The Future Foundation
It'd been over a day since Naegi had a real conversation with someone. Yesterday's mess between Kamukura and Komaeda had left him exhausted. He'd taken a nap shortly after, and woken later to find dinner waiting on the desk. He saw no one else the rest of the day.
The next morning, Komaeda had shown up with food like usual, but the usually energetic boy was reluctant to speak. He answered Naegi with downtrodden, simple words, and shied away from the younger Luckster like a dog being faced with a rolled-up newspaper. It happened again at lunch and dinner, until Naegi was feeling guilty for Komaeda's behaviour –even though he knew this had everything to do with what happened with Kamukura and the photo.
He ended up killing time by listlessly wandering around and checking the walls for nonexistent weaknesses. Once there was absolutely no doubt that these walls had not been built with escape in mind, he slumped against one and thought about nothing. The steady ticking of the little clock became a background drone. He wanted to sleep, but couldn't bring himself to start walking. Finally, he mustered up enough willpower to move, and crawled into bed. He rolled over, turning his back to his half-eaten dinner.
He slept uneasily, waking several times during the night. The last time he did, he awoke freezing and shivering, and he realized he was covered in sweat. He took a shower, but even the hot water failed to warm him. There was a new sort of anxiety consuming him from the inside out.
He poked at the salvaged Monokuma paw after that and to his horror, found that the bear's sharp claws had not been removed. He immediately hid the paw under his bed – those things were dangerous – and did his best to forget it was there.
When Komaeda came in with breakfast the morning after, it was eight in the morning. He didn't seem to be bothered by the sight of Naegi lying on his back on the carpet. Naegi mostly ignored him – until he saw Komaeda was smiling.
"Komaeda-kun!" Naegi scrambled up to a sitting position.
"Morning!" the other boy said cheerfully. He was wearing his familiar, warm smile. There was no trace of the misery that had haunted him yesterday. With this return to familiar ground, Naegi couldn't help but smile back.
Still, he had to ask. "Are you okay? You were pretty out of it yesterday."
Komaeda waved his concern off. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. I forgot myself for a while, but I'm better now. Something wonderful is about to happen, after all!"
Wonderful? Naegi wasn't sure whether to be elated, or terrified. "What do you mean?"
"Well, since picking up that album with that photograph in it was an example of really bad luck, that means I'm due for some good luck any moment now!" He clapped his hands together, looking like a little kid on Christmas Eve. "If we're really lucky, it'll be something good for both of us."
"I'm not following you."
Komaeda shook his head, tsking under his breath. "And here I thought you were supposed to have Luck as a talent, too. Good luck always comes on the heels of bad luck, just like hope grows in the wake of despair."
". . . That's not how it works."
Komaeda grinned. Hand on his hip, he looked straight at Naegi and said, "Sorry Naegi-kun, but this is the one area I have something close to expertise in. Let me give you an example. Did you know I won the lottery?"
"Really?" Wow. That was lucky. But hadn't Komaeda just been talking about how good luck and bad luck went hand in hand –
"It wasn't even my ticket. I found it in the trash of my kidnappers!"
". . . What?"
"You could say I was almost the richest person in my class at Hope's Peak. I didn't just win the lottery. I had a huge inheritance too, and I got it all paid out when my parents were killed by a meteor!"
A . . . what?
"Do you know how unlikely it is to be hit by a meteor? On a plane? While it was being hijacked! Do you understand how unbelievable it is? It doesn't happen! If I saw that on a TV show, even I would have said there was no way that could happen."
The more Komaeda spoke, the more out of breath he became. He hunched over at the waist, shaking, arms wrapped around his stomach as if in pain. With his breathlessness came that wheezy laughter. This time however, it wasn't scary. It was pitiful.
"That's terrible," Naegi said.
"No, no, no! It's not! It was good luck. That's why I had so much money! See? It all works out in the end."
"If your family really was killed, then it wasn't good luck. No amount of money is worth that."
Komaeda's laughter grew steadily in pitch, until his voice cracked and fizzled out to nothing.
"It's fine, Naegi-kun." Still keeled over, Komaeda panted. "Everything works out in the end. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student. When stuff like that happens . . . well, things always get better later, don't they? That's how you operate, right? No matter what the Ultimate Despair threw at you, you always looked to the future and hoped everything would be better tomorrow. So, you just have to buck up and wait for that light at the end of the tunnel. Because . . . because that's what hope is! That's the point! So, there's no need to get upset about anything because hope's always there to make it better!"
Komaeda's smile was not whole, but more like a crack formed from years of pressure. Was this really how he thought? If he did, then that explained a bit, right? Naegi looked at him now, and saw not someone who was insane or malicious. Just broken.
"Komaeda-kun . . ."
Naegi reached out. His hand stopped halfway. Could he really do this, even after everything the other boy had done?
He looked at Komaeda's shrivelled form.
Yes, he could.
He reached out, and squeezed Komaeda's shoulder.
"You don't have to keep bottling it in and pretending like that," Naegi said quietly. "I know it bothers you. I know you think I'm too important or something to care, but that's not true. I'm . . . I'm really sorry you had to go through all that."
"You . . . why would you even apologize . . .? Ahahahaha, and I'm the one who's supposed to understand Hope . . ."
Komaeda laughed so hard, he fell to his knees
The office's dim lights made the old man look weaker than he was. Deep wrinkles accented his age, and the desk he sat at could have just as easily been there for support rather than status. As if further attempting to illustrate the old man's maturity, a much younger man stood at his side. In a word, the younger man looked sharp; a strong chin formed the foundation of a slender face with long, slanted eyes. Pale skin, silver hair, and ironed, light-coloured clothing banded together for a powerful message: this was not a man who should be taken lightly.
There was one other in the room. This man lingered not close to the others, but leaned against another wall instead. A white fedora sat atop his light brown hair. His relaxed demeanour was a stark contrast to the other two, and he remained that way even after a knock at the door.
The old man spoke. "Kouichi-kun, could you get that?"
The fedora-wearing man walked over to the door, and opened it. Purple eyes greeted him. He smiled at the girl who did not smile back, and moved aside to grant her entry.
Five entered the office. They were directed to five waiting chairs lined up in a small arc before the old man and his desk. The purple-haired girl claimed the center seat (to the dismay of her blond comrade), and the other four positioned themselves around her.
When everyone was settled, the old man spoke. "Thank you all for agreeing to this meeting."
Kirigiri Kyoko nodded. "There is no need to thank us. We would like to thank you for providing us shelter."
Kouichi chuckled. "Is the esteemed Togami Byakuya included in that 'we'?"
The blond heir scowled, looking off to the side. "Compared to our previous situation, what your organization has provided is . . . adequate."
Kouichi seemed to find that answer amusing. Perhaps for the good of the conversation, the old man chose to speak again.
"Allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Kazuo Tengan, the chairman of the Future Foundation." With his chin, he pointed to the pale man by his side. "This is Kyosuke Munakata, our second-in-command. He," he beckoned to the fedora-wearing man, "is Kouichi Kizakura."
Kirigiri said, "I presume you already know who we are."
Kazuo nodded. "Yes, the names of the Survivor Six are known all across the world."
The mention of that title had an immediate effect on the students. Kirigiri's already emotionless expression turned rock-hard. Togami's jaw tightened. Hagakure cleared his throat, staring at the wall. Fukawa bit her lip and wrung her hands together while Asahina glanced at her fellow classmates nervously.
"W-we all know why you w-wanted to talk to us." Fukawa spoke in a tone that was both a whisper and a hiss.
"Please, do not mistake our intentions," Kazou said. "We planned to rescue any survivors regardless of whom they were. However, it is true that we were hoping Naegi Makoto would be among them."
"Retrieving him was your primary goal, correct?" Kirigiri phrased that as a question, but it was obvious she didn't need it answered.
Hagakure scratched the back of his head. "I don't get it. What's so special about the little guy?"
"Naegi Makoto is the one responsible for the fall of the Ultimate Despair." For the first time, Kyosuke had spoken, and his powerful voice sliced through the room like a knife.
"Public relations." Togami sneered at that, as if that idea was beneath him. "That's your intention for him."
"I won't deny it," said Kazou. "Whoever directs Naegi-kun would gain considerable influence over the world. Just as important, however, is keeping him out of the hands of those who would abuse that."
"If he was so important, then why did you wait so long to find us?" Togami demanded.
Kazou sighed heavily. Kyosuke, on the other hand, bristled as if Togami's question was a personal insult. He slowly walked out from behind the desk, alternating his gaze between Togami and Kirigiri as he explained. "We had deployed a rescue team by the time you left the academy. What we didn't know was that the Remnants of Despair had deployed their own agent, Kamukura Izuru. We assume that his mission was to prevent contact between our two groups."
"One person paralyzed your entire organization," Kirigiri repeated doubtfully.
"Kamukura Izuru is no ordinary person," Kazou said. "He is a product of the world's top scientists and engineers. It may be incorrect to refer to him as human."
"We are getting off topic." Kyosuke glanced sharply at Kazou. "We need to know what happened to Naegi."
" . . . It's my fault."
All eyes in the world turned to the Ultimate Swimmer. Eyes downcast, head bowed, Asahina blinked back tears as she whispered those three words. She cut off Kirigiri's attempt at comfort, holding herself tightly as if cold. "If I had been a little bit faster, if I hadn't been stupid, we could have saved him."
"Hey, it's not your fault," Hagakure said, trying to give Asahina a thumbs-up.
"Th-that's because it's your fault, idiot!" Fukawa spat.
"What was that for!?"
Kouichi tipped his fedora up to get a better look at the feuding students. "Anyone else lost here? I think you kids should start from the beginning."
"Allow me." Kirigiri put her hands neatly in her lap. "We had discovered an old department store and were hoping to find supplies inside. Because of the large area, we agreed to split into pairs. We were to remain within shouting distance of each other, so I had hoped we would be able to come to each other's aid, if need be."
"That was your first mistake," Togami said, acting as though he had disagreed with the detective's plans from the beginning. "You never should have let Naegi pair up with that idiot."
"I don't recall you objecting," Kirigiri said sharply. "Regardless, Naegi-kun chose Hagakure-kun as a partner. He can tell you what happened next."
They waited. Asahina had to kick Hagakure before he realized it was his turn to speak. "H-huh? Oh, yeah. Me and Naegi were by the back looking for food. I thought I saw a spirit when we walked past one of the aisles, so I went to take a look –"
"You were supposed to stay within arm's reach of each other," Kirigiri said through gritted teeth.
"I forgot, okay? Anyways, I kind of lost track of him. But I swear, I went looking for him right away! But . . . uh . . . there was something wrong with him when I found him. He was all woozy, and there was some weird guy with him."
"What did this person look like?" Kyosuke asked right away.
"White hair. Hoodie. Uh, kind of tall?"
The three adults in the room exchanged looks, something that was not unnoticed by Kirigiri and Togami.
"What next?" Kyosuke said.
"Well, umm . . ."
Fukawa pointed an accusing finger straight at Hagakure. "He fled l-like a coward! He didn't tell any of us until Master stopped him."
"Come on! What was I supposed to do? The guy had a gun –"
"It didn't shoot bullets," Kirigiri said coldly. "He would have used it if it did. Considering Naegi-kun's state when you found him, the logical conclusion is that the gun shot tranquilizer darts. To follow-up on Hagakure's story, once I was made aware of what had happened, I was able to deduce their most likely route of escape. It had rained the previous day, so once we were outside, we found footprints telling us where Naegi-kun's abductor was going. We followed them."
A mournful silence followed her words. Kirigiri had never been one to express much emotion, but if one looked, they would have seen her hands balled into fists.
"You lost them?" Kyosuke prompted.
"Because of me." Asahina spat those words out. "The others couldn't keep up, so Kirigiri-san and I went after Naegi-kun. We found them. I chased them. I was catching up. I would have caught him, if I hadn't been stupid . . . I was running through some building and I tripped over something. It pissed me off, so I grabbed it and tried to throw it at the guy who took Naegi-kun . . ."
Silence again.
"My current theory is that the object's impact was enough to trigger an unexploded landmine," Kirigiri said. "Whatever it was, it collapsed the building behind Naegi-kun and his abductor, separating us. We were able to find an alternative path, but it took precious time. We followed the trail again, but eventually, I found conclusive evidence that Naegi-kun had been loaded into some sort of vehicle."
"You lost the kid due to bad luck then, huh?" Kouichi sighed. He lowered his fedora, hiding his eyes.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Kyosuke answered.
Four of the five students shook their heads. One, however, did not. Fukawa bit her lower lip nervously. Her face slowly heated up from nerves.
"I-it's possible that she saw something," Fukawa said. "But she p-probably didn't . . ."
"There's no harm in asking," Kazou said. "I, for one, have nothing to fear from her."
Kouchi smirked in Kyosuke's direction. "You might want to leave. You could be in danger."
Kyosuke scowled at him. He pulled out one of the desk drawers, and took out a small bag. As he dumped some of the contents into his hand, he asked Fukawa, "The personality change is triggered by sneezing, correct? If you're ready, I would like to speak to Genocider Shou."
Fukawa closed her eyes. "Okay. But y-you can't blame me if she slaughters everyone!"
Kyosuke tossed the powder in her face.
"Ah . . . Achoo!"
It was immediate.
"Well, what do we have here?" In a flash, Genocider Shou had risen to her feet. On the chair. She towered above everyone as her elongated tongue swished and tasted the air. "This is much nicer place than the last time Gloomy had a blackout. Master, shall we take it from them over their cold, dead bodies?"
"That is unnecessary," Togami said. "We are partners. For now."
"Kyeehahahaha!" The serial killer's laugh was like nails on chalkboard. "Someone else has recognized my Master's brilliance, have they? Just remember . . ." Out came the scissors. "Master is mine! So don't go getting any bright ideas."
Genocider Shou looked around, basking in the attention like a smug cat. But then, she frowned. "Hey, where's Mahkyutie?"
Kyosuke's eyes narrowed. "Are you talking about Naegi Makoto?"
"Yeah, yeah, Big Mac. Where'd he go?" Something strange passed over the serial killer's face then, something almost sad. "He didn't decide to go with the marshmallow, did he?"
"Marshmallow –!" Several people said that, but it was Kirigiri who asked the actual question:
"You saw the white-haired boy?"
"Huh? Oh, you mean Komaeda Nagito? Yeah, he was one of the students in the upper class. Ultimate Lucky Student or something."
"What exactly did you see?" Togami demanded.
"Oh, when you ask like that . . . Let's see." Genocider Shou tapped her chin. "He was spouting some stuff about taking Naegi to a safe place. Sounded good and all, but then he told me he only wanted to take Naegikins. Bah! As if that scrawny guy deserved a safe place more than my Master. So I told marshmallow to hit the road before I cut him up! Big Mac would never take him up on that anyways."
Silence followed as the implications of the Genocider's story were understood.
Shyly, voice brimming with hope, Asahina asked, "Then, does that Naegi-kun is okay?"
Kyosuke and Kazou exchanged a look.
"Komaeda Nagito is a known member of Ultimate Despair," was all Kyosuke said.
Asahina bowed her head again, tears streaking down her cheeks. They all knew the likely fate of those taken by Despair.
"There is no proof that Naegi-kun has been killed," Kazou said gently. "There is still reason to believe he is alive."
"How probable is that?" Kirigiri asked quietly.
"Considering the circumstances, it is actually very likely," Kazou said to the students' surprise. "Komaeda Nagito has very different motives than the rest of Ultimate Despair. Additionally, if Despair had killed Naegi-kun, they would have broadcasted the execution to the world. Indeed, the very fact that Naegi Makoto's capture remains a secret from the general public makes me doubt that Komaeda means him harm in the first place."
Kirigiri's eyes widened slightly. "Then you are saying . . ."
"Yes. It is possible to rescue him."
"Komaeda would have brought him back to their main headquarters," Kyosuke said. "If we were to distract the Remnants, it is possible a small tactical team could break in and find him."
"You're going to do it, right?" Asahina demanded. She looked ready to join Genocider Shou and stand on her chair. "You're going to rescue him?"
Kazou said, "Rest assured. We have every intention of removing Naegi Makoto from the grasp of Despair."
