Never Say Never
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or the characters associated with it.
Chapter 4
Act 4
Everything hurt. Both physically and mentally. But Mukuro didn't have time for that right now. She'd shut off her emotions…just like when she was a soldier, and prioritized minimalizing casualties. That…was all she could do now. Frighteningly enough, she was so good at blocking out her emotions…and that probably hurt her most of all. Not to mention…that strange, unexplainable feeling was back.
That tiny, almost fleeting pressure in her chest…why couldn't she ignore it? She knew she had to, but it was persistent…more so than she had ever realized. This had never happened to her before. In the past, while out on missions or even while working for Junko, whenever she needed to shut down her emotions, it was like flipping a switch. One moment she felt 'normal', and the next all traces of 'normal' were gone. So why…why did this one feeling refuse to leave her alone?
Frustratingly, she didn't have time to figure it out. So, ignoring it as best she could, Mukuro focused on the path ahead of her, hoping to distract herself from it.
The three of them; Mondo, Chihiro, and herself, rounded the corner leading to the gym, a straight shot down the hallway. Once they got through the trophy room just outside the gym, they'd be in the clear. Chihiro had ceased her struggling and was sobbing instead. Mondo's face had reddened, either from frustration or having to sprint while carrying someone as he ran. Nevertheless, he was keeping up with her and that's what mattered most to Mukuro right now.
She'd increased her pace not long after they took off, easily surpassing Mondo and acting as a kind of shield in case anything tried to impede them. In all likelihood, nothing would have, but she didn't want to take that chance…they had less than a minute to get to the gym.
"We can make it…Just a little farther!"
Mukuro practically shoulder checked the doors leading to the trophy room, bursting them open. Neither she nor Mondo paid it any mind, dashing through the doorway practically gasping as they saw the closed gym doors…but that's when they head it.
*BZZZZZZZZZZ!*
A buzzer suddenly echoed through the school, filling every hallway and classroom. A cold chill suddenly ran down Mukuro's spine as she realized…they were too late.
Mukuro's face paled as the horror caught up with her. As the despair set in, her control over her emotions started to wane. She panted heavily, both out of breath and terrified in the same instant. They'd been so close…only a few more steps! But now…they were at the mercy of—
"Aaaaand, time's up!"
A menacing voice from beside them jerked their attention, their eyes darting toward the voice. There, they saw Monokuma, dressed in a sweaty red track suit and holding a wooden training sword, standing atop a pedestal erected just beside the trophy case near the gym doors.
It took everything Mukuro had not to lunge at the bear, taking out all of her rage at this unfair way of removing her, Mondo, and Chihiro from the killing game. She practically growled as she gritted her teeth, feeling utterly helpless and furious simultaneously. Catching her breath, the soldier allowed her hand to slip inside her shirt, fingering the hidden knife she kept close to her heart. There would be no better time to fight back, and she knew it.
Like it or not, their fate was sealed, they were out of time…or so she thought. Before she made the fatal choice to rush the bear, his demented voice spoke up.
"You three! You…were almost late! Even little Taeko made it here before you! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"
It wasn't until Monokuma mentioned her that Mukuro finally noticed Taeko, leaning against the wall on the opposite side, scowling almost angrily as she was outed. With all this new information, it took Mukuro a moment to realize…they were safe! Her sister had counted them as present! They were spared…wait…they were spared?
"Why…would Junko do that? She's been itching for an excuse to kill someone…anyone! Why would she show any kind of mercy now? Or maybe…it's not mercy at all."
With Hiro absent, there was no doubt that he would suffer 'punishment'. Could it be that Junko didn't want to lose so many 'players' in the game and decided that Hiro's death was enough? But…would that really satisfy her? It seemed…too lenient, even if she'd get the despair of finally executing a classmate.
Then again, for the rest of the class, the despair of losing a classmate like this was almost as horrifying as watching them be executed. Hell, Junko might have already taken Hiro to the depths of the school and was preparing to broadcast his execution to all of them in the gym!
Unable to wrap her head around such a difficult mystery, the soldier instead chose to be thankful that luck seemed to be on their side, or now at least. Glancing over, she found that Mondo was too out of breath to reply, and Chihiro was still reeling from the sound that signaled Hiro's inevitable doom. This gave Mukuro the floor to answer the evil teddy bear.
Steadying herself, she took a moment to compose herself before replying, "Now that you've seen us, that must mean we're not tardy?"
For a split second, Monokuma seemed genuinely taken aback, as if he hadn't expected that answer. However, the soldier knew that, more than likely, only she noticed it…because an instant later, the bear let out is usual infuriating chuckle.
"Upupupupupupu! You sure are sharp today!" the demented bear commented before nodding. "That's right. None of you are tardy! But someone's still missing I see…Upupupupupu…"
Monokuma's low chuckle seeped into Mukuro's ears. Junko was rubbing her failure in her face…and she couldn't do anything about it. Her rage was palpable…the promise she'd made…to help everyone survive and escape the school…was broken. Her hands balled into fists, nails digging deep into her palms as she fought to keep herself from lashing out.
Most of all though…Mukuro felt ashamed…ashamed that she'd allowed this to happen. She'd felt confident since her last victory during the class trial. She should have known…that Junko would pull this kind of stunt…especially given the lack of despair. Sadly, this wasn't the time to ruminate on her failure. All she could do now was focus on the present…focus and keeping everyone here alive.
Fighting off that strange pressure in her chest, her head snapped up as a familiar yell echoed from inside the gym.
"LET ME GO! THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE! BRO! CHIHIRO! JUNKO!"
The frantic yell from the gym was all too familiar to all of them. It was Taka's voice. Mondo, having set Chihiro down upon realizing they were safe for the moment, darted toward the door. Throwing it open, all of them witnessed a bizarre but heartfelt sight.
The entire class was there, with the exception of Hiro. Byakuya stood far off to the side, leaning against the bleachers, arms folded, a frown on his face as he glanced toward the entrance. Near him stood Toko, who only averted her gaze from him upon Mondo's abrupt entrance. Hifumi stood off on his own, obviously trying to keep to himself.
Sayaka wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes, relief clear on her face upon seeing them. Hina and Sakura looked relieved as well, both of them letting out a held breath. Kyoko watched them silently, her expression as stoic as always.
And then, there was Taka, his arms outstretched toward the entrance, being held back by both Leon and Makoto, but just barely. Visible lines of tears streamed down the moral compass' face, a look of shock overtaking him as he finally saw his friends entering the gym.
"B-BRO! Chihiro! Junko! You're…here!" he shouted joyously…before his expression turned deathly grim. "But…you're late…and that means…!"
"Would you quick all your blubbering? It's irritating."
Walking around the other three, unintentionally drawing everyone's attention, Taeko quickly made her presence known. At the sight of her, almost everyone either gasped or was taken aback. Only Byakuya, who wore a cocky grin, and Kyoko, who kept her visage stoic, didn't seem all that surprised by the change in her appearance and attitude.
"C-Celeste? What the hell happened to you?" Leon couldn't help but ask, releasing Taka as he raised an eyebrow at her. "You…look like a NEET or something."
"It's…Taeko now, remember?" The gambler practically spat as she said her own name, barely holding in her disgust. Letting out a frustration sigh, she took a deep breath and said, "If I have to call myself that, then so do you. And don't get me started on clothing choices you wannabe punk rock loser!"
Taken slightly aback, Leon was about to retort but she cut him off, continuing her tirade.
"Since you assholes burned most of my clothes, I had to make do. You think I want to dress like a dime store whore on her day off? And stop staring at me like I'm some kind of—".
"You bitch…" a low but familiar voice overtook the room.
Everyone's head snapped over to Hina, who's eyes glared furiously at the gambler. All semblance of the swimmer's usual cheerfulness had vanished, replaced with a cold, ruthless visage.
"You just had to get the last word in before being executed, huh?! Is that it?!" Hina abruptly shouted, her eyes widening angrily. "I don't care if you get punished but leave Chihiro, Mondo, and Junko out of it! You probably slowed them all down while they tried to save your worthless life and that's why they were late! They shouldn't have to die because of your selfish—!"
"Ehehe…Ahahahahah! Oh, oh, this is RICH! Ahahahahaha!"
Hina voice caught in her throat as a deep, sadistic laugh began to echo over her words. Right there, before her very eyes, Taeko Yasuhiro openly cackled at her. The disgraced gambler held her sides as she fought through her laughing fit…which was nothing like anyone had expected. Unlike her usual, dignified chuckle, her laughter was loud and almost abrasive. It reverberated in everyone ears. It almost rivaled Monokuma's signature laugh with how sickening it was.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, while still enjoying the look of frustration on her classmate's faces, Taeko finally said, "M-Monokuma already counted us as 'Present'. So, sorry to disappoint you all, but we all get to live another day." She continued to chuckle to herself for a moment longer before finally calming down enough to finish, sending a momentary glance at Hina.
"And for the record, I got here way before these losers barely showed up on time. If you want to blame anyone for them nearly getting axed, blame Hiro. The dipshit refused to leave his room until the very end. Good riddance of you ask me—".
"Shut up! You're lying! It's your specialty, after all!" Hina shouted, to which Taeko merely shrugged and averted her gaze. The anger on Hina's face began to become unnerving as she continued, "You couldn't tell the truth if your life depended on it! You're just trying to give us false hope before—!"
"Actually, she's telling the truth this time," Junko chimed in, obviously trying to defuse the situation. Staring at the Fashionista in disbelieve, Hina fell silent, her rage slowly receding. "Monokuma told us we were counted as 'Present'. He was waiting for us in the trophy room."
"That's wonderful, but…" Sayaka said softly, glancing trepidatiously around the room. "Hiro…still isn't here."
"…And we all know what that means," Kyoko said, stoically. Not a trace of emotion lingered behind her lavender eyes, purposefully willing away any feelings that might hinder her.
A tense silence engulfed the room. One by one, a foreboding sense of dread infected them. It was something they hadn't felt since the very first class trial. After weeks of barely managing to keep themselves alive, it seemed that the Mastermind's machination finally bore fruit. And it didn't help that one of them in particular seemed mostly apathetic.
"So, the game has finally begun in earnest," Byakuya said, an infuriating chuckle escaping him. He waited as his classmates turned toward him, as if reveling in their disgusted looks. "Although it was a rather pathetic example, now that one of us has finally been eliminated, perhaps the rest of you will come to realize that—".
"Oh! So I'm a pathetic example, am I?!"
The entire class forgot how to breathe as the voice of certain Ultimate Clairvoyant echoed throughout the gym. Then, just as surprising, one of the curtains on the gym stage fluttered and, with the grace of a toddler, Yasuhiro Hagakure stubbled out. Barely able to grasp the podium to keep from toppling over, the older student somehow managed to keep upright and point an accusatory finger at the awestruck class.
"So this is how you all act when you think I'm dead, huh?! I was right not to trust you all and hide myself here!" Hiro shouted at them, desperately trying to sound confident after nearly face-planting a moment ago.
"…Normally, this is where I would make a Dio reference, but I don't think anyone would appreciate it right now," Hifumi said softly, mostly to himself.
"Hiro! Y-You're here! Thank god, you're alive!" Makoto immediately shouted, as if completely ignoring the Clairvoyant's foul words.
Visibly taken aback, Hiro's mouth hung open for a second, clearly not having anticipated that reaction. "W-Which one?!" he suddenly asked, making Makoto raise an eyebrow at him.
"Which…what?"
"Which 'god' are you thankful to, huh?!" he pressed, seemingly pleased with his 'comeback'. "Buddha? Shiva? Baby Jesus? Which one are you thanking for the fact that you don't have to feel guilty about letting me die?!"
A heavy silence reigned as most of the class' expressions of relief…turned to frustration.
"What the hell, man?! 'Letting you die'? We thought you were in your room this whole time!" Leon was the first to crack, his frustration giving way to shouting. "Why the hell were you hiding in here in the first place?!"
"To prove a point!" Hiro answered, seeming almost smug…which looked weird on him.
"What 'point'? That you're a dick for almost getting three people killed trying to save you?" Junko sassed, folding her arms over her chest.
"Four people, actually. Unless I don't count?" Taeko briefly added, enduring a few glares at her intervention.
"You shouldn't…" Hina openly seethed, scoffing at her before huffing and averting her gaze.
"The point I was trying to prove was that you all couldn't care less if I died!" Hiro announced, pushing past the interruption as though it never occurred. "You all came here to the gym, abandoning me to my fate! Not to mention how some of you talk about me behind my back!" he glared at Taeko and Byakuya, both of whom shrugged passively, further incentivizing him. "That alone proves that none of you really believe any of that junk about 'working together' and 'doing what you can'—!
"And how are you any different?" the stern voice of Sayaka resounded, overpowered his rambling.
Immediately, Hiro lost his voice and stared down at her from atop the stage, gasping as he saw a hint of angry tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Junko, Mondo, Chihiro…and Taeko. All of them nearly died because you wanted to prove that we don't like you." Furrowing her brows, Sayaka stepped toward the stage, effortlessly overwhelming Hiro as their eyes met. "Well, I guess you really showed us, didn't you? Because if we didn't like you before, we definitely aren't fond of you now."
As her venomous words hit him, Hiro instinctively threw his arms up, as if trying to defend himself from her fierce voice. Then, in the least intimidating voice possible, he shouted back at her.
"O-Oh yeah?! Like I care! You're all out to get me and nothing I do will ever change that!"
"This isn't what was supposed to happen! And why is Sayaka so freaking terrifying?!"
Yasuhiro Hagakure wasn't a bad person…but destiny was always against him! Even with his 30% accuracy in fortune-telling, most of the time, only the negative predictions came true! By some miracle, he'd been accepted into Hope's Peak while on the run from the yakuza…only to be caught up in this killing game! It wasn't his fault that aliens were conspiring against him to ruin his life! Ever since the incident with the spaceship stealing his burger, everything and everyone turned against him!
The Mastermind was definitely in bed with the aliens who secretly ran the world. How else would they be able to capture his entire class and keep them trapped in their own school?! There was no other plausible explanation! But if he admitted to his classmates that the reason they were all trapped in this prison of a school was because he pissed off the Illuminati and our alien overlords…they'd blame him and try to kill him!
How was that fair to him?! It's not like he intended to force them into a killing game! It wasn't his fault! Who could blame him for trying to keep himself alive?! Telling the truth now wouldn't help any of them! Keeping it to himself was definitely the only way he'd live to see tomorrow!
Everyone always blamed him…except for his mother. Sure, she was strict and told him to 'stop failing school, drop out, and get a real job', but he knew it came from a place of love. She loved him unconditionally, but even she'd been taken by the aliens and was being used as a hostage! The walls were closing in on him, and Sayaka yelling at him wasn't helping the situation!
"Dammit! I told everyone I'd be in my room to throw them off! I thought coming to the gym and hiding was smart! No one would expect me to do that! Until Monokuma ruined everything!"
Once everyone started piling in, it felt awkward to just pop out from behind a curtain, so he figured it was better to stay hidden. And then, when the time limit was up…and some people were missing because they were trying to find him…he knew his classmates would blame him for their deaths!
Again, it wasn't his fault they tried to find him! They chose to do that on their own! And then, instead of feeling sad that he could be dead, Byakuya and Celeste (or was it Taeko now? The name change was confusing), they had practically praised the idea that he wasn't around anymore!
"What's wrong with me calling them out for not caring?! If anything, I deserve an apology, not to have Sayaka staring at me like she's gonna gut me like a fish!"
On more than one occasion, the pop idol had proven she wasn't someone to mess with. Not only in her craftiness in her murder attempt, but the fact that she actually slapped Byakuya! Did she not realize that once they got out of the school the Togami Heir would send a hit squad after her?! Where did all her stupidity come from?! You gotta play it smart if you wanna survive!
At the same time, Sayaka's lack of fear terrified him! It meant she couldn't be reasoned with and if she really wanted to, she'd stab him in the back just for badmouthing Makoto, which he didn't mean to do! He honestly just wanted clarification on which deity Makoto was praying to! Sure, he'd yelled a bit too much, but he was stressed! Shouldn't his classmates understand that?!
By the looks of things, they certainly didn't. Most of them were glaring at him, and with Sayaka leading the charge, it was only a matter of time before a lynching began!
"At this rate, their all gonna gang up on me! I need to come up with something…anything to distract them from their hatred of me—that's it!"
"O-Oh yeah?! Like I care! You're all out to get me and nothing I do will ever change that!" Hiro shouted before his eyes started darting around. "A-Anyway, that's not important right now! M-Monokuma called us all here for a reason right?! So…yeah! Where are you, Mr. Headmaster?!"
In the midst of his shouting, Monokuma rose up from beneath the floor, just behind him. Unfortunately, since he was flustered, the Ultimate Clairvoyant didn't seem to notice. He also didn't notice that Monokuma began imitating his physical movements, mocking the disgruntled young man even more.
This, of course, caused the rest of the class to zero in on the bear, their gazes both heated and anxious. It took nearly an entire minute, but Hiro soon realized it wasn't him they were staring at. Slowly, he turned and noticed Monokuma 'smiling' up at him.
"Well, would you look at that! It seems that Mr. Hagakure has mastered the art of 'Look! Absolutely anything else! Let's focus on that instead of me!'. Can't believe that worked actually, but I'll take more attention whenever I can get it! I'm an ego maniac like that…"
With a high pitched squeal, Hiro tumbled backwards, nearly falling off the stage. "Ahhh! I'm sorry! Please spare me!" he shouted as he scrambled, finally tumbling over the edge of the stage and plopping onto the floor, his hands clasped together in some kind of prayer, most likely for mercy.
After watching the entire display in utter silence, Monokuma shrugged his shoulders and said, "Eh, you were here first, you get a pass for now." As Hiro breathed a huge sigh of relief, the demented bear turned to address the rest of the class. "Goooood morning everyone! Who's ready to greet another bee-yutiful day?!"
The silence was almost palpable as the students collectively glared at their captor, unamused by his lack of originality. Monokuma, however, didn't seem pleased with their response, brandishing his claws with a menacing glare.
"Hey, come on now. Don't be shy. I know it's already passed noon but none of you ever seems to appreciate the effort I put in every morning announcement!"
Tiling his head to the side, the demented bear looked all of them over carefully. After a few moments of tense silence, Monokuma hung his head and let out a deep sigh.
"It's soooo depressing…That's why, before we start this little meeting, I wanna hear you say, 'GOOD MORNING, HEADMASTER!' With all the excitement you pathetic children can muster! And you all better answer…or punishment await you! Okay then…here we go!"
His threat thoroughly established, Monokuma drew in large breath (that he truly didn't need to take) and shouted at the entire class.
"GOOOD MORNING EVERYONE!"
Although used to their captor antics, none of the students wanted to chance testing the bear's patience. And so, as Monokuma's dulcet tones washed over them, the entire class begrudgingly responded, "Good morning, Headmaster…"
Their response was flat and mostly disinterested. Sadly, in true gym teacher fashion, Monokuma shook his head at them, obviously displeased.
"I. Can't. Hear. You!" Monokuma 'cheered', his enthusiasm draining, in more ways than one. "One. More. Time! Lemme hear it! GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!"
…
…
"Good Morning, Headmaster" the class once again said in unison, louder but somehow more monotone than before.
Again displeased with their lack of enthusiasm, Monokuma jeered, "Kids these days…It's like you don't even care about all the hard work I put into the motive this time around. I was up all night editing it too…"
"We don't care about how much time you wasted trying to get us to kill each other," Junko fired back, glaring daggers at the bear. "Just hurry up and get to the stupid motive so we can get on with our lives."
Upon hearing Junko's comment, the half-and-half bear seemed to regain a bit of his sadistic joy. "Oh, don't you worry your frazzled freckled face, little lady! The motive will come soon enough! But first, there's been a change in your school regulations! Or has no one noticed yet…?"
"You're talking about removing the rule of the bullying trials, correct?" Kyoko surmised, her gaze more steely than usual.
"Aw, ya spoiled it!" Monokuma jeered, his expression sagging into disappointment. "I wanted to see looks of shock and awe as I freed you from useless grasp."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Leon roared, fumbling for his student handbook in utter shock. Starting it up, he quickly scanned the rules and practically gasped, "Holy shit…she's right! The bullying trial stuff is completely gone!"
"You only just noticed it now?" Byakuya said with an annoyed huff. Folding his arms, he scoffed and said, "The rule was removed sometime last night. If you bothered to look at your handbook this morning, you would have undoubtedly noticed it."
"Hold on, you seriously check your handbook every day?" Leon questioned, his tone indicating his doubt.
"Only after a class trial is held," Byakuya commented, pushing up his glasses and smirking in Taeko's direction. "Especially one with such an interesting result."
Frowning, the disgraced gambler calmly replied, "Yeah well, at least I don't feel the need to hide behind perverted serial killer. You much really be desperate if you're letting that harlot get so close to you."
Byakuya's smirk fell, not expecting that comeback. Meanwhile, from behind him, Toko gritted her teeth and sneered at the gambler, "W-Watch your m-mouth, you failure! You're j-just spitting venom because y-you failed to graduate!"
A malicious smirk spread over Taeko's lips as she answered, "Yeah, I fucked up and got caught. But at least I had the balls to actually try and graduate. Unlike your limp-dick master who's practically given up on—".
"Would all of you shut up?!" a familiar voice interrupted, cutting off the gambler. Taeko unintentionally flinched as she turned to see Hina glaring at all three of them. "We're trying to get this all figured out! So if you don't have anything to contribute, just be quiet!"
Hina's newfound ferocity was startling, and not just to the ones she was yelling at. Most of the class stole concerned glances toward the swimmer girl, continually perturbed by her new attitude. Before she could say anymore, Sakura rested a hand on her shoulder, a grim expression on her face.
"There's no point in arguing now. Let us review the rules and see what we can make of them."
Her tone was stern, yet gentle. It was obvious to everyone that she was trying to reason with Hina more than the others. That fact wasn't lost on the Ultimate Swimmer, who almost immediately calmed down and nodded.
"…Yeah, you're right." Hina narrowed her gaze at Taeko before finishing. "They're not worth it."
Byakuya, as usual, only scoffed at her comment, fishing his e-handbook out of his pocket. Toko looked like she wanted to retort but a stern look from her master shut her down, a perverse smile stretching onto her face as she pulled out her handbook. Taeko, however, lost her wicked smile, a deep frown settling on her face as she took out her handbook as well.
By this time, everyone else, aside from Mondo who was handbook-less, had done the same, needing to verify this information with their own eyes. Chihiro, being the kind-hearted person she was, tugged on Mondo's sleeve and held up her handbook to share with him. Exchanging silent smiles, the biker and the programmer looked over the regulations together.
"…Goddamn! This means…I can punch people again!" Mondo excitedly yelled, taking a moment to realize he'd said that out loud. As the likes of Junko, Kyoko, and even Taka glared at him, he nervously stammered, "N-Not that I'm planning on going around smacking people around. Unless they deserve it!"
His last words were angled at Hiro, who had made his way off the stage and was currently cowered near the bleachers. Cracking his knuckles in emphasis, the biker gave off a 'you're fuckin' dead' vibe that most of them were sure made Hiro wet himself. Fortunately, for the fortune-teller, a voice of reason pipped up.
"Just because the bullying trial rule is gone, it doesn't mean we're off the hook. Or do you think Monokuma would be that benevolent?" Junko said in biker's direction, addressing not only him but the entire class. Mondo's enthusiasm died as she spoke, his eyes hardening as he took her words to heart. Seeing him taking it seriously, the Fashionista turned to face the demented teddy bear. "So what's the deal, bear? Why remove a regulation that gives you more opportunities to execute us?"
It was the question on everyone's mind, but she'd been the one to voice it. Collectively, the class turned to face their captor, only to witness a nonchalant shrug and a half-hearted sigh.
"Eh, the rule's pointless now. Since all of you now know that 'winning' a bullying trial doesn't allow you to leave, there's was no point in keeping it around. Which is a damn shame because Taeko and I almost had this whole place to ourselves…like our own personal castle—".
"Go fuck yourself," Taeko seethed, flipping the bear off while sticking her tongue out at him.
Ignoring her comments, the bear continued, "That said, even if another bullying trial occurred, you'd all just vote not to kill anyone. Booooooring! And since such a pointless outcome is practically guaranteed, I felt it was best to remove it all together! That's all there is to it!"
Monokuma's explanation made sense, which was more terrifying than when he was being nonsensical. And just as they predicted, very slowly, the maniacal laughter that haunted their nightmares began to build.
"Upupupupu! With that in mind, I think I'll do Miss Enoshima said and 'get to the stupid motive', so you can go on 'living your lives'! Ahahahahahahahaha!"
As his demented laughter washed over them, each of the students prepared themselves for the inevitable.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes! This is it! The moment of despair!" the real Junko squealed as she sat in the Monokuma control room.
Through the bear's eyes, she surveyed the entire class, but her attention primarily focused on two individuals. Mukuro looked as defiant as ever, prepared to use all of her skills to divert the coming disaster. And then Sakura, who she knew would be expecting to be outed as the 'traitor' without knowing she wasn't the only one. Even though both of them had decided to betray her, that didn't mean any of this was unexpected.
Junko had, rightfully, predicted that both of them would betray her at some point. What she hadn't planned for was the idea of both of them being alive when that happened…which opened up so many new and exciting possibilities!
And the most despair-inducing thing was, they had absolutely no idea what was in store for them! Junko couldn't have planned for a more tantalizing situation! So much so that the loss of the bullying trial rule didn't bother her in the slightest. Losing the rule came with its own form of despair, and it would be replaced with an ever greater despair thanks to these unique circumstances!
"Such a rare opportunity must be taken advantage of!" she said in her regal persona, before unceremoniously switching to her crass and violent persona. "Fuck yeah! And it's all thanks to that back-stabbing bitch sister of mine! If she'da died at the start, shit like this wouldn't happen! Who'd fuckin' thought, huh?! Hahaha!"
All of a sudden, her violent persona dissipated, and her right hand flew up and covered her face, her voice deepening as she suddenly became overly serious.
"The two traitors…one by choice, the other by circumstance. Let's see which of them will survive this round. It's going to be very…interesting."
"Please direct your attention to this informative video!" Monokuma abruptly shouted as a screen from the ceiling descended. "I told you I was up all night editing it, right? Well that was literal! Ahahaha!"
The students flinched as the lights suddenly dimmed and an old-school projector suddenly whirled to life high above them, projecting a strange video from them. After the mandatory number countdown that all projector reel films start with, a black and white image of Hope's Peak Academy popped onto the screen…a familiar bear's voice narrating.
"In the beginning was the word…and the word was with Monokuma. This bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new headmaster dreamed of a perfect school, one where his students could live together in harmony."
The image on the screen shifted to show a black and white picture of the students themselves, all gathered in the gym on the very first day of their imprisonment. The fear and anguish on their expressions betrayed the words of the narrator.
"All of the students accepted this responsibility and did not fear remaining here until the end of their days."
"What is this bullshit?" Taeko openly interrupted, seemingly unfazed by whatever the bear was planning. "Just say what the stupid motive is so I can get back to my room already—".
"Quiet in the peanut gallery!" Monokuma shouted, appearing directly beside her. Although her eyes widened and she shuddered a bit, impressively, Taeko held in a yelp. Instead, she fixed her fiery gaze onto the bear, who made a 'shh-ing' motion before waddling up to the front of the class. "Now everyone shut up and enjoy the movie! You wouldn't want to miss the iconic Shyamalan twist, now would you?"
Inexplicably pulling out a tub of popcorn from behind his back, the bear began to munch loudly as his own voice echoed throughout the gym. Disturbed by his ominous words, the class remained silent as the film continued, the image abruptly changing to a generic but sinister looking silhouette.
"However! None of them knew of the danger lurking in their midst! For you see! As Byakuya, he who wipes his bottom with paper money, Togami had feared…there was a traitor among them!"
To everyone's annoyance, and despite the obvious jab as his character, a proud scoff could be heard from the Togami Heir as he folded his arm victoriously. No one had time to comment though, as the video continued on without a care.
"But who is this mysterious traitor and what could they be plotting?! To find out, the magnanimous Monokuma issued a decree! 'The traitor's punishment shall be nothing less than eternal damnation in the foulest pits of hell itself! My faithful students, I beseech you to seek out this traitor so that they may face our 'good' justice! And, as a reward, the first among you who can correctly identify the traitor…shall be allowed safe passage back to the 'old world' (read: outside the school). However! To avoid dissent amongst the masses, if one wrongfully accuses another of being the traitor…they shall be beheaded instead!'."
The image of a guillotine appeared, with monochrome footage of someone in a Monokuma mask struggling as the blade flew down toward their head. Surprisingly, the screen faded to black just before the blade made contact. A flash of white appeared, and the footage suddenly returned to the ominous silhouette, this time with glowing red, menacing eyes staring down at them.
"Monokuma knew that the traitor wouldn't reveal themselves, for doing do would prompt a swift death and ensure the rest of the students were unable to leave. Even if they did come forward, Monokuma wouldn't accept their confession, as it could deprive a faithful student their chance for freedom!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second!" Junko abruptly shouted, her face growing paler by the moment. As if on cue, the film reel somehow paused, allowing the Fashionista time to speak. "You're confirming that there actually is a traitor among us? And if we find out who the traitor is, we get a free pass out of the school? But if we guess wrong we get executed?!"
"…Well, thanks for spewing out all that exposition!" Monokuma sneered, his voice halfway pouting. "And no, this isn't a team effort! The one person who reports to me who the traitor is get so leave! But if they get it wrong, their head will be on the chopping block! That was the big twist and you ruined it! I went to all the trouble to make this motive all cinematic and you wrecked it! Geez, ya might as well spoil the rest of the plot while your at it!"
Strangely, for an instant, Junko seemed to hesitate. She momentarily averted her gaze from the bear, a pained expression crossing her face. However, it faded almost instantly and she turned to face Monokuma once more.
"It's because your dumb movie doesn't make sense!" Junko fired back, unwilling to relent. "If I've got this right, even if the traitor reveals who they are, they just get executed anyway?! What's the point of that?! Why the hell would they reveal who they are if—ahh! Hey, stop that!"
In the midst of her explanation, Junko threw up her hands as a flurry of popcorn flew toward her face. Swatting it away almost effortlessly, the Fashionista looked ready to murder the demented bear. However, after a few moments of silently glaring at him, Junko instead decided to keep her distance, memories of how she'd nearly been skewered so long ago resurfacing in everyone's minds.
"That is enough of an interruption Missy! I let it slide because I thought you were gonna praise my amazing cinematography, but clearly you're just a casual movie goer!" Monokuma jeered, throwing a few more pieces of popcorn at her before growling. "Rawwr! Not to mention that it almost sounds like your questioning the Headmaster! That's verbal assault! And we all know what happens when you assault the Headmaster…don't we!"
Junko gritted her teeth, obviously holding back a scathing comment. With more willpower than anyone would have realized, the Fashionista somehow managed to keep herself from retorting. Her body shook angrily, quietly seething as a joyous smirk spread across Monokuma's face.
"Now that's more like it! Save your critique for someone who actually cares about your opinion! Besides, you haven't seen the ending yet. And I know how all of you like a…happy ending. Upupupupu!"
Clued in by his ominous words, Junko's eyes widened as she and the rest of the class turned back toward the screen, the projector whirling back to life and playing one final scene. The image on the screen shifted once more, this time to an image of Monokuma confronting the evil silhouette. But even more terrifying…was that as the film continued, the silhouette slowly began to fill in, as if preparing for a reveal!
"Oh, whatever will become of this mysterious traitor who defied the sanctity of the Holy Hope's Peak Academy school for hopeful students? Well, as it turns out the traitor was none other than—".
In the middle of speaking, just before the silhouette could fill in and have defining features, the projector reel suddenly caught fire! The students looked on in horror as the film was destroyed, ending the 'movie' prematurely. The instant the film cut out, Monokuma leapt to his feet, let out a savage yell, and chucked his empty popcorn tub at the screen.
"A cliff-hanger?! I didn't pay for this! Seriously, I didn't pay to see this movie at all, but I still feel entitled to a refund!"
Waddling up toward the stage and climbing up the podium, the bear stared at the panic stricken class and said, "Oh well, them's the breaks! I guess we'll never know what happened…unless, of course, one of you is willing to write the ending yourselves! Upupupu! Ahahahahahahahaha!"
To Be Continued…
Greetings, my beautiful readers! Oh my, what a twist, eh?! A new motive that wasn't present in the game?! One that actively puts both Mukuro and Sakura at a disadvantage?! How will the students fair with this new motivation? You'll have to keep reading to find out!
Now, for a shameless plug, I'm writing my own original fantasy/dnd style story! It's called "The Scribe: Echoes" and the first two chapters are on FictionPress and Royal Road under my same username. It tells the story of a young cleric, Liannia Lherzolyte, who seeks revenge against a necromancer for killing and reanimating her friends' corpses. Liannia is willing to do anything, even sell her own soul, if it means achieving her vengeance. Check it out if you have the time!
So, as you may have noticed, chapters are much shorter than they used to be. This is mainly because writing longer chapters obviously takes more time and thus delays posting. With that in mind, going forward, chapters will around this length from now on. I will still have some longer chapters, but I feel that this way, I will get more out to all of you quicker, rather than being pressured to write longer chapters. Rest assured, I'm not cutting content, I'm just breaking up chapter into smaller ones because it's less stressful.
Also, as I mentioned before, I'm streaming a spoilers allowed playthrough of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc on my twitch! It's under the same username: hunterofcomedy. I stream it every Saturday 2pm CST. Come by and enjoy it if you'd like!
As always, thank you so much to everyone who favorited and followed this story! I truly appreciate all the kind words you offer me and please feel free to leave a review/comment to tell me what you think of the story or just gush about Danganronpa!
Until next time, have yourselves a beautiful day and keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!