"W-W-W-What do you mean you d-d-don't know how to pilot a helicopter?! A-A-Aren't you s-supposed t-to be able to d-do anything?!"
"Are you talking back to me?! I thought I was supposed to be your 'master,' wasn't I?! Figure it out for me! Serve me!"
"O-O-O-Oh, d-don't worry, I'll lick your f-feet later n-now that y-you've acknowledged m-me!"
"I don't want you to lick me! I don't want to die! I especially don't want to die here! I especially don't want to die with you!"
"I-I don't want to d-d-die here either!"
"Oh, really? I always pegged you as the type to want to die together! My, how far you've come, you disgusting pig!"
"I-If you want to die together, do it when it won't kill K-K-Komaru too!"
"If that's how you feel, make her your master and figure out how to save her!"
"B-B-But m-master, y-you finally just a-admitted that-"
"I admitted nothing! I just don't want to die with you!"
Naegi Komaru wanted to scream. She was very close to doing so- no, in fact, she may have screamed already and simply have been ignored.
She had gotten through a city of adults and children killing each other without a shred of hope in sight, she had battled an onslaught of robots that tore through people without mercy, personally fought a handful of giant robots with only herself and whatever Toko-chan was to her, and after all of that...
She was going to die because of these two were more concerned with this argument than they were dealing with the fact that the Future Foundation pilot transporting them had somehow been poisoned before they had left Towa City and had died in the middle of their flight.
If only one of them had a way to take control of the ridiculous looking helicopter they had stolen before leaving that city and...
If only she could somehow...
"Wait! That's it!" Komaru snapped her fingers and leaped forward. Why hadn't she realized sooner?!
Somehow, somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she should have been sad that shoving the corpse of the pilot out of her way didn't even faze her. That she had stopped noticing beyond that the man dying was why they were in their current predicament.
Between everything she had seen in that city and then sticking around to help clean it up... She'd never be normal again, would she?
Oh well. She still had Toko-chan.
She could blame the rest on the adrenaline for now and move on.
Offering a silent apology to the man's family, she shoved Toko-chan and the blond friend of her brother out of the way next and stared at the controls, hoping to see somewhere for her to shoot. Everything was starting to shake violently — they had been so close to their destination too!
"I think I can get us out of this, can you two move him?" Komaru wasn't going to die. She had to live. She had to see her brother again. She wanted to introduce Toko-chan to her brother. She wanted to-
Wait, her brother knew Toko-chan already, that wouldn't work.
Aaaah, whatever, she didn't care anymore, she just didn't want to die! Would these two move already?! She was supposed to be the kid here, you know, why was she the only one who got what was going on right now?
"HURRY UP!"
At least one of them seemed to get the idea once she yelled.
The other one got a completely different idea.
"K-Komaru, l-l-listen, I-I'm not ready for affair play yet... Just because of that one time... Ahahaha... I-It d-doesn't matter, d-does it... We really are going to diiiiiiiiieeeeeee..."
WAIT, WHAT?!
NOOOOOOOOOOO! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE, TOKO-CHAN!
"Would you shut up and let her work?!"
"N-N-N-N-Neglect play too?!"
"Aaaaah, both of you!" Enough was enough! Pushing her friend into the back — she would at least leave the one who could maybe help up here just in case it came down to it, but only for that reason. "Stop this or take it outside!"
"N-N-N-NETORAREEEEEEEEEE?!"
What did that even mean?!
"Stop saying things I don't understand!"
Did she have any Hacking Bullets left...
"J-Just hold on, okay?! I think..."
Yes! She did!
"Here we go!"
Hagakure Yasuhiro had seen a lot of things in the past few years.
Just recently, he'd witnessed the Future Foundation's headquarters get shut down. He'd miraculously found himself unable to get inside, and been playing cat and mouse with a helicopter for... actually, thanks to the whole "red sky from hell" thing, he couldn't tell time without a watch anymore, and wouldn't you know it, his three million dollar watch just HAD to have fallen in the ocean when he had been dodging bullets earlier.
Where was he again?
Oh yeah. Right.
So good ol' Hiro. He'd seen some shit.
And he'd be the first to say, when he saw the helicopter that looked like a folded up Monokuma come into view, he was pretty sure it was game over then and there. The one helicopter was one thing, but if they were going to get reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before even more came.
Then it started to plummet towards the ocean. Was that hope?
Wait, no, he was still getting shot at by the regular helicopter!
Hold on, now it was moving again. The Monokuma one. It was going in a circle now. Why?
Hold up, it was almost-
Dude, what, it just crashed into the other helicopter! When had this story about people shooting word bullets at each other turned into an action movie?! Oh, right, in that city. Man he had been pretty cool back then, huh...
Wait. This wasn't time for ego stroking.
Maybe this was a... good Monokuma helicopter...? Was that kind of thing even possible? Monokumas don't just turn good! They have to have rabbit ears for that, don't they? Maybe?
Just as Hagakure was about to feel a little hope, however, despair sunk in once again — and in the worst possible way.
"WAIT, NO, DON'T COME CRASHING OVER HERE, I STILL NEED TO PAY OFF MY LIFE INSURAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!"
Diving for cover when he realized the pair of helicopters, already transforming into a fusion of mangled metal, was heading straight towards him, Hagakure only just managed to make it away in time. After crashing into the one that had been after him, both helicopters had come crashing down towards him, and now...
"Damn..." The psychic whistled. Had he inherited some of Naegi's luck or what? More importantly, was anyone even alive after that? If not... Well... At least he wasn't going to be shot at anymore! That'd make it easier for him to figure out how to get in to help the others, right? "Still, it'd be nice if someone friendly had made it."
Like some kind of heavenly force rising up to answer him, he began to make out the sound of coughing amidst the other noises of the crash. Lucky him!
Or lucky them, he supposed, but mostly lucky him! ... Unless... Wait, what if the ones in the helicopter that had been shooting him had been the ones to make it instead?! That'd be, like, super bad, wouldn't it?!
Before he had time to plan out a potential counter attack just in case, the smoke began to clear away from the wreckage. Three figures, two of them quite familiar to Hagakure, made their way out of it and towards him. That was all it took to answer his question.
But before he could start raising some questions of his own, he was interrupted. For two of those figures, one of the familiars and one of them not, were being extremely loud. Didn't they realize where they were?! Did they want to die?!
Wait, that voice... Ohhhh no... She was out... Then again, maybe that was just what they needed...?
Groaning, Hakagure watched, their voices becoming clearer with each step they took. He could tell they were okay, but he... He was the cautious type, okay?! He wanted to get a read on this before he leapt into action was all!
"Kyaaaahahahaha! What a ride, what a ride! Never a dull moment, eh? Come, Komaru, mama wants to go again."
"W-We can't, we're here for a reason...! Wait, is that...?! S-Stop! Y-Your tongue, Toko-chan...! M-Move it...!"
"Ah? Ah? But you didn't mind before, Komaru... Could it be, you're not the exhibitionist I thought you were?!"
"NOOOOOOOOO! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THAT! YOU PROMISED ME!"
"Did I? Did I? Are you sure it wasn't someone else? Because IIIIII don't remember doing that! Gyaaaahahahahaha!"
"AND I'M NOT AN EXHIBITIONIST!"
Well... Seemed harmless enough... As far as his safety was concerned, anyway.
Somewhat less hesitant, Hagakure approached the scene. It wasn't that he wanted to, not in a million years, but considering he couldn't get in contact with Naegi or the others... He really couldn't waste time basking in awe of... whatever he was looking at right now. At least the last person was someone he could probably talk to about things.
But before that.
"This... is the backup you went to get...?"
"Just... Just fill me in on what's been happening." Togami pushed his glasses up, shooting a glance back towards the pair of girls unabashedly making such a ruckus only moments after crashing into and out of a helicopter. Either unaware of their situation or so used to ones like this that they weren't even bothered by it, they were able to carry on with their banter like it was normal.
As for him... He hated to admit it, but Togami was still shaking from the landing.
"Uh... Hey, are you-"
"Don't ask. Don't... ever... ask."
For the first time in his life, Hagakure trusted Togami Byakuya without a shadow of a doubt.