The Days That Follow Chapter 10: The Limits of Redemption, a dangan ronpa kibou no gakuen to zetsubou no koukousei fanfic

DAY FOUR

Why hello there! My name is Teruteru Hanamura, and in the jargon of Hope's Peak Academy, I'm known as the Ultimate Chef! Four Years ago, The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History occurred, and as it turns out, yours truly is partly to blame!

Why you see back at Hope's Peak Academy, Junko Enoshima did a whole lotta terrible things… and well… to summarise, she tortured and killed a classmate in front of myself and the rest of my compatriots. As you might imagine, this had quite a profound effect on our young and budding minds. It caused us to turn to despair. Hailing it, worshipping it as if it were our own mother. Speaking of which are you aware how much I love my mom? That's right a genuine momma's boy right here, and I'm proud of it!

Family,

Sex,

And cooking.

The three key ingredients to a long, happy and fulfilling life! So, you know what, with my momma being the only family I had left she meant the world to me! So, it was a right mighty shame when I burned her to death with cooking oil. The whole time she apologized profusely while her skin melted off! Apologizing that she failed as a mother! Do you have any idea how miserable I was performing the said act?

Well, I'm sorry, I do not believe the English vernacular has the capability to express just how despair-inducing that event was! So unfortunately for me, that's one thing crossed off the list of hope, the list of happiness. My mother died a long time ago, and nothing I do will ever bring her back or stop the absolute misery, I feel whenever I think about her!

Sex,

And cooking.

But hey now! Not everything is so bad, why don't we look at the next two things on this list!

Sex!

Oh boy, while I may not be as proud to introduce myself as such, I believe it would be inaccurate to call me anything less than a pervert. That's right, society may find talking about such a subject so openly; taboo, but for me, well. Let's say I don't share the same reservations…

Cock, pussy, ass, tits– while some may have their preferences, I surely do not! While the phrase may be overused, I do believe 'any holes a goal!' And oh my, was that notion put to the test when I arrived in the abandon ruins of Hope's Peak Academy.

Our very own school made into an indescribable hellscape. A ground-zero if you will, for the incident that claimed the lives of over 90% of the human population! So, when I arrived there, you can bet that cutie patootie of yours that it was right awful. In no way shape or form should that be your next holiday destination, no sir!

'Oh, but Mr Hanamura! Why oh why would you ever return to such a despicable place!?'

You may be asking yourselves. Well first off… settle down! This ain't no damn circus, I'm telling the story here, so you better zip it!

I returned to the academy for one reason and one reason only… that was to find the corpse of the ultimate despair herself, Junko Enoshima!

Now, you may already see where this story may be going, and I have some great news! You're right, I fucked it! I fucked a half-squished corpse in the hopes that somehow it may lead to the next ultimate despair being birthed into the world. Now I hate to spoil it for you but… it didn't exactly work. Shocking, I know!

As much as I tried, as it turns out, you cannot get a corpse pregnant! No siree! Make sure to use that little piece of trivia at your next barbeque, I'm sure it will go down with your guests swimmingly!

But I'm sorry, I digress! So, there I am fucking a long dead and rotting corpse, the absolute putrid smell causing me to heave and gag every few minutes. After a few days, I finally come to realize, it's not working! Not for lack of trying either!

"Well, Junko…"

That's right I started speaking to the corpse itself!

"These last few days have been truly magical, but I must be getting back to the stock, they will be mighty hungry by now!

…

"Oh well now now, I know you will miss me but hey! I suppose I can leave you a little… something, something to remember me by!"

For the fellas reading this, you may want to skip the next part because I honestly doubt you will enjoy knowing what happened next.

Hmmm, how do I put this delicately?

…

Oh, I know!

Before I entered the academy, I could stand up while pissing, but after, it sure was a lot harder! I hope you can understand what I'm insinuating.

Suffice to say, after the said experience I can confidently cross another item off my list!

And cooking.

Well, here it is folks! The grand finale! Cooking! My lifeblood, my passion, the last thing that brings me joy in this otherwise desolate and dying world! Well unfortunately for me even something as amazing as cooking has been contorted and corrupted by Junko's vile influence. Let me explain.

You may remember in my little chat with Junko's corpse; I mentioned a certain entity known as 'the stock'. This is referring to one of my passion projects as despair. You see, while despair a certain… conception consumed me. The idea that the limits of cooking are far too strict, that there was only ever one goal in the culinary arts which fundamentally broke down to making delicious food. Well, I took it upon myself to broaden my horizons.

'What's the most disgusting food that can be created?'

'What 'unorthodox' ingredients can be used in cooking now that I have no restraints?'

'How does starvation and dehydration effect someone's palate?'

'What's are the lengths someone will go to, to halt the effects of said starvation and dehydration?'

'The stock' refers to the unwilling participants in my research. Men, women, children, a few animals, I believe there was even a baby at one point! It didn't matter to me. Everyone's despair is equal, or that's what I thought at least. Kitchen utensils that were once used for bringing joy and pleasure to anyone I served were now the tools of a sadistic torturer.

These days I can't do as much as look at a stainless-steel spoon without throwing up in my mouth. After years of using something to bring such utter despair to hundreds of people, how could I possibly go back to how things used to be?

Well, you see… that's just it.

I can't.

And if you hadn't noticed… we can now cross the last thing off the list…

There's nothing left.

Nothing.

Nil.

Nada.

Zilch.

Zero things that make me happy are in my life anymore.

Which means, I gotta ask?

Why bother?

I don't think I have an answer to that question.

I wish I did… honestly. But I don't.

So…

My name was Teruteru Hanamura. I went to Hope's Peak Academy. In the jargon of Hope's Peak Academy, I was known as the Ultimate Chef. Four Years ago, The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History occurred, and I was partly to blame. For the following years, I killed, starved, pillaged, murdered, dehydrated, tortured and all around was a son of a bitch to anyone unlucky enough cross paths with me.

I'm sorry for what I did.

I know that means nothing due to the grand scale of my actions but…

I really do mean it.

Maybe you can believe that at least.

…

I hope someone, somewhere will remember the old me…

I hope someone will forgive me…

I hope that one day. Peace and happiness will come back to the world…

My family was religious, so I gotta wonder…

Were we abandoned?

Does God hate us?

Is he dead?

I'm not sure…

I guess it doesn't matter.

Only hell and damnation await me either way.

I'm not exactly sure why I'm writing this…

I guess if anyone wants to know the story of Teruteru Hanamura?

But what would someone get out of this?

I'm a piece of shit, so why would anyone care?

I don't know…

I guess if you can learn anything from this sad, pathetic, horrible little man, it would be this…

There's a limit to redemption…

And I've reached mine.

Hajime's hands shook as he clutched the stacks of paper in his hands.

"W-what is this?" His voice was coarse and gravely having just woken up.

Hajime looked across the room, Teruteru was missing from his makeshift-bed.

A deep visceral stab of pure terror plunged its way into Hajime's stomach.

Hajime was about to yell; he was about to scream that they need to find him, but before he could a small piece of folded paper fell out of the stack he was holding. It was another page. Folded in half down the middle. On it the outside it read:

For

Akane, Hajime, Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Imposter, Yuki and Kazuichi's

eyes only

Hajime opened it to find a message written inside.

Don't blame yourselves for this.

You guys really tried your best, and well…

I'll never forget that.

But it's too late for me.

I'm not as strong as all of you are.

I can't…

I just can't come back from this…

I'm sorry.

I'm so so sorry.

…

"TERU TERU!" Hajime screamed at the top of his lungs before flinging himself out the door. With adrenaline coursing through his body, he sprinted down the hill toward the hotel area as fast as he could.

He didn't bother to tell anyone what was happening. He didn't have time; he had to hurry. He dropped the stack of papers on the ground as he left and hoped that they would piece it together and follow him eventually.

One single thought bounced and raced around Hajime's head. Destroying any semblance of serenity, he once had.

'We're going to lose him… we are going to lose Teruteru.'

He couldn't let that happen. No matter what. A brighter shining future awaited them, and he wanted Teruteru there to see it.

He wasn't sure where to look but had a feeling of where Teruteru would be. Because at one point… he had a similar idea. He raced for the research lab.

"What the hell… What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK!?" Akane gradually yelled louder, realizing what the note said. Everyone else was slow to wake, but Akane heard the fear in Hajime's voice when he sprinted out the door. She understood what was going on.

"W-what is it?" Kazuichi sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

Akane leapt for the open door looking down the path. In the distance, she could see a figure sprinting for the hotel area; she presumed it was Hajime.

"Teruteru is…" Akane's voice cracked with each word, unsure if she could say out loud what she thought the note meant. If she did… then… that was such a terrifying thought that she couldn't accept it.

"Everyone! We gotta' go! It's an emergency!" Akane yelled, her voice bellowing in the small cabin room.

She dropped the note paper on the ground. A flurry of ink making a tornado of red as the various pieces fell to the floor around her.

Everyone in the cabin looked at her startled, unsure what was going. Akane started running out the door.

"NOW!" She screamed behind her.

Everyone leapt out of their beds and followed her lead.

"COME ON! COME ON!" Hajime had made it to the hotel area, utterly unaware of his exhaustion, adrenaline being the only thing powering him through. "I HAVE TO MAKE IT!"

He circled around the pool looking up at the roof of the research building…

There he was.

Teruteru was staring off into the distance towards the ocean, unaware of Hajime's presence.

Hajime's mind and body stopped. He paused, looking up at the chef in awe, as he sat upon the metal railing surrounding the edges of the roof. All his worst fears were coming true, his harrowing prediction was correct.

Hajime broke out of his horror and entered the research building, careful to make sure Teruteru couldn't hear him coming. Each step took tremendous effort as he climbed the stairs, he had felt this kind of pressure before. That if he messed up, someone was going to die. Over and over again, he felt this tremendous strain before each class trial. As he climbed the stairs, he was reminded of the slow ride of the elevator down to the trial grounds. The shaking. The Terror. The sickness. The despair. It was like he never left. Once again, life and death were in his hands.

He arrived. A dark blue door greeted him, with a bar to push it open. This was it…

He was the one who figured out the very first murder case and caused Teruteru to be executed. But now…

'I have to save him.'

Hajime pressed the palm of his hand against the door.

…

The first thing he felt was the cool rushing wind against his face. Multiple stories up on a tropical island was bound to be windy. Next, he saw the dark sky above him. The last stars fading into darkness one by one as the day slowly encroached. Finally, there… at the opposite end of the roof, he had found him. His hair was an uncombed mess reaching just below his ears. Shoulder bones sticking out of a white collared shirt. Dark red shorts, breaking the theme of cool and bright colours. As Hajime approached the individual, they dangled their legs over the edge of the building, while staring off towards the approaching sunrise. All of a sudden…

They turned their head towards Hajime.

With sad eyes and a warm smile, Hajime was greeted by them.

"Why hello there."

Hajime gulped; this was it.

"Hey, Teruteru…"

Teruteru shook his head and grabbed at the railing, straining his hand as he gripped it tightly.

"I'm sorry… I was meant to be gone by now, but… I wanted to see a sunrise… did you know I've never actually seen one?" Teruteru turned his head back towards the ocean. "It's just one of those things… I heard they are beautiful but, I never got around to seeing it. I mean, who can be bothered getting up that early, right!?" Teruteru chuckled.

"Teruteru…" That's all Hajime could manage to mutter. He had no idea what to say.

"Want to watch the sunrise with me, Hajime?"

"O-okay…"

Hajime nervously approached the railing that Teruteru was sitting on. He leaned against it, next to him and looked off into the distance.

A long silence followed as they both stared into the horizon, tearily eyed.

"…Please… don't do this." Hajime muttered.

"Hajime…"

Hajime slammed his hands on the railing and yelled. "DON'T DO THIS TERUTERU! PLEASE! YOU CAN GET THROUGH THIS! WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS!"

Teruteru didn't reply, with words. He turned around to face Hajime, with a look that would haunt his nightmares. He smiled a warm and calm smile, a smile of acceptance.

"How do you do it… living with yourself after what you've done?" Teruteru stated, calmly and dispassionately.

"I…" Hajime was still taken back with just how calm Teruteru was.

"This might be the most beautiful place left on earth… you ever think about that? Nearly untouched by the tragedy."

Teruteru giggled with exasperation.

"The tragedy that we caused… How do you live with yourself after that?"

Hajime thought for a little while. He thought hard and carefully. Eventually, he decided, if these were going to be his last moments with Teruteru, he wanted to be honest with him.

"Honestly… I don't." Hajime sighed, letting the wind catch the exhaled air from his lungs. Carrying it to a faraway place. "You're not the first person to think of jumping off this roof. That's why I figured I'd find you up here."

"Really?" Teruteru was still composed, but Hajime could hear a tinge of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah… I don't think I deserve to live. I'm just a kid who wanted to be special and ended up hurting so, so many people because of it. Honestly… if it was just up to me… I'd probably join you up on that ledge."

"You…" Teruteru grabbed onto his chin and thought for a moment, careful to brace himself on the railing with his other hand. "Then, why don't you?"

"Because it's not just up to me." Hajime smiled. All of a sudden, their conversation was interrupted by a voice from below.

"TERUTERU!". Akane yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Teruteru watched as Akane, Kazuichi, Fuyuhiko, Yuki and then Sonia rounded the corner looking up at him.

"Please, Teruteru do not do this!" He heard Sonia cry. "There has been far too much death already!"

"I've forgiven you, Teruteru! I know you meant no harm! Come down this instant!" Yuki shouted.

"You see them, Teruteru?" Hajime asked, pointing at the group of their friends.

Teruteru blankly looked toward them.

"Those guys think I'm a good person or something. I mean, I don't believe them for a second. But… Well, the thing is…" Hajime placed his hand on top of Teruteru's, as it held the railing. "I look at them, and I think their good people. I really do. So then… I guess I understand why they think I am as well. Tell me… do you think those guys down there are bad people?"

Teruteru stared at the group, unblinking. His mind was trying to put the pieces together of what Hajime was saying.

"So, believe me when I say this: I think you're a good person Teruteru and you deserve to live, like the rest of us."

Teruteru was awestruck with disbelief. "Wow, so that's what it is… that's how you keep going." Teruteru then nodded his head with newfound determination. "Tell me something, Hajime."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you can all get through this? Even with everything that's happened. Even with the world against you, are you going to keep going? No matter what?"

Hajime smiled and squeezed Teruteru's hand a little tighter. "Yeah… I… I think so."

Teruteru let out a massive sigh of relief, letting the ocean breeze flow over his entire body, cleansing himself from his self-doubt.

"Good. I'm delighted to hear that Hajime." Teruteru turned to face him, smiling.

"Then I'll leave the rest to you."

…

Hajime thought he must have misheard what Teruteru said. "W-what?"

"I was distraught, thinking that my selfish actions may cause you guys to give up or something. So I'm glad to hear you'll keep going."

"W-what!? NO! Teruteru didn't you hear what I said! The same applies to you!"

"I know," Teruteru replied straight away in a far too relaxed tone of voice.

"Huh!?"

"Didn't you read my letter?"

Hajime stared at Teruteru in disbelief, his heart was starting to beat faster and faster.

"I don't have anything to live for anymore. It doesn't matter if you hate or me or love me. Either way… It's over."

"NO! Teruteru, you may not have anything to live for now, but I swear one day you will!"

"You're probably right…" Teruteru smiled warmly in Hajime's direction. He wasn't scared, he wasn't nervous, he wasn't sad. He was happy, he had accepted what was going to happen and took joy in that fact. "Maybe in some distant future, I can be happy again. Maybe I'd find something to live for. Something that doesn't' involve family, sex or cooking."

"You will! I kno-"

"But I can't get to that point…" Teruteru interrupted.

"You all have things to live for…

But my world,

It's all gone.

Everything I once loved,

Is gone.

I know there are still things in this world that are worth holding onto for you.

But for me…

Well…

You know the rest."

Teruteru carefully slipped off the railing and planted his feet on the outer edge of the building. His feet were having barely anything left to stand on.

"Teruteru!" Hajime yelled; his voice cracked.

"It's okay… I just got unlucky, that's all."

"Teruteru… please, just come back over the railing. Let's talk about this."

"I'm glad I talked to you Hajime… I think I have a better understanding of what you're all fighting for now." Teruteru turned his head away from the desperate cries below him to face Hajime. "I hope one day you can all find that future you speak of. I hope you can find redemption for what you've done. I… I really do."

"Teruteru please!" Hajime grabbed around Teruteru's waist, holding him in place.

"I'm sorry Hajime… if I try to imagine getting through this with nothing to live for. The only thing driving me is the hope that one day I will find something… well… I'm sorry, it's not enough. I do hope you understand that."

"I know it's hard, okay! You might have it worse than the rest of us, but… but…" Hajime had no idea what to say anymore. "Please don't do this!"

Teruteru realized that Hajime was now merely stating platitudes in futile attempt to get him to stop. Teruteru stopped listening to him so intently now looking into the distance in front of him.

"I'm really glad I got to meet you, Hajime. I think we could have been excellent friends. Or maybe even more than that!" Teruteru laughed to himself.

"Teruteru, come on… don't joke around like this. Please!" Tears were starting to form in Hajime's eyes. "I don't want to lose any more people!"

"You're right… I'm sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? I'll stop being selfish and causing you all this pain."

"TERUTERU PLEASE!"

"But, damn… I was so close… any moment now the sun will rise, won't it?"

"PLEASE! FUCKING HELL TERUTERU, PLEASE! IM BEGGING YOU!"

"Oh well… that's okay. As long as you guys get to see it. I think… that's enough."

"Please… please, please, please!" Hajime whimpered.

…

Teruteru was silent, Hajime looked up to see him looking at the people below.

"Hey, Hajime…"

Teruteru turned his entire body around, Hajime was careful not to loosen his grip as he did it. Even if he jumped, he was confident that he be able to hold his weight. Hajime held on to him as tightly as he could bracing for the worst. He closed his eyes and tensed up his entire body, ready.

What Hajime didn't expect though was for a warm sensation over his shoulders. Teruteru was hugging his crouched body through the railing.

"Good luck, I really hope you guys pull it off."

"YOU'RE FUCKING CRAZY IF YOU THINK IM GOING TO LET YOU GO!" Hajime screamed in defiance of the invertible.

"Hey, Hajime… remember one of the first things we talked about?"

Hajime stayed silent, wholly focused on keeping Teruteru secured to the railing.

"We met in the diner. I was asking Sonia if she could suck the poison out of… well… I'm sure you get the idea."

"Why bring that up now!?"

"Well after that I also said, 'I feel like Miss Sonia over there has a good chance of putting out.' So…"

Teruteru giggled manically.

"Good luck with that too!"

"WHY!? How can you joke around at a time like this?!"

"Come on now, that's just the kind of person I am. I came into this world, a cook, a momma's boy and a pervert and I'll gosh darn be damned if I don't go out that way."

Hajime remained silent.

"You sure aren't giving up, are you? I sure am flattered but, in the end… you're going to have to let go."

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU GO! I DON'T… I don't… I don't want to lose someone again."

"I really am being selfish aren't I… It pains me to see you this way Hajime it really does… but it looks like I'll have to cause you a little more pain before it's over."

Hajime noticed Teruteru step a foot through the railing, he wondered what he was doing before he realized the painful truth.

With as much force as he could muster Teruteru kicked Hajime in the crotch, instinctively he went to defend himself with his hands, but unfortunately, that's all the time Teruteru needed.

"TERUTERU!" Hajime screamed as tried to grab him, but… it was too late. He was greeted with nothing but air as he watched Teruteru propel himself from the ledge.

Hajime's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

*BANG*

Hajime would never forget their screams. The screams of his friends watching as once again… after everything… they had to see one of their friends die.

He couldn't possibly accept this… this despair. This utter defeat.

But…

That's when the truth blinded him. As the sun finally began to rise on a new day. A new day where Teruteru Hanamura was dead.

DAY FIVE

Hajime slammed the ground with his fist in frustration as he watched the sun peek over the horizon. Teruteru was so, so close to seeing a sunrise. To seeing a new day, a brighter one. But now… he would never get the chance.

'Never…

Never…

He's never coming back.

Nothing mattered.

In the end.

It was all for nothing.

I failed.

Sonia failed.

Fuyuhiko failed.

Yuki failed.

Akane failed.

Kazuichi failed.

We failed.

We lost.

…'

Hajime curled up into a ball and closed his eyes.

'I'm done.'

"No, you're not."

…

"You're Hajime Hinata."

…

"You don't give up."

…

"It's okay to cry."

…

"But eventually…"

…

"You get back up."

…

"And you keep going."

…

"Because in the end… you made me a promise, and I know you'll keep it…"

…

Hajime got up and with heavy steps, made his way to the bottom of the research lab.

Waiting on the ground floor of the building in the lobby were Kazuichi, Yuki and Sonia.

No one reacted to him entering the room. Each of them stared toward the ground with a thousand-yard stare.

Hajime sat down on the floor and leaned against a wall next to the stairs. After some time passed, he spoke up.

"Where're the others?"

"Cleaning up outside…" Kazuichi muttered.

"Oh…"

Hajime looked around the room. Kazuichi was scratching at his head while thinking. Yuki was reading what looked like Teruteru's suicide note while leaning against the doorway leading outside. Sonia was twiddling with a lock of her hair while staring toward the ground. He could tell that each of them was deeply affected by Teruteru's death just by looking at them.

One day. One single day. That's all they got with him.

Then again…

Hajime realized that everyone knew him far better than he did. He had only met him in the simulation, he couldn't even recall meeting him as Kamukura. While everyone else spent years with him back at Hope's Peak. Having realized this, Hajime knew he needed to act, put his own emotions aside and help everyone else get through this devastating defeat.

"I'll be back later…" Suddenly Kazuichi got up and started leaving. Hajime went to chase after him but hesitated, realizing he would be leaving behind Sonia and Yuki. He looked back, but neither of them seemed even to notice. He debated if it was alright to leave them like that but…

He saw Kazuichi get further away. He didn't want him to go off on his own without talking to him.

So, he followed.

Hajime & Kazuichi

Once Hajime finally caught up to Kazuichi, he was behind the hotel's restaurant, near the shrubs. Oddly they smelled like someone threw up on them. On the way there Hajime did his best to avert his gaze from Akane and Fuyuhiko cleaning up blood-stained concrete from where Teruteru fell.

Kazuichi had his hand on his chin, carefully examining the back of the building as if he was investigating it.

"Hey, Kazuichi… what are you doing?" Hajime questioned, wondering why he was so intently staring at the building.

"Oh, hey, man. I'm just checking something real quick before I go back to work on the alarm system."

"Really? Are you sure… now's the best time?"

Kazuichi let out a long sigh and placed his hands on his hips.

"No, I doubt it is… but that's why I want to get it done. We just lost someone today, and there is no way I'm letting it happen again because I didn't get the alarm system working in time."

Hajime was surprised at Kazuichi's conviction, he had really matured as a person recently. Although he wondered if he had always been this way when he wasn't gawking over Sonia.

"Okay… that's probably a good idea but… are you alright?"

Kazuichi flicked his hand away in a dismissive gesture. "Eh, don't worry about me alright, truth is we didn't really know each other all that well. Just go help the others yeah, I'm going to do what I can to help in the meantime." Kazuichi smiled at Hajime with assurance.

"Oh… yeah okay. I'll see you later then." Hajime was a little shocked at just how well Kazuichi was taking this, but he seemed very sure of himself, so he decided he would trust him to leave him alone.

"Yeah, if you need me, I'll be fixing that fucking alarm." Kazuichi walked past Hajime back towards the research building.

Which begged the question… what was Kazuichi doing here in the first place then? Why bother coming here if he was just going to go back to the research building.

Hajime examined the back wall of the hotel's building, where Kazuichi was looking. There was nothing out of the ordinary except a small door leading to what Hajime presumed was a storage area.

'Is this what he was looking at?' Hajime wondered.

He presumed it would be locked, being a door to a storage area but decided to try it anyway.

*Click*

To Hajime's amazement, it was unlocked. He peeked inside, but it was empty.

He couldn't figure it out why Kazuichi was investigating here, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. With a sceptical huff, Hajime headed back toward the research building, deciding to face his fear and meet up with Akane and Fuyuhiko on the way.

Hajime, Akane & Fuyuhiko

Once he arrived the first thing that he noticed was the smell. Faeces and urine permeated the surrounding area as a sickly reminder of what happened. As Hajime approached Akane and Fuyuhiko, he noticed they both had t-shirts covering their mouths and noses as impromptu masks of sorts. While it wasn't exactly necessary, he understood their reasoning. Standing a few steps away, he greeted them.

"Hey…"

Fuyuhiko and Akane turned around, noticing Hajime, before turning their attention back to the blood stain on the bricked flooring. The body was gone, and they were scrubbing at the bloodstain with sponges, occasionally getting soapy water from a bucket next to them.

"Hey…" Akane muttered. "We got the body on a stretcher we found and put him around the back of the lab…"

Akane paused, thinking.

"We're wondering what to do with it…" Fuyuhiko continued for her.

"Right…" Hajime scratched at the back of his neck. It's not something you think about, but they had to do something with the corpse before it started rotting.

"So, we just gonna bury him?" Hajime sat crossed legged on the ground while playing with loose gravel in between the cracks of the bricks.

"No shovels." Fuyuhiko shrugged.

"No spades either…" Akane scrubbed at the ground with her sponge with slightly more ferocity.

"Oh right… that makes sense…" Hajime replied.

"We were thinking about cremating him." Fuyuhiko ringed the sponge watching the bloody water fall off it, before putting the sponge wrist deep into the soapy water the bucket held.

Hajime didn't like that idea. "I don't know if that would be… umm… how do I put this? … Appropriate? With the way, he died in the simulation and everything."

Both Akane and Fuyuhiko stared at the ground confused, pondering over the dilemma.

"I guess you're right… he didn't mention how he wanted his body taken care of, did he?" Akane huffed.

"Well shit… what are we going to do then?" Fuyuhiko sighed.

They all thought for a little while, trying to recall any methods of body disposal they could remember.

"I mean he was a cook, right? Maybe he'd like to be eaten!? Heh..." Fuyuhiko jeered.

Akane paused, staring at the bloody stain beneath her. Hajime noticed that her face was starting to contort into pure terror.

Hajime shot up and raced over to Akane's side and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, why don't I take over, yeah? You've been at this a while now so why don't you take a break?"

Akane didn't listen to Hajime's proposition. She saw the blood beneath her, memories of her time as despair squeezing their way into her mind and drenching it in the memory of the bloodshed she had caused.

She felt the tender squishiness of the sponge in her hand. She had felt this sensation before. Many times

Tender.

Squishy.

Bloody.

She sat up, terrified of the object that was now in her hand. Very slowly, she raised it into her field of vision.

"Hey, Akane! You still with me!?"

She stared at the juicy piece of flesh in front of her face with insatiable gluttony as she squeezed it in between her fingers.

Tender.

Squishy.

Bloody.

Suddenly she heard a loud clicking sound in front of her as Nekomaru snapped his fingers.

"Come on, let's go wake them up." Nekomaru stood up straight adorning a big smile and a woodcutter's axe resting on his left shoulder.

"Why did I ever agree to a plan where I don't get to eat right away?! Oh man…"

With a heavy sigh, Akane got up from the log she was sitting on and headed to the campfire.

It was the middle of the night, the distant sound of crickets and the crackling of the fire being the only thing heard for miles around them. They were in the middle of Aokigahara forest at the base of Mount Fuji, a tangled sickly mess of trees surrounding them. Their small campfire being the only source of light in this netting of fauna encircling them.

Akane spotted an iron next to their bags and placed it carefully next to the flame, heating it up. She then rounded the campfire and sat down in front of her two brothers. They both had gags in their mouths, their hands and necks chained around a tree next to them. The brother to the left was

Juro. Black spiked hair, tall, lean and around the age of thirteen although Akane wasn't exactly sure. She stopped remembering frivolous details like those a long time ago.

The brother on the right, and closest to Akane was Itsuki. Around the age of seventeen, he was reasonably well built for his age as well as being tall. Dark brown hair mopped his head.

Akane stared at the blurry faces in front of her. They had changed so much since she last saw them that they were close to unrecognizable.

"Alright…" Satisfied with her examination, Akane nodded towards Nekomaru, who nodded in return. They both removed the cloth gags around their mouths and hung them around their necks. Nekomaru then got a burning stick from the fire and placed it against the thigh of the brother on the left; Juro.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" With a bloodcurdling scream, Juro was awoken from his slumber.

"Well hey, there sleepy head!" Akane smiled in his direction.

"Wha-what… WHAT THE FUCK! What's happening? Is that you Akane?"

"A-Akane?"

Akane turned from Juro to the brother directly in front of her Itsuki. It seemed he woke up to Juro's anguished screams.

"Hey, Lil Bro! How you been?" Akane smiled.

"W… we thought you were dead…" Itsuki went to lean in closer to embrace his long-lost sister but was suddenly stopped by the chains around his wrists and neck.

"W-wait? What's going on!?" Itsuki panicked looking around at his surroundings. He had no clue where he was or how he ended up here. There was a large and strange man wielding an axe looming above him and his older sister in front of him.

He had so many questions racing around his head, but they all disappeared when he turned to his right. Nothing but despair replacing it.

His younger brother was crying, chained up to a tree just like him…

And the fat on his lower left thigh…

Was missing, nothing but bandages surrounding the gap.

He turned back towards his sister, absolutely petrified when he realized. Akane was holding a slab of meat in her left hand. One that looked suspiciously… human.

"A-Akane?" Itsuki muttered under his breath. Akane smiled back with the same broad smile he had seen her use thousands of times. In happier times. "What is this?"

"It's a family reunion!" Akane jumped up and cheered. "And it's the last one too! It took wayyyyyyy too long to find out which holdout you were hiding in, the others were so much easier to track down!"

Itsuki thought back… he remembered an alarm sounding with some kind of noxious gas seeping through the ski resort their group were held up in.

'So, is that how they got us?' Itsuki wondered to himself, but then an even more pressing question came to the forefront of his mind.

"What happened to our friends!?" Itsuki yelled at Akane.

Akane smiled back with the same smile, not an ounce of hostility or ill intent visible in her expression. Which terrified him.

"Take a look for yourself!" Akane turned to her side with an enthusiastic flourish, as if revelling a great new invention.

There, in a gratuitous heaped pile, lay the corpses of every single person in the ski-resort they once shared.

Itsuki turned his head back and forth, examining the pile. He figured he must be seeing something wrong, there was no way all these people he knew for so long were just dead. Gone. Never to come back again.

He looked back to Akane with an utter complex of disbelief.

He couldn't muster any words. What was there, possibly to say?

Akane kneeled back down and leaned in real close.

"I killed them all. I slit their throats while they were sleeping. Which means they had a quiet, painless death. They probably didn't even see it coming. Aren't I the best big sister!" Akane looked toward Juro and then back toward Itsuki. "Now as the best big sister in the world, I've gotta say I'm disappointed in you Itsuki!" Akane shook her head.

"WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT DID YOU…" Akane placed the gag back over his mouth. Muffling his screams of profanity.

"What the hell, I thought I taught you two to respect your elders. So, do you mind not interrupting me while I'm speaking?"

"FURCK YOU!" Itsuki yelled through the gag.

Akane let out a long-defeated sigh, before nodding toward Nekomaru. She looked at Itsuki with a disapproving look.

"You know… this wouldn't have to happen if you just listen."

Itsuki didn't know what she was insinuating, he looked over to his brother to see the large man far closer to him than he was before.

"AHAHA! Grit your teeth kiddo!" The large man yelled. He held Juro's head against the tree and very carefully lined up the blunt end of the axe with his mouth. He then wound back his arm and…

smashed Juro's teeth in.

A satisfying *crunch* sound was heard as the shrapnel of Juro's teeth cut his mouth.

Juro tried to scream in agony but started choking on his own blood and teeth. He spit out the remains of his front teeth before he started nodding up and down, about to pass out.

"Oh no, you don't!" The large man exclaimed, grabbing a burning stick from the campfire and stabbing it into Juro's thigh once again.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Both Juro and Itsuki screamed in horror.

"OP! OP IT, PEASE!" Itsuki begged through his gag.

The large man kneeled and grabbed Juro by the chin to face him. "Now you gonna stay awake?"

Juro nodded through gritted gums. Trying his best not to scream.

"Good, cause you don't want to miss out on this next part! AHAHA!" The large man laughed uproariously, slamming Juro' head into the tree as he let him go.

"You going to let me speak?" Akane sneered.

Itsuki nodded up and down furiously.

"Great, now as I was saying. I'm disappointed in you Itsuki. You're so skinny now! Are you not getting your protein!?"

…

"Well, not to worry, your big sis will feed you right!"

…

Itsuki could hear it. The squelch between Akane's fingers. The fat was seeping and dripping off the ends of it. A slab of flesh. Next, he heard Juro's muffled screams through the gag.

He knew what this was.

"Eat it." Akane sneered in a poisonous and hostile whisper.

Instinctively Itsuki shook his head frantically. Just realizing that she was holding a part of his brother's thigh made him sick to his stomach already.

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry! I can be such a fucking idiot sometimes! What were we thinking Nekomaru!?" Akane slapped the slab of meat against her forehead in place of her palm. "Your gag is still on!" Akane slipped the cloth from his mouth.

"What the hell happened to you Akane! Why ar…." He was cut off again as Akane put the gag back in his mouth.

Akane grabbed the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"You serious dude? What did I say about interrupting me?" Akane nodded back toward Nekomaru.

"NO! PEASE!"

"PEASE DON DO THIS!"

Both Itsuki and Juro's muffled begs could be heard through their gags as Nekomaru rounded the tree behind Juro. Nekomaru took the same axe turning the blunt end toward Juro and smashed in his elbow.

"AAAAAHHHHHH…

AHHHHHHHHHH…

AHHHHHHHHH!"

Juro screamed and screamed, realizing he now had no feeling in his hand.

Before Itsuki could adequately react to what was going on, he felt Akane slip the gag off.

"EAT…"

Itsuki rocked back and forth, only a slight moan escaping his mouth. This was an unbearable situation, a hopeless situation, a despair-inducing situation. Itsuki's mind was beginning to break, there was no possible way for him to deal with all this.

Akane pressed the meat up to his lips. But Itsuki stared for with a blank thousand-yard stare, his mind was brought to a halt. It couldn't possibly make sense of his surroundings.

"AND TO THINK IM BEING SO KIND AS TO FEED YOU!" Akane screamed into his face.

Itsuki ignored her, still in another world.

"Yeah, Akane…" Nekomaru started to belly laugh, taking delight in the situation. "I still don't think he gets it. Want me to turn it up a notch?"

Akane dismissively waved her hand up and down. "Yeah, go for it."

*whistle*

Nekomaru whistled for Itsuki's attention, with great hesitation he turned his head toward him.

"Now, Itsuki! I count two hands, two feet, two ears, two eyes, a dick and a tongue." Nekomaru swung the axe above his head and slammed it down onto Juro's ankle. Cleanly cutting off Juro's right foot.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh….." Juro passed out from the pain before he could continue screaming.

Nekomaru dropped the axe to the ground, grabbing the hot iron that was heating up on the campfire. "Now, how many pieces of him do we have to cut off before you start eating your brother?" Nekomaru placed the iron on Juro's stump cauterizing the wound. Juro came to once again screaming in agony at the pain.

Itsuki felt the press of his brothers flesh against his lips once again. His mind was broken, nothing but despair remained as he started to bite down on the meat.

Akane smiled and cheered as he started eating.

Meanwhile, Nekomaru finished cauterizing the wound, to the great satisfaction of Juro and kneeled behind him. He began unchaining him from the tree. Juro had a small amount of hope that they were freeing him from this situation, before Nekomaru's words corrupted and invaded his mind.

"Do you hate your brother?

He's eating you right now.

If he didn't hesitate earlier, you wouldn't have gotten burnt.

Juro tried to cover his ears, he tried to block out the dark and evil thoughts the Nekomaru was placing in his mind… but his words were… intoxicating.

It's all his fault.

He burnt you.

He shattered your teeth.

He broke your elbow.

He chopped off your foot.

He heard Nekomaru unlock his chains, the tensions around his wrists and neck were now gone.

He's the one who is responsible for all your misery.

So…

Are you going to let him get away with it?"

Nekomaru's bloody axe was placed in his hand. Itsuki caused him all this pain, if he were a better brother, he wouldn't have gotten hurt, all their friends would still be alive, he would even have his foot.

These dark thoughts swirled around in his mind like a black hole consuming any idea of forgiveness or reason. He clutched the axe tighter in his hand.

He got up and started limping toward Itsuki. Akane smiled at him with a warm smile, a reassuring smile that he had seen thousands of times. One that said, 'you're doing the right thing.'

Itsuki looked up to his brother, bits of gristle stuck in his teeth. "Juro?"

Hearing him speak…

Hearing this piece of shit speak, one that caused him so much pain…

Anger, hatred, envy, betrayal, only these emotions existed towards his brother now.

Juro's breathing became faster and more frantic.

"Juro!?" Itsuki questioned more frantically, confused why he wasn't attacking their captors.

That's when Itsuki learned the truth of Juro's reasoning.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The last thing Itsuki experienced was his brother swinging an axe into his face.

Juro started chopping at his brother's corpse, with ferocity and bloodlust. Even the site of his intact body pissed him off, so he started chopping at it.

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!

I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!

I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

…

"We did it!" Akane cheered offering Nekomaru a high five.

"Those were the last members of your family correct!? Congratulations Akane!"

*Clap*

They high-fived, finally their quest had come to an end.

But their celebration ended abruptly as Juro began swinging the axe wildly towards Akane, screaming vicious profanities.

"WATCH OUT!" Nekomaru pushed her out of the way before disarming Juro of the axe. He then took the handle and bashed him on the head, knocking him out cold.

"AHAHAHA! Cheeky fucker came at us!" Nekomaru laughed, "you gotta be more careful, Akane!"

"You're always protecting me Nekomaru, thanks!" Akane got up from the ground and dusted herself off. "Let's get out of here before the sun comes up. Fuyuhiko and the rest should be waiting for us in town."

"Right! Let us go!" Nekomaru boomed.

They started heading off towards the edge of the forest. Akane realized she still had the thigh of her brother in her hand. She raised it into her field of vision, examining closer as the light of the campfire got further and further away. It was covered in dirt, spit and blood. But she was still hungry so, she wiped it on her shirt getting the worst of it off before digging in.

"Akane?" Fuyuhiko questioned, unsure of her sudden change.

Akane was on her hands and knees, dry heaving, looking at the sponge and blood in her field of vision.

Both Hajime and Fuyuhiko heard a gurgling and splutter from Akane's stomach. She began to gag and heave. Hajime, having realized what was going to happen quickly, pulled down her make-shift mask off her face and held back her hair.

Then like expelling a sickness, Akane threw up the contents of her stomach. A mix of bile and last night's dinner covering the stain they were cleaning.

"Shit! We were almost done! GODDAMNIT!" Fuyuhiko yelled.

But to the dissatisfaction of everyone involved Akane wasn't done yet. Violently coughing, before hurling up anything that was left.

"AAAHHHHHH!" Akane screamed, slamming her fist on the ground and throwing her sponge away as far as she could.

"Woah, hey?" Fuyuhiko's anger was replaced with concern after Akane's outburst. Hajime shimmed her back slightly before helping her up.

Akane started bawling her eyes out, hiccupping and coughing in between her anguished cries. She hid her face into her arms, wiping away her tears with her forearms.

Hajime and Fuyuhiko looked at each other, communicating with their stares their concern for their friend. Having heard the outburst, Sonia, Kazuichi and Yuki came running out of the research building and towards the group.

"What has happened!?" Sonia shouted, running towards them. "Akane! Are you okay!?"

Sonia went to embrace Akane, but to everyone's shock, especially Sonia's, Akane pushed her back with full force.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Akane yelled. "You… you… I'm…"

Everyone was around Akane in a semi-circle, a few feet away. Hands held out in front of their wastes with their palms facing her, trying to be as non-threatening as possible.

But to Akane, it looked like they were trying to calm down a feral animal.

"FUCK OFF! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Akane tightened her hands into fists. Her face contorted into a mix of misery and anger.

"Akane! Please, what is wrong!?" Sonia slowly and carefully approached.

Akane's farce of anger deteriorated as she got closer. Eventually, her rage was no longer directed at those around her, but herself.

"He… he was right…" Akane relaxed her entire body letting her arms collapse to her sides. She looked up into the morning sky with obscured vision through her tears. "I… I can't come back from this… there really is a limit to redemption."

"Akane!?" Sonia called out to her, she raced forward and grabbed her hand, squeezing it in hers. "Do not say such things! You are a good person!"

"HOW!? … How can you say that… I… I…

I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…

Itsuki… Juro… everyone…"

"Shit…" Hajime whispered under his breath. He put two and two together and had an Idea of what she was upset about.

Hajime stepped forward and sat down to the now collapsed Akane. Sonia looked at him with fear and trepidation as she continued to hold onto her hand. Hajime nodded with affirmation. Everyone else looked on at the situation unsure what to do.

"You remembered something terrible, didn't you Akane?" Hajime asked.

While covering her face with her hands, Akane nodded.

That confirmed Hajime's suspicions. Something about what Fuyuhiko said and possibly the blood and sponge around her caused her to have an episode of PTSD. Now the problem was how to help her. Hajime thought for a little while, before deciding to ask her a similar question to what he did last time Akane was upset.

"What do you think Nekomaru would say?"

"He was there…" Akane mumbled. "We did it. We did those terrible things, together…"

"Well… uh…" Hajime wasn't sure what to say now, looks like the same trick wouldn't work twice. "Do you think he deserves redemption?"

"Maybe? But… they were my siblings… I talked him into helping me. WE KILLED THEM ALL! It's my fault…" Akane was hysterical. She was broken. Her entire reality was shattering around her. Her episode had finally given her the clarity to accept the things she had done. No longer trying not to think about them but now she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Hajime looked behind them at the vomit covered blood stain a few metres away. A haunting reminder of what could happen if someone gives up. He had to help her; the question was how.

"I hunted them down like a fucking serial killer. I tortured them before I killed them, all my siblings… how… how do you come back from that?"

Hajime bit as his bottom lip. He remembered hearing in the simulation of Akane's family. She had a bunch of siblings that she took care of, but now… she had to deal with the fact that she was the one that killed them all. With brutality as well… he could understand her anguish better.

"I don't even know why I keep fighting anymore… why I keep living… maybe Teruteru had the right id-"

"GAH-HAHAAHAAHAHA" Nekomaru's boisterous laugh could suddenly be heard. Everyone turned in complete awe to see Yuki standing in the spot of where the sound came from.

"I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WERE SUCH A WEAKLING! To think someone like you thought they could beat me! IT'S HILARIOUS!" Yuki shouted in the exact manner, pronunciation, enunciation, pitch and volume as Nekomaru would. He sounded exactly like him, which was a little weird hearing that voice coming out of Yuki.

"W-what?" Akane stuttered in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, maybe that wasn't appropriate for me to say…" Yuki scratched at the back of his neck, embarrassed. "But I'm pretty sure he would say something like that."

"So, what!?" Akane shouted back in anger. "He would just insult me?! I doubt Nekomaru would do that!"

"If he saw you giving up like this… I'm near certain." Yuki replied with confident assurance.

"B…but…"

"Hey, Akane…" Fuyuhiko suddenly spoke up, everyone looked in his direction expectedly. "I guess… that memory really messed you up, huh? Well, you should try to remember what you told me the other day in the restaurant."

Akane looked down toward the ground contemplating over what Fuyuhiko said.

"You know some of the fucked-up shit I've done… and well… there is no way in hell I'm giving up. I don't know about all this redemption stuff, but I don't really care. I just want to see Peko again."

"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH A FIGHTING SPIRIT!" Yuki shouted, imitating Nekomaru.

"We've all done nasty stuff Akane…" Kazuichi scratched at his bearded chin. "But I mean… we ALL have. So, in a way… a really fucked up way… it's comforting."

"Hey, remember Akane…" Hajime nodded in her direction. "Whatever you're done… it's near certain I've done something similar."

"But even though we have done all these terrible things…" Sonia continued. "We continue to fight…"

"Akane…" Hajime got her attention, he then turned slightly making sure everyone could hear him. "I was the last person to talk to Teruteru before he died… and I know in his letter it said he reached his limit when it comes to redemption, but I don't think that's precisely right…

I think…

I think I convinced him that he was worthy of redemption but in the end… he didn't have anything to fight for anymore. That's what his suicide note was really about... that's why he went through with it."

Hajime stood up, looking at the people around him.

"He said he hoped that one day we all find the redemption were fighting for… but… honestly?"

Hajime scoffed.

"Redemption is bullshit. It's completely subjective. So… in the case of the world. I don't think we can ever redeem ourselves for what we've done. But… if you're asking me. You don't have to fight for it… because you don't have anything to redeem yourselves for."

Everyone cringed slightly hearing him say that, not believing what he was saying.

"It's okay… I don't expect you to believe me. But… I really do think that. I guess the only person you need to redeem yourself to is yourself. I know we're all struggling to do that… sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. I… no… we, we all know that too well."

"What are you even saying Hajime?" Akane asked bewildered.

"Yeah sorry, I'm not the best at impromptu speeches." Hajime sighed. "What I'm trying to say is: The only person you need to redeem yourself to is yourself. That's the limit to redemption if you can ever forgive yourself for what you've done."

Everyone was now contemplating what Hajime was saying, as they all thought about their past actions and the possibility that one day, they could forgive themselves for them.

"I know that… is going to be really hard to reach. I don't know if any of us really think we can get there right now… but. A few nights ago, … I got glimmer at something special. Something that I want to hang on to no matter what."

Sonia blushed to realize what he was talking about.

"But I think that and what Teruteru wrote made me realize something. You just need something to fight for. Something that you want to see listen, taste, smell, experience again! Or maybe even for the first time…"

"So… don't think about the past. Don't think about redemption, or morality or anything like that. Cause you don't need any of it. You just have to ask yourself something… what makes you happy? What do you want to experience? What are you fighting for?"

"What I'm fighting for? I… I'm…" Akane couldn't answer, she was so unsure of herself now. Fuyuhiko noticing this spoke up first.

"I'm fighting for Peko… I mean, obviously. Not like I talk about her all the time or anything, huh." Fuyuhiko chuckled.

Sonia was next to speak, she squeezed Akane's hand and gave her a smile that was so warm and sweet Akane felt her tension melt away. "I… I want to see our class reunited! I want us to all do fun things together again!"

Kazuichi flicked his nose with his thumb while showing a cocky grin. "I'm going to stop all the Monokuma's in the world. That's what I want to do!"

Everyone looked at Yuki next. He thought for a moment before replying. "I'm fighting for myself… I know that sounds selfish, but… I've never had a life of my own like this before. So, I'm not going to give it up."

Finally, everyone stared at Hajime expectedly. He gulped, trying to find the best way to articulate the way he was feeling.

"Useless, normal, boring… lonely. That's probably the way I would have described my life up until I came to Hope's Peak. I know that this has been an awful experience for all of us. I've never felt so many emotions in the course of these last few days… but… fuck. Anything is better than the depressing void I was living in. For the first time ever… I have friends, I have goals, ambitions, dreams, feelings that I never thought I would feel. That's what I want to hold onto…

The glimmers of hope in this hopeless situation."

Hajime rubbed Akane's shoulder. "So, what about you?"

Hearing everyone talk about their ambitions. Why they're still going, it made Akane realize. The answer she was looking for was obvious, she was surprised she didn't see it sooner.

"Nekomaru…" Akane muttered.

"What?" Hajime replied, no one could hear what she was saying with her hands covering her face.

"NEKOMARU NIDAI! I want to thank him for saving me! I want to see him again!" Akane yelled into the sky with unwavering determination. She jumped up and flexed her arms. "No more sitting on my ass and doing nothing! I may still be coming to terms with everything that I've done but… whenever I think of Nekomaru being here with us, fighting this shit together… it makes me feel so much better, so much stronger! I'm not going to die here! I'm getting off this island, with Nekomaru!"

'Off this island…' A thought crossed Hajime's mind.

Sonia clasped her hands together in front of her, eyes sparkling at the impressive rebound Akane managed.

"Heh, depressing shit like this doesn't suit you." Fuyuhiko smiled towards Akane. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks! I'm sorry about that…" Akane picked at her ear while speaking. "Honestly, I've been trying to ignore everything the best I could, but... I was given a grim reminder of what happened, and I couldn't handle it. I… I've done terrible things. But I guess that's old news, huh. We all have…"

Everyone let out a huff of exasperation.

"Just talk to someone if you get down like this again, okay?" Hajime patted Akane on the shoulder.

"Right! Now to deal with the problem ahead… and it's an unpleasant one…"

"The body…" Fuyuhiko bit at his nails, thinking.

"Oh, aren't we just going to bury him?" Yuki asked.

"Nothing to dig with." Fuyuhiko shrugged. "And Hajime pointed out it might be kind of inappropriate to cremate him."

"Oh, why's that? We have plenty of wood, isn't that the best option?" Yuki rubbed at his chin.

"Oh… that's right! You were dead when Teruteru got executed. Yeah, he got dropped in a volcano so…" Kazuichi breathed in air through gritted teeth.

Yuki gasped and covered his mouth. "Fuck me…"

"I want to have a proper funeral for our friend! What are we going to do?" Sonia inquired.

"Actually…" Hajime looked toward the ocean Teruteru was staring at before nodding to himself in confirmation. "Something Akane said gave me an idea…"

With a huff and a puff, Hajime sat down next to Sonia, watching as the ocean claimed their friend for its own. He held her hand and squeezed it.

"You okay?"

Sonia smiled at Hajime with sadness in her eyes. "Mhmm."

The six of them sat on the beach together watching Teruteru's corpse drift out to sea. Hajime didn't want Teruteru's last place to be this island, so they decided to let him go.

"I'll miss him." Kazuichi suddenly spoke up. "I mean he was really creepy… but he was alright."

Hajime couldn't help but chuckle at his brutal honesty.

They all sat there in silent contemplation, remembering their friend. Hajime hoped that Teruteru was happy with his decision. Hajime wasn't, but, in the end… it wasn't up to him.

"He was sweet." Sonia leaned her head on Hajime's shoulder and breathed in deeply. "He did have his perverted side, yes, but… I remember whenever I was having a bad day. He would try to make me smile. He was kind."

…

"I'll miss his meals." Said Akane.

…

"He was annoying as hell but… yeah alright, he had his moments. I'll admit it." Fuyuhiko sighed.

…

"As perverted as he was, I never found his comments to come from a place of ill-will. I don't believe he ever intended to hurt anyone." Yuki commented.

…

"Can you… tell me a bit about him?" Hajime asked. "I never really got to know him all that well. What was he like back at Hope's Peak?"

Everyone thought for a little while considering Hajime's request when suddenly he heard Sonia giggling to herself. It got louder and louder until she was rolling on the floor, laughing, covering her face with her hands. Everyone looked at her with curiosity, wondering what she was laughing about.

Eventually, Sonia was able to stifle her laughter for long enough to speak. "As embarrassing as it was… does anything come to mind when I say 'aphrodisiacs'?"

Unanimously everyone let out a massive grown. Fuyuhiko flicked sand in her direction, annoyed that she brought it up.

This piqued Hajime's curiosity. "Aphrodisiacs? Okay, there is a story here, and I have to hear it!" Hajime yelled.

"I mean technically it was Hiyoko that poisoned us." Yuki shrugged.

"Yeah, but he brought the shit to our class in the first place!" Kazuichi retorted.

"POISONED!?" Hajime uttered in disbelief. "What the hell happened?"

"OH SHIT! Remember, Chiaki uppercut Teruteru to the moon. That was hilarious!" Fuyuhiko uppercut the air in front of him and laughed.

"CHIAKI PUNCHED TERUTERU!?" Hajime realized that he had a lot of stuff to catch up on.

Everyone burst into laughter, hearing Hajime's understandable confusion. But… the happy atmosphere dissipated as it dawned on everyone, that two people they shared those times with are gone now.

Everyone relaxed back into their previous sitting positions staring back out over the ocean. Letting the reality of their friend's death dawn on them.

…

"So…" Fuyuhiko muttered in a somewhat depressed demeanour. "What now? It's what… around ten or eleven in the morning?"

Sonia and Hajime exchanged looks; Sonia looked at him with an aura of trepidation. She squeezed his arm and directed him with her eyes to look towards the horizon.

Out there, far… almost to far to see, but Hajime could just make it out. Dark, grey clouds.

The storm was coming.

Hajime looked back to Sonia and nodded with an air of dysphoria. Having a grim reminder of what's to come.

"Mahiru." Sonia solemnly stated.

"Wait!" Yuki got up and stood in front of the group. "Teruteru just committed suicide, and you already want to wake up another person!? We're literally at the guys make-shift funeral!"

"No…" Fuyuhiko interrupted his ranting. "She's right…"

"Yeah, I don't know about this either." Akane got up and stood next to Yuki. "I mean, we need some time to recuperate or whatever!"

"We don't have time… look behind you." Hajime sighed. "The storm is on its way…"

Yuki and Akane stared upon the greying clouds in disbelief. "Oh no… already?" Yuki muttered.

"We need as many people awake as we can manage." Fuyuhiko lay down in the sand, letting it flow around his fingers. "I know it sucks… but even having one more person alive and able to fight could make the difference, you know?"

"Fuck…" Kazuichi pulled his beanie over his face. "You really think we're going to be attacked!?"

"At some point… yeah, I do." Fuyuhiko rolled over to his side, facing away from everyone.

"Then let's get Nekomaru up right now! He's probably the best fighter here!" Akane stomped her feet, and argued but, Fuyuhiko, Sonia and Hajime all shook their heads.

"I hate to break this to you Akane… but it's not going to come down to a fist fight. Otherwise, I'd agree with you. They will have weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if they had guns. No offence but Nekomaru would be as useless as the rest of us against a rifle."

"But… but!" Akane stammered.

"I know how you feel Akane…" Hajime forced a smile. "I would feel safer with him awake too, but… if we start messing with the order of waking people up, then someone might get hurt… and currently, Mahiru is in the most danger. She has to be next."

Akane gritted her teeth in anger and frustration. "Then what if we wake them up at the same time!?"

Yuki collapsed onto the ground in the middle of their conversation, lying down in the sand with his hand over his eyes. "It's risky… I mean remember what a handful I was when you guys woke me up? We need to make sure they get the proper attention they need, right?" Yuki uncovered his eyes for a moment to get confirmation from Hajime and Sonia, who nodded in reply.

"It may be possible that we can wake up more than one when we have more people, but for now. I believe it would be in our best interest to limit it to one person at a time." Sonia said.

"Fu… But… I mean…" Akane tripped on her words. Not sure what to say, they were making a logical argument, but it just didn't feel right to her.

"No matter what we must take risks Akane." Hajime shook his head. "We're just trying to minimize them."

Akane kicked at the sand under her feet. "Does everyone feel this way?"

No one answered, which was the closest thing Akane was going to get to a yes. They didn't like it either, but it's what was right.

"Fine." Akane sat back down with a huff.

…

"I mean hey… It'll be nice to have Koizumi back around!" Suddenly Kazuichi spoke up in an enthusiastic tone, doing his best to lift everyone's spirits.

Sonia noticed his attempt and admired his attitude. "You are right, Kazuichi!" Sonia jumped up with enthusiasm trying to cheer up the gloomy atmosphere. "I am sure she would be disappointed in us for mopping around when there is work to be done!"

"Jeez, you all need to get a hold of yourselves!" Once again Yuki impersonated another classmate, this time Mahiru.

Everyone looked in his direction, baffled at his ability.

"You can do the girls, too!" Kazuichi yelled in disbelief.

"Are you able to impersonate all of us?" Asked Hajime.

"Are you able to impersonate all of us?" Yuki repeated what Hajime said in his voice. It was like hearing an echo.

Hajime got up and put his arms in the air and started walking away. "NOPE! NOPE! It's too weird! I'm out!"

Yuki got up and put his arms in the air as well, walking in the opposite direction. "NOPE! NOPE! It's too weird! I'm out!"

Everyone gasped in awe at Yuki's spot-on impersonation, before laughing and cheering.

Hajime turned around looking at Yuki with utter disbelief, sure he was the ultimate imposter, but it was still creepy to hear his voice coming from another person.

But he wasn't done yet, a wicked smile contorted Yuki's face as he squinted at Hajime.

"Oh Sonia Nevermind, how I yearn for you!" While still 'impersonating' Hajime, Yuki kneeled on one leg next to Sonia. Being as comical and campy as possible, he placed one hand on his forehead and took Sonia's in the other. "Sonia Nevermind! How simply uttering your name makes my heart race!"

"What the fuck!" Hajime screamed, "I don't speak like that!"

"Na, you totally do dude." Fuyuhiko began laughing his ass off watching Yuki's act.

"Your smile is more beautiful than a morning frost in June…"

"OH MY!" Sonia gasped.

"Since when am I, Shakespeare?!"

"Sonia, I must take you now, on this very beach! My loins yearn for you!" Yuki proposed.

"Hajime! I never thought you would be so forward!" Sonia muttered under her breath, embarrassed.

"What!? Don't take him seriously!"

…

The group continued to laugh and joke around on the beach for a little while. While it was technically meant to be Teruteru's funeral, it felt oddly fitting. Like that's what he would have wanted. Eventually, though, Yuki got tired of taking requests for impersonations, and everyone grew hungry. So, they all headed towards the hotel for breakfast.

But before that Hajime needed closure on something, he split off from the group and headed to his cabin.

Dear Teruteru

I can't approve of what you did.

I know you were hurt, and scared, but your actions were selfish none the less.

We miss you.

And whenever anyone wakes up now, we will have to tell them that you took your own life.

I wish things could have been different.

I wish you didn't give up.

But with all that said…

I understand.

I still don't approve, but… I understand the reasoning you gave.

I hope we get the chance to prove there is no limit to redemption.

I hope you feel you made the right decision.

I hope you can find peace.

And although I am angry and hurt. I do want you to know something…

We will carry on your memory.

We each had different memories we enjoyed with you.

You will be remembered as a momma's boy, a pervert and a chief.

Not anything else.

I promise.

Say hi to Chiaki for me and try to be a little less creepy.

Goodbye Teruteru.

I wish I could have gotten to know you better.

Your friend –

Hajime Hinata.