"...once I swept her leg, I quickly pinned her yet again. And immediately — at the very second she was pinned — Sakura asked me whether I would change the victory requirements to 'best four out of six.'"

Seated in a rolling desk chair in front of a small table in her quarters, Aoi Asahina laughed and shook her head. "Oh god, did you actually do another two rounds?" she asked.

On the video screen, Kenshiro smiled. "Of course. One never refuses Sakura Ogami."

"That's for damn sure," Asahina responded confidently, grinning all the while.

"And besides," Kenshiro added, "Ice cream was on the line. Neither of us could stand to give in."

Hina chuckled. Looking at the current state of the former 'Strongest Person in the World' was enough to drive most people to tears, but she had gotten used to it after just the first week of their now-standard daily video calls. Kenshiro was pale — even his shoulder-length hair had turned white — and his body looked emaciated from years of wasting away with his terminal heart condition. However, looking at him now, Hina thought that maybe he was regaining some color to his skin for the first time.

"How're you feeling today?" she asked him.

The man nodded. "Stronger, I think. It is difficult to say for certain, but the doctors here are quite optimistic that this transplant will hold."

"They were optimistic last time, too," Hina noted. An edge of sadness crept into her voice as she remembered the first attempt's failure.

"Indeed," Kenshiro agreed. "But this time will be different. I can feel it."

"Just don't get ahead of yourself," Hina said. "They've told you already, recovery could still take months even after your body accepts the new heart. Don't push yourself before you're ready."

"I appreciate your concern," Kenshiro said confidently, "But I'm well aware of my limitations. I know what my body is capable of better than anyone else — even these doctors. I've spent my life studying and measuring my capabilities."

"But it's not the same body anymore!" Hina warned him.

He gave her a nod of acknowledgement and smiled slightly as he continued, "I know that, of course. I merely meant that I am fully capable of studying my new limitations and adhering to them."

Kenshiro had been declared a dead man walking even before his girlfriend, Sakura Ogami, first walked through the gates of Hope's Peak. Despite a prognosis that gave him mere months to live, he had managed to stay alive for years. Some of those years had him in captivity in Towa City, yet even without ongoing treatment for his condition, he had survived against all odds.

Ironically, the very tragedy that caused so much death and despair across the globe had given Kenshiro a new lease on life once he was rescued from Towa City. With so many fresh corpses available and the majority of both health regulations and governmental oversight left in ruins, there was no permission needed to perform an organ transplant, and donors were suddenly in abundance. Hospitals had taken it upon themselves to preserve every life they could with even more fervor than before, and they began performing major organ transplants at their own discretion about six months into the incident.

Prior to the Tragedy, Kenshiro had little to no chance of finding an available heart that his body would also accept. Yet now, he'd already gone through two transplants. The first ended in a rejection that nearly killed him, but once again he defied that fate. It was too early to say if the second was a success, but Hina was starting to see hope.

Not that Kenshiro needed her hope. It wasn't just his voice and manner of speech that reminded her of Sakura — it was also his indomitable spirit. He'd managed to turn the loss of his life's love into a new reason for living. Aoi remembered his declaration with a sort of awe: "Her sudden departure from this Earth means I must live for the both of us," he had said. Or... something like that, anyway.

Now, it drove him to speak to Asahina daily from his hospital bed, relaying stories of his time in Sakura's life. Aoi shared her own stories of the martial arts expert at first, but she quickly ran out due to the short time they had together — or more accurately, the short time she could remember with her best friend. After a just a week and a half, Kenshiro became the sole storyteller.

"You're not already planning out our your new life, are you?" Hina asked him, smirking playfully. "I mean, aren't you the one who told me to take things a day at a time?"

Kenshiro grunted in amusement. "I did not mean to imply that you should push your dreams aside, Asahina."

Hina smiled to herself. "So what's your dream, then?" she inquired. "Already planning to bulk back up and kick some ass?"

"I would like to get back to a respectable fighting weight," he acknowledged. "However, my primary goal is to rebuild the Ogami Dojo and re-open it under my tutelage."

Hina gasped a little. The Ogami Dojo had been burned and razed during her imprisonment within Hope's Peak. Worse still was that the remaining members of Sakura's family were trapped inside as it happened. Evidently, they were all hostages of Enoshima's Remnants of Despair. At some point, she'd made good on her threat to punish Sakura's betrayal.

"There's... there's no one left," Hina reminded him quietly. She looked down, frowning. "There are no Ogamis anymore, Kenshiro."

"Then they should be forgotten?" he asked skeptically.

"Of course not!" Hina replied. "But... I don't know that anyone else has the right to use their name like that, or to teach their style."

"I understand your concerns," Kenshiro said confidently. "However, I plan to rename it — perhaps 'The Ogami Memorial Dojo' or something along those lines. I will make it clear that I am not of their bloodline, so that there is no expectation that I will be able to teach all of the same techniques. "

"Well... that's good... " Asahina said uncertainly. "Won't people kind of expect to learn their style if it's still named for them, though?"

Even in his weakened state, Kenshiro's smile was reassuring to her. "I promise that I'll be upfront about my limitations," he told her. "Although I am familiar with and will indeed teach the majority of the Ogami style, it's true that I do not know everything. I intend to make that much clear. But you see, Sakura's family and their dojo meant enough to her that she was willing to be subservient to the mastermind of this despair just to keep those things safe. I only wish to honor and restore the legacy she tried so hard to protect."

"In the end, she gave it all up to protect us," Hina reminded him. "Me and the others, I mean. Her classmates. Our lives are Sakura-chan's legacy now, y'know?"

"Why not give her both?" he suggested. "Let her friends live full lives and restore the dojo. She deserves no less."

Hina smiled tightly. "No, you're probably right," she stated. "I want her to have everything she can get, wherever she is. But just... don't live your whole life for the sake of the dead, okay?"

Kenshiro chuckled. "I'm not sure I can agree to that," he said.

"And why's that?" Hina asked as she frowned with concern.

"By all rights, I should've died long before now," Kenshiro reminded her. "And there's no question that Sakura should still be alive. It's hard not to think that I'm alive today because of her sacrifice in some way — that somehow, the two of us exchanged our inevitable fates."

Hina shook her head. "Kenshiro... that's... " She stopped to sigh with exasperation, then continued, "That's just-"

"You think me irrational," he observed, cutting her off. "Believe me, I know."

"I just wanna make sure you're doing what you want," she responded. "I love Sakura-chan, too, but she wouldn't want me trying to live out her dreams for her. Does that make sense?"

"It does," Kenshiro assured her. "I understand your intent, and I'm grateful to you for it, but I can confirm that my dream is one that will fulfill me."

"O-okay," Hina said back. "She'd want you to be happy more than anything, you know."

"The same goes for you," he replied. "So what does Aoi Asahina want for her future?"

Hina folded her arms and leaned back. "Man, I dunno," she moaned. She took a few seconds to spin idly in her chair, doing a full 720-degree turn before stopping. "I guess I want to get back into sports, but I don't know how or which ones. At least you're talking about teaching a combat art. People wanna know how to defend themselves after what's happened, so that'll get some traction for you. But it's not like swimming competitions are still a big thing these days, y'know? Pools are luxuries that most people don't have resources for."

"It won't be that way for long. Maybe you can help reintroduce recreational sports to some of the most affected areas," Kenshiro suggested. "It could be a good way to build a sense of community among residents."

"Yeah, maybe," Hina said back. She pursed her lips and slouched while she thought about it. "For now, I'm good with being in the Future Foundation. Around here, I know I'm doing my best to help people, and pretty soon I'm hoping I'll be on the same team as Kirigiri-chan and the others."

Suddenly, Hina's eyes lit up. "Oh, hey!" she announced, sitting up straight once again. "Guess what?! I'm gonna be telling you some brand-new Hina-and-Sakura stories pretty soon! They might lack details, but they'll have pictures to back 'em up!"

"Oh?" Kenshiro asked, smiling gamely. "And how will you accomplish this?"

She was speaking a little too quickly when she answered him. "I almost forgot to tell you!" Hina explained excitedly. "Naegi's gotten his hands on this yearbook... "

"You certainly didn't waste any time," Dr. Nakamura said as Kyoko Kirigiri strolled into the medical department.

"No," she said tersely to the older woman. "Can you show me the results right now, or are you busy with other tasks?"

"No need to wait," she responded. "Let's step into my office."

Nakamura led Kyoko to a side room with cream-colored door. She opened it to reveal a desk with a laptop on it... and at the desk, currently using the laptop, was Hiroko Hagakure.

"Ah... Hagakure-san," Kyoko said, greeting her with mild surprise.

"Hagakure," Nakamura grumbled. "When I said you could join us, I didn't mean you should start without us."

"And when you said you had my boy's results," Hiroko responded dismissively, "I didn't feel like waiting, Haha. Hey there, Kiki."

Kyoko cringed a bit at the nickname Hiroko had assigned her before she asked, "Did you just say 'ha-ha'?"

"Of course," Hiroko said. "That's doc's name. Haha."

"Haruna," Nakamura clarified. "Doctor Haruna Nakamura to you, Hagakure." She raked her fingernails through her short gray hair, giving the impression she was scraping her scalp n irritation.

Hiroko shrugged, utterly unphased. "Sure, doc."

"I see," Kyoko remarked. She noted the cigarette in the nurse's mouth and pointedly asked, "Isn't it unwise to be smoking in medical facility?"

"'Snot wise to be smoking in general," Hiroko replied with smile and a wink. "But that's never stopped me from doin' it. Besides, it's not lit. Nothin' to stress over." Kyoko frowned slightly at the older woman's habits but said nothing in return.

"Do you have the PET scan open?" Haruna asked as she stepped behind Hiroko's left shoulder. Hiroko nodded as Kyoko joined them by stepping up behind Hiroko's right shoulder. When the youngest woman looked at the laptop's screen, she found that the image was zoomed in too close for her to make sense of it. Hiroko must've known this, so she zoomed back out to show a full-size view of her son's brain scan.

Haruna pushed her chin-length hair back into a bun and fastened it with a band as she explained, "You may remember this, but victims of Enoshima's brainwashing show insignificant levels of activity in the lower frontal lobe."

Kyoko leaned over a bit, getting a closer look as she said, "Yes, I recall. Lack of activity in the lower frontal lobe is associated with psychopathic and sociopathic behaviors. But this looks like the exact opposite."

The PET scan of Yasuhiro Hagakure's brain showed heavy activity near the brain stem, which was colored a mixture of red and orange. Normally, the rest of the brain would be a mix of yellows and greens — and in those brainwashed by the Despair video, the scan would show a cool blue towards the frontal lobe, indicating a tendency towards psychosis. The diagnosis is hardly definitive, however; some people with little to no activity in their lower frontal lobe maintain normal reasoning skills, after all. But the lack of that activity in a PET scan was at least a major warning sign of Enoshima's brainwashing. However, the younger Hagakure's brain was the exact opposite of that, showing a darker orange near the frontal lobe.

"He's showing heavier activity in that area than usual," Haruna confirmed. "I can't say I understand the implications."

"It's normal for him," Hiroko volunteered with a shrug.

"Do you mean that Hagakure-kun has had a PET scan before?" Kyoko asked. "Before he even came to Hope's Peak?"

"You got it in one, Kiki," Hiroko confirmed. "When he was still a middle-school kid, I tried to figure out why he'd sometimes know things before they happened. Did all sorts of brain scans on the kid at the hospital where I worked — strictly off the books, you understand."

Haruna growled a little, more to herself than anyone. Kyoko smiled a little at the older woman's displeasure with Hiroko's rule-breaking. With her attention back on Hiroko, Kyoko inquired, "And you found this heightened level of activity in him at a young age?"

"Right again," Hiroko said with a smile. "You're a sharp one."

"Fortune telling, future sight, whatever you want to call it — it's a load of nonsense," Haruna huffed. "This level of activity is a sign of abnormal brain function and nothing more. We should be checking your son for possible symptoms of disease, not espousing his voodoo."

"You'd be singin' a different tune if you'd let him give you a few readings," Hiroko said confidently. Kyoko was inwardly amused at the suggestion that it would take 'a few' readings.

"Soon you'll be insisting he's telekinetic," Haruna mumbled as she put one hand on her hip.

"Hagakure-san," Kyoko ventured, "Would you be willing to tell me some of the things that Hagakure-kun accurately predicted for you over the years?"

Haruna Nakamura coughed loudly as though she had gagged on something. "Kirigiri-san," she asked incredulously, "You're not seriously entertaining these ideas, are you?"

Kyoko ignored the doctor's question while Hiroko answered. "Sure, Kiki. I've got some stories, for sure. Nothing that compares to what Nak-nak experienced, mind you... oh, that's Nakajima-san, by the way."

"Kanon Nakajima?" Kyoko clarified.

"That's right," Hiroko confirmed. "My boy's talents really saved her bacon back in Towa."

Kyoko suddenly turned to face the older woman and said, "Just to be clear, doctor, I've never taken such things seriously before. However, a friend of mine reminded me earlier today that just because I don't take something seriously, that doesn't mean that others don't. Don't forget that Hope's Peak judged Hagakure-kun's abilities to have merit, even after vetting them with a scout."

"Hope's Peak believed a lot of stupid things, Kirigiri-san," Haruna warned her. "Some of their beliefs ultimately destroyed them."

"The board there was short-sighted and narrow-minded in many ways," Kyoko accepted. "However, they were hardly inept."

Hiroko swiveled in her chair and looked up at the detective. "I'm real happy you're opening up your mind a bit, Kiki," she told her with a joyful grin.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Haruna groaned sarcastically. "Soon the foundation's missions will be planned out by a squad of psychics."

Kyoko suppressed her urge to smile at the doctor, merely raising an eyebrow as she explained, "Even accepting that Hagakure-kun may have genuine talents doesn't require him to be psychic. He could just as easily be naturally intuitive, or maybe he has some ability to analyze and predict patterns of behavior. You don't have to accept supernatural powers to accept that the ability for predictive skill is genuine." A smile cracked the edges of her mouth as she suggested, "Perhaps you presume that Junko Enoshima's own analytical skills were inherently mystical?"

Haruna Nakamura scoffed. "Don't be absurd," she said. "I understand what you're trying to say, but this still strikes me as a remarkably out-of-character move for you."

"That makes it the perfect move for today," Kyoko told her, smiling a little to herself.

Haruna shook her head. "I don't get what you-"

A loud knock at the door interrupted the trio. The cigarette between Hiroko's lips drooped. After a brief moment of silence, Haruna shouted, "Private meeting! Come back later!"

In defiance of the request, the door swung open. The teenage girl who walked in was wearing a black blouse, a short yellow skirt, and had a large black bow in her hair. Said hair was colored somewhere between a light brown and a dirty blonde. Kyoko had never met her before, but she still recognized Kanon Nakajima from photos. To say that the girl's reputation preceded her would be an understatement.

"What the hell, people?!" Kanon began unprompted. "Yasu was just down at the test range, bragging to me about getting aliens burned out of his brain! Are you guys completely buggin' up in here?"

"Who are you?!" Haruna demanded, looking visibly angry. "I told you, this is a private meeting!"

"Relax, doc," Hiroko told her elder. "Nak-nak is a friend."

Kanon looked momentarily confused by Hiroko's nickname before she returned her attention to the doctor. "I'm Kanon Nakajima," she announced with a smirk. "I'm with the ninth branch, and I'm an all-around badass."

Kyoko jutted her finger towards the hacking gun hanging off of Kanon's hip and ordered, "Take that off and set it aside. Now."

Kanon threw up her hands. "What's the big eal-day?! You never know when you need to hack something so it'll blow itself up! I'm being, like... conscientious."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "The newly upgraded hacking guns can affect any and all electronic equipment, correct?" she asked rhetorically. "So tell me: Does it seem wise to carry such a device into an area full of medical equipment? Much of which is necessary to keep our people alive, I might add."

The teenager jutted out her lower lip in a pouting expression, but she still did as she was told. As she sat the hacking gun down atop a nearby filing cabinet, she said only "wack."

Hiroko explained the real reason for the brain scan to Kanon as she walked over to stand beside the rest of the group. Doctor Nakamura tapped her foot in irritation. Kyoko's mind wandered.

Kanon's penchant for outdated slang and random bursts of pig latin amused a lot of people who were exposed to her, but Kyoko was more suspicious of them than charmed by them. This was someone who once harbored a desire to see the entire Future Foundation destroyed. Nakajima had undergone nearly a year of psychiatric care and observation before being released into the ninth branch, and hopefully that was enough to get her to a good place, but Kyoko believed it was better to be cautious now than regretful later.

There was part of Kyoko that felt guilty for still harboring doubts about the girl and not letting her mind be 100% open to forgiving others for past mistakes.

No, she thought. I need to focus on what my grandfather said: As long as Makoto is in my life to provide hope and optimism, I can provide the pragmatic doubt. We can balance each other out. And maybe

She smiled to herself. And as long as he's in my life... maybe he can help me forgive past mistakes. In myself and others.

Kanon was on her tiptoes when Hiroko advanced to a new image that showed far more detail of Yasuhiro's brain, albeit solely in black and white. The teen quickly asked, "What's that?"

"It's a CAT scan of my boy's big, beautiful head," Hiroko said with a smile. "As long as we were checking my kid for stuff nobody was gonna tell me about, I figured we might as well cover all of the bases."

"And for once," Hanura noted while looking at Kyoko, "I agreed with her." She looked back at the screen and said, "Take us to 10 times magnification on the center of the prefrontal cortex, Hagakure."

Hiroko did so, zooming in repeatedly until they were incredibly close to a specific mass of gray.

"I must confess I'm out of my depth here," Kyoko admitted. "What am I looking at?"

"The prefrontal cortex is the main target for optogenetic memory manipulation," Hanura explained.

"Optogenetics," Kyoko repeated to herself before stating definitively, "You're talking about the techniques that Matsuda and Enoshima applied to remove memories."

"Correct," Hanura confirmed.

"So can this pic show us what got yoinked outta Yasu?" Kanon asked.

"I'm afraid not," Hanura answered. "However, look at these two black circles." She pointed at the center of the screen, where two spots roughly the size of her fingerprint were slightly offset from each other. "Each of these indicates a time when engrams were removed from the memory of the patient. When we first recovered you all and brought you back to Foundation HQ, we gave CAT scans to all the survivors in the 78th class. Each of you showed one of these circular dots — clear evidence of optogenetic manipulation that removed certain engrams."

Kyoko instantly noticed what she said. "We each showed one of these dots? But Hagakure-kun is clearly showing two."

"Damn right, Kiki," Hiroko chimed in.

"So he had his memories manipulation after our rescue?" Kyoko asked skeptically.

Hanura shook her head. "Nothing so horrific as that, at least. I already compared this scan against the CAT scan he received when you were all rescued from outside of Hope's Peak. Both circles are present in both scans. The initial team either overlooked the second circle or blew it off as an error on the part of whoever performed the removal. Matsuda, Enoshima — take your pick."

Kyoko raised a hand to her chin in thought. "The odds of such a visible mistake happening just once in 14 patients seems low," she observed. "Perhaps it's not a mistake."

"That's what I was wondering," Hanura said. "You can draw your own conclusions, of course, and there's no way we can know for sure."

"If it's not a mistake, what's that mean?" Kanon asked, sounding worried.

"It just means that Enoshima took memories out of my boy twice," Hiroko said with anger edging into her voice. "On two separate occasions."

"But why?!" Kanon demanded.

Hanura sighed in exasperation. "Even if this is true, it's impossible to know why."

"Maybe not, but I have theories," Kyoko said simply. "Hagakure-san, did your son ever mention anything to you about any girls he dated during his years at Hope's Peak?"

"HA!" Hiroko yelled, dumping her unlit cigarette from her mouth. "My son's never had any luck with women. He's never dated anyone more than a couple of times, and the few who do date him just want him to spend money on them."

"Then I take it none of the dates he had during Hope's Peak were particularly memorable for him or you," Kyoko suggested.

"That's right," Hiroko confirmed.

Kyoko was silent for a moment as she closed her eyes. "Then there may not be any way to get an answer," she murmured. Hiroko took the moment to reach into pocket and draw out a cigarette that she quickly stuck between her lips.

"Excuse me, but what're you even on about?" Kanon asked Kyoko. "What kind of answer are you after? Why can't you get it? And what the hell does any of this have to do with Yasu's dating history?"

Kyoko sighed. "Doctor Nakamura, are there any other images I should see? Additional scans, perhaps?"

"No," Hanura responded. She glanced down at Hiroko before adding, "Unless someone here ran additional scans without my consent... "

"Nah, I didn't see a need," Hiroko said. "Not this time, anyway." She looked up at the doctor and winked at her, receiving only a look of disgust in return.

"Understood," Kyoko said. "Nakajima-san? I'd like to speak with you privately, please."

Kanon looked baffled by the invitation, but she shrugged and said "Okay?" uncertainly.

They had to find a quiet spot in dimly lit hallway outside of medical before Kyoko was able to ask her what Yasuhiro Hagakure's visions had helped him accomplish back in Towa City.

"Oh, it was so dope!" Kanon enthused. She lifted up her right leg and pointed out a vicious-looking scar running down her calf. "My leg was all torn up by those Warriors of Hope kids, and they had these two giant frickin' robots hot on our heels. Yasu was running away from them in the subway, he's carrying me, the robots are closing in, and then he suddenly stops in the middle of tunnel and tells me that 'this is the place' or something. So he grabs a pole and pokes at the ceiling, and boo-yah - the roof caves in, the tunnel collapses, and it completely blocks away the jackass kids and their robots. Meanwhile, we're like just a meter from the pile of rubble and totally unscathed!"

Kyoko cocked one eyebrow in surprise. "So how did he know where to strike the ceiling? Are you saying he saw the sensitive spot in a vision beforehand?"

"Right," Kanon agreed. "Before we were headed into the subway, he told me that he had a vision of the tunnel collapsing, me crying... and that's how he knew where to hit the ceiling to make it all collapse. The whole stupid ceiling looked the same to me, but his vision told him just where to poke at to block the bad guys and keep us alive."

"That is... admittedly impressive," Kyoko said with some difficulty, still feeling skeptical. "One more question, though: Did you cry?"

Kanon narrowed her eyes and frowned in irritation. "Wack, detective lady. Don't get personal!"

"I apologize if I'm coming off as rude," Kyoko offered, "I don't mean to embarrass you. I only want to verify the accuracy of Hagakure-kun's prediction."

The other girl was still frowning when she relented. "Fine," she said. "Yes, I cried, okay? I bawled my baby eyes out."

Kyoko allowed her a tiny smile of satisfaction. "Thanks for telling me."

"What's this about, anyway?" Kanon asked, sounding testy. "You want to weaponize Yasu's brain or what?"

Kyoko's smile shifted into a minuscule smirk as she said, "Not at all. However, I am exploring the possibility that Enoshima may have tried to do something along those lines."

"Jigga-what?!" Kanon cried. "You think she pulled all this despair crap off because she knew the future beforehand?!"

"I don't think that such an ability would be necessary for someone with her analytical skills to succeed," Kyoko told her, "Nor can I really say whether she was able to extract any abilities from Hagakure-kun. I'm only saying that may have tried. Such an effort would at least explain why he holds evidence of two separate invasive memory removals."

"If I was in her shoes? I would've," Kanon said matter-of-factly. "I mean, I realize that he's got a weak accuracy rate, but when he nails it, the details are so clear that it's worth the price of admission."

Kyoko pursed her lips, somewhat shocked to realize that Kanon might have a point. Before today, I never imagined even remotely taking these kinds of things seriously, she mused. How can so much change in so short a time... ?

Kanon cocked her head to the side and stared at Kyoko. "You look like a total space cadet," she observed.

Kyoko struggled to conceal how amusing she found the teenager's lack of a filter. Keeping her expression as neutral as possible, she remarked, "It's been a highly unusual day, and it's only halfway over." She looked the girl up and down before sarcastically stating, "Thanks for noticing. For the record, you look tired."

The other girl folded her arms and, for a moment, her confident facade seemed to fall. "I don't sleep a lot," she said quietly.

Kyoko found herself unprepared by the sudden vulnerability she saw in the younger girl, but she tried to adjust her expression to suggest some measure of sympathy. "Do you... need anything?" she asked uncertainly. This is really Makoto's area, she thought to herself momentarily before stopping that thought process quickly and deciding, No, I can handle this. If I can support my friends when they need me, I can surely support others as well.

Kanon looked to the side of the hall, gazing towards the light coming from the main entrance to the infirmary. "I need lotsa things," she said simply. "But I don't see myself getting them."

"The foundation wants to support you," Kyoko told her. It was a calculated line designed to remind Kanon that they weren't her enemy, but that didn't make it untrue. "If there's anything we can do for you — anything I can do for you — please ask."

The teen's expression changed to one of confusion before she turned and looked back at Kyoko. "Is it true you people don't remember anything from when you attending Hope's Peak?" she asked. "Before the whole killing game thing, I mean."

"That's right," Kyoko replied. She knew Kanon probably wanted to know something new about Leon Kuwata. Unfortunately, that was something that Kyoko couldn't give her.

Kanon said "'Kay" and turned away, beginning to walk down the hall. She had apparently decided the conversation was over. Kyoko watched the hacking gun attached to her waist bounce against her leg as she left.

Kyoko had only a moment to consider whether she should say anything to Kanon about recent events, but something ultimately pushed her to take the risk. "Nakajima-san?" she called out.

Having only gone about five steps, Kanon turned her head and looked back over her shoulder towards Kyoko. "What?"

"Some new information has recently come to light about that time at Hope's Peak," Kyoko said. "We're still sorting through it now, but perhaps you should ask again in a few days. However... try to keep an open mind when you do."

The same confused expression from just moments ago returned to Kanon's face for a few seconds, followed quickly by her brighter, cocky facade. "'Kay then, chief," Kanon declared. "I'm outtie," she added before returning her attention to the hall before her and continuing to walk away.

The door to Kyoko's small office cracked open, and Makoto Naegi peeked in. "Togami-kun?" he called. "You in here?"

"Yes," Byakuya Togami confirmed. He was typing something on her computer, and he didn't bother to look over at the door. "What do you need?"

Komaru peeked over Makoto's shoulder and said "Hey, Togami-san!"

Byakuya's eyes moved to acknowledge the pair even as his hands kept typing. "If you're here," he began, "Then-"

He was interrupted by a delighted cry of "Maaaaaster!" Toko's face peeked over Makoto's opposite shoulder, and Makoto immediately grew uncomfortable.

"Fukawa-san," he said, "Could you stop pushing on my back?"

Toko gave him no acknowledgment, instead keeping her gaze laser-focused on Byakuya. "Master Togami!" she said breathlessly, "Have you had a chance to review my report?!"

Byakuya scowled at her, but he managed to keep his irritation out of his voice as he said, "Only the first few pages. Preparing for today's events has taken precedence."

"I promise I'm ready!" Toko insisted as she leaned against Makoto. Komaru's face had vanished from Byakuya's view into the larger room.

Makoto held his hands and feet against the door frame in an attempt to hold Toko back, then found himself forced to hold the door open by leaning his head into the room. He was grunting with effort as he pleaded, "Cut it out, Fukawa! Komaru, help!"

"I'm trying!" Komaru's voice yelled. She was evidently behind Toko, attempting to hold her back, but Byakuya found himself unable to see her or particularly care about her whereabouts at the moment. From out of sight, Komaru said, "Toko, get a grip!"

At last, Toko was jerked backwards, and Makoto flung himself into the room. He quickly shut the door behind him, only managing to catch a short glimpse of Toko as she fell back onto Komaru and immediately demanded, "Let me up!"

Makoto locked the door and exhaled heavily. "Sorry about that," he said simply.

When Makoto turned around, he found that Byakuya's attention had already returned to whatever he was typing. "Yes, that was rather embarrassing — not only to yourselves, but the Future Foundation as a whole," he informed Makoto.

Makoto looked away as he said, "Well, Fukawa-san and Komaru aren't exactly part of the Future Foundation. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what Fukawa-san was trying to remind you about."

"I know," Byakuya responded. "Her report on the incidents in Towa City since my departure should make for an interesting read."

Looking up for a moment, Byakuya finally noticed the small cream-colored backpack Makoto was wearing. Its small size in relation to his back as well as the long, thin shoulder straps gave it away as a girl's bag. "That pack suits you," Byakuya said dryly. "Just your size, if I'm not mistaken."

"Heh," Makoto chuckled as he removed the backpack from his shoulders. "It's Komaru's. I wanted something to transport the book in so nobody in the halls would notice it... in hindsight, I should've just carried it."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows and stopped typing, granting Makoto his full attention at last. He watched as Makoto withdrew the yearbook from the bag and carried it over to the desk. "The infamous yearbook," Byakuya observed. "Hard to believe such a simple-looking publication could cause so much upheaval."

"I, uh... take it that Kirigiri-san told you about it," Makoto said uncomfortably.

"She did," Byakuya answered. "I hope you realize the damage this book could do to your illustrious reputation."

At that, Makoto's face hardened. "I can see why you'd say that," he said calmly. "I kind of panicked when I first saw some of my pictures in there. I thought they made me look like I was blind or dumb or maybe just brainwashed. But you know, I can also see them as evidence that anyone can have warmth and goodness in them — even people that we wrote off without ever knowing them."

Byakuya shook his head slightly, showing the faintest of smiles. "Optimistic as ever," he remarked, sounding satisfied.

Makoto gave him a tight smile and a nod. "I didn't just come to deliver the book, you know," he said. "I was hoping to ask you for a few favors."

With a sigh, Byakuya folded his arms. "Ask away. However, do remember that you currently report to me." he commented. "I'm under no obligation to grant you any favors."

"Oh, I think you'll want to," Makoto said confidently. "Especially since one of them involves letting Genocide Jack release some tension before she blows her stack."

Byakuya looked intrigued by this. "I was led to believe that Fukawa had her other self under control," he said.

"Letting her other self slice up robots is a big part of how she's kept under control," Makoto informed him. "We just need you to clear the training area for a little bit. 30 minutes should be enough."

Behind his glasses, Byakuya's eyes drifted downward as he pondered this for a few seconds. At last, he gave Makoto a single nod. "I'll have it done immediately," he said. "In the future, tell her to book a recurring appointment through the usual channels."

Makoto grinned at him as he said, "I think she'd rather book them through you."

Byakuya inhaled sharply and shot Makoto a look that gave the impression he was falling ill. "That's not necessary," he said tersely.

"She's grown a lot during her time in Towa City, you know," Makoto told him with a smile on his face. "Maybe you should give Fukawa-san a chance."

"We've spoken at least six times since her return, with each interaction more annoying than the last," Byakuya responded glumly. "In your estimation, would you say that's an adequate number of 'chances'?"

Now it was Makoto's turn to sigh. "Whatever," he groaned. "Just don't complain if she finally stops pining over you one day, okay?"

"You're one to talk," Byakuya said flatly.

Makoto frowned a little and prodded, "What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

He smirked in response. "It means that one who can't keep their own house in order has no room to judge others' housekeeping." Byakuya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he added, "Wait, I'm sorry," he said mockingly. "Did you think no one had noticed you pining after Kirigiri for the better part of two years?"

Makoto choked on his own breath with an "uk" sound, then coughed a few times, doubling over as he did so. Still hunched, he looked away from the other man for a moment. "Fine," he said hoarsely. "So what if you know, anyway? So what if everybody knows? At least I've got feelings for someone to notice!"

"If you think I hold no concern for our fellow classmates, you've misread me," Byakuya retorted, closing his eyes. "Some of us simply know better than to wear such emotions on our sleeves."

"Uh... I'm... sorry?" Makoto said, feeling a bit thrown. He stood upright once more and awkwardly added, "Thank you?"

Opening his eyes again, Byakuya leveled a stern glare at Naegi. "My point is that we have many enemies who would use our most discernible attachments to strike us where it will hurt us most. Or did you also believe that Kirigiri's forbidden action was chosen at random?"

Makoto's brow furrowed even as his eyes widened slightly. "I... I guess I didn't think about it," he said quietly.

"If I were you, I'd at least attempt to make my feelings less obvious," Byakuya advised. "Ultimately, though, it's your business." He shrugged.

A long silence passed between the two as Makoto brought his hand to his chin in thought. Byakuya just resumed typing, paying the other man no mind.

At last, Makoto shook his head. "Nevermind that," he said. "Can you just bring Asahina-san and Hagakure-kun in for a joint review of the yearbook with you? The sooner, the better."

"If you insist," Byakuya said without looking up. "Is there some benefit in doing so?"

Makoto shrugged. "Well, it's faster," he admitted. "Mostly I think it's smart because you and Asahina-san don't have any shocking revelations waiting for you, but Hagakure-kun probably will need some support and supervision."

"Kirigiri informed me of Hagakure's unfortunate photograph," Byakuya said, pausing his work once more. "Between that and your own discoveries, I'd prefer if we could destroy this thing."

"You can't destroy the past," Makoto said definitively.

"Not literally, perhaps," Byakuya countered. "Enoshima certainly came close."

"Rina Ikeda entrusted her copy of this book to me," Makoto said. "And now I'm entrusting it to you, too. I won't betray her trust, so don't betray mine either. Okay?"

"Do you really take me for some book-burning thug?" Byakuya asked in annoyance. "I'll keep it perfectly safe. I give you my word as a Togami."

"Thank you," Makoto said genuinely. "One last thing, though: Could you scan the inside covers in the highest resolution you can manage? Just e-mail me the files when you're done."

"I suppose the IT department is out of the question?" Byakuya asked, only half-serious.

"Right," Makoto replied. "We don't want the content of this book leaking before we're all ready to talk to them. But if you help me get high-resolution scans of the mosaics inside both the front and back covers so that I can zoom in on the individual photos, it'd be a huge help."

"Very well," Byakuya said. "So long as this is your last request for today, I'll honor it."

Makoto smiled. "Thanks, Togami-kun," he said sincerely.

"Don't mention it," Byakuya responded dismissively. "Just be forewarned that I'll destroy those files as soon as I send them."

"That's probably best, yeah," Makoto said. He headed back for the door. "In return, I'll try to herd Fukawa-san towards the training floor," he offered with a small chuckle.

"Appreciated," Byakuya said quickly. He was already focused on the computer and had resumed typing once more.

Makoto finally stepped back out of the office. As the door closed behind him, Byakuya hazarded a gaze down at the yearbook.

Such a simple thing to cause so much trouble.

I love the captives from DR: Another Episode - Ultra Despair Girls, and I often wonder what became of them after their rescue. Perhaps you could tell as much from this chapter?

Deep, deep thanks for any comments/reviews. Every one of them is a treasure that keeps me from abandoning this damn thing.

I think I've got about five chapters left before we're done, so we're 66.6% of the way there!

There's a decent chance that I may go back and rename all of the chapter titles soon. Using yearbook layout terms for each chapter was cute for a while, but now I can't find what happened in each very easily. Ha!

Feel free to visit hopeymchope dot tumblr dot com for the latest fanfic links, a lot of Naegiri blather, and general dorkitude.

Next time: Genocide(r) gets unleashed, and shit goes down.