console and continues the minigame she left off. Every now and then she looks up to check on her classmates if they needed any help but they’re too engrossed with their own games, some more loudly than others. Playing games with everyone here is different from her usual peaceful solitude but it’s a good kind of different. It’s nice, she thinks.

And in this crammed cottage of Nanami’s where everyone is busy having fun, she thinks that everything is as it should be.

Chapter Text

“The only thing beyond this point is a bright and shining future!”

Brightness. That was the first thing that greeted them when they first woke up from the deepest slumber that lasted for weeks. Or perhaps greeted may not be the right word to describe it. At the final trial, while they were all in the throes of despair, a ray of hope pierced through the darkness. A hope bright enough to outshine the darkness of despair. It was with that brightness that they all decided to vote for the future. And they carried that brightness with them even as they woke up.

But brightness does not exist by itself. Just as there is light, there are also shadows looming over. The hope they had within them was the brightest but at the same time, they carried the darkest of despairs. They were former SHSL Despairs. All of them were. They woke up painfully aware of this fact. A year filled with horrendous acts, all of which done by none other than themselves, all of those memories had suddenly burst forth inside their heads.

They had only been victims of a mutual killing game for the past weeks and now they rediscovered that they themselves were perpetrators of despair.

Whether it was the five of them or the rest of the fifteen of them, they all suffered through the shock of their own sins. It was especially harder for the original five survivors who first woke up. They had just barely accepted the facts during the final trial but to be faced with them with no hope of ever denying this horrendous truth, they had to bear with it and carry on.

Because amidst the despair was hope and not all memories were horrible.

They remembered. They remembered all of the events that happened in the “game”. They remembered how they bonded and trusted each other. They remembered the very few and fleeting moments wherein they were just genuinely happy and enjoying each other’s company. They remembered far more. They remembered their days at Hope’s Peak Academy. They remembered how innocent they were and how much fun they used to have. They remembered how a certain someone had brought hope into their lives.

They remembered Chiaki Nanami. Both of them.

They remembered and they also lived. Unlike her, they were given a second chance to live and even a shot at redemption. And they’d be damned if they don’t honor her sacrifices.

The first one to wake up was not Hinata. In fact, he was the last one to regain consciousness. There was a logical explanation for this and he struggled to hold on to the fleeting dream that he chased after.

“I’m happy… and also proud…” Everything was fading fast and that included Nanami who seemed less solid with every passing second. And yet despite this, her smile was still bright and unfaltering. Hopeful. “Good job on making it this far… Thank you… for protecting everyone…”

“But I didn’t do anything! I couldn’t even protect you!” Hinata shouted as his voice choked on a sob. He tried to reach for her but his hands never quite reached her for some strange reason. It was just that she was within sight but out of reach. And soon, she’d be out of existence. More tears prickled his eyes as he desperately yelled, “I could have saved you but I didn’t!”

“That’s because I… don’t need saving.” She calmly replied with a gentle tone. “From the very beginning… my existence was born to save you and not the other way around…” She gently placed a hand over her chest and smiled softly. “But I’m happy… because you still tried… You’ve already done so much… and that’s more than enough for me… thank you…”

“But that’s not enough! You deserve better!” He objected with all his might. Maybe if he just yelled with all his emotions, she’d be able to stay with him. He knew it was futile though. Just seeing her lose her tangible form was terrifying him because he could practically see her existence being wiped out right in front of him. “Don’t go! Not yet! I… still don’t know what to do! We still need you! I need you!”

“It’s okay… you don’t need to worry… everyone’s with you…” She smiled at him one last time and it was her brightest and warmest yet. She waved him goodbye. “Even… me…”

When Hinata woke up, he was Kamukura and there were tears in his eyes and a hairclip was clenched tightly in one hand.

He blinked the tears away and once his vision cleared, so did everything else. There was no lag time between his awakening and his regaining of his memories. There was no need for an inner turmoil on his part despite waking up with two personalities. He was the helpless Hinata and he was also the emotionless Kamukura at the same time. And somewhere in there was the Hinata of the game who found the courage and strength, and hope to carry on.

He didn’t have time to dwell on the past because he was too busy working on their future. The future they fought and won for.

Five was not a number that he was satisfied with and so he worked out a way to get it up to fifteen. If there was any order as to who woke up first, then it wasn’t intentional. The first one who woke up was Twogami who informed them that he had full memories even if he was skeptical of some of them. Not long after was Teruteru who woke up more terrified than the former. They figured out a pattern from there and welcomed Koizumi when she woke up confused and afraid.

Pekoyama woke up to Kuzuryuu crying over her.

Her gaze immediately softened at the sight of him. “I’ve returned, young master.” She said with a smile she didn’t know she was wearing.

“Idiot. I know you fucking remember! So stop with this master bullshit!” Kuzuryuu scolded her but despite its harshness, it sounded endearing in her ears. “You’re a fucking person and dammit, I’m your friend!” He bawled over when he saw her take in a sharp breath. “And goddammit, don’t ever do anything that stupid again or I swear I’ll kill you!”

She felt the air knock right out of her lungs when he lunged forward and held her in an embrace. It was odd how she was the one who died but he was clinging on to her as if his life depended on it. She let herself cry over the fragile action. Tools don’t cry when they break but she was not a tool. She was a person, a person who was broken far too many times and so for the first time in a long while she allows herself to break in a different way. She broke down. And together, they’d pick up the pieces after.

When Saionji woke up, Koizumi was there to soothe her anguished screams.

“It’s over. It’s alright now. Sshh.” Koizumi whispered in her ear as she held her. Her voice sounded strained from holding back her sobs but the warmth seeped through as Saionji almost melted in her arms. “I’m here now.” And although Saionji cried out like a kid, there was no shame in that, only hurt. She cried and cried until she could only whimper, and then it was Koizumi who cried in her place. And when their tears dried, the faintest flickers of a smile shone on their faces.

Ibuki woke up not long after that and followed by a guilt-ridden Mikan.

“I’m s-sorry! I’m s-so sorry!” Mikan wailed as she knelt as soon as she could and her forehead hit the floor with a loud thump. Unlike everyone else who cried out of sorrow mixed with relief, Mikan cried for forgiveness. “Please, f-forgive me!”

“A second life! What sorcery is this?!” Ibuki had a more energetic reaction upon waking up. She took it all in stride despite the worry that etched her features. “Tsumiki mouse! Enough with the drama bomb. Let’s just reload our save file and be besties again! Ibuki lost an extra life no biggie and Hiyo-yo is fine too, see!” Mikan wanted to protest against that but it was hard to do just that when she was overwhelmed by three girls hugging her. She stopped crying for forgiveness and then just started simply crying. She cried harder when everyone else chipped in to comfort her.

Nidai was the only one who woke up grinning.

“Hahaha! It looks like all worked out well! Good job, everyone!” He laughed, so full of life and the rest couldn’t help but be infected by his good vibes.

“Uwaaah! Old man! You’re finally back!” Owari cried as she tackled him to the ground just as soon as he sat up. “I missed your kickass ass so much! Waaah!” She practically bawled all over him as she held him in a lock. Her arms unconsciously gripped around him tighter at the feeling of warm flesh unlike his cold metallic body from before.

“Excellent grip! It’s good to see you so full of energy!” He praised her as he laughed again, the sound bounced off the walls with much zeal. They don’t dwell much in tears and not even half an hour later, they’re already out in a bout. Unlike everyone else, they talked through their fists and so they poured their feelings into their first match since they woke up. It was a long overdue fight and they fought with the promise of more to come.

Everyone had expected Gundam to have a long-winded speech for when he rose from the dead.

However, before she could even utter a single word, he was fighting for breath first since Sonia had him pinned in his pod. “Oh, Tanaka! You have finally returned to us! I missed you so much! Thank the gods for bringing you back!” She breathed as she squeezed the breath right out of him.

“M-My lady! Nggh… She-cat! Release me… my Dark Queen!” He grunted out his words and it took an audible gasp for Sonia to come to her senses and ease her hold. She had quite the surprising grip despite her misleading appearance. Once he was able to catch his breath again, he smiled triumphantly. “We meet again, dear mortals! I, Tanaka the Forbidden One, have descended into the fiery pits of hell and rose from it again to rule this mortal realm! Bask in the glory of the ressurection of your king who not even death could hold back!”

Sonia barked a laugh as she wiped away her tears at his usual display. It was a tremendous comfort to hear his actual boisterous voice and the deep rumble of his trademark chuckle with her ears rather than with her mind. It was just like him to leave with a dramatic exit and to return with just as much grandeur. She clutched onto his scarf and her heart drummed an extra beat when she felt the steady rise and fall of his chest. He was so full of life now as he tried to live up to his image.

With much tenderness, he reached a hand forward and cupped her face. She leaned towards his touch without hesitation. She couldn’t tell if it was her heart or his which was beating faster and louder. His voice was lowered until a certain softness could be heard in it as he murmured, “I applaud your tenacity, oh queen of darkness. You have fought well and lived accordingly to the will of causality. It gives me joy to see your fighting spirit bursting in flames.”

She cried harder at this and the tears just soaked through his bandages. When she felt the soothing rub of his thumb on her cheek, she was practically bawling over. His other arm snaked to her back where he patted her comfortingly. Sonia vaguely remembered when she sobbed over his trial and when she first woke up but he didn’t. Both were painful memories for her. But this was not painful, at least not in the same sense. This time she cried and she could feel the pain subside with every sob and hiccup. He was too tough to show his tears aside from the scarce few that trickled his cheeks but that’s alright. Yes, it would be alright, they would be alright.

She could feel the rumble in his throat, a sign that he was about to say something, but he was interrupted first. “Alright, alright. He’s alive. We get it. Join the rest of the ressurected club.” Souda said flippantly as he crouched next to his pod. Despite the tone of his voice, tears shone in his eyes and the smile on his face was genuine. “Welcome back, you pretentious bastard.”

“Ah, so the pathetic mortal lives.” Gundam quipped with a smirk.

“Pathetic?” Souda looked absolutely taken aback by the unexpected insult. And so he immediately fell back into old habits. “Dude, look who’s talking! Seriously, you talk like a kid with 8th grade syndrome even though we’re past high school! If anyone’s pathetic here it’s you and your demonic crap!”

“What is a god to an ignorant non-believer? Still all powerful and less benevolent that is. I would choose my words carefully if I were you, foolish mortal.” Gundam retorted haughtily. Souda looked like he was about to burst and Sonia laughed at their usual banter. This was safe and familiar. This was how they used to be. This was how they were supposed to be. This was how they knew that they were going to be alright.

Finally, Komaeda was the last one to wake up.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

When Komaeda woke up, the first thing that registered his vision was a pair of mismatched eyes staring. “Ahh… Izuru Kamukura?” He asked tentatively. But when his vision cleared somewhat, the blurriness revealed a familiar face. “No, you’re Hajime Hinata, right?”

“They’re both me.” He said as he offered a hand.

“I knew you’d make it to the lowest stratum. I believed in you.” Komaeda replied with a heartfelt smile as he accepted the helping hand. "How are the others?“

He smiled and as if on cue the doors opened behind him to reveal the rest of their classmates. “You’re the last one out.”

Brightness. That was what he thought when he saw all of his friends right before him. They were all shards of hope shining brightly and overtaking his vision. They were hope bright enough to outshine the darkness of despair. It was with that same brightness that they all decided to vote for the future. No, maybe not exactly the same. They seemed brighter now, radiant even. It was a brilliant brightness full of hope towards the future.

Komaeda couldn’t have been more grateful than to be a part of this hope. He smiled brightly as reunited with them. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I overslept a bit.” They welcomed him back just as brightly in their own unique ways.

And as the whole class set off towards the future, they still carried with them their past.

In the back of their minds, buried not so deep, were precious memories of her. And if they listened closely with their heart, they could still hear her voice encouraging as always. “I’ll never forget about you guys… I’ll be cheering for you guys from now on… from somewhere. ‘Cause… we’re friends, after all.”

They move on. They move forward. They move without looking back because everything they need is already with them, beside them. Beyond this point was the future they worked hard on, her in particular. She’s still with them just unseen with eyes. She’s with them in spirit. And with everyone together and whole again, they take the first step towards the future.

“If you guys carried the burden of both hope and despair, you should even be able to create the future! Come on, let’s go. We’ll make our future together!”

Chapter Text

When she came to, she was inside a classroom filled with other students.

She didn’t even have time to make sense of it all when the room virtually collapsed and they found themselves on the beach. At the edges of the smooth flat floor was sand that was coarse and shifted under their footsteps. As bizarre as it was to have been transported to an island, it didn’t quite top the fact that their teacher was a pink bunny mascot who talked like a child.

She didn’t know which was more ridiculous. The teacher’s spiel about hope or the fact that she was missing her memories.

“I’m Mukuro Ikusaba. SHSL Soldier.” The person beside her politely introduced herself first. She paused as if waiting for a reply.

A panic registered in her chest as her heart thumped wildly in its ribcage. Her mouth opened but no words spilled. There was a blank space where one shouldn’t be. She didn’t know what to answer at first until she registered the weight fitted in her hands. A notebook that she’d been holding on for a while now but only took notice of right now. She opened it and read the first page as if the foreign information was about her. “Ryouko Otonashi… I’m the SHSL (???)?” She answered hesitantly.

“Are you asking me?” Mukuro asked incredulously.

Ryouko almost flinched at the sharpness of her gaze. “I don’t remember…” She visibly slumped as she looked down, her eyes were shut as she tried to focus with all her desperation. Her hands shot to her head, squeezing it with surprising strength as if it would force the memories out. Nothing. Her head was practically throbbing from the pain of thinking too much but without any memories to push out, her brain felt like it was bleeding and she’s pretty sure that wasn’t a good sign. Then again, having amnesia was never a good sign.

“Hey, are you okay?” A concerned voice called out. It was someone else’s voice and the gentleness in it caused her head to snap up and stare into worried eyes. “You look like you were having an episode or something. Is something wrong? Do you feel sick?”

She blinked warily and upon looking elsewhere, she noted the curious glances of their classmates. She steadied herself and forced her chattering teeth to clench shut. “Yeah… m'fine. Just a bit dizzy.” She finally said through gritted teeth.

He let out a relieved breath. “That’s good. You probably just need to rest for a few minutes. I know everyone’s a bit confused over what’s happening, myself included, so it’s okay to take a breather.” He said with an understanding smile. “I’m Makoto Naegi by the way. I guess I’m the SHSL Luckster. I’m not that sure either.” He said it with a laugh.

Something about the way he said it struck her. “You’re not sure? Could it be that you… don’t remember either?” She asked almost hopefully.

He blinked slowly, confused at first, and then replied with a tone that danced, light and yet at the same time it carried weight that was heavy enough but not exactly dragging. “Oh no, not like that. It’s more of my personality. I’m just not sure about a lot of things especially things about myself but I’m learning. I guess it just kind of comes up when I talk.” He paused and then continued somberly, “I’m sorry that my phrasing confused you and… sorry to hear that you don’t remember.”

Before she could even respond to that, another person joined in their conversation. “Amnesia, huh?” She turned to the source and saw a girl with purple hair who was flipping through the notebook. Ryouko’s eyes went to her now empty hands. Since when did she get a hold of it? As soon as she noticed its absence, it was rightfully back. “Interesting…” She said as she handed back the notebook after perusal.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Ryouko huffed. She’s still not sure whether or not the notebook was hers in the first place but that didn’t mean that she was okay with strangers looking into it. In fact, she was almost seething in anger at the blatant breach of privacy.

The girl on the other hand was calm. If she noticed Ryouko’s hostile demeanor then she paid it no mind. “Kyouko Kirigiri. SHSL Detective.”

Ryouko knew that Kyouko would probably be the best person to ask for help in solving the mystery of her missing memories but right now she didn’t want anything to do with the snoop.

“Sorry about your… amnesia thing. I didn’t know and I think I was insensitive.” Mukuro apologized and it’s only then that Ryouko remembered about her presence.

“Oh, it’s okay! I mean it’s obviously not. Me, I mean. But what else can I do?” Ryouko mumbled incoherently. It was odd how her lips moved so fast despite not having much to say and so her words came out as a mess.

“It’s too early to think like that! I’m sure it’ll come back to you at some point and we’re here to help you in any way we can.” Makoto spurred her on encouragingly.

“That’s awfully optimistic of you to believe in.” She replied a bit skeptically.

“Well optimism is my one redeeming quality, I think.” He said with a smile that never faltered. “We’ll figure things out together. Let’s not lose hope!”

Ironically enough, Ryouko vaguely remembers the feeling of despair.

—

Despair. That’s the foreboding feeling that weaved all throughout the class.

An impromptu island field trip was one thing, a bunny mascot as the teacher was another, but a mutual killing? That was an entirely different level and quickly overshadowed everything in a malevolent sense. Whatever friendly atmosphere they had built in the first hour was harshly crushed by the suffocating miasma of despair.

Monokuma. She thought she knew the name of the sinister bear before he even announced it. His laughter echoed inside the walls of her head before it even escaped its sinister smile. He was familiar. Despair was familiar. Something about this screamed familiar to her and there was a foreboding sense to everything.

“Upupu! Welcome to the island trip of mutual killing! A rehash of the original because everyone loves beach OVAs!” Monokuma roared in laughter. Ryouko couldn’t even suppress the chill that she got from that weird laugh. It irked her and yet it also beckoned her. But ultimately, she knew that he was dangerous. “If you want to leave this island then all you gotta do is do in somebody. Kill and not be caught or else you’d get executed and all that jazz. I’m sure you already know this so let’s just skip tutorial.”

“Uwawa! No killing! Usami will stop you!” Their so called teacher launched at him.

“Yeah, not gonna happen. This isn’t island mode, sistah.” Monokuma chortled and easily took down his assailant. He even gave her a total makeover for good laughs. “Now be a good baby and behave, Monomi. Big bro’s talking with the soon to be murdering kids.” Usami- now Monomi, couldn’t even argue since her mouth was taped shut as she dangled over them tied up in rope.

“No one will be murdering anyone!” Makoto strongly objected when everyone else refused to speak out loud. “We’re not going to kill each other just because you told us to! We’re all friends here and friends don’t just kill friends!”

“Oyaoya?” Monokuma tilted his head to one side as if curious. “That’s some disgustingly positive words you got there. You should be a speechwriter or something just as pathetic.” He mocked him and the redness in his one eye shone malevolent. “But do you really think that everyone here is as naive as you?” With a menacing grin, he added, “Besides, what can you do? You can’t do anything on your own.”

Makoto visibly flinched at his words but he didn’t back down. He stood his ground and pushed forward. “I believe in them. I believe in us. I trust that we’ll overcome your despair and hold on to hope instead.”

His faith was clearly misplaced since there was already a murder the day after the motive was handed out.

The most shocking part was that the culprit had an entirely separate motive than the one Monokuma gave them. It was a crime of passion and it was her most passionate murder yet judging by the bloodbath of evidence. Genocider Syo was on the loose and Byakuya was right within her MO. The trial felt so wrong not only because they were basically condemning someone to their death, but also because Touko was an innocent bystander dragged into this. Just because they were separate personalities didn’t change the fact that they shared a body. Syo was the one who killed and not Touko but both of them died together during the execution.

The next murder happened three days after the motive was given. Most of them thought that money wasn’t enough reason to kill someone but Yasuhiro thought otherwise. He wasn’t planning on killing anyone at first but then he divined that he’d pull it off successfully and he trusted his fortunes despite being correct only a third of the time. He chose Leon only because the fortunes told him that red was his lucky color. Unfortunately for him, this was one of his missed fortunes and he begged for forgiveness all throughout his execution.

Perhaps the most unexpected of them all was that caused by the Despair Fever. Kiyotaka had been the unfortunate soul to be inflicted with the remembering symptom without anyone noticing the change in his demeanor. He just wasn’t the same person anymore. He kept going on and on about how despair was the ultimate compass and how he was leading justly. He admitted to killing the ever trusting Mondo who walked in when he had just finished slaughtering the easy target Hifumi. It was disturbing to see him so at peace over what he had done. He was the only person who looked like he was enjoying his execution.

The fourth murder wasn’t supposed to be one at all. They were trapped in the strawberry house and they were starving. They would have all starved to death if nobody killed. Sakura was going to quietly sacrifice herself so that the rest of them could live. However, when Aoi found out, she raced to kill herself first. She even had her suicide note written hurriedly. In her final breaths, Sayaka had accidentally walked in on her. Instead of helping Aoi, she saw this as an opportunity and delivered the final blow. She almost got away with the murder if it weren’t for Kyouko pointing out inconsistencies in her testimonies. She struggled but ultimately lost her life at her execution.

The final murder case seemed like the longest one not just because of the trial itself but also because of the high strung tension before it.

“Shall we make a gamble?” Celes played her best smile. “I bet that I can weed out the traitor.”

“And then what? Kill him?” Mukuro eyed her warily, judging her every movement.

“There’s no need for you to go to such extremes.” Sakura intervened with a calm voice in an effort to diffuse the incoming fight. “What good would finding out the traitor’s identity do us? Our priority should be preventing any more killings.”

“I’m inclined to agree with Sakura.” Makoto swallowed thickly. “We just got over that last one. I think we should rest and clear our heads first before jumping into decisions.”

That sounded reasonable enough and yet- “But what if the traitor’s planning something behind our backs?” Kyouko didn’t even falter when all eyes fell on her. In fact if anything, she narrowed her eyes at Celes. “You’re not the volunteering type. Finding the traitor’s identity seems like an out of character move from you. What’s your angle?”

The accusation only made Celes smile wider. “Oh, is that worry I hear in your voice? I’m flattered over your concern.” She giggled when she saw Kyouko’s lips form a thin line. “Relax, I’m just exercising my talent. It has been a while since my last use of it.”

Kyouko did not have the patience today not when she knew that the gambler was planning something. She had to back her to a corner and make her talk before any more casualties arose. “What did you see in the Final Dead Room?” She pressed on.

Celes had been the only one able to enter the Final Dead Room during the lockdown and she’s been tightlipped about her findings ever since. Weapons was all she would answer when asked but Kyouko knew that she was hiding something. Her poker face was incredibly unreadable so whether or not Kyouko’s interrogation was phasing her, it was hard to tell. Celes’ smile had not faltered ever since the conversation started.

“Weapons.” She answered again, her smile was a touch bit of mocking. “But if you must know, a weapon is only as lethal as its wielder.” She added lightheartedly what sounded like a threat.

Mukuro instantly changed her stance and growled, “If you try anything, I’ll have you personally know why I’m called a human killing machine.”

“P-Please, no violence!” Chihiro pleaded while shaking out of fear.

Ryouko on the other hand, wanted nothing of this. “This has nothing to do with me…” She mumbled to herself as she turned a blind eye over the fight. She’s just here to figure out her memories. Anything outside of that, she was not obligated to be a part of.

As if she ate death threats on a daily basis, Celes answered Mukuro’s steely gaze with her own, silently conveying her own resolve. She turned her eyes back to Kyouko’s and proudly said, “I haven’t lost a bet before in my life.”

“What are you wagering?” Kyouko asked her one last question.

Celes’ smile almost seemed genuine. “The highest stakes, of course.”

She went missing that night and led them on a wild goose chase that lasted for almost a week. Just when they thought they’d caught up with her, the trail would go cold and a different clue would surface. They wouldn’t have played her game of chase if only she hadn’t taken the islands as hostage with bomb threats. She kept everyone on edge and on the lookout for her and for the bombs.

They found the bombs first and then her corpse next.

A locked room murder. That’s what it was and after clearing suspicions on each other, they had decided that it was clearly suicide. There was just no other possibility.

“You’ve got that wrong!” Makoto objected just before they could cast their votes. “Don’t you think it’s a bit weird? Celes isn’t the type to just kill herself.”

“Yeah, well Kiyotaka looked plenty innocent too.” Ryouko argued back. “For all we know, she could have been infected by the despair disease and hiding her symptoms all this time?.

"But wasn’t that cured after the third trial?” Chihiro chipped in.

“It’s true. My fearing symptom was alleviated as soon as the… execution was over.” Sakura confirmed morosely.

“Well if you put it that way… We still don’t know why she wanted to kill herself.” Mukuro added thoughtfully.

“She obviously couldn’t find out who the traitor was and killed herself out of gambler’s honor or something.” Ryouko argued with a scoff. She just wanted this to be over and done with.

“I doubt that honor is the first thing that comes to mind when being a gambler.” Kyouko crossed her arms in thought. “But it is rather peculiar as to why she chose this specific method to die. Given all the hardship she’s thrown over us this past few days, this death seems too easy.”

“Then we all agree that we should discuss about this more, right? At least let’s try to uncover the whole truth before we close this permanently.” Makoto suggested and with most of them nodding in agreement, he continued with heavy breath, “We’ll get through this, I’m sure of it… No matter what truth we uncover.”

The truth may have been better left unknown as they all turned to the culprit with a sickening sense of betrayal.

“…Aww, you totally guessed right!“ Makoto tried to smile but it came out half-hearted, somber. "Just as expected… Yeah, you got that right… I’m the traitor.”

But even more powerful than betrayal was the conflicting sorrow they felt over his fate.

"There… There has to be a mistake!” Mukuro pleaded with desperation. “How sure are we that it was the traitor who did the killing blow? Maybe it was Celes for all we know! Maybe Makoto’s luck somehow saved him a few seconds just before he could become a killer unknowingly!”

“We’ve gone over this before…” Kyouko cut her off right there. Her bangs covered her eyes so it was hard to tell what kind of expression she was making but her voice sounded more collected than usual, unfeeling. “We’re absolutely certain that Celes died by accidental intervention at the traitor’s hands. With Makoto’s streak of bad luck, it even makes more sense that he’d be the culprit.”

“Of a murder he never planned!” Mukuro shouted, her voice was raw with emotion. “Are you seriously accepting this? His only crime was that he was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and threw the wrong bottle! He’s a murderer by a goddamn technicality!”

“But a murderer under the rules nonetheless!” Kyouko yelled back and the whole room fell silent. She held her chin up and revealed streaks of tears down her eyes. Her voice trembled now and it was so soft, it sounded like she would almost break. “I don’t approve of this any more than you but we both know what we must do in order to survive.” She couldn’t hold back any more and covered her face as she cried over her helplessness.

Mukuro wanted to say something to that but she bit her lip. She knew and understood their situation. It wasn’t Kyouko’s fault that they had to make this choice but that didn’t make her any less angry. Her fists were clenched so hard that if she hadn’t been wearing gloves then she would have drawn blood. It wasn’t just the two of them who were hurting over this. Everyone had their own anguish painted across their faces and sobs echoed through the trial room.

And Makoto, sweet innocent about to die Makoto, he was smiling softly.

“It’s alright… I don’t blame you for making this choice. If anything, I guess I’m happy that you chose to live.” He offered with a small genuine laugh and that made them feel even more guilty at what they were about to do. “I’m sorry that you had to find out about me this way but at least I get to help you in the end.”

“Why?” Sakura asked barely above her sobs. “If you just revealed that you were the traitor then maybe we could have avoided these fatalities.”

Makoto just smiled somberly and crossed his arms as he explained, “A traitor who’s not allowed to think that they’re different from everyone else… A traitor who can only interact with everyone as a traitor…“ He barked out a bitter laugh. "Because that’s the nature of their existence… They can only exist as a traitor…”

"That’s right. In the end, you’re still the traitor!” Ryouko pointed at him with a scowl. Unlike everyone else, her anger seemed to be directed at him. “You’ve been deceiving us all this time! I… We… We thought you were our friend but it turns out that you’re working for them! All that talk about friendship and hope? Was none of that real?”

He steadied her a hard glance, his voice unfaltering. “Everything was real. Everything said and happened between us was real. Believe in me when I say that all of that was real and genuine. The only difference is that I’m just a traitor. I lied about not being the traitor but everything else was the truth.”

“I don’t understand. If everything else was true…” Chihiro said in between his sniffles. “Then what does you being a traitor make you different?”

“Sorry… but I don’t have what it takes to tell you.” When met with pleading looks he continued, “Even if you want to fly, you can’t, right? Even if you want to swim where you please, you can’t right? It’s the same for me, I guess…”

Aside from the sounds of crying, no one spoke. The air felt too heavy to breathe in. Some of them shut their eyes in a futile effort to look away from the inevitable while the others bravely looked on with blurred visions, memorizing every detail before he would cease to exist. He was crying too but he was smiling more than anything.

It was his kind smile that they would miss the most.

“Yeah, yeah whatever! Look are you going to vote or not? ‘Cause I swear I’m going to execute all of you regardless if nothing happens in the next ten seconds!” Monokuma ordered them impatiently and even began his countdown.

Makoto’s smile was heavy in their hearts.

“…You guys can stay alive by believing in me.” He urged them on, almost pleading. He placed a hand over his chest, a gesture that showed he trusted them wholeheartedly to make the right choice. “You don’t have to worry. Believe in me… and cast your vote.”

So they did and they were right. And oh, how they wished they were wrong.

“Monomi… I’m sorry, too.“ He said as he crouched to her level. "You’re probably gonna get scolded by a lot of different people for this… But still, I want to protect everyone by any means. And… I’m happy that I’m able to do that.”

"I’m surprised that you would even do that!” Monomi said in between her sniffles. “I didn’t think you could… pull it off.”

“Maybe I wanted to protect everyone, no matter what the cost.” Makoto confessed and then shook his head. “No, not maybe. I’m sure of it.” The smile on his lips seemed lighter as he continued, “I was able to think I wanted to protect everyone. That’s why… I feel proud of my actions.”

“I’m proud of you too! You did good!” Monomi cried as she hugged him. “I can’t let my student go in alone so… this teacher’s coming with you.”

“Are you sure?” He pulled back and stared questioningly at her eyes. “You know you don’t have to. I’m the one who’s supposed to be executed. Who’s going to watch over them?”

“You’ve grown up, Makoto. You’re able to make decisions on your own now. If you believe in them so much then I want to believe in them too.” She puffed at her chest for emphasis. “This teacher needs to do some growing up too. I’m coming with you and that’s final.”

“Okay, okay. Thank you.” He laughed out of relief. “To be honest, I’m kind of scared. I feel bad for bringing you along with me but if you say so…” He tightly held her stuffed paw as he stood up. “Let’s believe in everyone… and leave the rest to them…”

He turned toward his friends who were reluctant to let him go.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye.“ He waved at them one last time with a smile that was too happy for the occasion. "Bye everyone… It’s okay. A shining future will always be waiting for you. It’s true… It’s absolutely true… Because I believe in you! So don’t lose hope!”

Makoto left them with hope but all the others could feel was an emptiness where his life should have filled in.

—

They didn’t know what to believe in anymore.

Everything about this world was fake. The whole island and even them included, all was fake. This was all a literal game, a virtual program where they were just mere avatars walking about. They were all just strings of numbers without knowing it. No matter how real everything seemed to them, it just wasn’t. They saw it firsthand how their world glitched and collapsed right in front of them. This was a virtual world and they were merely players. It made them question their existence. Was none of this ever real?

"So if our brains believe something is real… then it’s no different than if it actually happened?” Ryouko couldn’t believe what she was saying. This has got to be a lie, a horrible yet terrifyingly believable lie.

“If a lie is a believable lie… You’re saying it might become the truth?” Sakura looked just as bewildered as the rest of them.

“We’re really just connected to machines and our consciousness was uploaded into here…?” Chihiro understood more than anyone else just how possible that was but that didn’t mean he was more accepting. “So we genuinely believed that this game world was real and we didn’t know any better.”

“The truth is… it was all a lie… That is this world’s truth.” Kyouko concluded grimly.

Mukuro tried to combat the shock with anger. “Who cares if it’s a lie? If this is really a game world, everything that happened here took place inside the game, right?”

“I see, just because they died in the virtual world doesn’t mean they died in real life.” Sakura jumped onto her train of thought with an unexpected hope. “Those who left before us only died in spirit here but are still alive in the real world.”

Chihiro didn’t seem that convinced with the theory however. “I’m not sure if that’s how it works…”

“You sore losers just don’t get it do you?” Monokuma sighed and shook his head almost sympathetically if he was even capable of that. “The New World Program isn’t just any game, it’s next-gen software containing the ultimate reality. And speaking of that reality, if a player’s avatar experiences death… Their brains inside their actual bodies will stop functioning too!”

Whatever little hope they were building up was trampled on just like that.

“Well nobody’s gonna appreciate a game where you don’t die where you’re supposed to, right?” He casually said as if their lives meant nothing to him.

“You bastard!” Mukuro swore and she would have murdered the bear many times over if it weren’t for the stupid rule about violence against this so called headmaster.

“Hey, don’t blame me. I’m just here for the show. If you want to be mad at someone then get mad at Future Foundation. They’re the ones who are forcing you to play this game.” Monokuma suddenly paused and if it were possible, it’s smile seemed to grow wider. “Speaking of the devil… The main cast has arrived!”

There was a flash of bright light at one of the stands. As the light began to fade, strings of numbers started to materialize until those numbers converged into something more tangible- a person. This person carried an air of power and authority that was more than just from their suit. Their hair was black and there was something abyssmal about its length as it mixed with their own shadow. And then there was the all piercing gaze from his red eyes. This person wasn’t just anyone, whoever he was, he was unspeakably dangerous.

“Look who came for a fan favorite comeback! Classic!” Monokuma cheered and even clapped in encore. “Welcome Future Foundation’s poster boy, the Ultimate Hope himself, Izuru Kamukura!”

Ultimate Hope? Ironically enough, all they could feel was trepidation as they regarded the suspicious newcomer with caution.

Izuru paid them no mind as he cut right to the chase, precise. “If you want to be saved then you all need to fully accept the situation you’re in. Why do you think Future Foundation put you in the New World Program in the first place?” He expounded, “The New World Program has another name: Hope Restoration Program. By now you should be able to piece together your true identities.”

“True identities? Aren’t we the fifteen survivors of Hope’s Peak Academy who were rescued by the Future Foundation?” Chihiro asked, obviously afraid of where this was going.

“But why would they put us in a Hope Restoration Program?” Kyouko countered and judging by her sudden pale expression, it seems that she may have already figured it out.

Something flashed inside Ryouko’s mind, something fleeting and yet also familiar. A feeling. A memory. A truth.

A horrible truth.

“We’re all… Remnants of Despair?” The words escaped her lips without thinking, her mind was still in shock over the discovery.

Izuru ignored the collective gasp and added, “Despair in human form but utterly inhuman… that’s what you are.”

Despair. And that’s what they felt in this moment, despair piled on top of despair.

“That cannot be true! I refuse to believe that we are capable of falling so low!” Sakura found herself shouting at the outrageous accusation.

He sighed as if bored by their reactions and continued monotonously, “It might seem unbelievable at first because you only have memories from before you entered high school but you changed at Hope’s Peak Academy. You were all tainted by Ultimate Despair when you came in contact with HER.”

“Her? Just who is this bitch?” Mukuro practically snarled.

“The true Ultimate Despair… Junko Enoshima.”

Junko Enoshima. There it was again, that name. It was that same name that nagged at her mind more than the name Ryouko Otonashi. For someone as forgetful as her, it was the one thing that she didn’t forget. It was strange, it was as if the name was a parasite that dug itself into her brain. The roots were so deep that it was like it didn’t want her to escape from this name. There was something important about it but she didn’t feel thrilled at the chance that it was related to her memories. There was something sinister about that name and now she knew that it was because this name belonged to a sinister person. Not just any sinister person but the Ultimate Despair herself.

“Junko was the one who strongly influenced you in school and changed you into Despairs. And in order to remove that influence, you’ve been placed into the Hope Restoration Program.” Izuru explained with no remorse. “The reason you’re able to act like your normal selves is because you’re within the New World Program but your true bodies in the real world are different. In the real world, you’re part of a group that cruelly destroyed your family, friends, and even your own body. The Ultimate Despair defy all understanding and even their own hopes.”

The room errupted into a chorus of denial and each face was painted with despair.

“T-There’s no way we’d do something like that!” Ryouko objected but was surprised because a part of her believed what he was saying. No, not just believed… it was more like she already knew from the beginning.

“It’s useless to feign ignorance anymore. Don’t turn away from the truth.” Izuru slammed his hand, effectively silencing the room. “Now face what you’ve done and from there take the first step towards the path of hope!”

Hope? What did he mean by hope?

“But if we’re already Despairs as you said then what hope do we have?” Mukuro asked weakly not quite meeting anyone’s eyes.

“There’s no need to worry. If you just advance toward the hope I provide then you’ll be saved. It’s that simple.” He crossed his arms as he expounded, “Essentially, your cohabitation inside the New World Program was just a simulation. If we removed the memories of your time at Hope’s Peak Academy, would it also remove your Ultimate Despair? Although it deviated from the original plan of you collecting Hope Fragments, nevertheless you guys were able to overcome your unexpected trials and make your way here.” He paused to let that sink in before adding, “That’s why… all you need to do is choose 'Graduate’.”

“And by choosing to 'graduate’, we can get out of here?” Kyouko asked skeptically.

“However, if you 'graduate’ from here, your school memories will never return.” Monokuma pointed out.

“If you choose to 'graduate’ and the Observer determines that there are no problems then you will complete the Hope Restoration Program and your avatar will be 'uploaded’ into your real body.” Izuru explained furthermore.

“By uploading our avatar’s memories into our bodies, we’re also forcibly erasing our past selves…” Kyouko pieced together out loud.

“H-Hey… What happens to the people whose avatars died?” Mukuro on the other hand was more concerned about those left behind than this existential crisis.

“If an avatar that needs to be uploaded has been deleted, there’s nothing we can do.” Izuru bluntly answered without hesitation. “If you choose to 'Graduate’, it’ll transfer your in-game memories but your school memories will be gone forever. Unfortunately, the people who have already died will not be able to wake up.”

Despite being in a virtual world, they still couldn’t escape the reality of their friends’ deaths.

“Then… What will happen if we don’t choose to 'graduate’?” Mukuro asked, her voice carrying a slight tremble.

“You’ll continue living your tropical life. How boring.” He stifled a yawn.

“Why would you even ask that? Don’t you want to get out of here?” Ryouko asked, her voice laced with betrayal.

Mukuro simply looked away. “Well even if we wake up, we’re still messed up… So what’s the point?”

“You don’t have to force yourself to return to a painful reality. Let’s just play this game forever and ever. Don’t worry, I won’t judge.” Monokuma commented snidely.

“Is it really okay to sacrifice the others just to save ourselves?” Chihiro offered his own thoughts.

“But if we don’t get out of here now, all the deaths we’ve endured will be in vain. We at least owe to them our survival.” Sakura argued but even she seemed torn about it.

Kyouko who has been silent this whole time, finally spoke up but it wasn’t about the current issue. “Something’s not right…” Specifically concerning a certain bear. “How come Monokuma’s isn’t trying to stop us?”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re expecting so much from little ol’ me.” Monokuma blushed. “Hate to break it to ya but I’m just an NPC. Even I know when I’m not needed for plot.”

“Are you really? Are you truly going to stay quiet and overlook us getting out of this game world? Then everything you did would be pointless, too.” She continued her line of reasoning.

“Hey, not everything has to have a point! I’m an impulsive bear who does what he wants with no greater meaning.” He needlessly twirled. “Not bothering to care or plan for anything keeps the stress away. How else do you think I got this wrinkle-free face of youth?”

“Not only that…” She then directed her accusation towards the only other silent person in the room. “Is it really okay for us to believe him? Don’t you think it’s a little strange?”

“Strange? It seems you still don’t grasp your situation.” Izuru didn’t seem the least bit phased at all. “Be saved or don’t be saved. Be grateful that you’re even offered the first option when you are Remnants of Despair. How hard is it for you to understand that?”

“You said you were the Ultimate Hope and that it was you who put us inside this program, right?” She wasn’t intimidated by him at all as she continued her interrogation with narrowed eyes, “Then tell me who Hajime Hinata is whom we met earlier and claimed to be the same?”

“…” He fell silent for a long while until a chuckle passed through his lips. “So you’ve made contact, huh? Should have known that he’d be able to hack through… I should have gone with his face after all but then again even I don’t want to wear that boring loser’s face.” With that, he disappeared from sight.

“He vanished because he couldn’t keep up the charade anymore.” Sakura pointed out, still staring at where Izuru was just a moment ago.

“So that fake was all Monokuma’s doing?” Chihiro was still overcoming the shock from that.

“Awwww, you found out I was faking! Th-This is so embarassing, I just wanna kill myself!” Monokuma acted all flustered and shy.

“Why would you give us a fake Future Foundation member!” Ryouko yelled indignantly.

“That fake was trying to get us out to the 'real world’…” Kyouko pointed out with a scowl.

“Then that’s your plan? Is that where your trap is?!” Mukuro shouted, absolutely furious. “I don’t care about the rules anymore! I’m going to kill you right here and now!!”

“Stop! You can’t kill me yet! This isn’t some stupid game with a half-assed ending like that!” Monokuma shouted back with just as much anger.

“You should stop calling all of this as that. This isn’t a game.” Sakura reprimanded and it looked like she was ready for murder as well.

That actually made Monokuma chuckle. “Oh, but this IS a game. And like all epic games, there’s still the final boss.” He tucked in his elbows and began charging energy. “Upupu… Get ready for the transformation you’ve all been waiting for! AAAAAHHHHHH!”

Ryouko felt an intense foreboding feeling about this. Like the inside of her brain was burning, sizzling, building up to explode kind of feeling. An inescapable kind of feeling of what was about to come.

“Now then! Make sure you burn this ginormous despair you’re about to see into your memories!”

As Monokuma burned brightly in an aura of his own energy, a gigantic manicured hand squashed him unceremoniously out of nowhere. More of the world collapsed and crumbled, and from the debris rose a giant woman with a face that showed no remorse. Despite having the face of a fashionable teenager, there was something menacing about her aura. It’s as if malice practically seeped through her. She then nonchalantly pulled out a phone and placed it in front of them. The screen flickered to life as the same woman was shown but this time more animated.

“This is… Monokuma’s identity?” Sakura regarded her warily.

“We have to deal with this thing?” Mukuro’s hand was already on her knife.

“Thing? How rude!” Junko huffed and wailed her arms. “I don’t want to hear that from such a disappointing sister!”

“?!” Mukuro flinched and without a moment’s hesitation, her glare turned up to a dangerous level. “Don’t ever refer to me as anything remotely close.”

“Well girl, do I have some news for you.” Junko giggled shortly and all of a sudden her mood swung to a more somber tone. “Ah, but then again, spoilers. Can’t let you know that early in the game.”

“Can’t let us know what?” Kyouko hounded her.

“Y'all can’t take a hint, huh? I just said NO SPOILERS!” Junko yelled harshly and then started acting all bashful. “Kyaaah! This is so embarrassing! Everyone’s staring at me so intensely!”

“Her personality isn’t consistent at all.” Chihiro pointed out fearfully.

Mushrooms sprouted all over Junko as she sighed. “Well sorry for trying so hard to cater to your generation’s short attention span. You guys get so bored so easily that the only way I can keep up is by changing personalities every five seconds.”

And while everyone was trying to absorb the sudden appearance of their ultimate enemy, there was one who was taking this harder than the rest, for reasons not even she could comprehend. “Are you… Are you truly the Junko Enoshima?” Ryouko asked with a trembling voice.

Junko paused and a large grin slowly spread across her face. “Hmm? Why would you ask that specifically?”

Ryouko’s mouth opened to answer something but nothing came out. She’s not sure either why she asked that or what answer she was expecting. If they only had memories from before high school then there’s no way for her to have known Junko’s face and yet… For some reason, Ryouko couldn’t help but feel that she recognized Junko. And the manic grin on her face told her that Junko recognized Ryouko too. It was unsettling.

“I am the great Junko Enoshima among other things but you can just call me Junkie! After all, aren’t we all Ultimate Despair here? So that makes us all buddies!” Junko happily announced in a sing-song tone.

“Like hell we are!” Mukuro objected and so did the rest of them.

“Sheesh, tough crowd.” Junko sighed dejectedly. “And here I was thinking of you guys when I tampered with the Graduation Program.”

“Tampered…?” Chihiro hesitantly asked.

“Got yer attentions now, ey?” Junko winked at them. “Remember what that fake Izuru said earlier? About what happens to you when you graduate, right? I feel like you guys weren’t getting a big enough reward for graduating… So I decided to modify what happens so it’s something exciting and unique, just like a game!”

The gigantic Junko retrieved the phone and tapped on the keypad a few times before setting it back with an image blown up on screen. “Uploading your game memories into your real bodies is fine, but letting your friends stay dead just sucks! That’s why I’m pulling off a deus ex machina to ressurect them! This is the 'new Graduation Program’ that I’m offering!”

“Can you really… bring them back?” Mukuro asked desperately, almost hopefully.

“Of course I can! Who do you think I am? I hacked into here so I can hack their lives back!” Junko then stood up straighter and sharply declared, “Besides, what are you all getting stressed for? It’s just a game. Each and every thing that happened in this world was just an event within the game.”

“Isn’t what you’re saying now is just contradicting what you said earlier?” Chihiro countered.

“I was obviously just messing with y'all. There’s no way anything that occurred in the game could affect the real world.” Junko casually said. “That’s why you should finish this game and go back to living a normal life in the real world!”

“Will our friends be there with us on the other side? Is returning truly that easy?” Sakura doubted.

“I just said so, didn’t I? Sheesh, kids these days don’t know how to listen anymore.” Junko scoffed at them.

“If we go back, what do you get out of it? What benefit do you get by making us return to the real world?” Kyouko questioned her, still not buying into the deal.

“All I want is to put on this graduation performance in a more dramatic way.” Junko answered in her sickly sweet tone. “Well, if you doubt me, you don’t have to go back. Is that what you want? Not to go back?”

“If it’ll bring our dead friends back… it’s all we can do.”

“Everyone can go back together. There’s no reason to hesitate…”

“There is no way we can choose to stay here after all we’ve been through… we have to get out.”

“In the end, we need to get back to the real world… where we’ll all be together again.”

“There’s no other choice… but even so…”

Light flashed and in its place, a person materialized. “Don’t press it! This is… Junko’s trap!”

“And thus, the main character gallantly appears!” Junko practically squealed in delight. “Here’s the bland looking hero Hajimemes!”

Hajime just scowled at the nickname. “It’s over, Junko. Now that I’m here, I can finally settle things between us once and for all.”

“Uh, don’t you mean twice? Since this isn’t our first meeting or did you forget, silly?” She giggled and then her whole demeanor turned cold in a blink. “Your presence here won’t do shit. As long as you’re here, you’ll be treated like one of my students. So you can’t pull off any Ultimate Hope convenient talent under my watch.”

“I know better than to use cheap tricks to defeat you.” He crossed his arms defensively, not backing down.

At this point, everyone had forgone questioning Hajime’s sudden appearance. There was something more urgent than that in their minds. “Hey, just what do you mean by "trap”? What is Junko’s trap?“

His lips were a thin line as he answered, "She’s lying to you about your dead friends coming back to life. Junko’s goal is to convert the Hope Restoration Program to the Despair Restoration Program. She intends to upload herself into the bodies of everyone who’s had their avatars deleted.”

The whole room was shocked into silence as the color drained from their faces.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Operation: Junko-fy All Mankind begins here!” She announced and even flashed a slideshow to go with her exposition. “Even if they’re overwritten by my Alter Ego, it doesn’t mean they’ll be a completely different person. The data of everyone who died is stored within me, so I’m sure I can convincingly act out their personalities.” She hollered boisterously. “With this, my despair utopia where you can despair as you please, Junkoland, will be complete! Aw yeah! Our dreams are expanding-anding-anding!”

“Why would you… why would anyone do that?”

“Because Junko Enoshima is the True Ultimate Despair.” Hajime answered for them. “She doesn’t yearn for any kind of future at all. She fills every person she meets with despair!

"For me, despair is not a goal, or a set of principles, or a lifestyle, or even an instinct.” She added with a hint of pride. “It’s what defines me as Junko Enoshima! It’s just my characterization!

There was something about her words that resonated with Ryouko and at this point, she may have already gone past the point of caring.

"There is a way for you to get out of here without Junko getting out.” Hajime offered. “The shutdown sequence that not even the teacher can stop.”

“You say that as if it was an option.” She stuck out her tongue at him. “Did Mr.-I-Have-All-Talents suddenly forget how to do math? Because last time I checked, six ain’t a majority vote!”

“Who says that I didn’t bring backup?” He smirked at her.

And as if summoned on cue, a bright flash of light shone in the stand on his right and from there another person materialized. “It’s truly an honor to be here and witness despair get crushed by hope yet again!”

The same happened with the stand to his left. “There’s no way we can leave these guys alone not when everyone has been fighting so hard!”

“Nggh! Fan favorite characters!” Junko scowled at the new arrivals with obvious disgust. “Stop stealing the spotlight from me! This fic ain’t about you guys so scram!”

“Of course this isn’t about you. You are merely a pawn in the grand scheme of everything. You’re just here to serve as a stepping stone for hope.” Nagito said with a smile but there was an underlying threat in his tone. “And it seems that you’ve already outlived your use.”

“This isn’t a game and you shouldn’t be alive. You’ve been brought back to life one too many times and it’s time to put you down.” Chiaki declared with solid determination. “This is the final boss fight and we’ll definitely beat you!”

“It seems the majority has spoken.” Hajime’s smirk hasn’t been wiped off the whole time. “You set yourself up to fall the moment you hacked into my program.”

Junko looked like she was backed into a corner but just like her personalities, that didn’t last long since her confidence came back in full swing. “Is it really the majority? Wouldn’t you like to know what the rest’s thoughts are?”

The attention suddenly shifted back to the five survivors who was too caught up with the abrupt pace that they almost forgot that they still needed to decide.

“If we do the shutdown sequence… what will happen to us?” Chihiro asked even though he already had a vague idea as to what it was.

“If you shutdown the New World Program, everything within the program will be deleted.” Hajime replied and looked them all head on. “That includes Alter Ego Junko and… even your avatars.”

“Does that mean we’ll… be deleted too?” Sakura asked softly.

“Yes, most definitely.” Nagito answered all too nonchalantly. “But don’t worry! It’s a small sacrifice to pay for defeating the Ultimate Despair. You’ll all be practically heroes of hope!”

“It doesn’t mean you’ll be deleted. The program will just finish without completing the Graduation Program.” Hajime corrected. “Basically, your avatars will not upload… so you will revert to your original state before you entered the program.”

“Back to being Remnants of Despair.” Ryouko concluded.

“It may be a painful decision but I know you guys can endure it.” Chiaki offered her voice of support. “That’s why, in order to defeat despair, I want you guys to fight alongside us!”

“The brainwashing your bodies have gone through will be undone.” Hajime further explained. “That’s why I’m pretty sure you’ll quickly revert back to the state you’re in right now. Your safety and well-being will be guaranteed with this command.”

“If our brainwashing is undone, the memories we made up until now… will vanish?” Mukuro knew it was the logical choice but she still couldn’t help but hesitate. To forget…

“Does that mean we’ll completely forget everything we did on this island? I don’t want that!” Chihiro started crying over what would be the loss of precious memories. To forget…

“Even if there were a lot of painful memories, there are those that I would still wish to keep.” Sakura brought a hand to her chest as she silently grieved. To forget…

“To forget everything that happened here… including him whose existence was solely created here.” Kyouko didn’t even mask her emotions this time as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. To forget…

“This is cruel! Why are we forced to make these shitty decisions? It’s unfair!” Ryouko wailed in frustration at everything. Even if these weren’t her original memories, they’re still all that she has. To forget them all would mean having her start from nothing again. To forget…

“It doesn’t matter what’s fair, that’s the reality. Every meaningless thing that happened here will vanish.” Junko mocked their suffering with a lopsided grin. To forget…

“Oh, right let’s not forget to thank the mastermind!” Junko clapped her hands giddily. “Who else could have pulled this off other than… ME!” She then turned her head to one person in particular. Her smile was full of malice. “Isn’t that right, Ryouko?”

To remember…

In that moment, Ryouko finally remembered and so she died.

“Upupu…” She started chuckling until she was all out bursting with laughter. “Upupupu! That’s right! Ryouko Otonashi, never, even, existed, in, the, first, place!” She was laughing so hard that she was hysterical. “Upupu, hilarious, isn’t it? It’s so despair inducing that it’s hilarious!”

“Man, I can’t believe that I was stuck playing this half-assed character for the span of a whole fic. Laaaame!” She complained with grand hand gestures. “Oh it feels so great to be me again! God I missed myself so much! I mean, there’s no one quite as despairful as me!”

“What’s going on?” Chihiro asked fearfully.

“Oh, right. I forgot that you guys aren’t updated.” She deadpanned to her classmates. “Turns out that Ryouko was just a poser. My true identity is far grander than that not so flat trying hard character.”

“Could it be that you’ve regained your memories?” Mukuro questioned warily.

“Well duh! Obvious much?” She groaned. “Way to go for filler lines. Oh my god, you’re as disappointing as ever! Just go kill yourself!”

“Did she really?” Sakura doubted. “It seems as if she’s showing Despair Fever symptoms rather than mere memory recollection.”

“What if it’s both?” She smiled knowingly. “What if my memories are so despair inducing that I’ve fallen into despair all over again? Isn’t that just despairing? All this struggle for survival and hope, only to find out that there’s no hope for me at all! In fact, I don’t want hope at all! Like get that disgusting hope away from me ya freaks!”

“This speech pattern… there’s only one possible candidate.” Kyouko’s lips formed a grim thin line. “Your true identity is… Junko Enoshima, isn’t it?”

“Fucking finally! The totally expected plot twist is revealed!” She whined. “Man, if this were a fic and I were a reader, I’d probably have given up on this at the third cutscene because the buildup for this has been too long! In fact, it’s been so long that this scene is just anticlimactic!”

“But enough about me! Let’s not forget that this whole thing was made for you!” AI Junko interrupted with a cheerful shout. Yeah, now there were two Junko’s in the room. “You still have to cast your vote!”

“Tch. This was your trap all along…” Hajime said through gritted teeth.

“Um, correction. This was YOUR trap all along.” AI Junko smugly replied.

“It seems that the plan backfired. As expected of the Ultimate Despair, rehabilitation was just not possible.” Nagito let out a dejected sigh. “No matter how much you erase of her, there’s always a residue of despair that no amount of overwriting can completely wipe off.”

“We were hoping that the New World Program could rehabilitate even the True Ultimate Despair and maybe it would have if there weren’t any interferences…” Chiaki crossed her arms. “But this turned out to be the worst case scenario. Rather than rejecting Junko Enoshima, she chose to accept her and rejected Ryouko Otonashi instead.”

“And with Ryouko’s personality dead, there’s no chance of resurrecting her with that identity anymore.” Hajime continued grimly. “If we did the shutdown sequence, everyone will revert back to how they were before… everyone including Junko Enoshima.”

“Wait! That means that whatever we choose, this bitch will still come back to the real world!” Mukuro yelled, her face was the picture of desperation.

“Sucks to be you!” Junko stuck out her tongue at them. “Don’t you wish you were me instead?”

“Never. You are the embodiment of everything we stand against. We would never even think of becoming anything close to a monster such as yourself.” Sakura strongly objected.

“Ah, ah, ah!” AI Junko wagged her finger at them. “Don’t say things that you don’t actually mean.” She grinned mockingly. “After all, we’re all Remnants of Despair here. That means that at some point you did choose to become like me and at present, your real bodies are still the "monsters” you hate! Isn’t that absolutely despairing?“

"We didn’t choose you. You brainwashed us. I’m sure you manipulated us at some point and turned us into… into those things!” Chihiro trembled as he argued back.

“Fair enough, there was some brainwashing involved.” Junko casually shrugged. “But let bygones be bygones, am I right? Who cares if I brainwashed you before, you’re gonna have that conveniently ctrl+z'ed once you shutdown this shindig!” She grinned lopsidedly. “And I’m gonna be there with you once you get out and we’re gonna party so hard it’ll be like the end of the world all over again!”

“Don’t think we’ll let you get away with what you want.” Kyouko glared at her with a venom unlike ever before. “We’ll figure out a way to stop you and your despair. This isn’t over.”

“Oh, that you got right. It’s far from over, upupu…” Junko laughed audaciously at their misery and AI Junko bellowed from behind. “The final chapter hasn’t been decided just yet. Isn’t that excitingly despairing? Who knows how this will end? Hell, even I don’t know! So it’s time to play one final game!”

The world as they knew it had long been destroyed and now all they have left was the future, a future that they had yet to decide on.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Chapter Text

“So? Who the fuck are you supposed to be?”

An awkward wave of silence passed.

Until Hinata groaned and looked at them exasperatedly. “Are you guys serious??”

Earlier that day…

Hinata was just about to enter the restaurant and meet up with the others for the usual morning breakfast when a sawblade flew by dangerously close at him–

And consequently, it cut his ahoge off.

“What the?!” Hinata ducked, already too late as his hand reflexively went to his head as he checked if it was still there. He gave out a sigh of relief when he felt his hair in tact and no bleeding occuring. Well, mostly in tact. His ahoge got cut off but it’s not enough to make him mad about it.

But still, what the hell just happened?

“Ah, sorry! Sorry!” A person ran out to check up on him.

And of course, it just had to be Komaeda. Why else would there be flying sawblades in the morning coming from a restaurant? Only Komaeda could pull off such a stunt whether intentionally or not.

“What the hell did you do this time, Komaeda?”

Komaeda just chuckled. “Ahaha! Well the funny thing is–” He stopped in the middle of the sentence once he opened his eyes and saw Hinata. He just stared at him for a long time in thought.

“What? Quit staring, you’re creeping me out!” Hinata sneered at him.

“Excuse me but…” He paused and then smiled curtly. “Who are you?”

“The fuck?” He swore as he stopped himself from punching Komaeda right then and there.

And thus began Hinata’s identity crisis.

“Oya! Oyaaa! A new student!” Ibuki cheered as she bounced around him excitedly. “A transfer student in the middle of an island trip! Talk about dedication to the trope!”

As if he was a new student! And who the hell transfers during a field trip??

“New student?!” Mikan jumped in fear as she wailed. “P-Please don’t bully me!”

No, it’s actually the other way around. It’s the transfer kid that gets bullied and at this rate he might as well be.

“Eh? Which hellhole did you crawl from?” Saionji asked with her usual “You look suspicious and stupid.”

Okay, he doubted he looked like any of those adjectives but he wasn’t going to argue with the kid who had a track record of just adding more insults to injury.

“While I agree that he does seem suspicious, maybe we shouldn’t try to talk him down just yet.” Koizumi stepped in and placated her friend. “He might be dangerous after all and it’s always best to be civil at first.”

He doesn’t know if dangerous is better than suspicious for his credibility.

“Danger?” Owari piped up from her meal and then stared at him wildly. “You strong one, stranger? Let’s fight!”

Shit! He won’t survive if she took him on.

“AHAHAHAHA!” Nidai bellowed. “Don’t go getting into fights without me! I want to see what this new guy’s made of!”

He’s made of flesh. Weak and vulnerable flesh that would not last even a second if these two monsters came at him.

“Me too!” Teruteru grinned maliciously. “I want to see just what he’s made of as well. He looks toned~”

No. Just. NO.

“What’s with all this commotion?” Twogami sighed as he crossed his arms. “You commoners fuss too much over other commoners.”

Ouch? Sorry for being born ordinary.

And are we still ignoring the fact that either he’s getting shsl pranked or he’s surrounded by a bunch of idiots who couldn’t recognize him all because he lost his fucking ahoge.

“There is something familiar that I sense in him however…” Pekoyama tentatively held her sword. “I do not remember his face.”

It’s just an ahoge, guys! Quit acting like it’s his only defining character trait!

“So? Who the fuck are you supposed to be?” Kuzuryuu grunted at him.

An awkward wave of silence passed.

Until Hinata groaned and looked at them exasperatedly. “Are you guys serious??”

Seriously? These guys weren’t joking?? Not at all?? What the fuck???

“Fool! You have tresprassed sacred grounds and dare mock us??” Gundam dramatically shouted at him with a scowl. “The least you can do is reveal yourself to us, you fiend!”

He doesn’t even have the strength to translate that.

“Yes, it is what he said. For you see this is the first time we’ve ever had any other… guests.” Sonia commented warily.

He’s not a guest, he’s they’re fucking classmate!

“Yeah! Go away you side character!” Souda yelled at him.

Oh, like he’s one to talk.

“No, no, let him

“Pardon me.” A soft and familiar voice spoke as the owner of it tapped him lightly on his shoulder.

It was none other than Nanami. That’s it! Finally, someone who could end his suffering. Despite her tendency to zone out, Nanami was actually sharp. She’s definitely smarter than the rest of them so surely she’d recognize him, right?

“Nanami!” He smiled gratefully to her with tears in his eyes.

She tilted her head. “Oh? You already know my name? Well then that makes my introduction shorter… I think.”

…

…What?

“I figured that if you knew who we were, then you’d more likely open up to us as to who you are… probably.” She finished thoughtfully.

…

…What is this fresh hell he woke up to?

Hinata had enough dealing with this bullshit so he fucking walked away.

Alone, he tried not to think too hard about what happened today and about the possibility that his talent may have been SHSL Ahoge.

Chapter Text

“Well? We don’t have all day.” Togami clicked his tongue in annoyance. “You’re the detective, aren’t you? Tell them, Saihara!”

“W-Wait a minute!” Saihara raised his hands in defense. Despite being put on spot so many times, he could never get used to the pressure. “I know this is my talent and all but I’m going to need more time to solve this.”

“Tch. Aren’t you ashamed of y-y-yourself?! And you call yourself a detective!” Fukawa’s lips curled into a scowl. “I’ve read t-trashy novels with better credentials than you!”

“That’s not fair. I can’t compete with someone fictional.” Being insulted was one thing but being insulted about his talent was just sad.

“Calm yourself. No one is underestimating your skills,” Oogami’s voice of support was a breath of fresh air. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to last.

“Well you can’t speak for all of us. He has yet to prove his worth in this trial, don’t you think so?” Celes commented offhandedly. “He has a tendency to lie every now and then after all.” She giggled behind her hand. “I myself am not opposed to such methods however… I wonder which lie will come out victorious this time.”

“Which lie…?” Saihara thought to himself. It was unsettling the way Celes was smiling that sent chills down his spine.

“Hey I’m not trusting any liar! I won’t be easily tricked!” Hagakure boasted more confidently than he has any right to.

“Like you’re one to talk. I don’t know which is worse, someone who lies for good or someone who believes in aliens.” Asahina sighed. It was a rhetorical question.

“Let’s not get too sidetracked.” Naegi’s voice cut through the chaos. “Saihara, you’ve been awfully quiet… You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

“…Yeah.” There was a common understanding when both of their gazes met. “You… You solved it too, didn’t you?”

“I think so.” Naegi placed a hand on his chin in thought. “I mean, I’m not sure if we’re both thinking the same thing but… given what we’ve recently found out, I think we both came to the same conclusion.”

“Hmm, I think it’s only fair that you solve this one.”

“You’ve got that wrong!” Naegi yelled. “If we’re going with the logic of fairness then shouldn’t the detective do this? Besides, I’m just someone who got lucky so you might be able to explain this better.”

“You’ve got that wrong!” Saihara countered. “So far your explanations have been on point and easy to understand. You just might be better at this whole detective thing than me.”

“Huh? You really think so?”

“Yeah, I know so.”

“G-Get a room you two!” Fukawa abruptly interrupted the exchange with a shriek. “Ugh, cut the sexual tension already and just get to p-pointing out the culprit!”

“S-Sexual tension?!”

“Well it is weird how you two get in sync during trials,” Asahina seconded. “Ah, but we don’t mean any judgment!”

“There isn’t anything to judge!” Saihara yelled in their poor defense.

“…Moving on,” Naegi quickly tabled that discussion. “Let’s hear out first what Saihara has to say.”

“Right…” Saihara shook his head and refocused. “No matter how complicated the lie, the truth can still be easily seen.”

In a trial room filled with liars, only one of them was the culprit.

“I’ll expose your lies and your truths!”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“Nishishi! Isn’t this interesting?” Contrary to everyone else’s opinion, Ouma certainly found it entertaining. “Amnesia, how convenient! Ah, for the culprit I mean. Not so much for you, dear detective.”

“Yes, this is quite… the predicament,” Kirigiri admitted with a contemplative look. “However the facts won’t change. This is merely another mystery to solve and I intend to unravel them all by the end of this class trial.”

“That’s amazing…! Are you sure you’re not a high wizard or something?” Yumeno said, astounded yet again by the detective’s steel nerves.

“I have something much more reliable than magic. Logic.” Kirigiri answered matter-of-factly.

“As expected from my sidekick! It’s not in you to let this setback hold you back!” Momota enthusiastically cheered.

“I am no one’s sidekick,” Kirigiri harshly denied. “It would be in your best interests to not refer me as such.”

“It’s plain to see that our detective likes to work alone… Like one of those lone wolf type protagonists especially common in the crime genres! Kyaaah! So cool!” Shirogane rambled on a bit too excitedly off tangent.

“Ehhh? Miss Detective likes to work alone? WAAAAAAAAAAH!” Ouma suddenly burst into tears. “That’s not what you told me! You said we were in this together! Partners! I trusted you!”

“And people wonder why I have trust issues when we have the perfect example of a compulsive liar right here.” Kirigiri sighed.

“Ah, I’ve been found out.” Ouma’s tears dried instantaneously and was back to his cheeky smile. “You’ve got me aaaaaall figured out already, don’t you? You’re no fun!”

“Truly a tragedy.” If Ouma was a master of lies then Kirigiri had pretty much mastered the art of sarcasm in his presence.

“It is quite frustrating not to be able to help as much,” Kiibo made a sound like one would make when grinding teeth, well as close as a robot could make. “However this trial isn’t about my shortcomings. I really do need to learn more from your example.”

“Your input has served well. You are already helpful as you are.” Kirigiri held back a comment about how suspicious she still was about his talent.

“Gonta sorry! Gonta cannot help!” Gonta cried in frustration.

“It’s… alright, Gonta. You shouldn’t apologize for that.” Kirigiri did not have it in her heart to scold the gentle giant.

“So?” Maki went straight for the kill as she asked expectantly, “Who’s the culprit?”

In a trial room filled with liars, testimonies aren’t enough.

“I have my theories… But we’ll let the evidence speak for themselves.”

The two detectives continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“Tell them, Ouma!”

“Ehhhhhh. Don’t wanna!”

“Listen here, you peasant.” Togami narrowed his eyes at him. “I don’t have the obligation to play any of your childish games. The only game I intend on playing is this killing game and I play to win.”

“Oh wow, so you were playing?” Ouma shrugged off his glare. “Togami-chan, if you really want to win this game then you should actually play this game. As you are now, you’re just a kill-stealer. Relying on other players to do the grinding for you, that’s just selfish! Selfish people are the worst!”

“W-What a hypocrital brat!” Fukawa sneered. “Calling Togami-sama selfish when you’ve only been c-c-confusing us for your t-twisted sense of fun!”

“Huh? How could you… Why would you say that? WAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Ouma suddenly burst into tears. “I just wanted us all to enjoy this game to the fullest! Why are you all so being mean to me!”

“Cut the crap. Crying won’t get anyone to believe in you,” Asahina ordered. “Seriously, how horrible can you be to make fun of something serious?”

“Super horrible! SHSL horrible!” Ouma announced with pride. “What did you expect? I’m the leader of a super secret evil organization, ya know!”

“Are you though?” Oogami questioned. “You’ve been proclaiming this ever since but without hard evidence… It makes one wonder if this is another one of your convoluted lies.”

“Rude! I have never told a single lie in my whole life! I hate liars!” Ouma huffed.

“Ha! My fortune-telling has told me that that one was a lie!” Hagakure said triumphantly.

“…”

Ouma was stunned quiet. The whole trial room was too. It was a long awkward silence before Ouma was the first to recover. “Wow, your sheer stupidity and uselessness of your talent is unbelievable. I’m so shocked that I can’t even be bothered to lie.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!”

“Quiet! Just because you’re stupid doesn’t mean you’re funny! You’re not! You’re just annoying!” Ouma ranted. “Why is everyone here so boring? Total-Loser-Gami is always bossy, Miss Persecution Complex is always stuttering, Donut Girl has no opinion of her own, Martial Muscles has poor investigation skills, and then there’s Hagakure!”

“Are you done yet?” Kirigiri harshly cut through.

“I was just about to go over my two faaaavs!” Ouma said with too much sweetness.

“Your opinions and frivolous nicknames are unnecessary. Now if you’re done playing around, we have a culprit to find.” Kirigiri paused and held eye contact. “Or in your case, you have a culprit to reveal… since you already seem to know the truth of this case.”

“Nishishi! And there she is! My dear detective at it again!” Ouma jumped excitedly like a child. “And you’re right! I already know who did it! But…” His childlike mannerisms dissolved into something more malicious. “But who said I wanted to testify?”

“I don’t understand…” Naegi voiced his concern. “Why wouldn’t you? What benefit could you possible gain from withholding information?”

“That’s because I want to believe in all of us!” Ouma answered with a strong sense of self-righteousness. “Didn’t you say it yourself, Naeggs? You want everyone here to have hope. That was soooo inspiring!” He was mocking him, that much was obvious. “That’s why I’m not gonna help this time! I’ll just have hope like the rest of you!”

Was this another one of his lies?

“Honestly, this game is no fun if I’m the only one playing so you guys should totally join in the fun!”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“That’s a lie… isn’t it?”

“I…! You weren’t supposed to—”

“I wasn’t supposed to what?” Celes smiled innocently. “I wasn’t supposed to call out on your lie? I was only practicing due diligence in this trial.”

“Ha! Shittychi got fucking called out by the gothic bitch!” Iruma laughed from where she stood.

“Please refrain from ever speaking.” Celes ordered and Iruma instantly cowered in fear.

“Oi, oi. Before you go calling my sidekick a liar, shouldn’t we hear him out first?” Momota reasoned out. “Besides, the kid’s got backup testimonies so he can’t be lying!”

“A lie is still a lie no matter how many say it is not. Accomplices can be easily made.” Celes sighed. This was the level of intelligence of her classmates? “Don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing against lies. It’s just disappointing when it’s too easy to tell.”

“Sorry but Gonta not understand. How does Celes see lies?” Gonta asked, confused.

“It varies from person to person, but whenever someone lies, they tend to have a way of showing it, a tell—something that you can’t hide, no matter how hard you try,” Celes patiently explained. “I wonder… Should I announce to those who are present about yours, Saihara? Or do you have some way of convincing me otherwise?”

“Um, if I may ask,” Kiibo continued anyways. “Since we’ve already cleared up Saihara from being the culprit, shouldn’t we refocus our efforts elsewhere?”

“Hmmm…” Celes quietly regarded him with a calculating gaze and then continued, “I must say that I am impressed. Your second accomplice is far better than your incompetent first.”

“Huh? Accomplices? Then does that mean that Saihara was lying all along?!” Shirogane panicked.

“Ufufu, it wouldn’t be the first time. Right, Saihara?” Celes was positively beaming. “How can we ever possibly trust your word now?”

“So what you’re saying is that we should trust you, the other liar, instead,” Harukawa concluded with a scowl.

“That is for you to decide.” Celes took the glare in stride. She had nothing to worry about after all. “And I trust that you would make a sound decision, that is all.”

“Kukuku… A battle of lies,” Shinguuji laughed, clearly the only one enjoying the predicament. “Two liars and we are to choose one trustworthy. Oh, the irony! Oh, the beauty! Truly, what a splendid display of humanity!”

“Is it even a battle? My opponent has yet to declare their intentions.” Celes looked at the detective expectantly. “Or could it be that they already admit defeat?”

“I…” Saihara closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was a determination in them that wasn’t there before as he boldly declared, “I will expose your lies, Celes.”

“Oh? Do enlighten me as to how.”

“Do you wanna bet?”

“How naive you are that it’s just terribly sad. You wish to make a bet with me? Have you forgotten what my talent is?” Celes leaned forward, her tone was condescending, “You already made a gamble with that lie and that was where you made your first mistake. When it comes to gambling, I always come out top.”

In a trial room filled with lies, is there any truth left at all?

“We can both lie all we want but the truth remains that this is still a game. And like all the games that I’ve played, I intend to win this.”

The two liars continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“Is it just me or no one else so far has brought up anything that I haven’t objected with?”

“Well whose fault do you think that is? You’re too picky with testimonies, Saiharachi!” Hagakure accused with a pointed finger.

“No… you’ve got that backwards. I’m supposed to be picky with testimonies especially since it’s my job to point out the contradictions.” Saihara sighed, it’s always a chore to explain to Hagakure. “What does raise my concern is that none of you have brought up any reasonable arguments for me to agree with.”

“When you say it like that, it makes us look like we’re practically useless in trial.” Asahina frowned, not at all pleased at her own conclusion.

“You’re not wrong…” Naturally that answer was met with glares from the rest of the class so Saihara had to rephrase, “I mean, even though you put out wrong statements, we are only able to move forward because we have something to argue about. So… you’ve got that wrong?”

“So w-what’s the big deal in bringing it up in the first place? What. Y-You’re just trying to rub it in all of our faces that you’re t-t-too good for us?!” Fukawa sneered.

“What? That’s not what I said!”

“Hmm? Are you saying that you’re the only contributing person in this trial?” Kirigiri asked with her usual unreadable tone but even that sounded like it was riddled with contempt.

“Y-You know that I don’t mean it like that!” Saihara said in his defense. “You’ve been plenty helpful, Kirigiri! It’s actually a bit embarrassing but sometimes I feel like you’re the real detective between the two of us.”

“…” Kirigiri regarded him for one long breath. And then exhaled. “How absurd. You’re the one with the title SHSL Detective. There can’t be two detectives in the game.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Sometimes I think… maybe I’m the one who remembered wrong.” Or so Saihara wished. “Well even if you weren’t an actual detective, you sure would make a better one than me.”

“…” She held his gaze and softly murmured, “If you could just fix your self-esteem issues then you would be a fine detective yourself.”

“Enough. You’ve basked in your petty glory. Let’s just move on with this trial and be done with it.” Togami scowled. “Oi, earn your title peasant and reveal the culprit already. Tell them, Saihara!”

“I was going to say it anyways even if you didn’t ask me to,” Saihara mumbled. He knew better than to argue with Togami’s pride.

But seriously, was it just Saihara who felt like this whole game was rigged so that he’d always object with everyone else?

“While everyone had a turn to give a wrong statement, there was someone who gave a particularly disturbing statement…”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“Please, everyone. We shouldn’t doubt each other like this. Aren’t we all friends?”

“He’s right! Listen to my sidekick!” Momota boosted his sentiments. “Fighting like this only makes us play into the mastermind’s game. If we want to win this, we gotta remember that we’re all in this together.”

“I am also in support of this.” Kiibo was the next to step up. “While it is important to find the culprit, it is also important for us not to forget the bonds we all have with each other.”

“Gonta agree! Gonta not want us to fight,” Gonta voiced his own support.

For a moment, it seemed like everyone was starting to get together.

“Yeah! We’re all friends here! Stop bullying Naeggs!” Ouma yelled.

“…”

“Forget it. Y'all can be fuck buddies with each other but there ain’t no way in hell that I’m gonna join your orgy if Cockichi is in it!” Iruma firmly declared.

“Tenko does not want to admit it but the first degenerate male is right. However! Tenko does not want to associate with the menace who agrees with the first degenerate male!” Tenko was quite loud with her objection.

“Nyehh… Whatever. This sounds like a pain.” Yumeno yawned, unaffected.

“…I’m out too.” Maki shrugged.

Naegi tiredly sighed. And of course Ouma has to ruin it. He clenched his fists in frustration. “Why? Why do you always do this? Why are you so against cooperation?”

“Hmm? Oh, so NOW you want to talk to me?” Ouma with all his cockiness, sounded like he was about to decline. “Okay! Just don’t tell anyone else that you’re my fav!”

“If I was really your fav then you wouldn’t be sabotaging my efforts.”

“Huh, I guess you’re right. Oh, well! Then I was lying all along!”

“Ouma.” Naegi really wasn’t in the mood for banter especially not during a class trial.

“Ehhhhhh. Fiiiiiiine.” His normally playful face was replaced with a malicious grin. “I’ve already told you this before, right? I just want to make things interesting. After all, a game is supposed to be fun. Aren’t I the best? Making things fun so everyone can enjoy!”

“That’s…” Naegi quietly regarded him. He honestly wanted to believe in everyone, everyone including Ouma. “That’s a lie… isn’t it?”

“Who knows?” Ouma nonchalantly shrugged. “Ah, but knowing you, you’d believe it was a lie even if it wasn’t, all for the sake of your idea of trust and friendship. You’re so boring, Naeggs! I can soooo predict you now it’s not even fun anymore!”

“…” Naegi knew what he was doing. He was deflecting. This just meant that this line of questioning wasn’t relevant to the trial. This also meant that Naegi will never know for sure if it was another of Ouma’s lies or not.

“Hey, Naeggs.” Ouma’s voice was uncharacteristically serious for once. “If I told you that I was actually the culprit, would you believe in me or would you… believe me?

“I…” Naegi paused, not out of hesitation but out of surprise at how he was so sure of his answer. “Even if that was true, I’d still choose to believe in you.”

“Hmmmmm.” Ouma’s smile was crooked. “Well let’s find out if that was a lie first! Then we’ll see… which one of us was lying.”

Even with all of the lies, Naegi would always choose to believe.

“Until we find out the truth behind all the lies, there will always be hope.”

The two protagonists continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, everyone. I will be your new homeroom teacher, Miss Kirumi Tojo.”

The person had the most pristine bow they had ever seen but that wasn’t the only reason for their speechlessness.

“Hey, hey! Aren’t you a little too young to be our teacher?” Hiyoko had the guts to call her out so early, not even a minute after her introduction.

“Yes, I do get that quite often.” Kirumi neither denied nor confirmed the accusation. Instead she merely continued, “Rest assured, I am more than qualified to handle this job. Should you have any concerns or issues, I am more than willing to discuss it with you to further improve my service.”

“Well when you put it that way, it feels more like you’re here to serve us than teach us,” Mahiru awkwardly pointed out. “You’re an alumna, right? What’s your talent?”

“I am the former SHSL Maid,” The sheer regality in her voice made her sound like she was more of a master than a servant.

“T-That’s amazing!” Mikan smiled in admiration and then blanched at the sudden realization. “Ah! I’m s-sorry for speaking out of my turn! P-Please forgive meee!”

“It is quite alright. You are well within your right to speak,” Kirumi placated her with a soothing voice. “And please, do speak as much as you want. My role here is not to restrict but to enable you to grow.”

“Yeah, well here’s what I have to say.” Fuyuhiko clicked his tongue. “We don’t need a teacher. Haven’t needed one before and ain’t gonna change anytime soon. So if I were you I’d save the effort and get lost.”

“That is unfortunate that I cannot accommodate your request.” She honestly looked upset at the prospect. Not just upset, physically in pain at the concept of her unfulfilling a request. “Since I have already agreed to teach this class, that request holds top priority over any requests that would be against its completion.”

“A request system? That’s a bit unconventional for class setting,” Ryotwo commented offhandedly. “But if that’s how it is, then it should be no problem if we ask for us to be left alone, not as a class but as an individual specifically, right?”

“Had I been here only as a maid then it wouldn’t be a problem.” Kirumi sighed listlessly and then straightened herself. “However, like I said before, I am to take my teacher role as a priority as long as you are students of this class. So the acceptance of those requests would depend on how it would benefit your growth as a student and your growth as a class.”

“Hey, Miss Tojojo! You look like you got the spirit of rock in ya! Come on and slam! And welcome to the jam jam jamming with Ibuki!” Ibuki yelled at the top of her lungs.

“That can be arranged. If you would like, I’d be more than happy to set up the venue for you. Might I also suggest that we ask the rest of the class to be our audience?” Kirumi helpfully suggested.

“Eh?? Just like that??” Kazuichi was shocked or maybe terrified at the very real chance of sitting through another one of Ibuki’s life-threatening concerts.

“Wonderful! In my country, I have been used to maids simply tending to my needs. However, this is not such the case. I look forward to being a student in your care, Miss Tojo,” Sonia said with eyes practically sparkling with adoration.

“As do I.” Kirumi nodded in agreement. “Although I have taught many before, none of my past experiences have been in a classroom setting. This shall be a good first time for the both of us.”

“First time? Well why didn’t you say so! Don’t worry, Miss! I’ll be very gentle with you.” Teruteru raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“…”

For a moment, there was a killing intent so strong that it had Peko reach out for her sword in actual fear.

And then it was gone. It was replaced however with a thinly veiled death threat. “It would be wise of you to improve on your manners early on than rather later. We wouldn’t want any… untoward incidents to happen.”

“BWAHAHAHA!” Gundam’s dramatic laughter cut through the tension. “It would seem that my dark powers were too strong that they had to send another sacrifice to strengthen the barrier. However! It would take more to defeat the Forbidden One!”

“Then it is all the more reason for me to give it my all,” Kirumi smoothly played along.

“Hey, you look strong,” Akane practically growled with barely restrained excitement. “That’s it! Let’s fight! Right here! Right now!”

“While I would not be opposed to that, it would be prudent if we engaged in battle after we have discussed the important things of note with the whole class,” Kirumi pointed out with surprising calmness at being challenged to a fight. “If you could kindly wait until then, I promise you a heartfelt duel.”

“That levelheadness, the way you carry your body, the decisiveness…” Nekomaru analyzed out loud. “There’s no doubt that you’re a professional. Haha! It looks like I might be the one who will need coaching from you!”

“Surely you overplay my talents but I appreciate the gesture.” Kirumi smiled with certain humility. “And of course, I would gladly assist you anytime.”

“No, that wasn’t just praise. It was an accurate statement,” Peko argued, her hand no longer on her sword but still within reach. “You’re stronger than you let on… I too, would like to test my strength against yours.”

“Then I am honored that you would say so.” Kirumi politely bowed. “If I may be so bold, might I suggest some pointers on your training as well? I sense that it is a relevant topic you wish to discuss after.”

“Aren’t maids OP characters? In games, they’re usually good at practically everything but never stealing the spotlight from the protagonists, quietly supportive from the side stories,” Chiaki listed out to no one in particular but was still heard. “I’ve wondered what it would be like to play against someone so awesome…”

“I don’t want to disappoint you but videogames is hardly my forte however…” Kirumi answered her, “I do possess the skills to be a good enough adversary. I hope that I do not let your expectations down.”

“Amazing! This talent is a hope that shines brighter than any I’ve seen!” Nagito laughed in glee. “A hope that helps other hopes grow. Truly a hope unlike any other! Ah, it feels almost wasted on trash like me.”

“Nonsense. You are just as filled with hope as the rest of us,” Kirumi retorted sharply. “After all, you are a student of Hope’s Peak, are you not?”

And so starts the first day of the 77th class.

“Until you all graduate, I intend to both serve and teach everyone. If you have anything you need, please do not hesitate to ask.”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“It’s nice to meet you all! I’m the SHSL Maid, Chisa Yukizome!”

There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with her talent, she did dress like a maid however—

“Wait, aren’t you… aren’t you a little to old to be a high schooler?” Shuichi asked what he supposed was on everyone’s mind or so he thought.

“Hold it right there you degenerate male!” And of course Tenko had to be at the frontlines against him. “How dare you ask a girl about her age? Have menaces no shame at all?!”

“No no non!” Angie clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Atua says… That age is sacred and that one can be eternally youthful if they believe in Atua!”

“Nyehh… Why are you even interested? Could it be… you have ulterior motives?” Himiko brings her hat down which only hardens her glare.

“While I am curious as to the answer of your question Shuichi, one should not forget proper manners. This is not a circumstance that merits the need for that question to be asked,” He knew he made a mistake once K1-B0 started reprimanding him too.

“Gonta agree. Asking lady’s age is not very gentlemanly. Shuichi should apologize,” Gonta sympathized with the wrong person but since it was Gonta, it was hard to take it against him.

“Yeah! Shuichi, stop harrassing the old lady! We don’t care if she’s obviously too old to be a high schooler!” Kokichi shouted at him, against his questioning despite bringing the exact reason for concern.

“I’m not trying to make her feel uncomfortable.” If anyone’s uncomfortable here it’s obviously Shuichi, already regretting bringing this up in the first place. “I just wanted to clarify some things because… well, don’t you find this suspicious at all?”

“Yeah! You guys, can’t you tell that Shuichi is already singling out the mastermind just from appearances alone like some shallow detective!” Kokichi yelled with so much conviction, it didn’t help Shuichi’s case at all.

“That’s not what I—”

“Shuichi, I know you’re worried about this whole mess we’re in but… isn’t it too early to be suspicious? I think we should all give everyone a shot before judging them.” Now Shuichi felt especially bad since even Kaede was scolding him.

“So you’re saying that just because she looks a bit different from what’s expected, you’re already quick to point fingers…” Ryoma shook his head in disappointment. “Kid, don’t do this. You better apologize to her. This one’s clearly on you.”

“While it is… surprising to say the least about her appearance, but doesn’t this apply to everyone else in the room?” Rantaro coolly pointed, trying to bring both logic and calm into the argument. “We are all SHSLs here after all. It can’t be helped that we all look… unique.”

“Kukuku… I see you have been charmed by her. Perhaps you were dubious over the legality or morality of possibly possessing affections toward her? This too, is a beautiful sight.” Korekiyo laughed to himself.

“Yeah, man. I know you’re just curious and all but save those questions ‘til after you get to know her first!” Kaito said with an encouraging thumbs up. Really not helping.

“No, actually I’m with Shittychi on this. The real question here is how bomb ass tits here got her SHSL boobs stacked.” Not exactly the vote of support that he was looking for but then again nobody was expecting from Miu.

“It’s plain to see that she stands out, doesn’t she? She’s like those animes where you can easily spot the protagonist.” Shirogane sighed and then muttered to herself, “It can’t be helped. There was just too high of a demand on her character that it was too good to pass up.”

“Hey. What are you hesitating for? Just apologize already,” Maki ordered curtly leaving no room for argument.

“Okay but I—”

“No, it’s quite alright.” Chisa cut him off with a kind smile. “I know that I’m not… the youngest here. But I’ll try to earn everyone’s trust! I may not look much but I’m actually quite dependable! So if you have anything you need help with then I’m always willing to help!” Her enthusiasm is enough to raise everyone’s spirits.

What is her exact age anyways? The world may never know.

“Let’s all get along, everyone!”

The two maids continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry, Komaeda did what again?”

“He fucked up that’s what.”

“Komaeda, you can’t keep doing this,” Saihara reprimands him even though he already knows that it’s only going to happen again. “For someone somewhat helpful during class trials, it’s kind of pointless when you’re also somewhat… unhelpful during them too.”

“Unhelpful? He’s straight up siding with the culprit!” Souda cried out in protest.

“Ah, don’t mind me. I’m just trash compared to the rest of you.” Only Komaeda could pull off self-depreciation with a genuine smile. “Besides, I’m sure that your hopes can triumph over this slight hurdle.”

“Slight hurdle bullshit. You were a fucking accomplice to the murder! And now you’re even covering their asses!” Kuzuryuu yelled, he looked just about to leave his stand to knock some sense and then some.

This was probably the true difficulty during any class trial. Komaeda. Saihara still couldn’t read Komaeda. He was… unpredictable, to say the least. No intention of killing to leave the island, no hesitation to be killed at a trial for someone else. No sense of self-preservation just a strong sense of hope. A dangerously strong sense of hope.

“If you really want our hopes to win then why won’t you just help us from the start?” Saihara asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And it should be, it was common sense.

“Huh? Who said that I wanted you to win?” Komaeda asked, genuinely confused at the question.

“I…I do not like what you are implying,” Sonia said with trepidation.

“Don’t misinterpret my actions. I want HOPE to win. Whether or not it is your’s or the culprit’s, is up to you to fight for,” Komaeda said with all the authority of someone sabotaging the trial, which honestly isn’t much authority but he makes up for it with sheer self-righteousness. “If your hope is easily beaten by something like this then it is not a significant loss for humanity.”

“This guy’s totally lost it,” Owari muttered.

There was no use talking common sense to him. Still, the fact was that Komaeda was still withholding information. And for this trial to move forward, Saihara needed to him to talk. “You’ve got that wrong, Komaeda.”

“Hmm? I doubt you have a sound argument but who am I, worthless trash, to deny you from speaking?”

“…If we all lost to the culprit now, that doesn’t make our hope any weaker. It just means that you let despair won,” Saihara explained. “And if you let despair won then would you really be okay with that?”

“Saihara you…” Komaeda paused as he stared on, his eyes were eerily haunting in the quiet. “You still don’t get it, huh. Ah, this despair of being misunderstood. I can’t wait to see what hope will come from it.”

“Komaeda, why are you like this?”

“Hey, Saihara,” Nanami’s soft voice echoed. “I know that you’re worried about Komaeda probably… but this looks like a dead end, don’t you think? Why don’t you try asking something else? I’m sure that if you choose the right words he’ll definitely listen… I think.”

“A different approach…?”

This was just one of the many frustrating moments where Saihara thought that his true enemy during the trial was not the culprit but rather Komaeda.

“Fine. If you want hope then I’ll show you a hope without lies!”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“Ouma. Seriously cut the crap and tell the fucking truth for once.”

“Nishishi! And where would the fun in that be?”

“Yeah, fun.” Hinata rolled his eyes. “Like the fun in all of us getting killed because someone was too busy being a fucking liar.”

“Well someone’s a spoiled sport!” Ouma huffed and stomped his feet like a child pulling a tantrum. “We’re playing a game and you’re just being mean because you’re losing!”

“If I lose then you do too.” Hinata let out an exasperated sigh. He knows they’re the same age but really, sometimes it’s like talking to an actual toddler. “We’re on the same team, remember? Team Everybody Against the Culprit.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Ouma smiled playfully. “Who says that I’m on your team?”

“The little shit confessed! That’s it! Let’s fucking get this over with and vote the fucker already!” Iruma was quick to jump the gun.

“No, no he didn’t. He fucking lied that’s what he did.”

“Did I really?”

“Gonta is confused. Is Ouma friend or not?” Gonta pondered out loud.

“Well he’s been plainly… troublesome to say the least,” Shirogane commented.

“This is pointless. Let’s just move on to another suspect,” Harukawa said, annoyed at how much time they’ve already wasted.

“Given Ouma’s track record, it is plausible that this too could be one of his lies,” Kiibo rationalized.

“Do you expect Tenko to believe the menace? Clearly degenerate males cannot be trusted! Right, Yumeno-san?” Tenko turned to the small girl for support.

“Hmmm…” Yumeno shrugged. “Whatever, just hurry up and make up your mind.”

“You heard them, Hajimemes! Make up your mind already!” Ouma yelled. “You all should trust the guy who’s definitely not more suspicious than me!”

“What are you saying…?” Hinata was taken aback by the backhanded comment.

“Geez, isn’t it obvious? Think about it. Isn’t it suspicious that there’s not just one but TWO people who can’t remember their talents?” Ouma casually pointed out. He dropped the truth as if it was the most uninteresting thing in the world. “I wonder… which one of you is lying.”

“That’s…”

“That’s bullshit!” Momota furiously shouted. “You don’t get to call my sidekick a liar when you’re the only one here who’s been lying!”

“Not your sidekick, Momota,” Hinata muttered but he was relieved to know that not all of them doubted him.

“Only one? Ahahahaha!” Ouma was laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach. “Hey, did you know? Every single person in this room is a liar. You say you hate my lies so much but when someone else lies you’re okay with it? Such a hypocrite! Maybe that’s your true talent!”

“That is enough.” Tojo’s stern voice cut through his laughter. “I don’t think that attacking the person would benefit us in this class trial.”

“Oh, but it does!” Ouma happily refuted. “After all, if we want to get a liar to talk, we just have to back them into a corner… until they slip up. You get what I mean, right, Hajimemes?”

“…So this is how you want to play this game.” Hinata sighed. He could already feel a migrained building in his head.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you since day one! Geez! No one here knows how to listen anymore!”

“If you’re not going to tell me the truth then I’ll just have to force it out from you.”

This was just one of the many frustrating moments where Hinata thought that his true enemy during the trial was not the culprit but rather Ouma.

“I’ll cut through those lies!”

The two protagonists continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

“Stop lying! Stop manipulating! Why don’t you just try being nice for once?”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the statement itself… except for who said it.

“Who the fuck are you to lecture us on that?” Kuzuryuu angrily yelled. He sounded like he was just about to commit murder.

“Obviously I’m the good guy!” Ouma huffed defiantly. “And you’re all just a bunch of meanies ganging up on me!”

“Now you’re just lying straight up from your ass!” Souda pointed at him.

“Am I really the liar? Maybe I’m the only one telling the truth here and all of you are just lying to make yourselves feel better!”

“Eh? Is… Is that t-true?” Mikan nervously asked.

“Of course! Now say you’re sorry you fanservice orange!” Ouma yelled all too suddenly for the nurse.

“EH? S-Sorry! I’m so sorry!” She cried.

“What are you apologizing for, pig barf?” Saionji added even more insult. “Yeah, you should be sorry for existing but you shouldn’t apologize to this gremlin nightmare.”

“Woooow, that really hurts coming from the kid who’s definitely shorter than me.” Ouma even made a face of mock hurt.

“You know at your height, it’s perfect for giving a blowjob to—” Hanamura was abruptly cut off.

“Keep it in your pants Hamham!”

“I think we’re getting a bit sidetracked here…” Koizumi took charge to reign in the chaos. “Can we please just get back to the trial?”

“Yeah! I know you all love me but you shouldn’t forget that we’re playing a game right now! You shouldn’t get distracted so easily!” Ouma lectured them on. “By the way, where did we stop?”

“You just confessed to knowing who the culprit is,” Pekoyama answered him.

“Oh, that’s right.” Ouma nodded. “That was a lie of course. I obviously just lied about it just like how I lied about the truth before that was even brought up. Geez, keep up with me you guys.”

“Eh?? So wait. If you lied about telling the truth, but that truth was also a lie, but the lie was a lie within a lie, then that means…” Ibuki scratched her head in confusion. “So what is the truth?!”

“You tell me! I don’t get it either!”

“I’m can’t figure it out either,” Owari cracked her knuckles threateningly. “Alright, I’m gonna beat the truth out of you!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!” Ouma bawled like a kid. “Help me! I’m being bullied!”

“No, she will not beat you up,” Nidai calmly intervened. “However, that does not excuse your actions.”

“Who are you to tell me what’s inexcusable?” Ouma suddenly turned serious. “Or have you forgotten that we live on an island where the rules are decided by a bear who wants us to kill each other? Really, can you blame me for making the most out of this game?”

“You indeed reek of sin, you scoundrel,” Gundam practically spat his spite. “To take pleasure in the struggles of innocents, your malice knows no human bounds.”

“Well don’t blame me if you’re bad at murder and killing games. That’s on you,” Ouma rebuffed.

“Please, you do not wish to perish, right? Then why not just simply cooperate with us and tell us what you know,” Sonia almost pleaded.

“Geez, this is the problem with ungrateful talented jerks. They think they can get everything easy.” Ouma sighed. “That’s so annoying! So boring! I hate all of you!”

“Hey, Ouma,” Nanami softly spoke. “If you keep telling lies and hurting people, you’ll get misunderstood easily. And that would be sad and lonely… I think.”

“Hmmm?” Ouma eyed her levelly. “You know, rather than waste your detective gaming skills analyzing me, you should focus more on catching the culprit if I were you, Nanamemes.”

“Just cut the bullshit already,” Hinata warned. “We’re going to cut through your lies anyway so let’s just get this over with.”

“You say that as if you hate my lies.” Ouma frowned but that didn’t last long. “But I wonder… Which one will you hate more? Lies or the truth?”

Ouma was grinning and it sent a foreboding feeling throughout the room.

“Would you rather have a kind lie or a cruel truth?”

Meanwhile, in another class…

“How wonderful! The despair of losing a classmate is no match against your sparkling hopes!”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the statement itself… except for who said it.

“Um, while I agree with your sentiment, it is confusing to determine what to feel overall considering that you had a hand in the despair in the first place,” Kiibo warily voiced out.

“Oh, are you saying that I helped despair instead of hope? I see…” Komaeda pondered on that for a moment. “Ah, but don’t worry! I’m rooting for hope, of course. I just created a small despair to be a stepping stone for your hope!”

“This so called stepping stone of yours is our dead classmate,” Hoshi glared.

“Yes, it is quite unfortunate to lose Amami.” Komaeda sighed wistfully. “I was looking forward to seeing what amazing hope he held inside of him.”

“Inside him? Didn’t know you swung that way, Cumaeda!” Iruma hollered.

Komaeda neither confirmed nor denied it. Perhaps he just ignored the inappropriate comment altogether. “It’s such a shame that garbage like me has survived and yet dear Amami is gone too soon. It would seem that my shsl luck has cycled towards bad this time.”

“You speak so fondly of Amami and yet you had killed him,” Kirumi said matter-of-factly. “Why then would you choose him to be your victim?”

“Did I kill him though, I wonder…” Komaeda cryptically dropped. “Well I will tell you that Amami was definitely not the intended target. In fact, I didn’t have anyone specific in mind at all. He just happened to walk by at the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

“You degenerate male! Are you saying that you could have killed anyone in this room?” Tenko asked with a threatening pose.

“Yes, I thought that much was obvious,” Komaeda spoke as if it was the most uninteresting fact in the world.

“Why? Do you really want to get out so badly?” Yumeno quietly asked.

“Oh, no. Trash like me don’t deserve a place anywhere, much less getting just myself out when there are people here who are worth so much more than me.”

“Oi oi, are you saying you killed someone with no intention of leaving this place at all?” Momota asked, concerned.

“Hmmm. Maybe?”

“Do you want to die?” Maki asked with a sharp glare.

“Honestly? If it helps your hope shine then I would gladly offer my life!” Komaeda laughed all too happily that it was disturbing.

“Ooooh! If you want to die so badly then Atua is taking sacrifices!” Angie innocently offered.

“Wow, really? That’s too good of a deal. My worthless life in exchange for the betterment of your hope. That’s way too good of a deal!” Komaeda exclaimed.

“No! Gonta don’t want friend to die!”

“I…” And then the oddest thing happened. Komaeda started crying. “You truly are the embodiment of hope. To think that someone would be so concerned over scum like me… Maybe I am lucky after all.”

“Hey, Komaeda. I have one question.” Saihara who has been quietly pondering all this time, finally spoke up. “Have you ever tested your trap?”

“Not at all,” Komaeda flatly answered. “I don’t need to because I already have luck.”

“Luck? Oh, I get it!” Shirogane clapped her hands. “Since your talent is luck, you were already confident that the shot put ball would hit the target regardless.”

“How curious, kukuku.” Korekiyo laughed. “A person who could bend luck towards their favor. Is this the truth behind your talent?”

“Ahaha, it’s hard to tell. As long as it’s possible, no matter how small the odds are, then I can still luck out and I do. However, my luck has a cycle,” Komaeda explained. “If something good happens then something equally bad will happen after. And vice versa. But I’m used to it. After all, but everything works out for me in the end.”

“Wait… Your luck cycles…” Akamatsu turned to him as if she had been struck with an epiphany. “Then… is killing Amami good or bad luck?”

“Hmmm, who knows? I honestly can’t tell until after the fact.”

“But you said that in the end, everything works out for you. That means you always achieve what you aim for no matter how roundabout the method is.” Akamatsu reiterated. “You said it yourself. Killing Amami wasn’t your goal, it was only a means. You’ve yet to say what your true goal is.”

“What of it though?” Komaeda asked with feigned ignorance.

“That’s… That’s right.” However, it was Saihara who answered. “Komaeda said he never tested the trap so we can’t confirm if it works. If we say that the trap relies purely on his luck and if his luck depends on his motives then… Then we need to know Komaeda’s motive before concluding that he is the culprit.”

Komaeda simply smiled in return.

“Won’t you show me just how brilliant your hopes are?”

The two troublemakers continued to struggle with trials of their own and unbeknownst to them that they were in the wrong class.

Chapter Text

In an alternate universe where three different people survived…

What are you supposed to do after survival?

They wanted to get out but… but not like this. They wanted all sixteen of them to get out. Then it became fourteen. Then twelve. Then nine and seven. Until finally, there were only three of them left.

Three survivors. Three out of sixteen. Three people who could never be whole again.

It was easy to forget that when they had a goal in mind. Kaito’s cure had taken first priority the moment that they broke out. This may have been a fictional game with fictional personalities but their experiences were real, their feelings were real. And Kaito’s sickness was very much real. With only the three of them left, they weren’t going to let that number dwindle down to two.

They stayed three. They stayed even after finding the cure. They stayed because at this point, was there any sense in leaving? After all, only these three could understand what they’ve been through. Finding out that your whole life was a lie meant for a killing game that you signed up for is… something.

Something not meant for a person to carry alone.

They say three is a crowd but… with these three, they were still just as lonely.

“Do you ever think that maybe we were better off inside that prison?” Kaede asked as soon as she felt a presence approaching. She didn’t need to look back to know that she was in good company.

“Is this what you’ve been off brooding about lately?” Kaito sat down next to her on the ledge. He laid on his back, the stars hardly visible here in the city, and an ironic part of him missed the fake nightsky in the dome.

“You know, I should’ve died at the first trial,” She continued, ignoring his comment.

“No. No, you shouldn’t have.” He let out a sigh. This wasn’t a new topic but that didn’t mean he liked the idea of getting used to it. “C'mon, didn’t we already prove that your shot put ball didn’t actually kill Rantaro?”

“But it was still my shot put ball that framed Shuichi,” She stated matter-of-factly. At this point, she had gone through that fact so many times that she had gotten numb to it. Still, it haunted her. “Maybe things would’ve been different if he was the one who lived.”

If I was the one who was executed instead— was left unsaid.

“…We’ll never know if things would have been different.”

“But it would be different,” She pointed out before he had even finished his sentence. That’s because she has thought about this. About how different things would have been.

If she was executed when she was supposed to (by script) instead of Shuichi… then maybe she didn’t have to live only to suffer like this. But that was selfish, wasn’t it? Shuichi… he had wanted her to live. But that was before the truth. This truth that she still badly wanted to believe as a lie. If he knew the truth, would he still have wanted her to live?

Kaito wasn’t going to let her spiral any further tonight. “It’s fucked up to think this way anyways. Neither of you should have died back then,” He barked. “Besides, you’re already alive now. There’s no point in thinking about ‘what if’s’.”

“Don’t you ever think about them too?” She asked, not really expecting her thoughts to speak for themselves. She glanced back at Kaito, only to see him bite the inside of his cheek in worry.

“I… Yeah… Sometimes I do.” He can feel her eyes on him but he doesn’t look back. He doesn’t want to see her face confirm what he already feels. “But I don’t let them hold me back. I don’t think about them. They just sorta happen… And I just ignore them.”

“And how has that worked out for you?” She tried not to be cheeky about it but she knew she failed when he laughed.

“Ha! Fucking terrible!” He snorted. “But what else am I supposed to do? Brood into the night like some people I know?”

“I do NOT brood!” She huffed at him. “I… contemplate.”

“Pfft! Same diff.” He waved, unconvinced.

“Anyways!” She cleared her throat and then shifted to a more somber tone. “I know you’ve been keeping it in for us this whole time but it’s okay. You don’t have to look strong in front of us. Me and Tenko, we’ve seen it all. So… If you have something to get out of your system, we’ll gladly listen.”

When Kaito closed his eyes, she didn’t expect him to open up.

“I’m supposed to be happy, ya know? I mean, I can’t believe I actually lived this long, ha…” He laughed but it came out bitter. He knew he should be grateful and a part of him was but a greater part of him was just messed up. He shut his eyes so tight that he wanted to blame that for the tears that spilled. “But it ain’t gonna make me happy knowing that I… knowing that the sick guy gets to live meanwhile Maki Roll… Dammit!”

If I was the one who murdered instead— was left unsaid.

“Maki…” Kaede admittedly wasn’t as attached to her as Kaito had been but the assassin didn’t deserve what she got. “She… She made her decision. She knew the risks and she took them because…”

“The sooner we kill the mastermind, the sooner we get out, and the sooner I get to a hospital, right?” He finished for her like he would with himself whenever he thought about this. “Yeah, I know…” It didn’t take a detective to know the assassin’s intentions. She was pretty easy to read like that. She was determined like that. She was kind like that.

God he hated it when he referred to her in the past tense like that.

“If only she waited… then she could have been with us now.” He wants to throw up. There’s poison in his chest but he can’t seem to cough it up unlike all that blood he coughed up before that might have led to him losing her. “Me? Dying? Turns out I lived out to see the end of the game and then some.”

“You couldn’t have known. You were in pretty bad shape back then, maybe it could’ve gone either way,” Kaede said even though she knew that the words would only echo inside his head.

“Maybe if I had tried harder to hide it then she wouldn’t have rushed!” He shouted in frustration. “Goddammit! It’s not fair! She wouldn’t have resorted to killing if only I had just died early!”

“YOU’VE GOT THAT WRONG!”

But it wasn’t Kaede who said that.

“Tenko? How long have you been there?” Kaito craned his neck to see her coming out of her hiding place.

“Since Kaede had started one of her brooding sessions…” She admitted guiltily.

“I do not brood!” Kaede protested but it went ignored.

“Why are you only joining us now?” He continued.

“Well Tenko did not want to intrude and she was not sure if this was just something between you two or…” She explained and then with practiced vigilance, her eyes scanned the area. “Tenko did not mean to eavesdrop but I didn’t want to leave you two unguarded either.”

“Right, thanks for watching out for us.” He gave her a thumbs up and his trademark grin. “Well don’t just stand there. We’ve got a spot here still waiting to be taken!”

“Tenko is happy to join you.” Unlike Kaede who had her legs dangling on the ledge, Tenko sat with her legs hugged to her chest. Her smile sombered. “Although it doesn’t seem to be a happy talk.”

“You don’t mind, do you?”

“No. Tenko understands that one cannot always be happy.” She shook her head. “But there is almost always joy in conquering our sorrows, if not joy then at least something worth it.”

“Okay now it’s your turn to share.”

“Oh, but Kaito isn’t finished with his yet since Tenko interrupted.” Tenko’s head tilted in apology.

“Nah, that’s it. There’s not much to say. I’ll just go in a loop if I continue.” He heaved out a sigh but after that, he cracked a grin. That was his way of passing the baton. “So? You know how this goes, right? Spill us your worries and we’ll listen.”

“You’ve been listening this whole time, right? And I don’t mean just now. I meant even way back in the game.” Kaede gave her most reassuring smile. Tenko had always been a caring girl. So it was only right that they should take care of her too. “Then it’s our turn to listen to you now. You’ve been so strong for us, Tenko. Even if it’s just this much, please let us support you too!”

Tenko’s gaze softened and so did her voice, “Tenko isn’t that strong… I wish I was stronger.” Tears formed around her eyes but she made no effort to stop them. She wasn’t ashamed of her emotions. She also wasn’t ashamed for whom they were for. “Himiko had been so strong… She protected us when Tenko couldn’t.” She hugged herself tighter, remembering a hug that she didn’t know would be their last. Longing for someone who wasn’t there to hug her back. “I… I wish Himiko was here…”