Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So… it's been a while since the last update. Longer than it usually would be.
I'm really sorry about that. I haven't abandoned the fic, and I don't plan to. I just drifted off at first, unable to really focus on writing. And when I finally got the energy to write, the current pandemic caused all my classes to go online, so I had to focus on all the current work I had. If I wrote, I would get too distracted to finish everything.
So, yeah. I'm here now, finally finished with the latest chapter, and my current goal is to make daily updates of this fic, along with a few others if possible. I really want to finish this fic, and I don't want to take years doing so. So, with that out of the way, I hope this chapter was worth the wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 69: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 3
When the group of five entered the bathhouse, the first thing they saw was Toko sitting in front of the laptop. "...Toko." Makoto greeted awkwardly. "Did you decide to come hear what Alter Ego has to say, too?"
"I-I already heard it… with M-Master…" Toko informed them. Then she giggled perversely. "With Master!"
"We don't envy you." Leon deadpanned.
"Don't envy who?" Junko asked. "Toko or Byakuya?"
"Both."
That earned annoyed glances from both the heir and the writer.
"You don't have to keep saying it…" Hina sighed. "Anyway, so what are you doing right now?"
"Shut up. Stop b-bothering me." Toko responded back.
"Get out of the way." Hiro spoke up bluntly. "We have to talk to Alter Ego."
"N-No." Toko shook her head in refusal. "I made Master a p-promise."
"A promise?" Sakura repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Master told me to w-wait here, so that's what I'm d-doing." The writer explained.
"What are you, his dog?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously.
"She might as well be at this point." Celeste snarked, getting a nasty glare from the writer. "All she needs is a leash and a collar."
"You're assuming I want to keep it." Byakuya deadpanned. "I assure you, this dog is a stray that follows me around."
"Master!" Toko whined pitifully.
"If it's wh-what Master wants, I'd do anything h-he asks." Toko said shyly.
"You just love being mistreated…" Hiro sighed.
"Yep."
"No doubt there."
"Not healthy, but true."
"I think it became her kink now."
"It's n-not abuse!" Toko protested.
"W-Well fine, if you really want me gone, by a-all means…" Before Toko could finish, however, she suddenly sneezed. And instantly, Genocide Jill appeared. "Hey guys! What's goin' on?!"
"Um… we'd like you to move." Hiro said, looking stunned for a moment.
"Sure thing! Just kneel before me and beg!" The serial killer demanded.
"First a mega masochist, now a super sadist!" Hiro cried out.
The appearance of Jill got groans from nearly everyone, with Toko dropping her glare and shrivelling up at the site of her. "Why?" Leon complained. "Why did she have to show up now?"
"I doubt there's ever a good time for Jill to appear." Sakura sighed.
"But it's definitely a worse time to do so." Celeste said with an eye twitch. "This is going to delay our talk with Alter Ego."
"Agreed." Byakuya and Kyoko simultaneously stated.
Quickly, the fortune teller turned towards Makoto. "Come on, Makoto! Give her the ol' one-two combo! One - drop your knees! Two - beseech!"
"Why are you acting like you're not part of this…?" The luckster groaned.
"Why don't any of you guys ever do these kinds of things?" Makoto asked with a blank look on his face. "Can't any of you lose your dignity for once?"
His response was several of his friends turning away, with some even whistling. 'Some friends I have…' Was the sarcastic thought of the lucky student.
With a sigh, Makoto kneeled in front of Jill and said, "Please, I'm begging you… will you please let us use the laptop?"
That brought gleeful laughter from the psychopath.
"Thanks, Makoto!"
"You're the best!"
"What would we do without you?"
Their response was a flat look from the lucky student, which clearly says that he's far from amused.
"Such an ultra miraculous feeling of happiness! All my pent-up anger at Master for abusing me is evaporating!"
"So even *you* realize it's abuse…" Hina sighed.
"I-It's not abuse!"
"Yes it is." Nearly everyone said simultaneously.
"That should be enough, right?" Kyoko spoke up. "Hurry up and let us talk to Alter Ego."
"O-kaaaaaaay!" With that, the serial killer moved aside, letting everyone get a view of the AI.
At this, the group tense, with some leaning in closely. This is it. They are hopefully gonna get some more answers with this.
"Everyone, come closer!" Alter Ego requested happily. Once everyone did, with Makoto squatting right in front of the laptop, the AI continued. "I already told Byakuya, but… I was finally able to crack open all the files that were on this laptop! Sorry to have kept you all waiting!"
"YES!" Leon, Hina, and Sayaka cheered, with the former two pumping their fist.
"We're finally getting some answers!" Mondo cheered as well.
"Thank goodness for your AI, Chihiro!" Taka praised.
"It may actually save our bacon!" Junko played along.
Chihiro could beam in happiness, red tint on his cheeks.
The quieter ones, such as Kyoko and Byakuya, merely watched on eagerly, hoping for valuable information.
"Just what I thought…" Kyoko mused.
"Finally… the time has come…" Sakura spoke right after.
"Nng… I'm starting to get kinda nervous…" Hiro groaned.
'Same.' Was the thoughts of several students. As the tone got more serious, everyone got tense and quiet, waiting for the information to be revealed.
Makoto placed his hands on the keyboard, his hands slightly shaking. But before he could type anything, Kyoko sharply ordered, "Move." Flinching, Makoto moved over, and let Kyoko get in front of the laptop. "Here we go…"
Immediately, glares and disapproving glances were thrown Kyoko's way, with Sayaka even letting out an irritated growl. Makoto had to clasp their hands together to keep her from attacking the detective.
Said detective had to swallow an irritated and embarrassed groan. Can't her future self push back her grudge at a time like this?
Kyoko then typed out, "Can you tell us what you found out?"
"Sure. I analyzed the files and extracted all the useful information I could find." Alter Ego nodded it's floating head. "And one particularly important fact I discovered was that a certain plan had been put into effect here. 'To isolate the students of Hope's Peak Academy and create a communal life for them'."
That definitely got everyone's attention. "Isn't that what Monokuma called this crazy situation?" HIro asked, scratching his head. "A communal life or whatever…?"
"Yes, that's what the bear had been spewing out…" Byakuya mused, his eyes narrowed. "Are these documents of the mastermind's plan?"
"We shall find out soon." Sakura said, just as focused on the TV.
"That was the stated goal of the plan. But it was meant to be more than just a normal school life. The students were intended to live out the rest of their lives here."
Makoto's eyes widened. "Th-That's…!"
"It's… exactly the situation we've found ourselves in." Sakura spoke out everyone's thoughts.
"It's quite unthinkable, isn't it?" The AI continued. "And what's more, the one who came up with the plan was… none other than the administrators of Hope's Peak themselves."
Now several eyes were shot wide open. "WHAT?!" Taka shouted.
"The administrators are doing this?" Hiro exclaimed in disbelief.
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Byakuya stated, immediately analyzing the info given to him. "The staff in Hope's Peak are all about culminating our talents to its fullest potential. Why would they want to get rid of the students they invested in?"
"Perhaps it's like some sort of sick test?" Hifumi suggested. "Maybe they're using this as a way to test our abilities and will."
"I don't know, Hifumi; that's a bit of a stretch." Makoto argued. "I mean, the only thing that this would assess us on is our willpower and mystery solving skills, the latter of which is only Kyoko's talent." Not to mention, Mukuro already told him the real reason. So unless the mastermind infiltrated the administrations, it doesn't make for the administrators to want to bring down Hope's Peak.
"Let's continue watching; I doubt that's everything Alter Ego has to say." Kyoko spoke up, getting attention back to the screen.
"What?! Wait, hold on!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. "Then the reason we've been imprisoned here… it wasn't the work of some psycho freak or criminal organization or whatever. It was… the school itself?"
"That doesn't make any sense! Why would they do that?!" Hiro questioned in disbelief.
"I don't think Alter is finished." Kyoko pointed out. "Perhaps we should hear the rest…"
"It seems that the reason they devised the plan was because of what happened one year ago." The AI continued further. "This is how they described the event. They said it was the 'biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history'."
The AI's words caused more than a few stomachs to churn. "That… doesn't sound good…" Leon gulped.
"You think?" Mondo remarked, though there wasn't any heat in his words.
"What does that mean…?" Hina asked, looking both concerned and confused.
"Yeah, what kind of name is that for something?!" Hiro exclaimed.
Kyoko herself was silent, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Otherwise known as the Tragedy, it was apparently some sort of devastating occurrence." Alter Ego explained. "Because of the Tragedy… Hope's Peak was forced to discontinue its role as a school and close down."
That got minds to start putting more of the puzzle pieces together. "I see." Byakuya mused in thought. "So that's why Hope's Peak needed to close down. Because of this Tragedy…"
"If I remember correctly, Monokuma had mentioned the Tragedy in the beginning of the third chapter." Taka stated. "And that a student died during that time."
"So is it something that happened in Hope's Peak?" Celeste inquired. "Or is it a wider scale calamity?"
'That's the question, isn't it?' Kyoko thought, her eyes narrowed. With every piece of info, it seems that something happened, or is happening, in the outside world. A catasphrophic level event, from how it's sounding.
"I see. Things are starting to finally make sense…" Kyoko said, mainly to herself. "What this means is, one year ago, this thing - this Tragedy - took place. "And whatever it is, it forced Hope's Peak to shut down. From there, they decided to use the school as a kind of staging ground. They planned to sequester the students here, where they would live out the rest of their lives."
"So that's everything they manage to gather?" Sayaka asked rhetorically, frowning. "Still, it doesn't seem like the full picture…"
"Yeah, I mean, why would the administrators want to shut us into the school?" Hina asked.
"And what is the Tragedy?" Taka questioned right after.
"Was it the administrators' idea to have this killing game in the first place?" Celeste added.
"I have a theory or two for those questions." Kyoko informed them. "But first, let's see what else Alter Ego knows."
"But… why would the Hope Peak's administrators want to shut everyone in like that?" Hina asked.
"And what could this 'tragic event' have possibly been?" Sakura added.
Quickly, Kyoko typed in those questions. However… "Sorry… I don't know." The AI said sadly. "If that information was ever on this computer, it's gone now. I'm totally useless… I'm sorry."
"So is that everything Alter Ego found?" Leon asked, not looking satisfied about the information given. "No way out? No clues about the mastermind? Nothing else?"
"So it would seem…" Kyoto said, sounding disappointed as well.
"Then… is this really the end?" Hiro questioned worriedly. "We get halfway through the answer, and that's it?"
"It would appear so. Disappointing…" Kyoko sighed.
"Oh, wait! There's one other thing I forgot to mention." Alter Ego suddenly announced. "There's one other thing I forgot to mention. I think it might be important. I believe it has to do with the mastermind…"
That immediately gained the attention of everyone. "The mastermind?!" Several students shouted in shock.
"Look like we're getting that clue Leon!" Hina said eagerly.
"And it couldn't have said so sooner?" Byakuya asked in irritation.
"Who cares?" Leon retorted. "Let's just see what he knows!"
Several eyes widened in shock. "The mastermind?!" Makoto gasped.
In a flash, Kyoko typed down, "Did you figure out the mastermind's identity?"
"No… that I still don't know." The AI admitted. "But I did find a clue, I think. The one leading the Hope's Peak staff, the one who finalized the plan to isolate you… was the Hope's Peak Headmaster."
Once again, several eyes popped wide open. "WHAT?!" Was the scream of several students.
"So that same person may very well be the mastermind who planned all this out."
"But that's impossible!" Byakuya refuted. "At the start of this... viewing, we saw the headmaster get killed!"
"Maybe the mastermind did that as a trick or something?" Hiro offered up.
"Who was he trying to fool? Certainly not us." Celeste retorted. "None of our future selves were there to see his death. And how would he know that we, ourselves, would be watching this from the future?"
"Besides that point, we already established that it wasn't a trick." Mukuro spoke up. "Those bones looked far too real to be fake."
"Indeed, it doesn't look like the headmaster is the mastermind." Junko stated in her teacher persona. "However, that doesn't mean that he didn't lead the plans to isolate us in the school."
That got the group to pause and think on that for a moment. "But why would the headmaster and the staff do this?" Taka asked. "Why isolate us from the rest of the world?"
It was Makoto who answered that. "From everything we've gathered… it's probably to protect us from this Tragedy." The luckster then turned to the detective next to him. "That was one of the theories you were talking about, right Kyoko?"
Kyoko nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. Right now, it's likely that the Tragedy is a global pandemic. One that Hope's Peak wants to protect us from."
Several students felt their stomachs drop, and began getting pale, at the implications. There's something so bad out there, that the staff felt the need to keep the students in the school? And what of the people out there? What happened to the other students? Their family?
Not wanting to think about it any longer, the group shook those thoughts away and focused on the screen.
"And according to the files, the headmaster is a man in his late thirties. It seems possible, even likely, that he's somewhere in the school right now."
Kyoko's eyes actually widened in shock. "The headmaster… is here in the school?!"
"Then that's gotta be the mastermind!" Hina concluded. "I mean, Monokuma's been calling himself the headmaster, right?"
"Which makes the real headmaster that much more suspicious…" Sakura mused.
"But if we break down the door to his room, we're dead, right?" Hiro pointed out. "So what are we supposed to do?"
"I'll find a way…"
"Huh?" Hiro spoke in confusion, with him and the others turning to the source of the menacing statement.
The one who spoke was Kyoko, who held a surprisingly violent look on her face. "No matter what it takes… I will find the headmaster." She growled. "No matter the cost…"
The sight of an angry looking Kyoko brought chills along some spines. "Is Kyoko okay…?" Hina asked worriedly.
"She must be pissed that her old man is involved in this…" Leon remarked. "Almost forgot that their relationship isn't the best."
"But why is she reacting this badly?" Byakuya questioned. "Disregarding how surprising it is to see this much emotion from her, her memories of anything involving her talents was erased. She shouldn't even remember her father."
Kyoko herself frowned at this. Most likely, while the memories are mostly erased, or suppressed, her feelings about her father are still there. Just like her skills as a detective. Still, the fact that the possibility of her father's involvement brought such strong emotions…
"Kyoko? What's going on…?" Hina asked in concern.
The lavender haired girl managed to school her features. "I can't explain why. I just… know that I have to find him."
'She "has" to?' Makoto thought, also worried for Kyoko. 'Kyoko… what's going on with you? When we heard about the headmaster, your reaction was almost… violent.'
"This must be confusing for future Kyoko…" Makoto mused in concern. "Having a portion of her memory gones, as well as having these feelings spring up."
"Probably so…" The detective sighed. A part of her actually hopes that the memories come back to ease that confusion, but as of right now, it seems unlikely.
"...We should see if Alter Ego has any more information." Kyoko said, changing the subject. She then started typing again before anyone could ask her anything. "Did you learn anything else?"
"I'm sorry… that's everything I found." The AI stated sadly. "All the information seems to be pretty old, so that's all I can do from here. I'm really sorry…"
"Okay, now it looks like that's everything it knows…" Junko huffed in fake disappointment.
"Shit…" Mondo cursed, clenching his fist. "That ain't nearly enough to figure out what the hell is going on."
"Does this mean it's the end for us…?" Hiro moaned worriedly.
'I don't know about that…' Kyoko thought to herself, looking at her notes. While there's no clue as to how to get out of here, or who the mastermind is… it does strengthen a theory that's been growing since chapter two.
"Then… it's really all over." Hiro groaned helplessly.
"Wait. Alter Ego seems to have more to say." Kyoko suddenly spoke up.
Sure enough, the AI had something else in it's mind, "Well, um…. It's kind of a different topic, but… I was wondering about something." Alter Ego started. "I haven't seen Celeste, Hifumi, or Taka since yesterday…"
Once again, a heavy silence filled the room. A stony look entered Celeste's face, while Hifumi and Taka looked down in dejection and regret.
Silence entered the bathhouse, with Makoto and Hina sporting sorrowful looks. The only sound was the flat, precise clicks as Kyoko typed, "They're all dead."
"...What?!" Alter Ego gasped in shock. "I see… certainly I knew that was a possibility, but… it really happened." A tearful look entered the AI's face as it went silent for a moment.
However, it quickly shook off it's depression and said, "Oh, sorry… there's no point in getting depressed over things I can't do anything about…"
"Um, does anyone else feel sad for Alter Ego…?" Hifumi asked hesitantly.
Makoto, Hina, and Chihiro didn't hesitate to shoot their hands up, with the latter looking as sad as its AI creation. Leon, Sayaka, and Taka did the same after a moment of hesitation. "Oh, good. Glad I'm not alone." The fanfic creator sighed in relief.
"Well then, I guess that's it." Kyoko said simply. Finally, she typed in, "You've done your job. Thank you."
"I'm done?" The AI asked, almost like it couldn't believe it. "I guess I am, huh?" I lowered it head sadly. "Then… maybe I'll take a little rest. I'm kinda tired. Goodbye, everyone. See you later…" With that, the laptop went black, entering sleep mode.
After it shut down, the group began speaking with one another. "So Alter Ego did everything he could…" Sakura sighed.
"We won't have to talk to him that much anymore." Kyoko stated.
"But… I feel kinda sorry for him." Hina admitted.
"You feel sorry…?" Hiro asked in confusion. "But 'he's' just a computer program, right?"
"Once again, I'm in surprise agreement with the fool." Byakuya sighed. "Why feel bad for something that can't even properly feel emotions in the first place?"
Hina flushed angrily at that. "Well, I mean, it did everything it could to help us!" The swimmer stated. "And he's sad that he couldn't do enough, so of course I would feel bad for him!"
"He's only simulating emotions." Celeste pointed out. "And it was merely fulfilling its programming. Nothing more, nothing less."
"That doesn't mean I have to act like you two and treat it coldly!" Hina cried out angrily. "And like the two of you are any better!"
That earned angry, narrowed eyes from the gambler and Togami heir. "Oh? Just because we refuse to cry over the deaths of our classmates means we're unfeeling?" Byakuya retorted. "Not all of us are so willing to show our feelings like you. Don't think all of us have to be as emotional as you!"
"You-"
"Guys, calm down!" Makoto spoke up, holding his hands out in a placating manner. "We all have different views on this, and neither of you are really wrong. But we don't have the time for this!"
Hina and Byakuya glared at one another before huffing and looking away. Makoto couldn't help but let out a tired sigh. Is he gonna have to do this through the rest of the showing?
"I know, but still… he did everything he could for us, ya know?" Hina said in slight defense.
"I mean, yeah, it did. But that's what a computer program is designed to do." The fortune teller pointed out. "You don't tell a computer 'good job' every time you shut it down, do you?"
Chihiro flushed at that. "Um, well, I do that with Alter Ego." The programmer admitted weakly, getting eyes attracted to him. "Is it really a bad thing?"
"No, Chihiro, it isn't." Sayaka quickly reassured him. "It's different when the programming responds back to you like a regular person."
"Yeah, little dude." Mondo said in agreement. "It's like talking to your pet. You can't help but talk to it normally sometimes when they respond back to you."
"But, it's still a computer program." Hiro pointed out, tilting his head in confusion. "It isn't a pet dog."
"It's a program that communicates with you like a normal person, Hiro. Excuse us if we decide to say 'thank you' from time to time." Leon retorted. The redhead then gave Chihiro a grin. "You don't have to worry so much, Chihiro. It's not really weird as you think."
"Yeah." Hina nodded in agreement. "It's just Hiro being rude and insensitive."
"Hey!"
The reassurances from his friends, even Mondo, brought a small smile from the programmer's face. "Okay. Thank you, everyone…" He said bashfully.
"Well, no…" Hina admitted. "But when we talked to Alter Ego, I guess I just… didn't see it that way."
"I know what you mean. I feel that same way." Makoto agreed.
"Hey, come on! It's just a program!" Hiro sighed. "You can tell the difference between a program and a friend, right?"
"But you know… what's the difference between us and that program, really?" Makoto asked in response.
"Huh…?" Hiro tilted his head in confusion at that.
"I started thinking about how you would differentiate a person and an AI." The luckster began explaining. "Alter Ego isn't human, I know that. It's just a program running on a computer. But at the same time, I couldn't help but think of him as our friend."
"Yeah! He's no different from us!" Hina agreed readily. "He's still our friend!"
That earned an eye roll from Byakuya. "The two of you really are sentimental fools, you know that?"
His response gained a sheepish chuckle from Makoto, while Hina merely gave him a small glare, to which the blonde heir ignored.
"Still, I can get Makoto's and Hina's perspective." Taka said softly. "Even if Alter Ego isn't actually alive, I would still consider him a friend."
"Same." Sayaka nodded in agreement. "He's just too life-like to just consider a mere programming."
"I'm pretty sure at least half of us here would think of Alter Ego as our friend." Leon remarked with a grin.
As a few more students added their voice of agreement, with Hiro even coming around, Kyoko couldn't help but roll her eyes as well. "I have to agree with Byakuya; you really are sentimental." She said, giving Makoto a small smirk of amusement.
The luckster could only blush a little, rubbing the back of his head as he smiled back. "Yeah, well, I stick with what my future self says." He stated. "If I ever meet Alter Ego, I would easily befriend the AI."
"I think… maybe I understand where you're coming from…" Hiro murmured loudly, smiling. "Then there's no problem calling him a friend! After all, the more friends the merrier, right?!"
"Check this out!" The fortune teller continued. "Friendship has no survival value. Instead, it gives value to survival."
"So anyway…" Kyoko interrupted."
"Don't 'so anyway' that!" Hiro protested. "It's a totally smart and cool thing I quoted from I don't remember where!"
"Anyway, there's nothing more Alter Ego can do to help us." Kyoko continued. "As such, his role in this is over. Am I wrong about that?"
Her words got a few recoiling. "Wow, that's cold. Even for you, Kyoko." Junko stated, looking 'surprised'. "Couldn't you just let them be happy for a bit?"
The detective could only look away as a response, not having any suitable answers in response.
"No, but…" Makoto started.
But he was interrupted by the lavender haired girl. "And frankly, I question the ease with which you decide who is and isn't your friend." She said coldly.
Just as Sayaka was going to slap Kyoko, Makoto quickly pushed her back while Leon grabbed her from behind. "Sayaka, calm down will ya?!" Leon grunted, keeping a firm grip on Sayaka. "Since when did you become so temperamental?!"
"The same time people keep insulting and using Makoto!" Sayaka growled back, glaring at the detective.
In response, Kyoko gave her a cold stare. "Oh? Like how you used him during chapter 1?"
That drew a flinch from Sayaka, but it also caused her glare to grow harsher. But before any insults can be hurled, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Sayaka, Kyoko, please don't get into a fight now." The luckster pleaded with them. "Especially when it's about me."
"I agree. This is far from the time for conflict." Taka spoke up in support. Sayaka gave another glare before settling back on the couch, latching onto Makoto's arm, while Kyoko said nothing, merely turning her gaze back to the screen.
'Do you really mean that…?' Makoto thought sadly.
'She probably feels that way…' Kyoko thought shamefully. Seeing how she's acting now… it's making her think of, and re-evaluate, the times she felt that irrational anger.
"How can Kyoko think that?!" Hina cried out angrily. "Makoto hasn't done anything like that!"
"I think we've established by now that the detective is acting unnaturally petty…" Byakuya sighed.
"We are getting off track." Sakura pointed out. "We should go over what Alter Ego said one more time." (The caused the students to straighten up, and focus on the screen.)
"Yeah, good idea!" Hiro agreed with a nod. "What was the Hope's Peak staff thinking…? Why are they making us kill each other?!"
"Alter Ego said that what happened one year ago is what started everything." Sakura said.
"Yeah, he said it was the biggest, most awful, most hopeless event in human history, right?" Hina asked, repeating the title of said event.
"An incredibly tragic event that happened a year ago…" Taka said with a frown. "Or in our case, will happen months from now. And because of that event, the Hope's Peak administrators saw fit to have us lock in the school for our protection?"
"But, if that theory is true…" Chihiro spoke, a realization coming up. "Then does that mean… we all agreed to stay in the school for the rest of our lives?"
That caused several eyes to widen, with some of the eyes flashing in realization as well. "Now that you mention it… there was the note that said 'You must not leave'." Makoto said in remembrance. "Was it meant to remind us? To… give us a warning or something?"
"No way!" Hiro shook his head in denial. "Is things really that bad out there that we actually agree to stay in the school?!"
"It might be that bad." Mukuro stated, a frown on her face. "If the massive air purifier is any indication of the state of the world, not to mention all the security in the building." Once again, faces went white at the implications made.
"It must have been a huge incident, whatever it is…" Makoto mused. "But did something like that really happen a year ago?"
"I don't remember anything happening that could be described that way. What about you guys?" Hiro inquired.
"I don't really watch the news, so…" Hina replied sheepishly.
"Sorry, nothing comes to mind." Sakura shook her head.
"And here's the amnesia problem reaping its ugly head again…" Junko remarked with a fake grimace. "Do you think they'll find out that they lost their memories soon?"
"They'll need to." Byakuya stated, arms crossed. "Otherwise, they won't ever solve the mysteries of Hope's Peak and the outside world."
"That event led to the closing of Hope's Peak." Kyoko stated. "If nothing else, it must have had some kind of connection to this school."
"Maybe all the students here were killed or something!" Hiro guessed.
"That kind of catastrophe would have been all over the news. At least one of us would remember that…" Sakura pointed out.
"Then… maybe they covered it up!" Hina suggested. "That would explain why none of us knew that the school had been shut down!"
"To be able to cover up something that massive, that it's been givin the name the Tragedy?" Celeste said, doubt clear in her voice. "That is a stretch to say the least."
"So… do you guys think that what Hiro suggested is what happened?" Makoto asked, looking sick at that very idea. "Do you think all the other students were… killed?"
"Right now? Anything is possible." Kyoko answered. "The mass murder of the student body, the destruction of whole cities, riots at an unimaginable scale… any of those is possible. Problem is, we have no indication of what the Tragedy could actually be."
'How about all the above?!' Junko suggested mentally. If what she has planned went to full fruition in the future they're watching, then the entire world is suffering all that and more.
"Totally covering up something like that… I suppose it's not totally impossible." Sakura conceded.
"What's wrong with our government?!" Hiro exclaimed angrily. "Our taxes pay their salaries, they should be handling stuff like that!"
"Maybe. But right now there's only one path open to us…" Kyoko declared. "We have to find the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. We have to find him, and make him tell us everything." Her face darkens as she said, "As long as we can get our hands on him, I think…"
'Kyoko…' Makoto thought worriedly.
"Wow." Leon whistled. "Even with your memories gone, your daddy issues are still in full view."
That earned a glare from Kyoko. "I do not have 'daddy issues', mind your words."
"I don't know, that seems like some deep issues to me." The baseball star remarked, unperturbed by the glare.
"But even that is a problem not so easily solved." Sakura sighed.
"You're… your right…" Hina said sadly.
"Well, our business is done here, so for now we should get out of here." Kyoko said, concluding the discussion.
"Oh yeah, good idea." Hiro agreed.
"Then I…" Jill suddenly spoke up. But before she could finish… "Ah… achoo!" Immediately, she changed back to Toko. "Huh…?"
That sudden scene got a few of them blinking. "Miss Jill was still in the room?" Hifumi asked in slight befuddlement.
"I guess she was listening in, the same as us." Hiro said with a small shrug.
"Is it really that dusty…?" Hina wondered. "Wait, I mean…!"
"O-Oh no! I'm not w-waiting anymore!" Toko stuttered worriedly. But the worried look was quickly replaced with a perverse smile. "I'm n-not guarding it… Byakuya's gonna b-be so mad at me…!"
That earned looks of disbelief, exasperation, and disgust. Byakuya especially aimed a look of pure revulsion that caused Toko to quiver.
"...It's no wonder she doesn't have a boyfriend." Leon said blankly.
"And it's a wonder how the hell she made those books of hers." Mondo added, just as disturbed.
"Let's avoid getting involved any further." Kyoko advised.
"Good call…" Hiro agreed easily.
With that, the group quickly left the bathhouse and got away from Toko. However, just as they got out of the room…
They were face to face with an angry looking Monokuma. "My heart is pound-pound-pounding away…" He growled. "It's pounding… with anger!"
"Y-You're not still mad about that whole 'breaking into the headmaster's room' thing, are you…?"
"Hiro, shut up!" Some of the students cried out.
"Do you want to die dude?" Leon exclaimed incredulously. "Why remind him of that?"
"I- well- future me is nervous okay?!" Hiro responded in defense for himself. "Monokuma looks pretty angry!"
"M-Maybe he's jealous that t-they were all in the b-bathhouse together?" Toko suggested. "T-They did say that they w-were having a m-m-mix bath…"
"Oh, that little matter doesn't matter even a little." The bear waved off. "And I'm a little jealous of you guys enjoying an incident mixed bath, but that doesn't matter, either." Monokuma then made sounds of heavy breathing. "It's building… I feel it building…" He then roared. "My head's about to boil with rage!"
"D-Don't get so angry." Hiro pleaded. "Here, let me help center your chakra…"
"What the hell got him so pissed off?" Mondo remarked. "There doesn't seem to be anything else."
"Maybe he's just messing with us…?" Sayaka suggested, a tad uncertain.
"Etch this on the walls of your brain, okay? When you do something to me, I do it right back…" Monokuma warned them. "An eye for an eye, a fang for a fang…" With that, the bear disappeared once more.
The last line caused more than a few to stiffen up. "Wait… is he talking about…" Makoto trailed off.
"Oh no! He chanted the incantation of devastation!" Hiro suddenly cried out, earning flat and disbelieving looks.
"That ain't what it was, you goddamn idiot!" Mondo stated in annoyance. "He's talking about fucking revenge!"
"Fang for a… fang?" Hiro repeated nervously. "B-Be careful! He just chanted the incantation of devastation!"
"No… it's just a saying." Sakura corrected him.
"Oh, I see…" Hiro sighed in relief.
"But what's he talking about?" Makoto asked in confusion. His answer was met with silence, with the camera focused on Sakura.
Makoto grimaced at that. "He must be talking about what happened between him and Sakura…"
That earned several anxious and worried looks, especially from Hina. "You think he wants payback for her betrayal?" Leon asked.
"It is likely…" Sakura herself sighed. "It's the question of what he's going to do."
Junko hummed in thought at that. 'Most likely… I would reveal that she's the traitor to everyone. Use that as a motive.' The muscle-bound freak double-crossed her. So she'll just double-cross her back.
After a moment, the school bell rang before the nighttime announcement played. After it was done, Kyoko spoke up. "So, it's nighttime. What does everyone want to do?" She inquired. "Celeste was the one who suggested our nighttime rule, but she's gone now…"
"I think we should still avoid being out at nighttime." Hina suggested. "I know it'll make me feel better that way…"
"I agree." Hiro nodded.
"Very well then." Was all Kyoko said. "In that case, time for bed."
With that, the group separated and headed to their rooms. The scene then switched to Makoto laying on his bed, an anxious look on his face. 'The administrators of Hope's Peak had planned all of this…' He thought to himself. 'They did it because of "The Tragedy" which had happened a year before. And apparently the headmaster is the one behind it all - the mastermind.'
"It seems as though we're closely getting the answers we need…" Byakuya said, holding his chin in thought. "But it's still not enough. And there's still no clue about who exactly the mastermind is."
"And the remaining survivors are even farther from the truth than we are, thanks to the lost memories." Celeste added.
"Still… what they're finding out is making me really nervous." Hina gulped. "I mean, what could be so bad that Hope's Peak felt the need to lock us in the school for our protection?"
"And why only us for that matter?" Taka asked, a worried frown on his own face. "What happened to the other Ultimate students? Why weren't they placed in the protection of Hope's Peak?"
"If I remember correctly, Monokuma did say that a student died during the Tragedy…" Sakura said in remembrance. "So, it's likely that…"
The implication did not set well with the group. "Ngh…" Hiro groaned fearfully. "Do we even want to know what happened? This sounds really scary."
"We have to." Kyoko stated, her tone leaving no argument. "It will be even scarier to experience it first-hand, without the knowledge to combat this Tragedy."
'She's right.' Makoto thought in agreement. Scary or not, they need to keep pushing forward. Watch the mystery unfold so they can learn all they can.
'All these mysteries make me worried. But I still have to try and unravel them, bit by bit.' Determination glinted in his eyes. 'I'm sure the road will be long, and tough, but I don't have any other choice.'
Seeing future Makoto's determination caused everyone else to harden their resolve. He's right. They don't have any other choice but to continue. Any other option results in death.
Still, despite their determination to continue, many of them are fearful of what's going to be revealed. What's going to happen months from now? What is this Tragedy? What makes it so terrible that the principal felt that they need to stay isolated in the school? And what of the other students? What are their fates?
They're getting closer to actual answers… but those possible answers are making the group fearful of finding out more.
And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Not sure if this is one of my best work, but it's the best I could do. I'm making it my goal to update the next chapter as soon as possible. Which means I'll probably start working on the next chapter as Lucky edits/beta-read this. Review, favorite, and follow, and I will see you guys later.