Author's Notes: Huh? What do you mean this chapter is 19 months late? You're crazy! You make Koji look like a functioning member of society, I tell you! ...Yeah, sorry. I got... distracted. And the shift in point of view was a more difficult transition to make than I expected so the whole thing kinda slowed to a stop. But it's fine now. Probably. I'm not dead, you're not dead (I hope?). Shame the same can't be said of our protagonist. Fortunately, we got a new one! Yay! Also, I have updated all the previous chapters, having gone over them and made various tweaks. Mostly minor, but there's some telling information revealed by one in the previous chapter. I assume most people will need to reread all the old stuff anyway to even remember who anyone is. I know I did. Anyway, enjoy the return to Despair.

Part 2:

Chapter 1:

Keigo Ichinose stared wide-eyed at the screen in front of him. It had long since gone blank, but the final image of Izumi Mizushima's body burned into his mind. He had failed her. He had failed everyone. He had done everything he could to help Izumi. In the end, she wound up killing two people anyway. And now, she was dead too. No, it was worse than that. He had condemned her to that fate by proving her guilt.

Three people were dead and all Keigo could do was blame himself. The last words he had heard Koji say were 'get some rest'. If only he had ignored those words. He could have prevented this. None of this would have happened. Everyone would still be alive.

"Keigo, it is time to go," the soft voice of Nami Karoshi said.

Keigo looked up from the blank screen. Nami was stood next to him with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Everyone else was filtering out of the courtroom carriage. Monokuma had rambled on for a bit after the execution, but Keigo had ignored it. The trial was now over and everyone was just leaving as though nothing had ever happened.

"Right, yeah," he said awkwardly as he looked at his right hand. He was still clinging to Izumi's boot. That was all that remained of her. A knee-high leather boot. The crucial item which pinpointed her as the killer.

"What will you do with it?" Nami asked, noticing what he was looking at.

"I don't know," he said, "I guess it's a memento of Izumi. Something to remember her by."

"Yes, perhaps we could find something belonging to the others to remember them by as well," Nami said.

"If we can remember them, then we will never repeat this," Keigo said with a new-found determination.

Nothing more was said as the two moved away from the podiums. Keigo followed Nami out of the courtroom, hoping that they would never have to return. He hoped the image of Izumi strung up like her victims that scarred his mind would make people think twice about Monokuma's twisted game. It made him sick to think that people would consider it, but it was hard to hide from. Izumi had already gone and committed two murders. He had put so much faith in her, but she wasn't able to have the same faith in herself. Keigo gripped the boot in his hand even harder. This was the part that he hated. He always wanted to help people through the dark times. So, whenever someone failed to make it through, he felt guilty. Like he, too, had also failed.

Keigo stopped as he walked through the First Class carriage. There was a black tray filled with plastic plant pots on a table with a lamp positioned to shine on the pots. They were filled with a soft soil. Izumi had stopped here before the Class Trial to have a look. It looked like the work of Hanbei Wakuri, the Ultimate Gardener. Hanbei might have been gone, but he had left some life behind. Keigo reached out to touch the soil with a finger. It was dry. It hadn't been watered today. Keigo knew that he would have to take on the responsibility to keep Hanbei's legacy going. This seemed like the perfect place to keep the objects for people remember their lost classmates.

Keigo carefully stood Izumi's boot on one of the chairs surrounding the table and stepped back. He bowed his head for a moment to take in a moment of reflection. He just needed to find something belonging to Koji Datsuke now. However, Nami seemed to have already had that in mind. She appeared next to Keigo holding the wooden sword that had once belonged to the Ultimate Knight.

"Here," Nami said, holding out the sword for Keigo to take.

Without a word, Keigo carefully picked up the sword and propped it up on the chair opposite Izumi's boot. It was a strange sight to behold, but, to those that understood, it held a very significant meaning.

"I think this was a wonderful idea," Nami said.

"Where did you get the sword?" Keigo asked.

"It was where we left it," Nami said, "It was the only thing left of the scene though. The bodies are gone and the blood has been cleaned."

"I see," Keigo said cautiously. It made sense that the murder scene had been cleared up. It just struck him as odd that someone else had been on the train to do it while everyone had been in the Class Trial. It was hard to imagine someone else being on board. He never really thought of Monokuma as an actual person, but there had to be someone behind everything who was controlling Monokuma. A mastermind. Someone controlling the events from the outside. At the thought of such a person, Keigo became determined to uncover the idea of that person and find out the reasons for all of this.

"Please try to not get too worked up by this," Nami said, noticing that Keigo's resolve was agitating him, "We will get out of here alive, I'm sure of it."

"You're right," Keigo said, calming slightly. Determination was one thing, but that alone would solve nothing.

Keigo made his way to the next carriage, the buffet car, in hopes of getting something to water Hanbei's plants with. What greeted him was an eerie atmosphere. Miki Hinamori and Axel Wakahisa were sat at tables munching away at some food like any other mealtime. Both with feet casually resting on chairs opposite them. And yet, the mood of the carriage was grim. The reality of the situation was truly setting in. The horror was not in the deaths of three of their classmates, but in the fact they just had to continue leading normal lives afterwards. It wasn't really a surprise that food was on the agenda. No one had got the chance to have breakfast with two corpses blocking the way. It was something Keigo would have to consider himself after he'd tended to the plants.

Inside the very small kitchen was Ayato Masahiro. He was occupying the microwave, trying to figure out how exactly it worked. He gave no glance to Keigo stepping inside and taking up the last of the space.

"Hey," Keigo said in an attempt to be polite. Ayato simply grunted in response, not taking his gaze away from the button selection that seemed to perplex the Ultimate Playboy as though they were the controls to a nuclear submarine. Keigo stopped for a moment and looked at Ayato. "Sorry, have I done something to offend you? It seems like you're not too fond of me."

Ayato sighed and straightened himself up, seemingly giving up on the microwave. He continued to avoid looking at Keigo, however. "Well, Izumi saying she only had eyes for you didn't help, but it's nothing personal," he said, "You're actually alright, I guess. You know, for a guy."

"Alright, well, thanks," Keigo said, grateful for an honest-sounding response, though a still a little curious about the meaning of it, "Do you need help with that?"

"Nah, I've got it," Ayato said as he started reading the packaging of whatever food he was trying to prepare.

Keigo left him to it. He filled a pair of plastic cups with water from the tap and headed back to First Class and the makeshift memorial. No one else was in the First Class carriage when he returned. It was perfectly understandable now that everyone knew where the door at the end of it led. He delicately poured the water over the soil of Hanbei's plants, ensuring that each pot got the same amount. He had no idea what sort of plants they were or how long it would take for them to grow, but if they were going to be stuck on the train for a while then there was a chance he might get to find out. Perhaps something blossoming on this train full of despair could inspire the hope that they all needed.

Having finished with the plants for now, Keigo made his way back towards the kitchen to find a bin for the plastic cups. As he stepped into the next carriage, there was a loud bang somewhere that made the room shake for a brief second.

"What the fuck?" Miki could be heard shouting from the other end of the carriage.

Keigo rushed forward, throwing the cups aside, only to stop at the door to the kitchen as he noticed smoke seeping out from the bottom. He grabbed the door and forced it open. Miki and Axel had got up to find out what had happened too. They quickly stepped back as a cloud of smoke wafted out of the door. As the smoke dispersed into the larger part of the carriage, a figure stumbled out of the kitchen coughing and spluttering.

"Ayato?" Keigo asked.

"Dude, seriously, what the fuck?" Miki asked.

Keigo helped prop Ayato up against a wall as he continued to cough. He didn't appear to be hurt, just shocked and messy.

"What happened?" Keigo asked.

"Is it too late to take you up on that offer of help with the microwave?" Ayato asked with a cheeky grin.

Keigo glanced into the kitchen. There was no light coming from inside. Upon closer inspection, the light on the ceiling had smashed. The door of the microwave lay dented on the floor and whatever Ayato had been trying to cook was smeared everywhere.

"Yeah…" Keigo said, "Just a little."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Monokuma shouted, appearing suddenly in the kitchen doorway, "What's going on here? Is someone vandalising school property?"

"School property?" Axel asked.

"Not intentionally…" Ayato said, finally having got his breath back.

"Look at all this mess," Monokuma said and shook his head in disappointment, "Do you really not know how to even use a microwave? Kids these days."

"There are loads of buttons and it's not clear what they all do…" Ayato said weakly.

Monokuma said nothing more and jumped into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Suddenly, a familiar electric bell chimed throughout the carriage.

"Attention passengers!" Monokuma's voice came out over the speakers, "Due to the sheer incompetence of one of your classmates, the kitchen is currently out of order and entry is strictly prohibited. Snacks and light refreshments are still available from the Buffet Car located in Coach B. Please wait for further announcements."

Ayato grinned sheepishly as the other three in the carriage looked at him.

"It's alright, could have happened to anyone," Keigo said. Miki and Axel's glares were much less reassuring.

"Oh yeah, one more thing," Monokuma said as the speakers flared back to life suddenly, "Since you guys did such a good job in your first Class Trial, I left you a little surprise in Coach G. You should all check it out!"

"Can we trust him?" Keigo asked.

"Of course not," Miki said as she turned to go back to the food she'd left on the table.

"Why not? Not got much else to do around here anyway," Axel said, "You know, since someone decided to blow the kitchen up."

Ayato didn't take too kindly to Axel's words. He glared at the Ultimate Liar for a moment before standing up properly. Ayato and Axel's eyes met square on as the two stood face to face.

"What? You think you're so much better than me, do you?" Ayato asked, almost spitting his words at Axel.

"Well, yeah," Axel said with a shrug.

"Well, you're wrong! You're filth, talentless filth!" Ayato shouted, "You do nothing but spout shit."

"And you're just a certified pervert," Axel shouted back, pushing Ayato in the chest. Ayato smacked against the wall behind him.

"Stop it, both of you," Keigo shouted as he moved in to grab Ayato and stop him from retaliating. "Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to solve anything. Three people have already died…"

Keigo trailed off, quickly coming to terms with just what he had said. He didn't like the idea of having to remind people. It shouldn't have needed to come to that. People should have realised the consequences by themselves.

"Whatever, boss," Axel said and turned to leave.

Ayato tried to follow, but Keigo put an arm around him to stop him in his tracks. Ayato swatted the arm out of his way. "Don't touch me," he said.

"Wait!" Keigo called and held a hand out after the two. Axel was long gone and Ayato paid no attention. Miki, who was sat back at her table finishing off her food, simply rolled her eyes.

Keigo sighed. He just wanted to help. He wanted everyone to get off the train safely and to be able to cope until then. He understood it was difficult, everything seemed to be designed to encourage people to play along with Monokuma's game, but no one was doing anything to make it easier. Reluctantly, Keigo trudged off in the direction of Coach G. As he had reasoned the previous day, they needed to know exactly what they were up against. He needed to know what Monokuma's 'surprise' was.

The next carriage was empty, eerily so. Especially after what had been there just a few hours earlier. It seemed that some people must have gone to investigate Monokuma's announcement, but he couldn't help wonder just how many people were hiding out in their rooms. He definitely sympathised with that, it had been a rough start to the day. He wasn't going to hide though. He was Keigo Ichinose, the Ultimate Vlogger. He wasn't about to let his head drop, as downtrodden as he felt. If he stayed positive then there was a chance he could inspire other people to be positive too.

As Keigo walked past the closed bedroom doors in the dimly lit corridor of the sleeping car, something caught his eye. A name scrolling past on the display above the electronic lock of a room. Izumi Mizushima. She was dead, but her room was still there. Just like the boot that was now resting on a seat in First Class. Keigo was curious. Was there anything he could learn from her room? Were there any clues as to why he failed her? Could Izumi's collapse into despair provide answers on how to prevent anyone else sharing in her fate?

Keigo cautiously reached out for the door handle. He had no idea if the room was locked or not. He was hesitant. A debate raged on inside him. Curiosity against respect for the deceased. His hand wrapped around the door handle and the door instantly responded, sliding open ever so slightly. Izumi had left it unlocked when she left. Keigo slid the door open fully and looked inside. The room was small and unspectacular. It looked almost exactly like his own room. There was a towel and a washbag left on the bed, ready to go to the bathroom. Then, Keigo noticed what was on the floor. Izumi's clothes. He bent down to get a better look. Carefully, he picked up her white blouse. Deep red blood stained it. The blood was splattered over it in multiple places. The sight of it made the whole thing even more real for Keigo. He had put the evidence together and reached the conclusion that Izumi had been the killer thanks to Ayato's help. He had stood and listened as Izumi had confessed to her crimes. Those had just felt like horrible nightmares. Seeing the hard evidence and irrefutable proof before his very eyes lifted that illusion of a nightmare and made everything that much more horrifying.

Keigo dropped the blouse on the floor and stood up. He couldn't take his eyes away from the clothes crumpled up on the floor. There was a bright pink bra sticking out of the pile. It matched the thong that had been the final nail in the coffin to draw out a confession from Izumi. She really did do it. That was all he could think of. But why? What made her do it?

Keigo finally drew his gaze away from the floor. It promptly fell onto the bedside table. Sat on the table was a white envelope. He recognised it. There was a similar one stuffed into the bottom of the drawer in his room. It was the motive that Monokuma had given them. A motive to kill. One that had successfully driven Izumi over the edge.

Keigo picked up the envelope and slid out the piece of paper inside. It bothered him, just holding the sheet of paper. Paper was such a simple thing, but it turned out that it could be so much more. Yui Yukihira used paper. What she did with it was create beautiful works of art. She twisted the paper into something wonderful, something that people never realised it could be but was always capable of being. Keigo believed that people could be like that too. That was one of the foundations he had built his talent on. He wanted his actions to do to people what Yui's hands did to paper. To guide them to their full potential.

Monokuma, meanwhile, had used the paper for evil.

"If Izumi Mizushima can graduate from the train journey of mutual killing, she will be rewarded with her childhood memories."

A promise. A promise that targeted a person's heart, luring them in. A promise with conditions that would destroy the very heart it was trying to satisfy. It was like blackmail, but worse. A single sentence carved from pure evil. How could Izumi have ignored it? How could she have resisted the allure of her life finally holding some meaning? Izumi may have killed Koji and Hanbei, but she was a victim as well. The real monster was Monokuma. Or rather, the Mastermind behind this twisted game.