Not much to say about this chapter. Most of it is just repeat of the game, and the rest is the investigation for the final trial. Still, what these last couple chapters lacked in substance will be made up as we near the end.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 25

I walked into the gym alongside Makoto and Kyoko, certain that this would be the final time I enter this room. Almost immediately, Monokuma's voice started irritating me. "Hey hey hey hey hey hey HEY!" He suddenly appeared in front of us. "Kyoko I don't mind so much. But Makoto's supposed to be dead! What's HE doing here!?"

"I'm also here." I decided to point out.

He turned to me in mock surprise. "Oh, you're alive, too! Sorry, you just look so pathetic and not-talented, I mistook you for a dead body! But you were both supposed to be punished! Did Kyoko help you?"

"So what if I did? What will you do?" Kyoko dared.

"If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed." Monokuma paraphrased. "It's unfortunate, but that is the rule... So now I gotta punish you again! And this time I won't leave anything to chance!"

Makoto turned to his friend. "K-Kyoko...!"

Kyoko shrugged. "Do whatever you feel you have to."

"What!?"

"But before you do, let me just say one thing. If you execute Makoto, that means you lose. Not that that matters to you, right?"

"Huh?" Monokuma stopped for a moment. "I...lose? You! Explain yourself! What do you mean by that!?"

"Well you set up this latest class trial yourself, right?" She asked. "I was getting in your way, so you wanted an excuse to kill me. I was supposed to be chosen as the blackened and then executed, right?"

"H-Hey, what are you talking about?"

"But when Makoto chose to overlook my lie, your plan came crashing down. The results of the trial weren't at all what you were expecting. Because you never imagined that in that position, one person would protect another like that. And in response to that unexpected development... you reacted by proclaiming Makoto the blackened, and then trying to execute him. You made the choice out of desperation. No, more than that... You must have realized that Makoto, who refused to be manipulated, was a threat to you, as well."

"As is the fatal flaw in every killing game." I stated. "Something that can't be fixed, no matter how many rules you stack on. The earlier trials always act as a... ritual for weeding out the weak, but by the fifth or sixth trial, all that's left is those you failed to manipulate, those too strong to be pushed around any longer." I glared at the bear, at the mastermind behind them. "You can take my word for it. I know what's going to happen, after all."

"And then there was another unexpected development waiting for you." Kyoko continued. "An entity that would throw a wrench, so to speak, in your precious execution machinery."

"Alter Ego..." Makoto said.

"You never imagined the possibility of a being that could come to our aid even after you'd "killed" it. Now, here's the absolute truth. Makoto didn't kill Mukuro. You did. So executing Makoto for it would surely be a violation of your rules, which I know you love so much. If the blackened is exposed, they alone will be executed. That's what you told us, right?"

"Hmph. And that means I lose?" Monokuma shrugged. "You talk a big game. You're saying the blackened is me and not Makoto? And you can prove this, right?"

"No, I can't." Kyoko admitted.

Monokuma stared at us for a solid second. "What is this, a comedy routine? To make such bold claims without a shred of evidence..."

"I don't have any right now, but with a little more time I guarantee I'll find some." Kyoko corrected. "Because no matter how hard you try to bury it, there is only ever one absolute truth."

"And now you're trying to talk like some kind of famous detective type?"

"If Makoto really was the killer, he never would have come to you willingly like this. He would have feared for his life, feared another execution. He would have tried to run and hide. He would have been gripped by the despair you love to inspire. But here we are- confronting you with nothing but hope in our hearts."

"And that's supposed to be enough to convince me in the absence of evidence?"

"It's not you I'm trying to convince. If you were to execute Makoto now, everyone out there watching this would be extremely displeased."

"Huh...?" Makoto realized what she meant.

"Imagine what everyone out there would think if you killed Makoto... They would assume that you killed him because what we said is exactly right. Despair can never kill hope. Of course, you can say we're just making this all up. You're welcome to prove us wrong. No, you have no choice but to prove it. Because if you kill Makoto without proving your own innocence, you'll be accepting your own defeat. If you want to earn our despair "fair and square"... then I suggest you take my advice."

"..." Monokuma stared angrily. "So? What is this "advice" of yours?"

"To do Mukuro's trial over again. Only this time, you follow the school regulations to ensure a fair trial. It's time for one last showdown- one final battle between hope... and despair! Well? That would make for a proper climax, wouldn't you say?"

Monokuma remained still for a few moments, clearly because his controller was lost in thought. Then, he chuckled. "Kehehe... Interesting. Beary interesting indeed!"

"...Beary?" Makoto repeated.

"Oh, I was getting bored, so I decided to change things up a little. So, time for bear jokes! Now, what you've suggested might be pawsible. It would certainly make for one honey of a climax!"

"Does that mean you accept?" Kyoko asked.

"If we do things your way, that'll be enough to convince you and the viewers, right? And it would cause you unbearable despair, right? Then I'm prebeared to agree to your term! Will your hope win out? Or will my desbear claim victory...? Let's have one final grizzly showdown! But this is the long-awaited climax, right? Just guessing the killer is bearly a fitting end. So for this final face-off, you'll have to unearth all the mysteries that have been bearied here!"

"All the mysteries...?" Makoto repeated.

"That's right. Every last mystery that's pawing around the school. If you can do that... then that'll be enough to koalafy as a victory for you!"

Kyoko still smirked. "That's what we've been trying to do all along..."

"Okay, well, good! Then let's bear it all! If you can claw your way to the truth of Mukuro's death, AND solve the mysteries of this school... then you win! But if you can't do all that..."

"We'll all face execution. Right?" Kyoko finished.

"Kehehe... I can bearely contain my excitement... When you learn the whole truth... what kind of despair will you show me?"

"We're as excited as you are, I'm sure." Kyoko assured him. "When we've uncovered every last truth, how will the Ultimate Despair reveal their own despair...? But before we get started, I want to clarify one more thing. Do you remember the rule? When one student kills another, that's when a class trial is held."

"I remember that, fur sure. So what?"

"I just want to confirm, that is what you said, right? And it's a true statement?"

"Kehehe. You don't have to be so suspicious. I've said it before, but it bears repeating... Everything is based on the school regulations. And having a trial for Mukuro is no exception to that. Kehehe... It's a very polarizing approach, I know, but- okay, enough puns."

"Thank god." I said. "Those puns were more painful than my own execution."

"Anyway, here's a hint... I'm sure I told you this already, but... this killing game began with seventeen participants, all of them high school students. And the only people to take a single step in Hope's Peak since the killing game began... are those seventeen students."

"What...?" Makoto said. Despite knowing it was coming, I almost reacted similarly. Seventeen? Including all the characters, plus me, that equals seventeen. But what about Toshihide? Then again, I guess I never had any indication that he was in the school, I just kinda assumed, since he knew what was going on. Maybe he was watching the broadcast somewhere? If the Ultimate Despairs could watch the killing game, I guess he could, too.

"Are you telling the truth?" Kyoko asked. Monokuma didn't respond.

"Why'd he go quiet all of a sudden...?" Makoto asked.

Monokuma suddenly started laughing, and then snapped "I'm done talking! I got nothin' left to say to you! So get lost, would ya!?"

"Why so mad!?" Makoto yelped.

"He seems... emotionally unstable." Kyoko decided.

"Uh, yeah, have you even met Monokuma?" I asked.

"Leave me alone!" Monokuma demanded. "Get outta here!"

Makoto backed away, to the door. "O-Okay, I'm going. I just... You're really gonna let me go? Me and Al?"

The bear stared at us for a moment. "Hmph. I don't even care anymore. You're all gonna get your punishment later anyway. I need to start getting it ready. A super duper extra special punishment, overflowing with despair... Puhu... Puhuhu... Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu..."

Kyoko shook her head. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Okay..." Makoto said, and the three of us headed for the door.

"Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu..."

We stepped out into the gym entryway, and closed the door behind us to silence the laughter. I sighed. "Gotta be honest, I wasn't sure I'd be leaving that alive. In fact, I'm not even sure why he let me leave that alive."

Makoto nodded, and turned to the detective. "Kyoko... thank you. Everything I have right now is because of you."

"Don't thank me just yet." She said. "The real battle is still ahead of us."

"Yeah, true..."

"But still, I'm glad it worked out. I wasn't sure if the enemy would accept my proposal."

"B-But honestly, why would the mastermind agree to that?" Makoto asked. "I mean, they don't stand to gain anything from a final showdown, do they?"

"They had no choice but to accept." Kyoko explained.

"Huh...?"

"It's all because of that one moment that the mastermind let their guard down, like I said."

"So when was it that the mastermind let their guard down...?"

"I wasn't there to hear it myself, but do you remember what the mastermind said? They said they had hijacked the airwaves to broadcast our school life to the outside world, right?"

"Y-Yeah, they definitely said that..."

"And what did you think when you heard that? Pretty hard to believe, right?"

"Well... I mean, the idea of actually taking over the airwaves seems so... unbelievable." Makoto said.

Kyoko nodded. "It's not exactly something you hear about happening very often, so it's hard to believe. In other words, that kind of thing is extremely difficult to pull off. And yet somehow... the mastermind was able to do it. But think of it another way- there must've been some reason they had to do something that difficult."

"A reason...?"

"By the way, "just for kicks" ain't an answer." I said.

"They had to show the world something, no matter the cost- us killing each other."

"They wanted to show the world...?"

"The mastermind has been very adamant about not killing us directly, but forcing us to kill each other. And all their rules and regulations were designed to encourage that."

"Yeah, that makes sense. If those stupid regulations didn't exist, nobody would've killed anybody..."

"So the mastermind's ultimate goal was to make us kill each other, and show that off to the world."

"But... why?"

She shrugged. "To prove a point, most likely."

"Prove... a point?"

"The outside world has a certain name for the students of Hope's Peak, right? A certain concept..."

"You're talking about "hope," right?" Makoto realized.

"And for those of us who represent hope to kill each other and sink into despair... The mastermind wants to world to see that, to try and prove that despair is better than hope. That's their goal, as the Ultimate Despair."

"...What?" Makoto was slack-jawed. "But that... that's ridiculous!"

"You're right. It is ridiculous, completely irrational. It's the kind of thing that nobody but those who call themselves the Ultimate Despair would devise. That group who's only purpose and motivation comes from despair..."

"B-But-!" Makoto struggled to accept this reasoning. "Is that really their only reason for making the rest of us suffer!?"

"I know how angry it must make you. And yet... that same motivation is what led to the mastermind revealing their weakness."

"What...?"

"Because their goal is to broadcast this killing game to the world... the mastermind has had to be more particular than is reasonable about their own regulations. If the mastermind simply ignored their rules, this wouldn't have been a "game," but a one-sided slaughter. At least, that's how those who are watching this would have seen it."

"And that's why the mastermind couldn't kill any of us themselves?"

"That is precisely the reason. No matter how much they may hate what I'm doing, I haven't violated a single one of their regulations. Junko broke the rules, so she was punished. But in my case, they couldn't lay a finger on me. So instead, they tried to use the class trial, following all the proper rules, to get me killed. They began a trial that didn't have an answer, then made me out to be the killer."

"But even that didn't work..."

"Yes, thanks to you. And due to that failure, the mastermind took yet another risk. They attempted to kill you instead, who also was not the killer."

"And when that fact was exposed on live TV to the entire outside world... the mastermind had to accept your suggestion?"

"To prove that despair is better than hope, they have to defeat us in perfect form..." She explained. "It would only do the mastermind harm to have it shown that they'd violated their own regulations."

"But all of that was just a hunch, right? And you were still able to get the mastermind to accept your challenge..."

"Well, it's only thanks to you that we got that chance. Because you believed in my, another path opened up."

"Still, I can't believe how much of the masterminds thoughts and plans you were able to figure out. I didn't have the slightest clue..."

"In the end, though, I couldn't prove any of it. It was just my reasoning. Essentially, I was making a bet. But it looks like I got it right. This time, at least, I won the bet." She let out a quick, very un-Kyoko-like sigh. "To be honest, I haven't been that nervous in a long time."

"I totally couldn't tell you were nervous at all..." Makoto assured her. "You seemed totally confident from the moment we decided to talk to him."

"Well, presenting a strong demeanor is a fundamental part of negotiations and persuasion, wouldn't you say? Plus, if I'd shown my uneasiness, that would have just made you that much more uneasy. Anyway, we can't relax just yet. All we've done is earn another chance to fight. We have to win this time. Or everything we've gone through will have been for nothing..."

"You're right..."

"But before we begin the final battle, we have to tell the others what's going on."

"True, but now we know who our real enemy is. All we have to do is work together with everyone and defeat the mastermind...!"

"Work together with everyone..." Kyoko repeated. "Is that really possible?"

"...Huh?"

"Anyway, right now we have to go find the others. They're probably in the dorms somewhere. Shall we go?"

When we arrived at the dining hall, we were greeted by a Monokuma who's sound chip must've been glitched. "Skrgh yaGfew, anji! fzzlbRff#[]"

I covered my ears. "Yeah, okay, forgot that's supposed to happen."

"Hrskzzzz_dat.; EgspllER"

"Is he... broken?" Makoto asked.

"I suppose his emotional instability reached it's limit." Kyoko guessed.

"aG^3. 4sum=(SEN|akt~_61!" The Monokuma disappeared as quickly as it came.

Makoto scratched his head. "Jeez... What the heck?"

"I wonder what that was all about..." Kyoko said.

As we stood there stunned, we heard a voice. "Ah-! Is that... Makoto? And Al?" Suddenly, Hina, followed by Byakuya, Celeste, and Chihiro, ran up to us.

"Y-You guys!" Makoto smiled wider than he had all day.

"It is! There's no two ways about it, that's them!"

"Th-They really survived!?" Chihiro asked.

"Jeez... you're like stubborn little cockroaches, you know that?" Byakuya remarked.

"Indeed." Celeste agreed. "Though I can't say they're a sorry sight right now."

Makoto started getting teary-eyed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling emotional, either. I was pleasantly surprised when Chihiro tackled me in a hug. However, before we could have a moment or anything, he backed off. "Wait... What's that smell?"

"Now that you mention it, the air suddenly seems rather pungent." Celeste stepped away from us.

Hina jumped back. "It's Makoto, too! He smells like a wet dog!"

With a sigh, the two of us stepped away from the group. "That was fun while it lasted." I said.

"There's no time to indulge in an extended happy reunion." Kyoko said. "We need to explain to everyone what happened with Monokuma."

"Explain...?" Byakuya repeated. "Explain what?"

"Basically, the mastermind's agreed to let Makoto and I live, on a condition." I explained.

"I need to tell you all about... the last trial." Makoto said.

"Last class trial...?" Hina repeated.

"We're going to redo Mukuro's trial." Kyoko told them.

"What!? Seriously!?"

"What's the point of redoing it?" Celeste asked. "Makoto killed her, did he not?"

"No, I didn't do it! Like I keep telling you..."

"Makoto isn't the killer." Kyoko said. "And of course it's not me or any of you."

"What you're saying is, it was all the work of the mastermind." Byakuya guessed.

"The mastermind killed Mukuro?" Chihiro asked.

"That's right. It was all an elaborate trap contrived by the mastermind. Makoto spotted the trap in time, and did what he had to to stop it. But his decision meant that he would be the one to die."

"You spotted the trap, did you Makoto?" Byakuya said, somewhat uneasy.

"But executing Makoto, who wasn't the blackened, is a clear violation of the school regulations. The rules state that only the blackened is to be executed. The mastermind broke their own rules. Which is why I went and negotiated with them to have the trial one more time."

"And the mastermind agreed!?" Hina yelped. "Does that mean they really did break the rules...?"

"They had no choice but to agree." Byakuya realized. "You used the TV broadcast to gain the leverage you needed, didn't you?"

"Very observant of you." Kyoko complimented.

"I recall what you said at the end of the last trial... When you said "Now it's the mastermind that's ensnared," that's what you were referring to."

"Knowing all this... what do we do now?" Celeste asked.

"It's about who killed Mukuro, right?" Hina said. "So our job is to expose the mastermind...?"

"But there's more to it than that, correct?" Byakuya guessed.

"Um, yeah..." Makoto hesitated. "For us to win this time, we have to solve every last mystery surrounding the school."

"Every last mystery...?" Hina repeated. "But we've been looking around all this time, and we still don't know anything, right?"

Kyoko nodded. "You've probably guessed already, but if we lose this time... everyone dies."

"E-Everyone!?"

"Guys." I cut in. "I wouldn't have let Kyoko agree to those terms if I didn't think it was possible for us to win, right?"

"Of course." Byakuya said. "You gave your life to let the rest of us live. You wouldn't waste this second chance like this." The way he spoke, it sounded like he was trying to understand my actions, but couldn't quite get there. Whatever.

"Anyway, at this point the only way for us to survive is to unravel the truth." Kyoko summarized.

"In other words, one decisive final battle." Byakuya considered it. "A rather interesting development, I'd say."

Hina spoke up. "But figuring out who the mastermind is, AND how they killed Mukuro, AND all the school's mysteries..."

"Can we really do all that?" Chihiro asked.

"It might sound difficult, but this time the trial is different." Makoto said. "We know who our enemy is now. So if we work together and search as hard as we can, I'm sure we'll solve all those mysteries!"

"I'm not so sure about that." Kyoko said. "I can't agree with the idea of working together with everyone."

"You... can't agree?" Makoto stared at her. "Why not? I mean, working together with everyone seems like the most obvious way to solve all the mysteries..."

"That's what I thought, too... at first. Until Monokuma gave us that little hint of his... He said that the only people to take a single step in Hope's Peak since the killing game began are the seventeen participants."

"Monokuma said that, did he?" Byakuya was thinking now. "Then Kyoko's opinion is perfectly reasonable."

"Huh? But why...?" Hina asked.

"If the mastermind really is the one who killed Mukuro, as Kyoko says... then the mastermind would have had to set foot in the school, right? Monokuma could probably murder Mukuro, but there's no way he could've disguised the scene like that. But according to Monokuma, the only people who have set foot in Hope's Peak... are the seventeen students who have been taking part in the killing game."

"Then the mastermind is...!" Chihiro realized first. "They would have to be one of the seventeen students who's been here from the start..."

"And of those seventeen people we've started out with, the only ones still alive... are the people standing right here." Byakuya said. "Need I continue, or do you get it now?"

"You are saying the mastermind is one of us." Celeste said flatly. Ah, shit. I can't disprove that without spoiling anything, either, can I?

"Y-You can't be serious!" Hina shouted.

"W-Wait! We can't say for sure that's true yet!" Makoto assured everyone. "Monokuma might have just said all that to confuse us...!"

"It's certainly a possibility. But only one among many..." Kyoko said. "The mastermind being one of us is also a possibility."

"And that is one possibility we can't ignore." Byakuya decided.

"It does make sense." Celeste said. "They are the Ultimate Despair, meaning they are an Ultimate, yes? So they must be a high schooler as well."

"But if one of us was the mastermind, they'd have to be controlling Monokuma somehow, right?" Makoto argued. "But did you ever see anyone acting suspicious anytime Monokuma was active?"

"They could have been controlling him in secret..." Celeste suggested.

"I don't care how sneaky you are, we would've noticed someone sneaking off that many times." Hina said.

"Maybe Monokuma was on autopilot." Chihiro suggested. "It's possible they loaded up all the commands and speech beforehand."

"In that case, there's no way he could have had all those back-and-forth conversations with us."

"Well... it wouldn't be entirely impossible, if they directed the flow of conversation." Byakuya offered.

"Even then, there could be room for variables." Chihiro explained. "If they loaded up different dialogue and had a weak A.I. to recognize when to respond with what, it could create the illusion of a real conversation."

"W-Well, maybe... but still!" Makoto said, just as the school bell started to right, and a monitor showing Monokuma lit up.

"Ahh, this is a school announcement. You've all probably figured this out by now, but... at this point, the killing game has entered "True Ending" mode. So in the name of fairness, I will unlock every room in the school! Look wherever you want! Solve the mystery in whatever way you see fit! Puhuhu... Then we can all meet up in the class trial, okay? Gaahahaha! Ahahaha...!"

Kyoko crossed her arms. "How very magnanimous of him to unlock all the rooms."

"That's a fancy word." I remarked.

"The time for talk is done." Byakuya said. "Now we need to start our investigation."

"B-But...!" Makoto opened his mouth to argue.

"I was planning on working alone from the very beginning anyway. At this point, I can rely only on myself, on the Togami blood flowing through my veins. I have no time to worry about the rest of you. Each of you must uphold your responsibility. Well then..." He walked briskly out of the dining hall.

"Yeah, you do that." I called after him. "I'll be over here using the power of friendship and love and kindness and okay this sounds kinda awkward out loud."

Celeste walked toward the door. "If I'm being honest, these recent developments certainly have me excited. Especially the prospect of finally being able to leave. With that said, I shall be doing my investigations on my own, as well."

"It was my awkward speech that drove you away, wasn't it?" I said as she left. I turned to Kyoko. "Let me guess, you're going off on your own, too?"

"That's right."

"Cool. I guess there's no point in sticking together, anyway."

"I guess I'll do the same thing, then." Hina decided. "I mean, it's not that I don't trust everyone, ya know? But... up till now, I haven't really been all that useful. I just depended on Sakura, and everyone else."

"You're not useless!" Makoto assured her. "If you hadn't been there, I woulda died!"

"M-Makoto...!" She blushed. "Nng... that's really nice of you to say...! But still, I know I've mostly been totally useless. So I figure, at least here at the end, maybe I can find something that'll help us all get out of here. So I'm gonna go off and do it all on my own! Okay, see ya later!" With that, she dashed out of the dining hall.

"If everyone else is going alone, I guess I will, too." Chihiro said.

I nodded. "If I find anything electronic, I'll be sure to find you."

"Yeah." He eyed me. "How is your leg?"

My eyes widened. "It's, uh, good... feeling great." I hadn't even noticed, but my leg is as good as new. I wonder what the hell that means.

"That's good. Goodbye for now." And with that, he left as well.

I turned to Makoto and Kyoko, before heading for the door myself. "Don't slack off." I could probably just sit down and not do any investigating of my own. But that's what a douchebag would do, and I ain't no douchebag. Okay, maybe I am, but regardless, I have my own reasons for investigating. I still have some questions with no answers.

I arrived at the headmaster's room, the first location on my search for the truth. It seems I was the first to arrive. I instantly started checking drawers on the headmaster's desk. If the headmaster had any information on Toshihide, or on me, then it would have to be here, right? I found the student registry for class 78th, but I couldn't find anything for any other classes, or for the reserve course where I apparently attended.

Eventually, I found something that wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was good enough. Under a stack of documents for school projects, I found a thin folder labelled "Tomonaga/Wright File." I wondered if the mastermind put this together just for me, or if the headmaster actually did have reason to keep a file of the two of us. I briefly remembered part of the memory I saw when I was out of it earlier. It was fuzzy, but I swear the mastermind said something about Toshihide trying to convince them I was talented. It could have something to do with that.

I set the folder down on the desk and opened it. The first file was my student registry, which I had already read previously. All my personal information seemed to be the same. I turned the page. Next was Toshihide's profile. All of his information seemed to fit. I wouldn't know unless I measured him myself, but from just an eyeball estimate, I couldn't find any inconsistencies. Not that I'm sure what I'd do if I found out, like, his height wasn't consistent with his file. There wasn't much information about his recent research, but I found a biography.

From a young age, Toshihide Tomonaga expressed interest in physics, likely due to his father's influence. He aced his classes, and won first prize in several science-fairs throughout his youth, quickly finding himself completely taken in by anything relating to physics, to the point of obsession. By the time he began attending high school, Toshihide boasted an intellect far surpassing those of his peers, and even possessed an eidetic memory. Despite already having all of the knowledge necessary to be a scientist on his own, he graciously accepted his invitation to Hope's Peak Academy.

Okay, background. Not nothing I couldn't have guessed, however. I turned the page. The next document wasn't as formal in it's format as the previous files. It seemed more like notes. The headmaster was keeping notes on us, too? Let's see...

The newest student, Albert Wright, seems to have appeared out of nowhere. In the middle of the school year, this student claiming to come from North America showed up on our school's doorstep. What's more, the one who offered to pay his tuition was Toshihide Tomonaga. The two did not elaborate on where and how they met, but Tomonaga seems to have taken on the role of a mentor figure for Wright. During any free time the two would have together, Wright would take physics lessons from Tomonaga, and the two claim that Wright plans to get into the field as well. However, Tomonaga also urges the talent-scouts to keep an eye on Wright, claiming that he has hidden potential that may not be obvious on a surface glance. Other than that, however, Wright seems no different to that of his peers. He possesses no affinity for any particular hobby or skill, and lacks any strong motivation when it comes to his work.

No talent or motivation, huh? That's half true, now. And Toshihide paid my tuition. I guess that makes up for stealing me from my home world and throwing me in this one. Oh, wait, no it doesn't. I turned the page.

We finally decided to humor Tomonaga, and have had one of our talent-scouts keeping an eye on Wright. According to the reports, it is as I initially assumed. Albert does not possess any talents or abilities. At least, not to such a concentrated degree where he could be considered an Ultimate.

Albert Wright seems to have an aptitude for mathematics, but only in contexts where it interests him. His grades in math class are average, but in a casual environment with friends, such as when playing games, he can do somewhat impressive calculations. However, he still stumbles and makes mistakes often, and he's not avid enough to be considered the Ultimate Tabletop Gamer.

Wright apparently spends most of his free time with students from certain classes. Reasons for this are still unknown, but he seems to have made fast friends with most of the students in each class. From what's been gathered, it seems Wright possesses above-average empathy. He can understand and share the feelings of those around him to a great degree. However, because of this, he tends to avoids contact with students prone to depressive episodes in favor of those with more upbeat or laid-back personalities. However, there are other students with much larger friend groups or those who are far better at understanding those around them, so he wouldn't earn the title of Ultimate Empath or Ultimate Social Butterfly, either.

Of course, he also seems to make an effort to solve the problems of those around him. When a student is suffering from an issue, Wright will dedicate himself to fixing them. Whether this entail climbing a tree to fetch a kite, or talking someone through an emotional issue to find the core of their problem, he does whatever he thinks he has to. The sticking point of this is that he does whatever he thinks he has to, sometimes driving an even deeper wedge into the problem than there was to begin with. Still, our scout tells us that if his methods were just a bit more professional, and he could better recognize when it was best to leave something be, he could earn a title such as Ultimate Counselor, or Ultimate Problem Solver.

Okay, so I didn't have any talents. I already knew that. I kept reading on, more and more entries on my behaviour and Toshihide's teaching methods and the mystery of how we two met which I already knew the answer to! Finally, I turned a page and found the back of the folder.

"Wut?" I leafed through again, thinking I might've missed something. Nothing. "That can't be all of it!" But it was. Why the fuck would the mastermind give me this clue when I already knew or could infer all the things in there? I mean, okay, it was interesting to know how I behaved at Hope's Peak, but that doesn't really help me here, does it? Did they leave this here simply because I already knew everything? Great.

I set down the folder just as Byakuya walked in. "What's that?"

"A folder on me and the Ultimate Physicist." I said. I pointed to the class 78 folder. "There's what the headmaster had on the rest of you guys."

He walked over and leafed through it. He paused on his own profile. "I see. Their information seems accurate, at least."

"Right." I headed for the door. "I've searched this room top to bottom, and that's all I really found. So... seeya."

He didn't say anything as I left the room. Where else? The data center, the bio lab, and the second floor of the dorms. I don't think I'll find anything, but... it's worth a glance. Something told me this was gonna be a long day.

Data center was closed. From Makoto's testimony, it went exactly like it did in the game. Bio lab was just full of corpses I didn't really wanna look at, and not much else. Before I searched the dorms, Monokuma announced his hint, which I obviously ignored. Said dorm had nothing I wasn't expecting. Eventually, I started searching the garden once I ran out of places to go. While there, the bell rang.

"For anything that has a start, there has to be an end. And if the end comes, then that means it's time for a fresh start. There is no night that doesn't have a dawn... Although that dawn is totally pitch-black! There is no storm that won't eventually end... Of course, then that leads to drought! But as I said, every end is the promise of a new beginning! Which is why I'm sure we'll get to meet again. Because the end is only the beginning! Anyway, let's get started! The beginning of the end of the class trial! Everyone gather once again at you know where! Puhuhuhuhu! Puhuhu!"

When I arrived in the dusty elevator room, the first thing I noticed was the silence. I was the last one in, the rest of the group was standing around, not speaking. They only stared at each other with distrustful eyes. It was just like the first class trial.

I cleared my throat. "Man, it's colder than the bio lab in here, huh?"

Before anyone could respond, Monokuma showed up. "Puhuhu. Is everyone here? Ooh, and wearing our Gloomy Gus faces, I see! Okay, well then... let's begin! This final class trial is gonna be slathered in pitch-black despair! Climaximum sorrow!"

"You're right. This is the final class trial. And this time, it'll be fair." Kyoko said.

"Whaddya mean, THIS time!? Stop with all the slander! I'm a bear in good standing, ya know! If there was a Mr. Fair Guy Universe contest, I'd take home the tiara every year! I'm gonna win this game super fair and square! And I'll make sure everyone watching at home knows... that despair is mightier den de hope."

"Enough of your tedious drivel." Byakuya groaned. "Begin the trial already."

"Sure, sure. Let's begin the trial already! I'll be waiting for you down below. So don't try and run away... Ahh-hahahaha!"

Byakuya shrugged. "Hmph. Whatever. This will be over in no time." He stepped onto the elevator, and everyone followed. Nobody made eye-contact, nobody said anything. We just silently boarded the elevator. Makoto and Kyoko remained outside for a moment, speaking like they normally do. Finally, they stepped on as well, and the steel cage began it's final descent into the bowels of the school.

Unlike every other time, I felt myself at peace. We were at the final battle. We were almost home free. For the first time since coming here, I allowed my mind to wander. Of course, we'd all have to join the Future Foundation, and we'd have to hold a funeral for all those who died. It would be a lot of hard work, but we'd eventually be able to reestablish peace in the world. I imagined what life would be like, once the Ultimate Despairs are done with. Would I finally be able to relax? Would it be like what those files said about my life at Hope's Peak? The idea pumped me up. I was ready to end this. Let's fucking do this.

Eventually, the elevator slammed to a stop, and we stepped off.

"This... is the final trial site?" Makoto asked as he stepped off. The room was concrete, like a warehouse, with massive televisions mounted on the wall. Simple.

"Whaddya think?" Monokuma asked. "Isn't it just the perfect background for deciding a person's fate!? It's the long awaited last stage! The always-exciting final boss battle! Puhuhu... And I'm gonna sit in on this one! I'll just sit right here in this dead person's seat!" Sure enough, he moved Junko's portrait in favour of an old gym vault to stand on.

"Are you allowed to do that?" I decided to ask.

"Well, maybe if someone wasn't filling up the roster, I'd have an empty seat for myself." He said. "By the way, I hope you remember the rules regarding spoilers!"

"I'm not allowed to contribute to conversations relating to the mysteries." I summarized. "I'm basically just a spectator right now. I know."

"Good. Well then! Let's... BEGIIIIIIIIIIINNN!" Monokuma roared.

And so, the curtain opened for the final time... A final judgement... A final deception... A final betrayal... A final riddle, a final defence, a final faith... a final... class trial!

So, the students don't currently trust each other, and Albert can't do anything about it without spoiling the mastermind's identity. Albert also now knows some of his and Toshihide's backstory. I wonder if that's gonna come up at all during the trial.

Will everyone be able to get through the trial without Albert's help, or will the mastermind win in the end? Seeing as how I'm not writing a tragedy here, I think it's a bit obvious which one. But I could give you a good ol' switcheroo.

In the next chapter, we'll see how everything plays out.