Azuma: [worried] Umeko…
Umeko: Hm?
Azuma: [worried] Umeko, wake up…
That voice…
What?
I blinked, and the Trial Room disappeared. There was only snow, pattering against the glass windows that had sprung up on all four walls of the room.
This can't be...
Panting, my breath turning to fog in front of me, I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.
Azuma: [happy] There you are.
Azuma stood in the centre of the Radio Tower office, hands in his pockets, gazing at me with familiar concern in his eyes.
Umeko: [shocked] Azuma…?
Azuma: [worried] What's the matter? Had a...bad dream?
I couldn't suppress a laugh, even as my eyes began to well up, blurring my vision.
Umeko: [in tears] ...The absolute worst kind.
Azuma: [sad] Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. Nightmares are awful...I know. You want a hug?
Umeko: [happy] *sob* ...More than you could imagine.
He opened up his arms and I melted into his warm embrace, feeling the walls I'd built up around me starting to dissolve, as I let him envelope me in his welcoming aroma and the safety of Azuma's strong, dependable arms.
We stood there for a moment, arms around each other, swaying gently to the pitter-patter of the snowfall on the other side of the glass. For a brief, peaceful moment, I was able to kid myself into believing that the respite would last.
Umeko: [sad] I'm sorry…
Azuma: [sad] What for…? You don't have a thing to apologize for, Umeko.
Umeko: [sad] But...I do. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let Naga...I'm sorry I let Kenji drive a wedge between us. I'm sorry I spent so many sleepless nights worrying over that false warning. I'm sorry I didn't open up to you sooner, didn't accept that we had an unspoken connection between us. I'm sorry I didn't remember the truth earlier.
Azuma: Like I said...you don't have a thing to apologize for. None of that is on you.
Umeko: But...it feels like it is. Everything about our past, between us...Daisuke, the agency, our childhood...I forgot it all.
Azuma: You may not remember everything, but…[happy] you said to me, that first day we reunited in the Inn. You knew, all the way back then, even with the absence of your memories...you knew there was something between us. That told me, even without knowing why...you felt some way about me. To me...that's enough.
Umeko: [sad] …I should've never listened to him. Kenji, I mean. Even all the way back then, he was trying to get me to distrust you. Calling you out and constantly throwing suspicion on you every chance he got...I always thought he was just jealous of you, jealous that you were getting all the attention. I should've been more wary...more careful…
Azuma: You know the truth now. That's what matters. So...what are you going to do?
I pressed my forehead to his chest, lacing my fingers with his.
Umeko: [sad] What can I do, Azuma…? They still have one last game...one last wrench to throw into our plans...one final way to toy with us to the end…how can I win? How can I get us out of this?
Azuma: [sad] …
Umeko: [sad] I'm so tired...it feels like all I've ever done this entire time has been fight. It's all I've ever done, is fight...fight day by day to stay alive, to keep my head above water. I don't know if I can carry on…
Azuma: [sad] Of course you can. You've made it this far. And if you give up now...all of that will have been for nothing. And it wasn't...for nothing. You've fought so much. ...What's a little bit more?
Umeko: [sad] … [accusatory] I...I'm gonna get us out of here. Our friends...I'm going to fight for the four of them, fight for their survival…! So your death...so all their deaths...they won't have been in vain.
Azuma: [happy] Good. No matter how much despair they throw your way, it's good to see...you haven't lost your fighting spirit.
Umeko: [happy] I'm...only sorry we won't have more time together.
Azuma: [confused] What does that mean?
Umeko: [happy] ...I'm no fool, Azuma. I know this is a dream. And dreams...dreams end. You're gonna have to disappear. And when you do…
Azuma: [sad] …
Umeko: [sad] …
Azuma: [happy] Well...yeah. But even if that's true...why should that mean I won't still be by your side?
…
…
…
Monokuma: [giggling] Weeell…? Don't keep us waiting, you five. You've still got a murder to solve...and you've made veeery little progress to speak of! What, do your pathetic lives not matter to you anymore now that you know what you do?
Miyumi: [distressed] But...it's impossible! I...I already have a hard time as it is believing that Kenji is...is…
Kenji: [masked] Is…[playful] what, exactly…?
Samira: [annoyed] A fucking pyschopath works.
Miyumi: [distressed] I would hate it even more to consider that...that one of us five is a killer too.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] How do you expect any of us to have a rebuttal to an accusation, either? Sora was killed before the game ever even began. None of us here were awake at the time, and even if we were, none of us have any memory of it. With so little evidence at the scene of the crime after being left alone for weeks, too…
Mordecai: [disappointed] It would take a miracle for us to successfully point the finger at someone.
Tailor: A miracle, you say…?
Monokuma: [giggling] Why, don't you have a little miracle of your own, right there? That's right, it's your very own SHSL Detective!
Miyumi: [annoyed] You keep saying that, but...we've already proven Umeko...I mean, S-Seiko...was never a student at your false academy. So why do you keep…?
Monokuma: [giggling] Who cares? Maybe we're lying, maybe we're telling the truth! But SHSL Detective or otherwise...there's no denying UmeSeiko has always been on fire during Class Trials! ...So why so silent now, Umeko?
Umeko: …
Kenji: [snide] Very well. If she will not speak...perhaps I will be the one to gracefully shed more light on the situation and...give you guys a tiny hint, just to...push you along the right path. [playful] Sora the Shadow's killer was clearly working with us, the Copycats of Despair. Therefore, it stands to reason that the culprit behind his murder bears a link to our organization, a link that the other four innocent students...lack.
Mordecai: [thoughtful] What kind of link are we talking about here…?
Kenji: [snide] ...Figure that bit out by yourselves.
Miyumi: [nervous] ...Perhaps we should take a look at our remaining evidence. There's...still quite a bit of stuff we haven't taken a look at yet. Most or all of the evidence we found in past cases have always helped once we looked them over a little more.
Samira: Miyumi's right. Maybe that is the best course of action.
Yoshihiki: [worried] ...Umeko?
I heard Yoshihiki's voice calling out from far away. It was like I had my head under the water. Everything didn't sound quite right to me with the blood rushing in my ears.
One final blackened…
But who…?
Who else could it be?
[[flashback]]
Azuma: [sad] I'm...I'm sorry, Umeko. But there are some things that...you're going to have to find out on your own. Some things are just...too unbelievable to digest if you don't discover them yourself.
[[end: flashback :end]]
This must be what he meant…
Miyumi: [worried] Umeko? Are you there?
...the remaining evidence…
Umeko: [thoughtful] I'm...fine. Sorry. I was just...thinking.
Samira: [worried] Hey. We need you. Okay? ...I just want to finish this...get this ordeal over and done with. If we're going to solve this final conundrum…
Mordecai: [excited] We need to work together!
Umeko: Right. ...Of course. The evidence, right. ...Let's do it.
I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Not just my four friends, but the eyes of Kenji, Monokuma, the Four Founders and, no doubt, the eyes of the Copycats of Despair, watching our every move on the cameras located all around the room.
Watching...scrutinizing...waiting...anticipating…
Waiting for us to find our way to the truth.
[Track: watch?v=88RNU7oWrDE]
[Non-Stop Debate: Start]
Truth Bullets:
1. Microphone
2. Prototype-A Status
3. Status Updates
4. Hallucinogen Anomaly
5. Bracelet Anomaly
6. Edited Clips and Software
Miyumi: [worried] If one of us really is the blackened that killed Sora, then…
Miyumi: [nervous] ...does that mean one of us is also a Copycat of Despair?
Mordecai: [annoyed] You mean...to insinuate...another of us...is being deceptive...like him.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] I'd really rather not go down that route of thinking.
Samira: [distressed] I hate to even entertain the thought, too. I really, really do…
Miyumi: [sad] But if none of us here is wilfully working with Monokuma and the Copycats, then…
Miyumi: [scared] How...do you explain one of us gunning down Sora in the surveillance footage?
Mordecai: [thoughtful] That certainly cannot be deemed an accidental murder. It was intentional.
Mordecai: [annoyed] The killer meant to shoot him dead.
Samira: So, they were under orders, then? Under orders, to kill Sora the Shadow.
Yoshihiki: [nervous] One of us...was ordered to kill Sora?
Yoshihiki: [scared] But...how could they have ordered one of us to commit the crime?
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] Surely, there's...no way they could have controlled one of us to do the deed.
Miyumi: [worried] Maybe...maybe one of us was manipulated into doing it.
Miyumi: [worried] Like...like how Taro became a killer after he was subjected to those drugs…
Mordecai: [confused] But didn't Azuma say he found all of us unconscious in the inn?
Mordecai: [thoughtful] That would mean Sora's killer woke up during that time…
Mordecai: ...for the sole purpose of being used to kill him?
[Non-Stop Debate: End]
…
One of the five of us...is my brother's killer.
I don't want to believe anyone here is still working with Monokuma and the Copycats of Despair.
Not after the revelation about Kenji. Not after that.
But then...
How did the masterminds make one of the five of us commit murder?
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
…
…
…
Answer: [Prototype-A Status] - [no way they could have controlled one of us]
Umeko: [distressed] …
Kenji: [playful] Quiet, everyone. Can't you see Umeko's deep in thought? She's stumbling her way onto the truth, I just know it! I've been studying her expressions in these Trials from behind the curtains for five Class Trials in a row, so I know that look on her face better than anyone. Tell them, Seiko!
Samira silenced him with a glare.
Samira: Umeko? Penny for your thoughts…?
Umeko: [uncomfortable] ...That screen, down in the underground headquarters.
[[flashback]]
Miyumi pointed at one of the screens, and I realized that this one wasn't that of a surveillance camera. While the other cameras were all watching a different section of the village, this one was a screen monitoring a person's vitals. I saw a humanoid figure on screen, with several parts of their body - namely their vitals - highlighted.
The word "STATUS: PROTOTYPE-A" glowed faintly beneath it on the screen in digital lettering.
Mordecai: [thoughtful] Truly ghastly...it appears Monokuma was monitoring this strange, humanoid figure, and potentially communicating with it.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Miyumi: [worried] It is a piece of unexplained evidence. It must mean something. That's what I'd gather from our previous cases, at any rate…
Monokuma: [giggling] Look at you all, maturing from amateur sleuths into super sleuths! I'm so proud!
Mordecai: [accusatory] You believe that odd screen is linked to our mysterious final killer?
Umeko: I don't want to believe any of us here is still wilfully working for Monokuma, and hiding it. It stands to reason that whichever one of us killed Sora might have been...forced into it.
Yoshihiki: [worried] Forced into it…? But...how? And with that screen?
Umeko: [thoughtful] That screen was connected to a microphone, labelled for use of communication with a…"Prototype-A".
Kenji: [masked] …
Mordecai: [distressed] You don't think...one of us was being controlled, do you?
Umeko: [thoughtful] That screen must be used by the Copycats to monitor this…"Prototype-A" or whatever.
Yoshihiki: [thoughtful] "Prototype-A"...what is that referring to?
Miyumi: [worried] ...Why does that sound so familiar?
Umeko: It sounds familiar because we've seen it before. Or rather...we've heard it mentioned.
Mordecai: We have? Heard it...where, and when?
1. On the microphone
2. On the recorder
3. On the surveillance footage
...
…
…
…
...
...
…
…
…
...
Answer: 2. On the recorder
[[flashback]]
Recorder: This is Status Update #3. First Class Trial completed, with Nagatomo Yamaoka, SHSL Thief, convicted as the first blackened. Subject made no attempt to escape his execution. One interesting observation was that the subject spoke with Prototype-A in private beforehand. No microphones were able to pick up what was said between the two of them but cameras recorded his lip movement. As of right now, it is believed he whispered a warning not to trust Prototype-B.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Umeko: [uncomfortable] …
Samira: [shocked] That recorder mentions both a Prototype-A and Prototype-B…
Yoshihiki: [distressed] There are two prototypes now? This is getting hard to keep track of…
Miyumi: [uncomfortable] Two prototypes...and it mentions Nagatomo speaking with one of them. What's that about?
Mordecai: [shocked] A private conversation...with Prototype-A. What, like...before the Trial?
Umeko: [sad] ...He means...before the execution.
Miyumi: [shocked] Before the execution? H-How could Nagatomo have snuck off to go talk to this "Prototype-A" before his execution? I mean...we were all there in the Trial Room when he was dragged off, weren't we? Surely we'd've noticed it happening!
Yoshihiki: [worried] …
Yoshihiki had his hand to his mouth, and a dark look in his eyes.
He knows too…
And...I think I've known for a long time as well. I just...refused to believe it.
Umeko: That's because…
1. Prototype-A doesn't exist
2. Prototype-A was watching on the cameras
3. Prototype-A is a student
…
…
…
…
...
...
…
…
…
...
Answer: 3. Prototype-A is a student
Miyumi: [scared] …
Umeko: Before he was dragged off and executed...Nagatomo spoke to a student. He...issued them a warning.
Kenji: [masked] …
Umeko: And that student...is the Prototype-A mentioned on the recorder.
Samira: [annoyed] ...Umeko.
Umeko: …
Samira: [annoyed] ...Who is Prototype-A?
…
…
…
[SELECT SOMEONE!]
Umeko: …
Mordecai: [confused] …
Kenji: [masked] ...
[DEAD] Nagatomo [DEAD]
[DEAD] Hanako [DEAD]
[DEAD] Azuma [DEAD]
[DEAD] Eizo [DEAD]
[DEAD] Kaori [DEAD]
[DEAD] Ichiro [DEAD]
Samira: [annoyed] ...
[DEAD] Shizuko [DEAD]
[DEAD] Taro [DEAD]
[DEAD] Wakako [DEAD]
Yoshihiki: [worried] …
Miyumi: [shocked] …
[DEAD] Fukumi [DEAD]
…
…
…
…
...
...
…
…
…
...
Answer: Umeko
Miyumi: [shocked] ...W-What?
Mordecai: [annoyed] It's...you. Umeko, what are you trying to say? You're...Prototype-A?
Yoshihiki: [worried] What does Prototype-A even mean? You mean to say, that humanoid diagram on the screen...that's supposed to be you?
Umeko: [thoughtful] It all fits. Azuma's and Sora's mission was to come to the Village, and rescue me. In Azuma's file, it mentions what he was after.
[[flashback]]
Subject was one of two participants of the D-Project. Caught while attempting to extricate Prototype-A from the field, he was subsequently captured and restrained.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Umeko: [distressed] My file too...it refers to me as a "Prototype".
Samira: [annoyed] That's creepy as hell...they were monitoring you like some kinda sick project? What the hell for? Why go to the extent of kidnapping you and monitoring your vitals like this?
At the end of the day...it all comes back down to this.
The reason behind my kidnapping...the truth of who I am…
I am Umeko, supposed SHSL Detective...and yet I am also Seiko, a spy kidnapped by the Copycats of Despair.
Why did they take me, specifically? Why wipe my memories, force me to take part in their games?
Kenji: [playful] How much do you remember, Umeko?
Umeko: [uncomfortable] I...ngh…
Disjointed memories began to resurface.
Dr. Heelurr…
The surgery…
Sur...gery?
Images of a hospital room came floating into my field of vision.
A hospital bed...and me with my head resting on the chest of the bed's sole occupant.
Azuma.
It was no dream. It was a memory, a flashback, and it was real!
Tailor: Look at her. She's remembering!
Tinker: Oh, good. I was wondering how long it would take before her memory banks started to recover what we'd hidden away.
Tailor: Shh! You're gonna give it away.
Memory banks…
Voices in my head…
Umeko: [uncomfortable] I...I underwent a surgery…
Miyumi: [worried] What...kind of surgery are we talking about here?
Umeko: [uncomfortable] I don't remember. But...it must be important. It's one of the few memories I'm able to recall.
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] I think there's no denying...whatever happened to you, Umeko...is at the centre of all this.
Samira: [worried] What else can you recall?
Mordecai: [accusatory] Think harder, Umeko! Unlock the truth!
There was something else. A project, a name I remember seeing…
The D-Project.
[[flashback]]
Name: Project "D[CENSORED]" (The D-Project)
Status: Active
Test Subject: [CENSORED] Hirayama
Test Subject: Azuma Takemoto
The D-Project concerns the implementation of the human consciousness into a [CENSORED]...[CENSORED] return from the Russia mission, Special Agents [CENSORED] and [CENSORED] were [CENSORED]...
Surgery was effective, and both [CENSORED] were prepared for testing.
Subsequent tests showed that both subjects suffered from differing levels of memory loss as a result of the surgery and programming malfunctions. Subject [CENSORED] had their memory banks wiped clean, whereas Subject [CENSORED] lost memories specifically related to [CENSORED].
On [CENSORED], 20XX, Subject [CENSORED] was stolen from the facility. The M.O. of the thief suggest the culprit was notorious [CENSORED], N[CENSORED] [CENSORED]oka, making him the prime suspect in this case. Without sufficient evidence, however, there are no grounds upon which an arrest can be made.
[[end: flashback :end]]
That's it!
The D-Project, and this surgery Azuma and I both went through are related.
What is the D-Project?
Kenji: [masked] What is the D-Project indeed?
It took me a moment to realize I'd said my thoughts out loud.
Kenji: [masked] You're a smart cookie, Umeko. Surely, you and your motley crew have amassed enough contextual clues over the course of your investigation to at least have some semblance of an idea of what the D-Project is really about…
He's...right.
The mention of prototypes, memory banks, programming and malfunctions…
The microphone in the underground headquarters, and the voices I've been hearing in my head…
The night Ichiro went to the roof of the Store, and I knew how to find him…
The diagram on the screen, monitoring my vitals…
It sounds insane to even voice out loud, but...there is one conclusion that can be drawn from all this.
One ridiculous, and simultaneously horrifying conclusion, but a conclusion nonetheless.
Umeko: The D-Project…I remember now.
Miyumi: [as Ms. Shortcake] What about it?
Umeko: "D"...it stands for...
HANGMAN'S GAMBIT:
D_ _ _ _
…
…
…
D_ O_ _
…
…
…
D_O I _
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Answer: DROID
[[flashback]]
[CG] The Signing of the D-Project [CG]
The Trial Room fell away. An office emerged from the darkness, and I found myself sitting in an uncomfortable chair, behind a desk with a man sitting in the chair opposite me, his face shrouded in darkness.
I felt a hand squeeze mine, and turning to my left, I saw a pair of familiarly warm eyes.
Azuma: [happy] You sure about this? It's not too late to back out, you know. If you're not comfortable about it, I won't do it either. My parents will understand; at the end of the day, we do still have a choice.
Umeko: No...it's fine, Azuma. This...this is a good thing. We're helping the agency. Not to mention the technological advancements at stake here. ...We could be part of making history.
Azuma still looked concerned, but his gaze softened at my words.
Azuma: I trust your judgment. [happy] If you're really okay with this…
Umeko: I am.
The Chairman: ...Have you both finished reading the terms and conditions?
On the table before us were two stacks of forms. An unknown symbol was emblazoned in the centre of both, with a tagline typed out beneath it.
PROJECT D.R.O.I.D
Signature: _
The Chairman: Once you sign those forms, you agree with the terms of the project.
I sensed a tone of finality eke its way into his voice.
The Chairman: ...Should either of you experience mortal or near-fatal injuries while out on the field, and medical deems your condition to show no signs of improving, we have the right to commence the implementation of Project Droid. ...You will be the Project's first two test subjects, the first ever human beings and first members of our agency to have your memories, consciousnesses, skills, thoughts, emotions and soul...every part of you that makes you human...transferred into a perfect Android replica of your physical body. Once this operation is conducted, there will be no turning back. The world's first Android secret agents will be a revolutionary change in the way we combat international terrorism and the Copycats of Despair.
No…
I picked up the pen, and Azuma did the same.
Wh...What...what the hell is this?
Azuma: [happy] Ready?
This is wrong! This...this can't be?
Umeko: …
Azuma: [confused] ...Seiko?
Umeko: Huh?
Azuma: [worried] Are you having second thoughts?
Yes!
Umeko: [happy] No.
No, wait!
Still holding onto Azuma's other hand, we put our pens to paper, and I watched as my hand disobeyed me and scrawled out my signature on the dotted line.
...What have I done?
My pen had barely left the surface of the form before the The Chairman was quickly withdrawing both sheets of paper back to his shadowy side of the table.
The Chairman: ...You have both done your country a great service. It is for this reason that you two are truly...our finest agents.
[CG] End [CG]
Umeko: [distressed] …
Samira: [annoyed] ...Droid? What the hell is a "Droid"?
Yoshihiki: [worried] Android.
Mordecai: [confused] Hm?
Yoshihiki: It's short for Android.
...I…?
Soldier: You did sign the form, Seiko Hirayama.
How could I…?
Soldier: No one put a gun to your head and made you do it. You signed away your life as a human being…
No...I couldn't've…
Soldier: ...for a noble cause.
Umeko: [distressed] Noble...cause…?
Spy: Azuma's parents were assigned to find suitable test subjects for the first phase of the newly proposed Project Droid. Their son was quick to volunteer, and his girlfriend, of course...was easy to coax. It was for a noble cause, though maybe now you beg to differ. It would've seen the birth of the first ever fully functional Android secret agents, the newest and greatest in military technology that the world had to offer.
Samira: [annoyed] I'm sorry, I'm still lost. What the hell are we talking about here?
Tailor: Your friend...is a robot, darling. I know you're a bit slow, but please, do try and keep up...
Mordecai: [shocked] ...W-What?
Kenji: [laughing] That's right! Umeko's made of nothing more than nuts and bolts!
[Track: watch?v=i2mviMFkkcU]
I shook my head, slowly.
Umeko: [scared] ...This...has to be another elaborate l-lie…
Kenji: [laughing] Pfft! Always with the denial, denial, denial...when will you people learn that we're not in Egypt anymore? At this stage of the game, what would we still stand to gain from lying to you?
Umeko: [scared] No...no, I...I...can't...be a...I…
Tailor: [playful] It's the truth, hon. Just accept it. You're a robot - an Android. Your entire existence...is a lie; all your memories are just data transferred over from the real, human Seiko Hirayama. Your thoughts and feelings are nothing more than a bunch of code in your system! You're nothing but a hunk of synthetic plastic made to resemble a real human being!
Umeko: [traumatized] I'm...a robot?
My thoughts…?
These thoughts in my head…?
Is what I'm thinking right now...not real? Just...a program?
No...no, that...that can't be…
I...I'm real. I'm...I'm human. I...I have to be! I've got real thoughts, and real feelings and emotions like everyone else! I...I'm real! I'm real! I am! I am I am I am I am I AM I AM I AM I AM I-
Miyumi: [distressed] What the hell are you saying?! Y-You're seriously suggesting...th-that Umeko's a...a r…
Soldier: Not just a Robot…
Tinker: She's an Android! A marvellous robotic creation to make tinkerers and inventors and robotics experts the world over envious! The world's most lifelike robot, with a human consciousness transferred over from a real human, complete with the ability to process genuine human thoughts and emotions and function as any real human being would do.
Yoshihiki: [accusatory] This fucking prank has gone too far! You're mad...you can't be serious!
Tinker: They look exactly like humans! Talk like them, think like them, even eat and drink and poop and function just like we do! And yet, their insides are robotic, mechanical...their thoughts and emotions all simulated inside microchips installed in their skulls. But they're the perfect soldiers. They never fall ill, and can never be poisoned or drugged. And with communication devices directly installed inside them, they can be contacted and kept in communication with without the need for earpieces or other pesky equipment. With further research, we may even be able to eliminate the need for sleep or "recharging" entirely.
Spy: Azuma Takemoto and Seiko Hirayama were the first two test subjects to agree to participate in Project Droid. During their mission to Russia, Azuma Takemoto sustained life-threatening injuries that landed him in a comatose state from which it appeared he was unlikely to soon recover. The Board of Directors decided, as per the agreement he'd signed, that he would be made to undergo the Android-consciousness transferral operation. His memories and consciousness right before the moment he was injured, perfectly preserved, would be completely transferred into an Android body, designed as a perfect copy of his human form.
Mordecai: [shocked] Azuma...Azuma was a robot too?
[[flashback]]
Azuma: I'm a spy, and as part of my training, I've worked on building up a stronger immunity system than most civilians. If I did get injected...I probably wouldn't've known it.
Wakako: [shocked] Is that possible? So...you're saying you've been injected and you didn't even know it?
Azuma: My training regimen ensures I'm immune to most drugs, viruses and other toxic substances. They've never had any effect on me.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Umeko: [distressed] That's why Azuma was never affected by any of the drugs, or the Edenberry poison?
Tailor: You can't be affected by a drug in your bloodstream if you never had a bloodstream to begin with.
Umeko: [distressed] No...but I've seen Azuma bleed before. I bandaged his leg! I've seen ME bleed before!
I pulled up my pant leg to reveal the bandage on my leg.
Umeko: [angry] If this isn't blood, then what is it?
Tinker: Most likely, some sort of similarly red substance created to keep up the illusion of humanity. The best part of having an Android spy is that no one will ever know you're an Android until it's far, far too late.
Umeko: [angry] No...no, that's impossible!
Azuma and I…
We're...not...human?
We're...robots?
My four classmates' protests turned to white noise in the background as I clenched my fists, trying to wrap my head around what the Founders were saying, trying to fill in the blanks.
The voice in my head, the night Ichiro went up to the roof of the Store…
[[flashback]]
Mysterious Voice: [static]...wake up…[static]...go to…[static]...
...What? Who...who said that…?
Mysterious Voice: [static]...General…[static]...Store…[static]
[[flashback]]
There was a microphone on the desk by the screen, marked with a label.
For communication with Prototype-A only.
Misuse is strictly prohibited.
[[flashback]]
Recorder: This is Status Update #15. One of the test subjects attempted to take their own life today. Prototype-A was dispatched to prevent it. A suicide this mundane and early on in the fourth case would have thrown off the schedule.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Samira: [accusatory] Umeko. Tell me this is all a load of hogwash! Tell me it's all lies!
I didn't know how to respond as I stared back into Samira's angry gaze.
Umeko: [scared] I…
Samira: [angry] You? You're...a fucking robot? Ha...hahaha! Ahahaha! [distressed] That's...that's the most ludicrous thing I've heard so far!
Mordecai: [angry] I refuse to believe any of it without evidence. And Azuma, too! You mean to say he was an infernal machine as well?
Miyumi: [distressed] That's crazy! You people are out of your minds!
Yoshihiki: [distressed] Why...why would Azuma and Umeko ever have agreed to be part of such a project in the first place?
Samira: [angry] It's all baloney! I won't take any of this for the truth!
Kenji: [snide] You're only wasting your own time arguing this point, Samira...need I remind you we're still on a deadline here to find the identity of Sora the Shadow's killer?
Samira: [accusatory] I don't care about that! You can't just drop a bombshell like this on us and expect us to take you at your word, you lyin' sacks of crap!
Samira turned back to me, furious.
Samira: [angry] I won't believe any of it, Umeko!
Mordecai: [accusatory] Neither will I! This...is ludicrous!
Tailor: Oh, really? The man who believes in unicorns, dragons and fairies can't believe in the existence of a lifelike robot?
Tinker: It is sad that you consistently doubt us, so…
Samira: [angry] Shuddup! All of you, shut the fuck up! There's a load of pretty obvious inconsistencies here and it's proof that you're making this shit up. All of it!
I...want to believe my friends are right.
...But deep down, I know they're not.
[Track: watch?v=88RNU7oWrDE]
[Non-Stop Debate: Start]
Truth Bullets:
1. Edited Clips and Software
2. Bracelet Anomaly
3. Hallucinogen Anomaly
4. Status Updates
5. "Umeko's" File
6. Information on D-Project
Miyumi: [shocked] Umeko...a robot? It's...it's too unbelievable to be true!
Mordecai: [angry] Yeah! And there's too much unexplainable stuff that happened!
Tailor: Like what? What could possibly be the problem this time?
Samira: [angry] Why don't we start with the fact that Umeko's our FRIEND?
Samira: [angry] I didn't spend the last few weeks befriending a fucking robot with feelings and thoughts and emotions!
Tinker: That's the beauty of the Project Droid, I'm afraid…
Tinker: The Android can emulate human emotions perfectly. It registers these emotions as real…
Tinker: But they're all numbers and code inside her head.
Mordecai: [angry] But she's our friend...and Azuma too…
Mordecai: [accusatory] None of that was faked!
Miyumi: [distressed] A-And...you said Azuma was never affected by drugs or poison because he had no bloodstream, because he's an Android!
Miyumi: [worried] Well then...Umeko shouldn't have been affected either!
Yoshihiki: [shocked] Yeah...th-that's right! How can they both be Androids if Umeko was affected while Azuma wasn't?
Soldier: Have you already forgotten the little tags we left behind for you at every crime scene location?
Tinker: It is clearly labelled upon Umeko's bracelet…
Tinker: Her bracelet was an anomaly, just like Azuma's. Even if either of them were injected…
Tinker: They would not be affected by the psychotropic drugs the bracelets contained…
Tailor: Azuma only felt a bit under the weather because the drugs were corrupting his system. But his brain was mechanical, like the rest of him.
Tailor: It would never have been affected like the rest of yours were.
Yoshihiki: [sad] Then...what about the hallucinatory drugs in the Haunted House?
Yoshihiki: [distressed] They produced such horrifying...lifelike visions…
Mordecai: [accusatory] Exactly! And Umeko saw them too! Like the rest of us, she saw visions of Kenji, and Nagatomo, and the rest of the class who'd died!
Miyumi: [accusatory] That's right...and once again, only Azuma wasn't affected…
Tailor: Fuck, do you guys not know how to read? The hallucinogens that affected Umeko were an anomaly as well.
Soldier: Says right here...there would be no observable effect on either of the two Prototypes.
Samira: [accusatory] But then how do you explain the visions Umeko saw? Those visions were real to her!
Samira: [accusatory] If her brain is every bit as mechanical as you say it is, there's no way she could've hallucinated like the rest of us did.
Mordecai: [annoyed] There are far too many differences between how Umeko and Azuma were affected.
Mordecai: [accusatory] You cannot claim both are Androids when these discrepancies exist!
Kenji: [annoyed] Ugh…[sigh] how much longer are you morons going to keep this up…?
[Non-Stop Debate: End]
The psychotropic drugs in our bracelets…
And the hallucinatory drugs in the Haunted House…
It's true that Azuma's personality never changed after he was injected.
But I did have those hallucinations in the Haunted House…
So what's really true here?
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Answer: [Edited Clips and Software] - [were real]
Umeko: [worried] Yoshihiki...those voice clips we found on that computer. Every single one of them...they were the things I heard during my hallucinations.
[[flashback]]
Nagatomo: [snide] You can't escape the truth, Umeko...you can't run from it...you can't hide from it. You can't hide from me...I'll always be here to haunt you…
Eisuke: [snide] Because even now, I still don't believe she wasn't my partner! She totally has it in her to plan out a murder, from start to finish, and get away with it. Always so cool and calm and collected...that girl's dangerous! How Eizo managed to hook up with her, I'll never know…
Wakako: [playful] Still...that's quite the electrifying way to go out, wouldn't you say? If I had to get eliminated from the game, then I'm glad it was with style. A proper send-off for the Queen of Reality TV, wouldn't you say?
[[end: flashback :end]]
Yoshihiki: [shocked] No…
Soldier: We hacked your auditory and visual software with simulated hallucinations we'd prepared beforehand. Before we put you into the Killing Game, Tinker installed a microchip inside your head that allowed us to hack you remotely when needed.
I put my hand up to my forehead.
First the voice in my head...and now, even this?
What more else can they control?
Spy: Our agency was on the verge of a technological breakthrough. The creation of the nation's first Android spies would've been a massive advancement for our militant forces. Azuma and Seiko were always our agency's top agents. That's why they were approached first.
Umeko: [uncomfortable] Top agents? But Daisuke…
Spy: ...was elected as the SHSL Spy so the two of you could be part of the Project.
Soldier: Are you memories returning to you yet, Seiko Hirayama? I was afraid Tinker did too good a number on you when we had him wipe your memory banks clean.
Tinker: The memories she seeks so desperately are still within reach. She needs only to search deep enough within her own head…
Tailor: Oooh, I can see her thinking hard! She's really trying to recall the truth! Is it just at the edge of your fingertips, girl?
Memories, disjointed and blurred and indecipherable, began flashing in my mind's eye, all jumbled up and haphazardly cobbled together.
[[flashback]]
The Chairman: You have done your country a great service…
No…
[[flashback]]
Azuma: [worried] Are you sure you want to do this?
Stop it…
[[flashback]]
Naomi: [worried] I can't believe you two really signed it. Doesn't it frighten you?
We couldn't've…!
[[flashback]]
Daisuke: [shocked] That's incredible! You're actually going through with it?
Why…?
[[flashback]]
Iceman: [happy] Heh. I give you two credit, Seiko. That's not something you can go back on easily.
Why did we…?
[[flashback]]
Sora: [sad] My little sister...an Android? Heh. ...I can't even begin to imagine.
We...really...agreed to it.
I remembered all their faces now.
Each and every last one of them.
Daisuke, always chipper and cheerful and optimistic, there with a joke to crack and a smile to spread.
Naomi, his more serious counterpart, and a feline fanatic to boot.
Iceman, our communications expert back at base.
And even my brother, Sora…
How his face and voice, once so familiar to me because he was family...now returning to me like a faded memory…
All of them, reacting to me and Azuma's announcement to our participation in the D-Project in different ways…
But all with the same visible look of concern and uncertainty reflected in their eyes, all asking the same question.
How…? How...could we agree, to sign away our humanity…?
The Chairman: Your country needs you...Seiko Hirayama. ...Are you going to turn them away, now?
…
…
…
[[end: flashback :end]]
Umeko: [distressed] …
Yoshihiki: [sad] Umeko...it's true, isn't it? Your face...your face is black.
I'm…I'm a…
Mordecai: [angry] What? No! I...refuse to accept any of this!
Umeko: [distressed] It's...all coming back to me.
Miyumi: [scared] What is…? Your…?
Umeko: [distressed] My...memories. A-All...All of it…
For the longest time...all I wanted was to be able to remember my past...my identity, and my truth…
And now, I see it clearer than ever before, in all its entirety…
And it terrifies me.
[[flashback]]
[CG] On the Operating Table [CG]
Dr. Heelurr stood over me, a couple faceless, nameless nurses in tow beside him.
Umeko: Doctor…
Dr. Heelurr: Shh. Quiet. We're going to anaesthetize you, Ms. Hirayama. You have nothing to fear. It's a painless process.
Umeko: Will...Will it take long?
Dr. Heelurr: The transferral? ...No. We just need to facilitate the process so it goes as smoothly as possible.
I turned my head, and saw Azuma lying on the table next to mine, with his own trio of doctors and nurses standing over him, finishing up with their preliminary preparations.
His warm brown eyes met mine, and instantly settled my nerves.
Azuma: [happy] ...Hey.
Umeko: Heh. ...Hey.
Azuma: So...you uh...you come down here often?
Umeko: [giggling] Heehee...no. No, not usually.
Azuma: [sad] I can't believe...we're really going through with this. After this, there's...there's no turning back.
Umeko: …
Azuma: [disappointed] Leaving behind our flesh-and-blood vessels...for a life as controllable machinery. ...Fuck. What were we thinking?
Umeko: ...Azuma? Why...why did we go through with this?
Azuma sighed.
Azuma: [sad] I mean...just imagine all the horrible, awful things that could go awry.
Umeko: U-Uh...what? [laughs] That's...er...that's not really doing a whole lot to calm me down, Azu…
Azuma: [sad] I mean...just think of what we're giving up by going through this process. We're signing away control of our flesh-and-blood bodies...to become machines. Machines with nuts and bolts and components, machines that could be controlled or manipulated by those in power...machines that might not have free will.
Free will…
Umeko: ...That's why you had no choice but to kill Ichiro. ...You were forced to do it.
Azuma: [sad] And you, Seiko...you don't even have to do this. The contract states that only participants who are gravely wounded or in life-threatening states will be selected for the operation. I was injured. You were not. You could stay human, you know. You didn't have to do this for me. ...You didn't have to do this with me.
It was then that I remembered Azuma should've been unconscious for this operation.
This...this is no memory. This is a dream!
Umeko: Azuma…
Azuma: [sad] What if I forget you entirely upon waking up, Seiko? I could forget your name...your face...our relationship. ...I could forget about it all.
I frantically turned back to face Dr. Heelurr and was met, instead, with another familiar face with shrewd eyes and a hawklike gaze.
Nagatomo: [snide] Well, well...what have we here?
His cold hands closing around my throat was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.
[CG] End [CG]
[[end: flashback :end]]
Umeko: You sent Nagatomo...you were the ones who sent Nagatomo to kidnap me after my operation!
Tinker: The one thing he stole, and never returned...all for the sake of his own little sister.
Tailor: Fuck...how many times did he spout that nonsense about his moral code and ish? Seriously...
Umeko: [distressed] Th-The thing that Nagatomo broke his moral code for...the thing he stole and never returned. It was...me…?
Soldier: We gave the SHSL Thief a simple order. Infiltrate the agency, and make off with one of the two Android prototypes…
Spy: ...Or he'd never see his sister alive again.
That's how Nagatomo knew me…
He knew I was an Android...the entire time, he'd known I wasn't human.
Spy: Spy provided him with enough intel required to break in and make off undiscovered...not that it was needed. The SHSL Thief lived up to his name, and his renowned skills as a master thief and cat burglar. Immediately after the operation, one of the two Android prototypes was found missing from the facility. The only proof the agency could find of the thief's identity was a brief picture taken of him on the surveillance cameras outside.
The picture of Nagatomo Monokuma had in his Headquarters…
That must've been taken of him outside the agency…
Umeko: [distressed] And Azuma's memory…?
[[flashback]]
Azuma: [sad] What if I forget you entirely upon waking up, Seiko? I could forget your name...your face...our relationship. ...I could forget about it all.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Spy: The operation was not entirely successful. Not all memories were transferred in their entirety. When Azuma Takemoto regained consciousness following the consciousness transferral process, he had ceased to recall any memories relating to his girlfriend...one Seiko Hirayama.
Azuma...forgot about me.
Spy: Nevertheless, even with his memory in shambles, he still agreed to join the search for you once he was informed of your disappearance. And that brings us to today…
Samira: [annoyed] This is...all making my head hurt. I still can't wrap my head around any of this…
Mordecai: [worried] You...mentioned a mission...in Russia?
The mission…
I remembered more gunshots, the sound of explosions and the sensation of dust billowing down the street and into my eyes.
Umeko: [distressed] Our mission...was a trap. The enemies knew we were coming long before we actually arrived.
Soldier: Your mission was a hoodwink from the start, Ms. Hirayama.
What?
Spy: ...The Board of Directors wanted Project Droid to commence immediately. Signing the contract and agreeing to its terms and conditions were merely a formality to be carried out. But the operation was always in the works. And since the clause stated the Project could only proceed in the case of one or both of the participants sustaining grievous injuries…
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Holy fuck...you set them up?
Spy: …
Miyumi: [annoyed] Wh-What kind of people are you? You sent your two best agents into a rigged mission...so you could turn them into your own little mechanical toys?
Spy: Not toys. Weapons. Weapons that could be activated from anywhere around the world, and be forced to obey whatever order they were given.
[[flashback]]
Azuma: [distressed] I didn't have a choice. They ordered me to do it!
Miyumi: [in tears] How could you not have a choice? You could have told us! We could have tried to help you!
Azuma: [sad] No, you don't understand. I can't disobey them. I physically can't disobey an order from my commanders. I did what I was ordered to do. Don't you get it? Nothing's going to change that fact. ...I killed Ichiro. An innocent person's life is gone because of me.
[[end: flashback :end]]
I felt sick to my stomach.
Yoshihiki: [angry] Azuma didn't kill Ichiro...you bastards made him do it!
Tailor: Us? No...the four of us had no hand in what Azuma Takemoto did or didn't do. Remember...it was Seiko and Azuma's precious agency that turned them both into mindless machines, and forced Azuma to do their bidding. In their effort to retrieve both their Android agents out of the Killing Game, they were willing to sacrifice the whole lot of you for their own personal gain…
Tinker: This is true.
Tailor: Hah! Your own beloved agency did that, Seiko. ...Still think we're the villains and they're the good guys?
Miyumi: [accusatory] You're all awful, how about that?
Umeko: [distressed] …
Samira: [worried] But...why did you kidnap Ume...why did you kidnap the Android of Seiko to begin with? What did you want with her?
Soldier: I thought it was obvious. Haven't we already stated as much?
Tinker: These Android agents would've been amazing feats of technology. Had the agency had full control over them, there's no telling the damage they could've done to combat international terrorism and the forces of the Copycats of Despair all over the country. ...We needed to put an end to that.
Soldier: Spy provided us every last little detail of the Project.
Spy: True to our name, it took very little time before the Copycats of Despair decided to...copy the works of Project Droid.
Tailor: We attempted to fashion up our own little pet Android that would do our bidding!
Tinker: Yet even with Tailor's and my skills combined...while we were able to create an Android lifelike enough to resemble another human being…
Soldier: ...He turned out a failure.
He?
Kenji: [excited] And that's my cue to come in! You wanted to know who was the copycat cadaver of myself you found on the Rec Room floor? What you guys saw was my own personal copycat Android...the first and only Android prototype the Copycats of Despair were able to create.
[CG] Copycat "Kenji" [CG]
The silhouettes of Tinker and Tailor sat in a mechanical shop, with a lookalike of Kenji sitting in a chair between them, and the real Kenji standing behind them, watching as Tinker attached a set of wires in a panel on the Android Kenji's forearm.
Tinker: That should be the last of the installations.
Tailor: The stupid thing still won't work, though! Look! Kenji, say something.
Kenji: Yeah?
Tailor: Not you, boy. I meant the Android.
Copycat "Kenji": [whirr] … [static] H-H-H-H-Hell-l-l-l-l-l-l-l...Hell...o...m-m-m-m-m-my n-n-n-n-n-name name name name- [beep] [beep] [whirr] …
Tailor: Ugh! Stupid thing. After all the work I put in to pretty him up to look exactly like you, too, and the dumb machine still malfunctions! Thanks a lot, Tinker.
Tinker: How is this my fault?
Tailor: Well, duh! Mechanical expertise is your forte. I just handle his outer appearance.
Tinker: It's hopeless. Whatever technology the agency has far surpasses ours, even with the intel Spy procured for us. ...Our only hope of recreating their work is if...is if we had an Android of theirs of our own that we could study.
[CG] End [CG]
Kenji: [masked] Copycat "Kenji" was a bust, but…[playful] his defective, Android "corpse" was a convincing enough doppelgänger to fake my death with.
Tinker: It was quite the disappointment. We had great plans in mind for our own personal Android puppet.
Miyumi: [worried] … [as Ms. Shortcake] ...What were you going to do with him?
Tailor: We were going to use that Android as our personal puppet within the Killing Game! He would've been used to help us perfect the Killing Game formula.
Spy: It would've been the perfect way to be a participant in the Killing Game while not really risking our own lives in the process. We could interact with the other participants, participate in Class Trials and examine the effect of the Killing Game up close and personal. But, with the failure of our own Android…
Soldier: We decided we needed to steal one of our own, and implant the Artificial Intelligence module we'd developed into her mainframe.
Umeko: [worried] Artificial Intelligence?
Soldier: Tinker developed a formula that would help us create the Perfect Killing Game. In order to do that, we wanted to create a character that would have the potential to solve every crime committed.
Kenji: [snide] Our own SHSL Detective.
[[flashback]]
Subject: Seiko Hirayama
Height: 166 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Birthday: 8 December
Background Information: Prototype was stolen from enemy headquarters with outside help. Memory banks and functions were successfully wiped clean. -DAI- has been uploaded for Phase One of experimentation.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Miyumi: [worried] What's...DAI?
Tinker: My very own .Intelligence. I designed it with the intention of creating an AI so advanced, it would be able to solve any crime, no matter how tough or unorthodox, and generate the possibility of replicating these crimes or perfecting them on an unsolvable scale. With the data we'd gather from the results of the DAI's performance on the field, we would continue to tweak and alter the DAI and use the research to create the ideal Killing Game environment.
Soldier: One of our fellow Copycats, an ex-SHSL Detective, graciously offered to allow us to experiment on her to extract enough raw data with which we used to create the framework for the DAI. Of course, with our Android version of Kenji unusable…we had to implant the DAI into a different prototype.
...No…
Soldier: News got out to the agency that we'd kidnapped their precious prototype and were planning to use her to test our newly coded DAI. We knew it was only a matter of time until their agents found us. But thankfully, only Azuma and Sora were successful, and they were foolish enough to think they could extract the stolen prototype without backup. ...They failed. And we had enough time to obscure our location once more.
Samira: [distressed] …
Miyumi: [uncomfortable] …
Tailor: Oh…? Why so speechless now? You all had loads to say before…
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] ...
Mordecai: [uncomfortable] It's...just too much. This is all...insane. Umeko...can't be a robot, or Android, or w-whatever you call her. She...she just can't! She's...she's human! She has to be!
Kenji: [snide] She's not even "Umeko" to begin with, Mouldecai. That's just the name the Founders gave her after they successfully installed the DAI in her system and reactivated her.
Miyumi: [uncomfortable] But it's...it's sick! Umeko's...she's a person. Sh-She's...she's our friend! She's not some unfeeling robot, bound to her superiors' orders and lines of code.
Kenji: [snide] You really think you know every little detail and truth about someone, no matter how much time you spend with them? Even your own parents will have little secrets they keep from you. You could spend your entire life with someone and still not know all there is to know about them. What makes you think you know everything about her, a girl you've only met a couple months ago? What makes you so sure she hasn't even been following our instructions and directions this entire time?
Yoshihiki: [distressed] That's impossible. You're lying! You're full of crap.
Samira: [accusatory] She's flesh-and-blood, no matter what you tell us! She's our friend! You're...you can't tell me the person we got to know over all these weeks, was...was a lie. You...y-you can't!
Kenji: [masked] Oho. Maybe...this will change your mind?
Kenji produced a remote control from within his jacket, and pointed it at the screen. There was a flash of static as he pressed a couple buttons, and then a clip began to play for us all.
[Track: watch?v=l_bLcY6c3os&t=]
[CG] Locked Up [CG]
It was us.
Fourteen familiar faces, staring out of the screen from behind the bars of a large prison cell.
Faces among them that I never thought I'd see again.
Taro: [scared] Wh-Where are we? Wh-Why have we been locked up in here?
Eizo: [distressed] C-Calm down. I'm trying to think…
Fukumi: [annoyed] Now's not the time for thinking, now's the time for action! We gotta bust outta here!
Wakako: [distressed] Come on, Eizo, what the fuck! You're supposed to be the SHSL Commander, right? Can't you get us out of here?
Hanako: [annoyed] Stop whining. Eizo's not a miracle worker. Besides, it's obvious what's happened here.
Taro: [scared] Wh-What?
Ichiro: [annoyed] ...We've all been kidnapped.
Miyumi: [distressed] Kyah! [as Ms. Shortcake] N-No! Not a kidnapping!
Shizuko: [distressed] What? You're kidding, right? You're joking!
Ichiro: [annoyed] Does it look like anyone's laughing?
Wakako: [worried] This isn't another one of your stupid pranks, is it, Yoshihiki?
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] Look, even I wouldn't go this far for a prank. Besides, I'm stuck in here with you!
Mordecai: [angry] How diabolical! What villainy is behind this, then?
Eizo: [thoughtful] I don't know, but whoever kidnapped us seems to have captured our whole class, except…except for Kenji...and-
Samira: [angry] Damn it! I can't break the stupid lock open!
Samira had been fiddling with the lock to the cell. She now lashed a foot out and kicked the door in fury, eliciting a startled yelp from Miyumi.
Taro: [scared] H-How are we g-g-g-gonna get out of here?
Kaori: [worried] ...Can't Nagatomo pick the lock?
Wakako: [annoyed] Yeah! Aren't you some, like, master thief or something, Naga? Well…? This is your chance to shine.
Nagatomo, who'd been leaning against one of the walls in the darkness, sighed, raising a gloved hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Nagatomo: [annoyed] That lock is electronically sealing the door shut.
Fukumi: [disappointed] So you can't break it open? Phooey. I thought you were the SHSL Thief for a reason! Breaking and entering is your forte, right? Why can't you "break and exit"?
Nagatomo: I need my tools with me. As of now, I have been stripped of everything I require to make an exit. And even if I did have the items I desired...something tells me we wouldn't make it far anyway.
Eizo: [worried] The hell is that supposed to mean…? You know something we don't?
Shizuko: [annoyed] Even in a life-or-death scenario, you remain stubbornly cryptic. Geez...I swear, you're going to die as cryptically as you lived, one day.
Taro: [nervous] C-Can we not t-t-talk about d-death while we're tr-trapped in here...pl-please?
Miyumi: [as Dr. Creeper] On the contrary...this seems like the perfect time...
Samira: [angry] This is bullshit! Whoever did this is gonna pay!
Shizuko: [annoyed] Exactly! Like, I'm a CELEBRITY, okay? You don't just kidnap a celebrity as big as me, and like, get away with it. There are gonna be CONSEQUENCES. I may not be acting as much anymore, but I'm still a big deal in Hollywood!
Wakako: [distressed] Girl, you said it. I'm due for a new season of Manor Queen next month. I can't afford to miss it! I already made the announcement on all my social media to hype up the public!
Ichiro: [annoyed] Who the hell cares about your dumb reality show at a time like this?
Hanako: For once...maybe it'll actually be helpful.
Ichiro: [annoyed] Seriously?
Hanako: Yeah. Believe it or not, Shizuko's reputation as a celebrity and Wakako's as a psuedo-celebrity-
Wakako: [accusatory] Ps-Psuedo-celebrity? Wh-What the fuck, Hanako? I'm just as much of a celebrity as-
Hanako: -could actually help us get out of here sooner. There's no beating around the bush. A bunch of us here have big reputations. It wouldn't be easy to keep our absences a secret. That must mean people will have already started looking for us.
Samira: [annoyed] They fucking better! And for our kidnappers' sake, they better get to them before I do. Because once I lay my hands on the person or people who did this to us, I'mma rip them limb from limb, and shove each limb down their pathetic throats!
Kaori: ...You might just get your chance.
Taro: [distressed] W-W-W-What does th-that mean? I...I d-d-don't wanna see S-Samira rip someone l-l-l-limb from l-l-limb!
Kaori pointed over Taro's shoulder, to where a door had opened in the shadows at the end of the room, and a person came walking in.
Whoever it was said nothing as they walked to a table at the far wall, and began rifling through a stack of papers atop it, keeping their back to the cell where the other students had gathered.
Shizuko: [angry] Hey! Hey, you!
Unknown Girl: …
Shizuko: [angry] Hey, I'm talking to you!
Fukumi: [bored] Hellooo? Can you hear us?
Eizo: [annoyed] Who are you? What do you want with us?
Unknown Girl: …
The figure in the shadows continued their work.
Shizuko: [angry] Hey, are you deaf? Come on!
Taro: [scared] Oh n-n-n-n-no! This is exactly l-l-like one of my h-h-horror mangas! When she t-t-turns around, her f-f-f-face is gonna be all m-m-m-m-messed up like a m-m-m-monsters! That's the o-only r-r-r-reason why sh-she's leaving us in s-s-suspense like this!
Miyumi: [scared] Eek! [as Ms. Shortcake] How t-terrifying!
Fukumi: [shocked] Whoa, really? That...sounds wicked cool! I've never met a monster girl in real life before!
Hanako: [disappointed] I think it's safe to say none of us have.
Mordecai: Well, actually-
Wakako: [annoyed] No, Mordecai. Don't "Well, actually" us. Your inane stories don't count.
Mordecai: [annoyed] Hmph. But it's true!
Samira: [annoyed] You guys are not helping...
Shizuko: [accusatory] I am a very busy woman, okay? I've got three new movies in the works and I'm dying to get back to directing. You better let us out, or I swear that I will get your #Cancelled party trending all over Twitter for the next five weeks!
Umeko: [annoyed] Be quiet.
My heart crawled down into my stomach, and I felt it churning as I watched the figure step into the light…
...as I stared up into my own face, and my own two eyes…
...like watching someone else controlling my body…
Umeko: [in the present] What's...going on…?
Samira: [in the present] Isn't that...you, Umeko?
Umeko: [in the present] N-No, that's not...that's impossible! That...that can't be…
Yoshihiki: [in the present] What the hell…?
Miyumi: [in the present] U-U-Umeko...what is this? Why are you...who's that on the screen?
Monokuma: [in the present] It's like I said: that's Umeko!
Mordecai: [in the present] Enough with the lying and trickery and deceit already! That...that...person...on the screen...how can that be Umeko?
But it was.
And I knew it was the truth, in all its glorious ugliness.
Me…
That's...me…
Eizo: [annoyed] You...who are you?
Taro: [in tears] P-Please, let us out!
Miyumi: [scared] Wh-Why are you doing this to us? Wh-Where are we?
I felt sick to my stomach as I watched myself on the screen, flashing my fourteen "classmates" a twisted smile.
Umeko: [playful] Shh. You'll find out soon enough. The Game's about to begin...
Mordecai: [shocked] Game? What game?
Fukumi: [disappointed] I love games, but this is going a bit too far...
Shizuko: [accusatory] Do you know who I am? You messed with the wrong celebrity, girlie. When I get out of here, my legion of fans is going to rip you to shreds!
Umeko: [playful] Ooh, how frightful. I'm shaking in my boots.
Hanako: [annoyed] ...What is it you want? Why have you taken us?
Umeko: That's none of your business.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Uh...I think it is our business! You kidnapped us! What the hell?
Wakako: [distressed] Do you want money? Is that what you want? I...I fetch a high ransom, right? I'm...I'm not just some "psuedo"-celebrity, right?
Ichiro: [annoyed] Wakako, I swear to-
I noticed Nagatomo's eyes following me as I moved past their cell.
Nagatomo: [annoyed] …
He said nothing.
Kaori: [sad] Buddy!
The version of me on screen was now bending over a covered cage next to the cell, and lifting the blanket over it to reveal Buddy inside. Upon hearing his owner call out to him, Buddy perked up and barked from inside, tail wagging excitedly at the sight of Kaori.
Kaori ran to the side of the cell closest to his cage and stretched her hand out through the bars, for all the good it did.
Kaori: [sad] Pl-Please! Please...don't hurt him.
Umeko: [playful] Aww, hurt this adorable little pup? No...I think he misses his master.
Kaori: [angry] You...you give him back to me! Step away from him!
Eizo: [worried] Kaori, calm down-
Umeko: If you want your dumb dog so badly, you can have him, all in due time. But I would think you've all got bigger things to worry about.
Wakako: [annoyed] Yeah, seriously, Kaori, what the fuck. Haven't you noticed we've been kidnapped? Now's not the time to be worrying about your dumb dog when we've got bigger issues!
Ichiro: [annoyed] Weren't you the one who was just stressing out over a dumb TV show…?
Samira: [angry] Girlie, I swear...you're going to regret this. You and everyone that you work for! I'll make you pay for this!
Umeko: ...Will you?
Samira: [angry] I'll snap your arm like a twig if I have to. I won't rest until I do!
Umeko: [playful] ...Good. Sleep tight, everyone.
Eizo: [shocked] What are you-
"I" stepped to a lever in the wall, and pulled it down.
Green gas began billowing into the room from air ducts installed in the ceiling. People began coughing and choking, and Buddy let out a doleful howl that matched Kaori's longing wail as the smoke engulfed them all.
Both I and the version of me in the clip watched as, one by one, everyone started dropping like flies. And at last, when the smoke cleared…
Everyone was asleep. Buddy, too.
And there I stood, the only one unaffected by the knockout gas that was now rushing through everyone else's systems.
Umeko: [crazed] ...Let the Game begin.
…
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...
[CG] End [CG]
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…
…
Monokuma: …[giggling] Pu.
I couldn't look anyone in the eye. I could feel Miyumi's frightful stare from the side...I could sense Mordecai's piercing gaze…
But I couldn't lift my head to look back.
Monokuma: [giggling] Pu...pu...pu. Pupupu...pupupupupu…[laughing] ahahahahahahaha!
...I…
...I...did that.
Monokuma: [laughing] The bold, respected Umeko Hirayama...in cahoots with the Copycats of Despair from the very START! Such beautiful DESPAIR! Even your daring, Sherlockian efforts to crack each and every case that has come your way, to protect your precious classmates...all still in line with our diabolical plan to gather data and make the DAI experiment a smashing success!
Umeko: [traumatized] …
I...did that...to them?
My "classmates"...my friends…?
No...no, it's the DAI. Whatever AI they put into my head...that was her! That wasn't me!
...
But it was me before the Game began.
It was me before I had my memory banks wiped.
It was still me.
I forced my head up, the edge of my vision blurring.
I...I feel sick…
No...how can I feel sick? I'm...I'm not even human...I…
All around me, the others' faces were white with fear and apprehension.
Miyumi: [sad] ...Umeko...you...you did that to us…?
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] I...thought you were our friend…
Mordecai: [distressed] ...How…?
Samira was clutching her sides, shaking as she kept her face down and aimed at her podium.
Samira said she'd snap my arm like a twig.
Kenji: [snide] Believe me now? Before we reset Umeko's memory for the Killing Game, the DAI we stuck inside her head was programmed to be loyal to us. She obeyed our every order just as the Android version of Azuma was bound to his superiors' instructions, even to the point he'd commit murder at their behest. She's worked for us since Nagatomo procured her for the Copycats, and was every bit as complicit in gathering you all here for the Killing Game as I was.
Miyumi: [in tears] No...no, it's not true...Umeko wouldn't do that...Umeko couldn't…
Yoshihiki: [angry] …
Monokuma: [giggling] All your big talk about sticking together and fighting back against despair, all the righteous hatred and vitriol you've directed towards me, Umeko...and yet you've been my biggest asset thus far...
Even the cases I'd solved…
Even when I thought I was beating the mastermind by surviving Trial after Trial, and not giving in…
I was only furthering their experiment. Giving them more research and more data to create more idealized Killing Games with which they would continue to torment future prisoners.
Everything I've done, everything everyone else has done...all to further their schemes.
Everything.
It was all...pointless.
...We should've all just failed the first Trial. We should've all died, right then and there.
It would've been less painful.
Nagatomo would've been reunited with his sister.
The rest of us wouldn't have had to suffer.
...Sans the five of us, everyone else would've died anyway.
Monokuma: It almost feels pointless to ask now, but...I have to ask aaanyway! ...Does anyone have any idea who might've killed poor Sora "the Shadow" Hirayama?
…
…
…
Monokuma: [confused] No? Nonsense. [excited] You just need to speak up and make your voice heard!
[Track: watch?v=CBJtTEAxy6o&t=]
[Non-Stop Debate: Start]
Truth Bullets:
1. DESPAIR
2. DESPAIR
3. DESPAIR
4. DESPAIR
5. DESPAIR
Monokuma: This is just a formality, buuut...I have to ask!
Monokuma: [excited] So! Which one of you lot is the killer who killed Sora the Shadow?
Monokuma: Could it be...the rambunctious rebel, Samira St. Clair? She's already tried to kill once!
Monokuma: Or the petulant prankster Yoshihiki Kawamura? He's tried to kill too!
Monokuma: Maybe the sweet, innocent Miyumi Ishibashi isn't so innocent after all…
Monokuma: Or perhaps the nutter Mordecai Fisher really did snap?
Monokuma: Or maybe...it's you yourself, Umeko Hirayama. Wouldn't that just be grand?
Monokuma: [giggling] So! ...Which one of you did it, Umeko? Tell us. Go on. Tell us…
Monokuma: [laughing] It's time for one last SOLVE!
Monokuma: [laughing] Who's the blackened that killed Sora the Shadow?
[Non-Stop Debate: End]
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...
...
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...
Answer: [ERRORERROR] - [Umeko Hirayama]
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…
…
[[flashback]]
[CG] Two Spies, Cornered [CG]
Azuma was frantically scribbling on the walls by the Village gates.
Azuma: [distressed] Find Seiko...you have to find-
A soldier caught up to him and slammed the butt of his gun into the back of his head, as more arrived and swarmed him, pinning him to the floor.
In the background, others were storming the church.
Inside, Sora was scrabbling on his back up against the wall, pressing one hand to the bullet wounds in his stomach, grimacing in pain with each torturous movement.
Sora: [distressed] Ngh…
He stared up at the soldier in the front of the pack, who hefted a gun in their hands and aimed it at his head.
Sora: [choking] You have...to wake...up...
The soldier cocked their head to the side, menacingly silent.
Sora: [sad] ...Sister...I'm sorry…
The gun in their hands went off.
Sora went limp.
A couple beats passed, as the soldier lowered the gun with an air of finality, and pulled their mask and helmet off, tendrils of fog exhaling out of their mouth and curling up into the frigid wintry air.
Umeko: …
Face completely devoid of emotion, I turned away from the body of my brother.
Inner Voice: [static] Come in, Prototype-A. Is the situation taken care of?
Umeko: Affirmative. The team has secured one of the agents, as instructed.
Inner Voice: Excellent. Take him downstairs. We'll prep him before the game starts. And you, too...you need to get ready. Head down to the Cells and make sure the rest of our cast hasn't gotten loose either.
Umeko: Affirmative.
Inner Voice: And Prototype?
Umeko: ...Yes?
Inner Voice: ...We all can't wait to watch you, and see what you do. The hopes of the Copycats...are riding on your shoulders. ...You're going to do us all proud.
[CG] End [CG]
[[end: flashback :end]]
…
…
…
Umeko: [in tears] …
I was crying.
Can robots cry? I guess...now I know the answer.
"The most lifelike robot ever created"...huh.
So lifelike, I didn't even know it.
...I had to hand it to them. The scientists and inventors in my agency's employ…
They did a fucking good job.
Kenji: [playful] Umeko Hirayama...the blackened behind the death of her own brother, Sora the "Shadow" Hirayama. ...And at last, my friends...the thrilling conclusion, as the truth is laid bare for all to see.
Samira: [in tears] …
Miyumi: [sad] …
Mordecai: [sad] …
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] …
Miyumi: [sad] ...So...what happens now?
Tailor: ...Oh. Yeah, what does happen now?
The Four Founders appeared to look at each other on their individual screens, almost as if asking one another how best to proceed.
Tinker: To be honest...I wasn't sure we'd ever get this far, when we first embarked on this project. It was ambitious for sure, but...I always feared there'd be a hiccup along the way that would derail the whole thing. A malfunction with either the prototype body, or the DAI...maybe the agency really would manage to find you in time...or somehow, someone decides to plot the murder of one of the two prototypes in an early chapter...any manner of things could've happened to completely ruin the Killing Game. But fortunately enough...that wasn't the case.
Soldier: ...You've all been exceptional to witness. I can't thank you all enough for the exemplary performance you've provided us.
Tailor: The deal was that if you named the blackened who killed Sora Hirayama, you'd earn your freedom. I'd say they've fought hard enough, wouldn't you?
Soldier: ...Perhaps.
Tinker: Yes, but there is just...one last thing we need to get to.
Spy: ...The execution.
Mordecai: [shocked] Exe...cution…?
Soldier: Indeed.
Miyumi began breathing heavily, eyes darting back and forth.
Miyumi: [scared] I…
Soldier: ...Our Killing Game has always ended each Class Trial with a vote. And tonight shall be no different. To you, my four spotless participants, who have suffered through so much of an ordeal to get to this late stage of the game...I give you one final choice to decide your freedom, and your fates.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] ...What damn choice?
Soldier: Today, we stand here with not five, but rather, six participants of the Killing Game all gathered in the Trial Room, alive and well.
My eyes met Kenji's.
Kenji: [playful] …
Soldier: My choice to you is this. Knowing now what you do about Umeko Hirayama, her betrayal, and her crime...I present to you two options. Vote her as the final blackened of the Killing Game, and you will all be set free. You will be immediately released from the Killing Game and may leave at once. Your lives will be spared.
Mordecai: [annoyed] ...And what's the other option?
Soldier: Vote for Kenji. Vote for the man who has been lying to you from the start...just like she has. Whichever person you pick, we will execute at once. We already have one lined up for each of them. But should you choose to execute Kenji, and thus fail to vote for the true blackened behind Sora's murder...and you will never leave this place alive. You will remain here, in the Village of Despair, for the rest of your lives, no matter how long or how short. You will never escape. There will be no more motives, no more games to be played. Not even the cameras will continue watching. You will simply live out the rest of your lives here...for as long as you live. You can continue to try and escape. You can continue to call for help, or even call out for us, for Monokuma. But we will leave you be in your solitude for eternity, and never bother you again.
Yoshihiki: [distressed] …
Mordecai: [worried] …
Miyumi: [uncomfortable] …
Samira: [distressed] …
Soldier: This is the last decision, and the last vote, you will be making as a class in the Killing Game. Protect the friend who lied to you all, and brought you all here, and remain prisoners of this Village until the end of time...or spare another friend who also lied to you all, but regain your freedom and leave this Village forever? The choice...is yours.
Umeko: [sad] ...
Monokuma: [giggling] So, ya bastards...what'll it be? Vote for Umeko as the blackened who killed Sora Hirayama, and go free? Or...vote for Kenji to be executed, and be imprisoned with the traitorous robot...FOREVER? You've all been clamoring for a chance to escape for so long...now's your final chance. All you have to do...is vote. Think about your families, your friends...the people you've left behind...the people who died so you ungrateful lot could get this far…
Samira: [sad] …
Mordecai: [sad] …
Miyumi: [sad] …
Yoshihiki: [sad] …
Monokuma: [giggling] Are you really going to simply...throw it all away, right now...so close to the end?
…
…
...
I'm a robot...an Android…
Nothing more than a machine, made up of nuts and bolts…
A creation manufactured and experimented on by both my agency and the Copycats of Despair…
A plaything for them both to toy with…
And this...this whole entire Killing Game.
I was a part of it. I'm part of the reason they're here.
Thirteen innocent people, forced to play into this madness.
...They don't deserve this...any of this!
They didn't deserve to be forced into this...this torture. To kill or be killed or to watch their friends and loved ones in jeopardy. To know that, unwilling or otherwise, that I had a hand in making all this happen…
Can I...really live with myself, knowing that? Having their fates on my conscience?
...As a secret agent, it's my duty to protect the public.
...to protect my friends.
I don't know what to do anymore.
Azuma...what's the right thing to do?
1. [Sacrifice yourself to save the four remaining Survivors]
2. [Campaign against Kenji for the final Punishment]
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…
Answer: 1. [Sacrifice yourself to save the four remaining Survivors]
[Track: watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg]
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…
Deep down…
I think I knew, that given the choice…
I would throw my life away...if it meant making things right.
Azuma: [sad] Umeko…
Azuma stood before me, the rest of the room falling away into darkness and gloom.
His eyes shared the same pain that I felt.
Umeko: This is what you meant...wasn't it?
Azuma: [sad] …
Umeko: A truth I needed to discover on my own.
Azuma: [sad] Are you sure you want to go through with this?
Umeko: …
Azuma: [sad] You don't have to do this.
Umeko: …
Azuma: [sad] Don't do this.
...But I do.
This is what I have to do.
…
…
…
Umeko: [in tears] ...Heh.
All eyes swivelled to me as I pressed a hand to my chest and laughed in spite of my tears.
Umeko: [happy] Guys...it's okay.
Mordecai: [worried] What...are you talking about?
Umeko: [happy] ...This is my fault. I'm the reason you're all even here. ...This is my chance to make things right.
Miyumi: [sad] Umeko...what are you saying?
Umeko: [happy] You know what I'm saying. Let me fix this. Let me right the wrong that I helped do to you all. If I can save you four...if I can undo even some of the damage and pain that I've helped to create, then...it's worth it.
Yoshihiki: [shocked] ...You want us...to vote for you.
Umeko: [in tears] Please…[accusatory] Please vote for me! Please...let me save you. Let me save your lives! Let me do this one last thing for you all…
Samira: [in tears] ...Fuck...goddamnit, Umeko…
Mordecai: [sad] ...Why? Why would you help us? [accusatory] Aren't you...just a machine?
Umeko: [happy] I don't know what I am anymore. All I know is...I want to do the right thing. You all don't deserve this...any of this! You deserve to live. You deserve to go back home to your families, to your friends...you deserve to be free again. You don't deserve to suffer, here, with me…
Samira: [sad] …
Umeko: [happy] Samira...Katsuo's waiting for you. I'll bet he misses you, a lot.
Samira: [in tears] Shut up, Umeko…
Umeko: [happy] And Mordecai...your people back home...when you return, this time, you'll really have an insane story to tell them all...and it's going to be every bit as truthful as it is adventurous.
Mordecai: [worried] …
Umeko: [happy] Miyumi...you'll leave this place a stronger person than when you came in. Your parents must miss you so, so much…
Miyumi: [in tears] …*sob*
Umeko: [happy] And Yoshihiki...you may not have a lot of love for your family...but you're leaving this place with a new one.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] … [sad] …
Umeko: [in tears] So please...vote for me, everyone. Vote for me, and let's…aha...[happy] let's end this Killing Game, once...and for all.
…
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…
[[TRIAL: END]]
Voting...UMEKO HIRAYAMA...Guilty!
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…
…
Monokuma: [giggling] Pu...pupupupu...pupupupupupupupu! Aaaaand BINGO! Even in the throes of despair, it appears your detective skills never rust, because CONGRATULATIONS! The mechanical manipulator behind the demise of Sora Hirayama was indeed his swindler of a sister, one "Seiko" Hirayama, the SHSL Detective!
This...is it.
It's...the end.
I'm...going to die.
I'm going to be executed...for a murder I don't even remember committing.
I could barely see through my tears anymore, but I felt it when a pair of shaking arms wrapped around me and pulled me close to their owner.
Miyumi: [in tears] I'm sorry, Umeko…*sob* I'm so sorry…
Umeko: Don't be. This...this is what I want. It's my way...of making this right.
Miyumi: [in tears] *sob*...this isn't fair…
Umeko: Hey...haven't we always talked about how much we wanted to get out of here? ...You can all finally do it. You're...all finally about to go free. What we've talked about and thought of for so long...it's finally going to happen. And I'm happy...happy that I could do this for you.
Samira: [sad] Umeko…
Yoshihiki: [in tears] Dammit...robot or not, I...I don't want you to go…
Mordecai: [sad] …
More pairs of hands enveloped me, and I felt the presence of my friends surround me.
Knowing that, even despite my betrayal…
...even despite the part I'd played in bringing them all here…
I wasn't alone.
We stayed like that for a good few seconds, not talking or speaking a word to one another, until at last…
Monokuma: [angry] Alright, break it up already! Geez...touchy-feely stuff always feels so gross to watch…
Kenji was slicking his hair back, hopping up to sit atop his podium, looking almost bored now.
Kenji: [bored] What an interesting turn of events. Honestly, Umeko? You never fail to surprise me. At each and every turn, your choices, your decisions...and your actions...they intrigue me. I can never predict what you'll do next. [playful] ...But you always find a way to keep things interesting. I respect that.
Umeko: I didn't do this for you.
I slowly parted from my four friends and took a defiant step into the middle of the Trial Room.
Miyumi: [in tears] *sob* No…
Mordecai put a hand on Miyumi's shoulder to hold her back.
I glared up at the Four Founders, towering above all of us as four large shadowy faces.
Tinker: …
Tailor: …
Soldier: …
Spy: …
Umeko: The game's over. You have your precious data. Your little "experiment" has run its course.
Tinker: ...So it has.
Tailor: Well! This was certainly fun. Let's do it again next time we host a Killing Game, ja? Ciao!
Tailor's screen fizzled out.
Tinker: It's been a pleasure.
Tinker disappeared too.
Soldier: ...Your service will be remembered, Umeko Hirayama. You have done the Copycats of Despair a great honor.
Soldier's silhouette blinked out of existence.
Spy: …
At last, Spy watched me, his head cocking slowly on screen. And then, without another word, he, too, disappeared into nothingness.
Monokuma: [giggling] Pu...pu...pu. Calling the big bosses down for that final showdown? You truly know how to make a grand "exit", Umeko. I like you, you know? ...I always have. [laughing] Which only makes it more despairing to have to finish you off! And at last, it's TIME!
Miyumi: [in tears] *sob* I can't watch…
Yoshihiki: [in tears] Fuck...did we do the right thing?
Samira: [in tears] Umeko…!
Mordecai: [in tears] Wait…
I couldn't bear to turn around to look at them one last time.
I saw Kenji was backing out of the room now, a doorway in the wall sliding open. He never took his eyes off me as he continued to backtrack, hands coolly shoved in his pockets. His twinkling eyes met mine, and his crooked smile twisted even further.
Kenji: [snide] See you around...Seiko.
Monokuma: I've prepared a VERY special punishment for the SHSL Detective, Umeko Hirayama!
The door slid shut and the last I saw of Kenji was his airy little wave goodbye.
Monokuma: Let's give it EVERYTHING we've got!
I closed my eyes.
Monokuma: IIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIIIME!
…
…
…
[GAME OVER]
[UMEKO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY]
[TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!]
I didn't know what punishment would await me. But I didn't get the chance to find out.
Before I knew it...
It was all over for me...
…
…
...
[Fade to black…]
…
…
…
Mordecai: ...What…? Wh-What...what is the meaning of this?
Samira: What...the fuck?
Yoshihiki: No…
Miyumi: [as Ms. Shortcake] H-Huh? W-W-What is this?
Samira: What the fuck...what the fuck is this, Monokuma? What the fuck are you trying to pull?
Monokuma: Upupupupu...ahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Mordecai: No...no, it can't be!
Samira: MONOKUMA!
Monokuma: That's what you deserve, you traitorous bastards! I can think of no more fitting an end to a quartet of cowardly dogs like you lot! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Samira: MONOKUMA! Get back here! You four fuckfaces! Kenji! Hey!
Miyumi: No…[sobs] No, please…
Yoshihiki: Why…
Mordecai: Hey! Can anyone hear us? Let us out! Please!
Monokuma: Ahahahahahahahahahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
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...
[ENDING B: SAD END]
Surviving Students: 5…?
[DEAD] Eizo - SHSL Commander [DEAD]
Mordecai - SHSL Marksman
[DEAD] Ichiro - SHSL Botanist [DEAD]
[DEAD] Azuma - SHSL Spy [DEAD]
[DEAD] Taro - SHSL Bookworm [DEAD]
[DEAD] Nagatomo - SHSL Thief [DEAD]
Kenji - SHSL Lucky Student
Yoshihiki - SHSL Prankster
[DEAD] Umeko - SHSL Detective [DEAD]
[DEAD] Hanako - SHSL Band Leader [DEAD]
Miyumi - SHSL Ventriloquist
[DEAD] Shizuko - SHSL Actress [DEAD]
[DEAD] Kaori - SHSL Dog Whisperer [DEAD]
Samira - SHSL Street Artist
[DEAD] Fukumi - SHSL Daredevil [DEAD]
[DEAD] Wakako - SHSL Reality TV Star [DEAD]
Notes:
Happy Holidays! Nothing better than a holiday-sized helping of despair to usher in the holidays!
Got a few things to say here. First and foremost...I have official splash art now! ...of only one character. But one character is better than no character! Who's the lucky lad or lass to see themselves in fancy art form? You'll just have to click the link to see for yourself.
Splash Art (on imgur) [ /4WFbSGG] [ /CbVmCjZ]
Check out the artist I commissioned on Instagram,
But the biggest, most awful, most tragic piece of despair in human history you're about to receive is the last bit of news, which is that...
The next chapter will be the FINAL Chapter! Excluding the Village Mode I have planned afterwards, this will be the last Story chapter and will be the official conclusion to Village of Despair. After more than two years of writing, it is time, at last, to close the book on Umeko's story...
...*cough* for now.