The next morning, I woke up to the sounds of the radio. Voices yelling, footsteps quickly tapping on the metal floor, Miaya's wheelchair whirring about. I grumbled and picked up the radio to take a look for myself.
The display, save Monaca's image in the corner, still consisted of the multiple cameras, spanning the whole building. I quickly located Miaya, rolling down a passageway. She was following Makoto, who was being carried by Aoi.
Right. Makoto's NG Code was running in the hallways. Quite inconvenient if everyone insists on chasing you. Kyosuke Munakata was trailing them at a fast pace, with unwavering determination.
Monaca was handling Kyosuke somewhat well. Kyosuke would target Makoto as long as they both were alive. Although we did want Makoto dead, it's more important to keep Kyosuke occupied. Besides, Monaca could always kill Makoto before it mattered.
A thought crossed my mind. Having Monaca kill everyone except Kyoko during the night. I heavily considered it, but in the end I dismissed the idea. Everyone dying at the same time would implicate one mastermind and not the entirety of the Future Foundation. We had to wait it out and let them destroy themselves.
My eyes then wandered to a more important person, the reason behind this whole mission.
Kyoko Kirigiri was with Ryota Mitarai and Kazuo Tengan. And, it seemed they were running away as well. A couple sharp taps on the floor, a look behind their backs, and then more running. I couldn't tell who was chasing them, but after a couple seconds his image appeared on screen.
Juzo Sakakura. Targeting Makoto's classmate, surely. He was holding an iron pipe that he ripped from some vent in the building. It wasn't the best weapon, but he needed it. He was in the same case as Makoto: Juzo was the Ultimate Boxer, however his NG Code prevents him from using his fists in combat. This was only a small detriment, but a detriment nonetheless.
I continued to watch them run, keeping my eyes on Kyoko. Physical activity wasn't Kyoko's forte, but she seemed to be doing well enough. Yet, Juzo started to catch up to them due to his practiced maneuverability. The group of three increased their pace, clearly over their limit. Within a few seconds, Kyoko tripped and fell, gripping her ankle. Ryota, startled, knelt down to help her.
My heart began pounding, unsure of Kyoko's fate. Juzo was approaching them quickly. Instinctively, I yelled.
"Monaca! Protect Kyoko!"
"But that'll reveal Monaca's disguise." Monaca countered.
Yes, she was correct. But that wasn't the point right now. We have one job on this mission.
"You think the disguise is more important? Kyoko's in danger!"
"Monaca thinks she'll be fine."
"Why?" I gave her a concerned and impatient look.
"Because there's an adult over there."
I sighed. I already knew that. I turned back to the display. Tengan was standing in front of the two students on the ground, waving his arm behind him to indicate they should escape while they could. It seemed he would stand up to Juzo himself. But why...
Ryota. That's why.
Tengan needed Ryota to live in order for his plan to succeed. So he had to protect Ryota with his life. So as long as Kyoko was with Ryota, Tengan would protect her.
As much as I wanted to apologize to Monaca, I couldn't bring myself to. And honestly, Miaya was probably the reason Kyosuke wasn't being that aggressive. Miaya was much more threatening than Makoto, who could only hope, and Aoi, who had a head so full of air that she never had a problem floating while swimming.
"Tengan wants to protect Ryota. If Ryota ever leaves Kyoko's side, get to her as quickly as possible."
Monaca nodded.
I watched closely as Tengan dealt with Juzo. He impressively managed to knock him out, which gave Kyoko and Ryota time to escape. Kyoko was limping a bit now. Hopefully this didn't jeopardize our plan...
Tengan watched the two of them escape, and then started walking off in a different direction. He still had a determined look on his face, even though he was abandoning Ryota. Hm...
I carefully observed Tengan's movement while Monaca focused on ensuring Kyosuke never got to Makoto. He seemed to know exactly where he was going...
Once I realized it, my heart sunk.
He was heading towards Miaya. It had to be Miaya. He didn't care about any of the other people in the area.
Did he know about the disguise?
No... I don't think so... Miaya hasn't shown any special robot capabilities yet...
So why...
The thought popped into my head quickly, and anger washed over me. I squeezed my fists and silently cursed at myself for not avoiding this.
It must have been when Monaca hacked into the Future Foundation. He must have realized what she did.
The stress started building up as I told Monaca about it.
"Monaca, Tengan is coming to presumably talk to you. About hacking the system."
"Hm?" Monaca asked in her childlike voice.
"You didn't use the security information I could have told you, and this is the consequence."
"Monaca knows, that was a mistake! Don't talk about that..."
Despite her comment, I continued.
"Do not let Tengan get under your skin. Make sure he doesn't realize your true purpose."
"Monaca will try her best!"
"Monaca's best isn't good enough. We need perfection."
"But-"
"Perfection. You've already messed up plenty of times. We might not have many more chances."
"Why are you blaming everything on Monaca..."
Monaca started whimpering, and I noticed tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Working with Monaca was two sides of the same coin. She had ideas that I didn't, because I was too focused on protecting Kyoko. But then again, she was incompetent at times.
I could be working with worse people, surely. But I couldn't be working with anyone better. My situation forced me into this partnership, not being able to do everything myself...
So I might as well take what I was dealt, considering there were no better options.
Which meant I shouldn't be yelling at Monaca about her mistakes. There was no benefit to that at all.
"Monaca... Just try your best... There's nothing more I can legitimately ask for."
"Miaya! One moment, please!"
Tengan was running towards Miaya, breathing heavily from his extended workout. Once Miaya reached the next room, Monaca turned her around and stopped, leaving Makoto and Aoi by themselves moving forward. Kyosuke ran past Miaya, once he realized she wouldn't attack him.
"Headmaster Tengan! What is it?"
"Miaya. Good job earlier, trying to hack into the Monokuma Program. It's disappointing that it didn't work..."
My eyes squinted at Tengan's fake character. I wondered how Monaca would deal with him.
"Thank you, headmaster. It was the least I could do. Unfortunately, my best wasn't good enough..."
I cringed a bit at that statement. It was definitely meant for me. To mock my pursuit of perfection which transcends most human relationships.
Being perfect is a blessing, but a curse as well. Everything I could ever want, I could get with my abilities. I forget how I lived without these abilities. I remember school projects... When we worked in teams... Those days were long gone. Now, I could do everything myself.
But not having to rely on anyone else lends itself to not wanting to rely on anyone else. There never was a reason to talk to anyone, to work with anyone, to form a relationship with anyone, because perfection requires nothing more. And this led me to be alone. And even when I'm not alone, it ends the same way nonetheless. Everyone I've talked to, my perfection has destroyed relationships. With Junko, with Kyoko, with the Remnants, and now it's happening with Monaca...
If I could do it again, I'd still choose to go through with the experiment. Because it allowed me to meet her. Kyoko Kirigiri...
I started to imagine her beauty in front of me... Standing there, once all of this was over... What would happen after that? Would my perfection ruin this relationship again?
Tengan dissolved my thoughts with his words.
"I cannot ask for more. All I can ask from you is to keep trying. And to never give up Hope."
Miaya didn't respond after that, so Tengan continued.
"And that's what you did. You didn't give up, and you hacked the system during the night. I applaud your determination."
I condescendingly stared into the radio screen. So this was where he was going...
"Your praise is misled. I could not possibly do such a thing. It was the work of another."
Technically, she's correct. I told her the directions to hack the system... Who knew Monaca could be so passive-aggressive?
"Oh, I am certain it was you. The Monokuma Program planted a tracker in your computer. So it would know if that computer tried to connect again..."
Tengan lifted his head, the glare causing his glasses to shine white.
"So no matter how hard I tried, I would have been figured out... But wait! Tengan, why do you know about how the Monokuma Program works?"
Tengan displayed a sinister grin. The one of a villain revealing his master plan. He started to aggressively whisper towards Miaya.
"Don't play dumb. I know what you're up to. Hacking into the system at night and being alive in the morning leaves only one possibility: that the wristband had no effect on you. Which means you're a robot, Miaya."
Monaca gasped, not expecting to be revealed this early. However, I was fully prepared. We deserved this for not covering our tracks better.
She looked at me, as if expecting me to take the blame for this, as it was my idea to hack the system during the night. I didn't change my expression at all.
"Furthermore, you seemed to only be interested in camera data. Which makes sense... Especially for someone who cannot rely on one simple mounted camera... For someone who required a perfect view..."
My heart began sinking at what Tengan would say next...
"Headmaster Tengan, what are you implying?"
"I know who you are, Izuru Kamukura. Your plan to infiltrate this Despair game has been discovered. And it will not work. You won't ruin this Hope for the rest of us."
Hm. Headmaster Tengan, there's so much you still don't know...
"But Tengan, I'm not Izuru Kamukura!"
Tengan scowled at her response.
"Save us both the breath and stop lying. I'd bet my life that you're him."
Well, if you like losing bets, then go for it. I smirked at his relative simplemindedness.
"Your plan ends here. I'll destroy your robot, and the Future Foundation forces will be sent to destroy you."
Future Foundation forces?
Now that I have been discovered as wirelessly messing with the Killing Game, it seems that Tengan would use his forces for offense instead of defense. And they're probably on their way to Jabberwock now...
I grunted. This was all Monaca's fault...
Tengan ripped a pipe from the wall and began walking towards Miaya. I was breathing heavily, not knowing what would come next.
"Monaca, don't be afraid to use your weapons."
"But it's not time yet."
I sighed, but I've agreed to give her full control of the robot.
"Just make sure Tengan doesn't disable Miaya."
Monaca nodded. She rolled Miaya back, stalling for time. Tengan was blocking the doorway, so she really had nowhere to go. Tengan slowly crept up to Miaya, making sure to account for any escape possibilities. He raised the pipe in his hand, getting ready to strike.
Fear washed over Monaca's face, and just as he was about to attack, her hand flew down above a big red button on her control panel.
CHINK
A pipe flew from the center of the room, and hit the wall directly next to Tengan's head. Startled, he turned around to look at the attacker.
Kyosuke Munakata.
"Despair... There is no way you will get away..."
"Destroying Despair is no easy task. You know as well as I do what needs to get done."
Kyosuke pulled out a sword, most likely hidden for this occasion.
"Yes. I must individually kill each and every remnant... Until none remain."
Tengan started walking towards Munakata, readying his pipe for a counterattack. This left Miaya the perfect opportunity to escape. I let out a deep breath, and looked over to Monaca to see what she would do.
Monaca was still in shock from all this. Her hand was less than an inch above the red button, frozen there. After a couple seconds, she realized what she should be doing, and she wheeled Miaya as far away from the fight as possible.
We got lucky. It could have been my Ultimate Luck... Although I do not like to rely on it. Anyone can rely on luck. In fact, most people do rely on luck. I had the abilities necessary to rely on myself.
But, a little bit of luck never hurt anyone...
"See, Kamukura Senpai? It wasn't time to fight yet. Monaca was right!"
I looked away, ignoring Monaca's jest.
"It's almost nighttime. We should make the appropriate preparations."
It was just about time for the sleeping drug to kick in, so everyone was naturally getting in position.
"Monaca'll get right on it!"
She began scanning the computer screens, head jarring left to right, pigtails bobbing in the air.
"Monaca needs to make sure Kyoko won't die..."
After a couple seconds, Monaca bounced in her chair slightly and stated the good news.
"Seiko Kimura is closest to a monitor. So she'll be the one to wake up."
I nodded, satisfied. I let out a small grin.
"Good. Now-"
Wait. What was that?
I heard rustling leaves, crackling fire, and angry voices coming from the mountain path. That combination could only mean one thing...
The Remnants.
What do they want now? I'm busy...
"Monaca, I'll call you back."
I promptly ended the radio connection and slid the radio across the room so they wouldn't notice it. Then, I left the room and stood outside, waiting for them.
The sun was almost finished setting. The sky grew gradually darker, although still maintaining its reddish hue. Yet, there was enough light for even the Remnants with their imperfect vision to see.
Fuyuhiko, as expected, was leading the crew, knife and torch ready. He didn't look happy. But then again, he never really looked happy.
The other Remnants were following him, mirroring his resentment. Except for Sonia, who was trailing behind them by a sizeable margin. It seems she was desperately trying to catch up to them...
"Please, everyone, listen to me. He did nothing wrong!"
Sonia continually pleaded with the other Remnants from behind, yet they continued their pace.
Pretty soon, Fuyuhiko reached the Neo World Program, standing a few feet in front of me. His eyes were burning almost as much as the torch he was holding was...
"'Do not bother me' my ass! Whaddaya think you're doing, bastard?"
I didn't respond, hoping with all the fire in his spirit, he'd eventually run out of gas.
"We gave you one job. One job. And ya can't even fuckin' do that?"
I stood up straight and tightened my gaze, speaking sternly. To show the superiority that I had over him and the rest of them.
"Why should I have to listen to you? I take orders from no one."
"Hey! We're all on the same side here! Last time I checked, you were a Remnant too. So get that shit out of your head that you don't have to help us!"
He had no right to be saying what he has been. He's just a simple Remnant. Whereas I am the Ultimate Ultimate. Perhaps I should put him in his place...
I released any restraints I had on my vocabulary, and my voice sharpened into a bark very quickly.
"Don't compare me to you imbeciles. I am not one of you. I am capable of much more than all of you combined. Reviving the other Remnants would be extraordinarily simple. But I have the right to choose what I do with my life. So, I chose not to. And no one can stop me."
"Excuse me! Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the Ultimate Yakuza! Don't fuckin' mess with me!"
I sighed. After a brief silence, Fuyuhiko yelled again. His eyes were swirling with rage now, a mixture of dark and light red, leading him further and further into Despair.
"Why don't you want to save them? What's so important that you can't take a damn hour of your precious time to save our friends?"
Well, I did have something important to focus on. But there's no way I'm telling them that.
"My availability is not important. The reason I'm not saving them is simply because they're not worth it."
"They're not worth it? That's it? They're not fuckin' worth it?"
"Yes. They're not worthy of my time."
I scowled a bit at Fuyuhiko, just as Akane and Kazuichi were catching up.
"And neither are you."
"That's it, bastard! I'll beat the shit out of you and then I'll force you to fuckin' save 'em!"
Fuyuhiko readied his knife, and then ran up to me. Unfazed, I didn't move. I knew what he was doing.
He attempted a thrust at my chest with his knife. I began to lean backwards slightly, to make it look like I was trying to dodge his knife. And, as expected, he pulled back his knife attack and started swinging his torch at my right side.
I grabbed the torch with my right hand, stopping him mid-strike. Somewhat close to the flame, but it didn't matter. I could take the heat. Fuyuhiko grunted, and tried to pull the torch away from me. However, his strength was no match for mine, and after a second of struggling, he resorted to using his knife. He brought his knife across his body and jabbed it at my wrist.
Hmpf. Such an easily dodgeable attack...
I swiftly raised my arm before the knife hit, causing him to miss his attack. Because Fuyuhiko's hand was holding the bottom of the torch, his grip weakened and eventually released as I lifted it further.
Not caring about the torch at all, Fuyuhiko counterattacked with his knife, swinging it back at me in an attempt to slice open the side of my stomach. His most competent attack, by far. But by no means potent.
I swung the wood of the torch down on his right shoulder swiftly. The shock from the blow caused him to stumble a bit, barely grazing me with the knife. I took this opportunity to lift my leg and send a kick straight at his stomach. He flew a couple feet backwards before he fell to the floor rolling.
As I stood there, I felt a chill wind blowing behind my back and through my long, black hair. The flame on the torch I was holding danced back and forth, almost wanting to die. I swept my arm across my body and tossed the torch aside, fire quenching in the wind.
Fuyuhiko, covered in bruises, took a couple seconds to get up onto his knees. He was already breathing heavily, and looked at me with wide eyes.
At that point, Fuyuhiko turned to Akane and Kazuichi, who were also paralyzed in shock.
"What're ya doin just standing there? Fuckin' help me beat him! That bastard betrayed us!"
Akane managed to softly speak a couple words. A look of disbelief and sadness appeared over her face.
"But... Hajime's our friend..."
I grimaced at that name. I was about to speak up, when Fuyuhiko interrupted me.
"Seriously? He's our friend? Our real friends are trapped inside that computer! You'd take him over them?"
"You're sayin' we gotta choose?" Akane questioned.
"Damn right! Do ya want your friends back or not?"
"Nekomaru..." Akane whispered, a hint of longing in her voice.
Kazuichi, still pensive, spoke up.
"But Miss Sonia said-"
"I don't fuckin' care what Miss Sonia said! He's the only thing standing between us and our friends. He's our enemy!"
"Yeah... He betrayed us..." Akane chanted. "He doesn't want Coach Nekomaru comin' back..."
"I can't forgive you for that!" Akane yelled. She unleashed all of her energy into those words. Her hungry gaze then turned straight to me, eyes swirling as if she was in a trance.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm asking you to leave me alone." I said forcefully.
"I've had to endure all this suffering for days now... Because of you..." Akane breathed heavily, maintaining her irate face.
"Now it's time for me to return the favor." Akane yelled, running up to me. She seemed more heated than usual.
Maybe it'd actually be a challenge.
She launched fist after fist at me, hoping that one would somehow break through. I used my arms to block them, dodging a few here or there. However, she was attacking so rapidly that I didn't have a chance to counterattack. I'd just have to wait until she tired herself out.
The onslaught continued for minutes. Fist after fist, block after block. My arms were getting somewhat heavy. But I knew she could take less pain than I could, so this was still a winning battle. Yet, looking at her face made me think otherwise. Eyes wide and red, scowling continuously. Her anger was fueling her attacks, granting her more power and mobility than usual. It made me question how long I could keep this up.
Akane was much more dangerous when she was mad. I'll give her that. But she could never win against me.
Fuyuhiko, after realizing that Akane was basically getting nowhere, pulled himself up slowly and starting positioning himself a couple feet away from me. His knife was slightly bent, but it would work just as well.
I smirked. This was the chance I was waiting for.
While still getting pelted with punches, Fuyuhiko started running towards my side, knife in front. When he was a foot away, I blocked Akane's next punch with an unusual amount of force, and I jumped back, pushing off her strength to give me backwards momentum.
Fuyuhiko, whose target was no longer where he expected, took a dive headfirst. He crashed to the ground, on top of Akane's legs, causing her to topple over too.
Akane grunted, "Hey! What was that for!"
"I was trying to help, you idiot!"
Akane brought herself up quickly, and brushed off her clothes. She jumped over Fuyuhiko and began running at me again. This time, I knew what was coming.
I dodged her first attack, leaving her off balance. I jammed my elbow into her back, eliciting a loud grunt and an even louder crash as she fell and hit the ground hard.
I then turned towards the other attacker, and he was again running at me with the knife.
I sighed. Hmpf. Would he ever learn?
I released a swift karate chop to the area where his arm and wrist connected. Strong enough to cause his grip to weaken, as the knife fell right out of his hands. Before he crashed into me, I sent a punch straight to his nose, using his momentum as a weapon. He was shoved backwards and fell, blood dripping down his face.
It was the least I could do to get them to stop fighting me. He's lucky I didn't punch his eye out...
Akane tried to get up, but I put my foot on her back with enough force that she couldn't budge.
Kazuichi stared in utter silence. Considering how he was a terrible fighter, it made sense that he wouldn't want to join in. Well, that and the fact that he didn't want to disappoint Sonia...
Speaking of Sonia, she finally reached the scene, gasping at what I had done. She almost fainted, but she regained her composure and spoke up.
"Haji- Um, Izuru... I am sorry. They would not listen to me."
"Do not be sorry. They decided to interfere with someone who did not want to be bothered. And they paid the price."
Sonia nodded, "We will not bother you any more."
"Good." I began walking back into the computer room, reaching for the door. It was almost nighttime; I'd need to get some sleep.
"Are you sure you do not wish to help them?" Sonia impromptly asked.
I didn't bother looking back, "I'll help them when I feel like it."
I slammed the door shut, leaving the four Remnants outside in silence.
And then there was peace. An uneasy peace, but peace nonetheless.
I picked up the radio I left in the room. Monaca was sleeping, an alarm clock sitting next to her. It seems everyone in the Killing Game was asleep as well.
What perfect timing...
I laid down on the ground, holding the radio close, and closed my eyes...
"Kamukura Senpai!"
"Kam- U- Ku- Ra- Sen- Pai!"
My eyes opened at the jarring sound of Monaca yelling. She was desperately trying to get my attention, and because of that, I grew a bit nervous once I realized what was happening.
"Monaca, what is it?"
"We've got a problem..."
