Archive of Our Own ^beta

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.

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 worshiped 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.

Chapter Text

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

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…