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]
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Answer: 2. [Campaign against Kenji for the final Punishment]
[Track: watch?v=k5HuHnhHxXY]
...No.
This...this is another trick.
I gazed over at the malice on Kenji's face, and saw the madness reflected in his eyes.
Kenji: [crazed] …
This...this is what he wants.
For the despair of the truth to overwhelm me…
For me to make the wrong choice...
He wants me to sacrifice myself.
They're phrasing this final vote as a decision for the four Survivors to make, between me and him.
But really...it's a decision meant for me.
To decide between sacrificing myself...or fighting for my survival.
And they knew...they knew I would pick the first option.
They knew I would never put my life above my friends. Matter of fact, they must've banked on it.
I didn't go through this Killing Game, and watch countless members of my friends die in horrible, senseless ways, just to give up on myself now!
I'm not going to let him win.
Kenji: [crazed] …
I'm not going to let despair triumph!
I know who I am!
I am alive! I am human on the inside! My thoughts and feelings and emotions...they're all mine!
They're not something that can be fabricated or tinkered with.
And I want to live! I want to survive! I know it, I do!
Umeko: [angry] ...You're not going to get the better of me, Kenji Enomoto.
Kenji: [confused] Oh…?
Umeko: [accusatory] I know your game. And I'm done letting despair toy with me!
Kenji: [nervous] N-Now, Seiko...what are you saying? Are you saying…
Umeko: [angry] Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think I was going to let you live, and sacrifice myself?
Kenji: [snide] You'd rather keep your four friends here against their will, than atone for your sins in one final act of noble sacrifice? My...how selfish. I thought robots were meant to be calculating, and logical. You're meant to lack basic survival instinct. Mathematically speaking...your death will result in the best possible result for the rest of the participants of the Killing Game. Four of them will get to leave the Village, free. Instead...you'd rather trap all five of you here, forever...just to save your own pathetic existence, and watch me perish?
Umeko: [angry] …
Kenji: [snide] What's motivating you, I wonder…? Revenge? Vengeance? The fear of death…? All very human reasons, too. Does that robotic brain inside your head actually process these human emotions as true? Can a robot actually...be afraid of dying?
He chortled, but I caught the briefest glimpse of uncertainty flickering in his dark eyes.
Kenji: [worried] …
...Gotcha.
Umeko: [angry] I'm not playing your stupid game your way. You can't control me...not anymore.
Kenji: [annoyed] ...Hmph.
The Four Founders regarded one another.
Tailor: ...How curious.
Soldier: You have the floor, Umeko Hirayama. As do you, Kenji Enomoto.
Kenji: [shocked] What?
Soldier: This Trial has now turned into a life-or-death scenario for the both of you. Only one of you will live past this Class Trial to see another day. Like it or not...the two of you must now battle to make your voice heard over the other's. Why do you deserve to live, and the other should perish?
Monokuma: [giggling] Two servants of the Copycats of Despair, battling it out with only their words to save their own pathetic skins...how despairingly delightful!
Kenji: [distressed] Heh...hehe...so, this is how it is...even after everything I've done...you're really throwing me to the wolves, here?
Tinker: …
Tailor: …
Soldier: …
Spy: …
Kenji: [snide] Heh...fine...that's fine. [accusatory] Not like I intend to lose to a filthy degenerate machine in the first place!
BZZZT!
I cried out, as another influx of static filled my ears. There was a distinct crackling noise in what felt like the back of my skull, but no one else seemed to hear it too.
My vision blurred, and lines of static and electricity crackled across my field of view.
What's this? Am I...being hacked?
If I didn't believe it before...there's no turning away from the truth now. I really am a robot...an Android…
Kenji's smirk deepened when he saw me appearing to struggle, one hand clutching my forehead in obvious discomfort.
Kenji: [playful] What's the matter, Umeko? Feeling a little…[masked] frazzled?
Bastard…
Kenji: [playful] You may have the psyche and the talent and the skillset of a real SHSL Detective in all that code wired into your robotic brain, but...you're no SHSL Prosecutor, Attorney or Debater. You thrive in disproving inconsistencies and pointing out contradictions using facts and figures, evidence and proof. You've always relied on using tangible, physical evidence to back you up. But now? When that very same evidence you love to rely on in Trials so much...is being used against you?
He jabbed a finger back up at the screen that he'd used to play my incriminating video.
Kenji: [masked] That video is concrete proof of your participation in pre-Game preparations. You looked your so-called "friends" in the eyes and showed no remorse to their situation and imprisonment. You mocked them for their fate. And now you seek to convince them, the people who just watched you as you left them in their cage to be part of a Killing Game, to spare your traitorous, falsehood of a life as a sub-human robot, in exchange for the freedom they've been craving and fighting for for weeks? How do you hope to win this battle, Umeko? ...Just give up. It's hopeless. There's no winning here...not for you...
He's not wrong…
I've always depended on evidence to prove a point. They've served me well in every Class Trial.
After all...as an SHSL Detective...my greatest assets are the evidence I collect during an investigation. I'm not a lawyer, or a politician. Solving mysteries and piecing things together...that's my forte.
Not only do I have no physical evidence to prove my truth...I even have evidence working against me in the form of that video.
I know that person I saw on screen isn't the same person I am now. She - or it - was the DAI, or whatever it was...
But how can I convince them of that?
Samira...Mordecai...Yoshihiki and Miyumi…
They all look at me now with such hurt and distrust in their eyes.
This time...this won't be a debate I win using logic and evidence anymore. This time...I'm going to have to win them over another way…
[[flashback]]
Ichiro: [annoyed] ...After what happened to Taro, there is no chance in hell I believe she'd become a killer. There's just no way.
Umeko: [worried] Th-That's...that's not proof! That's not evidence, it's just your personal conviction!
Ichiro: [angry] And why does that make it any less valid, Umeko?
Umeko: [accusatory] Proof and evidence and facts - that's what tells us the truth! It's what leads us to the answers!
Ichiro: [angry] Oh yeah? Well, then I defy your proof. I don't have any proof, but I believe in what I choose to believe in. You know, Umeko, maybe you should stop viewing the world so analytically, where facts and evidence are the only things that matter in the Trials. Why do you only view the case through a lens, and listen only to your brain and ignore your heart?
Umeko: [accusatory] Did you think I wanted to believe Taro was a killer? Or Shizuko, or even Nagatomo? ...I didn't want to believe any of them could be killers. But if they were, I didn't have a choice! I had to expose them. Whatever my heart tells me - any sort of personal conviction - that won't hold water in a Class Trial! [angry] But just because my heart's telling me Miyumi couldn't possibly be the killer, that's nothing! It doesn't mean she's innocent. If she's a suspect, then she's a suspect, and right now...the evidence is pointing her way.
Ichiro: [annoyed] That's the difference between you and me, Umeko. Finding the truth is what matters most to you. ...Not to me. I stand by what I said. I believe in her innocence.
[[end: flashback :end]]
Ichiro…
Back then, in our fourth Trial…
Even when the evidence pointed at Miyumi, he...he'd believed in her. He'd gone against the evidence and trusted his emotions to be telling the truth.
And...he was right.
...He is right.
Evidence...isn't everything. Logic isn't always the right path to the answer!
Where I was focused only on thinking logically and with evidence, he trusted his instincts and his emotions…
Now...I just need to do the same.
Kenji: [snide] You four have been awfully, awfully quiet. Nothing to say with regards to your friend and de facto leader's heinous betrayal? I recall a certain someone threatening to break dear Umeko's arm like it was a twig…[masked] How does it feel now? To know how you were played like fiddles, and made to look like fools? To know that, unlike with me, the boy you knew for all of a few days before his "demise"...that the girl you trusted would lead you to victory and to freedom...was one of the reasons you were here to begin with, at all?
Umeko: [angry] That's not true! Guys, you have to believe me, I had no idea! I've been genuine with you guys, I swear!
Kenji: [accusatory] LIAR! [playful] She's been lying to you all from the start!
Samira looked up at me now, and her eyes were red and filled with suspicion.
Samira: [angry] How long were you planning on keeping up the deception?
Umeko: [sad] D-Deception…? I...I wasn't deceiving anyone!
Mordecai: [worried] That you would trick us all into thinking you were our friend...I am disappointed in you, Umeko. I...I no longer know what to believe...
Yoshihiki: [sad] I guess all that stuff you said about us being a team was all bullshit in the end…[angry] I should've known better than to trust you. All that ever does is get me hurt and lied to.
Miyumi: [sad] Umeko...! How could you?
Mordecai: [distressed] This...hurts even more than Azuma's betrayal...
Crap! I can't let Kenji tear us apart like this. He's trying to turn my friends against me. But I won't let that happen. I can't.
I've come too far...to lose it all now. I can't give up...I can't lose hope! There has to be some way for me to prove to them I wasn't just the Copycats' mindless little puppet…
I was more than their plaything. I may have been their unwilling pawn, but…
I made decisions for myself! My thoughts, my emotions, my relationships...they're all REAL!
And I'm gonna prove it.
Kenji: [snide] ...This oughta be good…
I won't let you win, Kenji!
[Track: watch?v=Ckx2nvp8L3g]
-BZZT!
[Non-St0p D3bat3: Z+ArT]]] #/
#Truth BuLL3ts:
1. I'm a r0b0t… ^.^
2) Water in the Tunn3l
3. BEEP BOOP
4. I kidn8pped you all…
%. dbD29 Dusty ms#4% tWO01Fu..! Attic
$6. I betrayed you…
7. 4 #RQ we 9 KaOri's ClRa001 -oak ..34f!FFxX;\
88. I'm NoT ur Frieund… :(((
9/.. HeEeLEp MeeEie..|| XXOXO
100) Itrs's a GAME!1!
Ken0ji: [crazed] face %%& iT, yoU F04r. Umek00110100's a b00101101ld-faced LI[error]AR!
!3nJi: [PLAYFUL] sHe's b33n lying to you all tHiTs mH0L3 timme!==01000100
cenji: [plaYfulLL] She PPPplayeP the saint (( ), when sH0011000101000101 was actually TYhe sinner.
JunKenji: [crazed] She's DA r-r-reason yu were a00100110ao0OowWL tttrrapped here.!. {ERRORERROR}
Miyumi: [as Dr. Nicake] I w-want to [[ERROR]] that Umeko couldn't [DODOO] that...b-B-but...
Mouldecai: [dessertsid] That...video...was too22 much...
Kenji: [snide] She [WE ARE ALL]-napped you from y00110110ur fffamilies...your 01010011 rfriendsss...
Kenji: [masked] She's the ERROR your 00101101 01010000 classmates...the people you KKKared about...are all 00110001! 01000001 dead!
Kenji: [playfully palyful] Like Taro…01000011
Ms. Shortcake: [saddened] …
Kenji: [playing a fool] And 01001111 Fukumi…
MOULDecai: [in significant distress] …
Kenji: [snide] And [ERRORERROR] 01001001 too…
yOSHIHIKI: [annoying] ...
Kenji: [playful] And all the REST! 01001101 I- [ERROR] AHAHAHA! [crazed] You were D-D-Deceived and 01010010 made for Fools! F01001101LS! 01000101
SamAra: [stressed OUT] Ngh...shut your 01001110 hole already. I can't hEAR myself think…
mONOKenji: [snide] There's no DENYing that 01010100 Hirayama is not your FRIEND, and she never has been!
01010011
[Non-Stoppable Debate: FIN]
Crud...I'm gl-gl-gl-gl-gl-gli-tch-tch-tching out woOoOorse than ever. Are the C-C-C-Kopycats doing this?
It's the DAI...it's...tr-tr-trying to t-t-t-t-take back o-o-o-o-over...
Whatever the case...I can't LLLet it STOP! me. I have to beat ERRORERROR at his own GaGaGaMe!
I haHahaVE NO Evid3nc3...so I'm g0nna haV3 t0 uS3 somethiNG eLLLse! EmotioN...Over logiC!
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Answer: [No, that's wrong!] - [never has been!]
…
…
…
[[flashback]]
Azuma: [in tears] Seiko…?
Dark.
It's...so dark.
Azuma: [in tears] S-Seiko...hang in there…
Is that…?
Russian Voice: убей их!
Azuma: [in tears] Agh! F-Fuck!
Explosions...gunfire in the distance…
The smell of gunpowder…
No…
The whole world shook. Everything went white…
...and I felt myself tumbling out of Azuma's grasp, spinning in the air, out of control…
[Track: watch?v=_PTgs95JMGg&t=]
[CG] Azuma and Seiko [CG]
When I came to, it felt like every bone in my body was broken. The sky overhead was downcast and dreary; black smoke billowing into the air above.
All that remained of the buildings surrounding us had been reduced to little more than debris and ashes.
I spotted the bodies of our assailants not far off: multiple armoured gunmen lying on the floor in pools of blood, battered and broken.
And beside me, lying with his back to what had once been a wall, blood oozing out of various places on his body…
Umeko: Azuma!
I barely registered the grisly sight of mangled limbs and broken bones. All I saw was him in pain.
I tried to pick myself up off the floor but my knees gave way. It was no use. Scrabbling at the ground with bleeding fingers, I dragged myself towards my boyfriend. By the time I got close enough, I could see he was in bad shape.
Umeko: No…
I reached one shaking hand out to grasp his own, and he spluttered in response, fingers weakly squeezing back. His eyes fluttered open, and despite the blood trickling from his lips, he still made an attempt to flash me a smile.
Azuma: [happy] Hey...you…
No...no, no, no, this can't be happening…
Horrified tears leaked out of my eyes.
Azuma: [uncomfortable] Sure…*cough* sure cut it c-c-close there, d-didn't...we?
Umeko: A-Azuma...what happened?
Azuma: [uncomfortable] Oomph…*cough*...the mission was a *cough* ambush...th-they...ngh...they knew we were *cough* c-coming…
Umeko: No…
Azuma: [happy] Heh...at least...at least I...I got us outta there…
Memories returned: the Russian soldiers opening fire on our position, the bomb left behind at our rendezvous point, Azuma carrying my semi-conscious form through the streets of the abandoned refugee zone as our enemies opened fire on us.
Umeko: Azuma...you're...oh fuck, you're…
Azuma: [happy] Yeah...heh...I'm...I'm not doing...too hot right now. [sad] Still...w-what matters is...I...I got you out...huh, S-Seiko?
Seiko: …
Azuma: [uncomfortable] *cough* Y-You...You really...scared me...back there...
Seiko: Y-You...idiot…
Grunting with pain, I pushed myself up onto my hands and scooted backwards so I could sit beside him.
Azuma: [sad] Heh...we...r-really fucked this one up this time...huh?
Seiko: Azuma, stop...st-stop talking. Backup...did you...did you call for b-backup?
Azuma: [sad] Iceman...said they were...on their...hng...w-way…
Seiko: D-Don't strain yourself. J-Just...just st-stay with me...okay? St-Stay with me…
Azuma: [happy] If this…*cough* had to be our f-final...mission...I'm...I'm glad we *cough* w-went out...with a...bang…
I was crying too hard to laugh.
Seiko: Goddamnit, Azuma! *sob* J-Just stay with me...d-don't let go…
I pressed his hands atop the wound on his stomach, but he was still bleeding profusely.
Seiko: You can't die here! Not today...not today...please…I can't lose you...
Azuma: [happy] Heh...that's...exactly why…
His voice was getting softer. Weaker.
Azuma: [sad] ...I...couldn't...let you…
The wind was picking up in larger gusts, battering against us. Choppers were arriving: one already overhead and two more in the distance.
Seiko: Azuma! Azuma, it's the agency! H-Hang on! J-Just *cough* just...just hang on…
Azuma: [happy] ...Seiko...I'm…
Seiko: Shh-hh, shh! Shh, don't- d-don't try to speak- HELP! H-HELP, we're OVER HERE!
The first chopper was landing now. I spotted a familiar head of green hair, and recognized the pair of cat ears atop the girl sitting next to him.
Seiko: HELP! HELP US!
Azuma: [sad] …glad…
Seiko: Azuma? Azuma, w-wait. *cough* D-Don't *cough* don't cl-close your eyes…
Azuma was no longer conscious. His head lolled from side to side when I shook him, unresponsive.
Seiko: No...God, please...please, no…
Hands were reaching out to me now. People were lifting me onto a stretcher. And even then, all I saw was him.
Seiko: Pl-Please…! Please, you have to help- Help him! Help Azuma!
My friends were talking over me, trying to reassure me. But I wasn't having any of it.
Seiko: You have to save him!
Daisuke: [in tears] S-Seiko...Seiko, c-calm down…
Naomi: [sad] Seiko, lie back. They're gonna take care of him, I promise! Sei-
Seiko: You have to save him! Bring him back!
Daisuke: [in tears] *sobbing*
Seiko: Save Azuma! Please!
…
…
…
[CG] End [CG]
[[end: flashback :end]]
…
…
…
Azuma: [sad] We really were screwed from the start, huh?
The room was black again. And there was Azuma. He wasn't sitting or standing. He wasn't in front of me or behind me or beside me. He was just...there. I felt him there. And I knew he was there. I just knew.
It was him. The real him.
A vision? A memory? A ghost? I didn't know. But I knew without a shred of a doubt, that it was really him.
Seiko: [sad] Azuma…
Azuma: [sad] Oh, Seiko…
Seiko: [sad] ...I wish we had more time.
Azuma: [sad] As do I.
I reached for him in the recesses of my mind, and felt him squeezing my hands back, like he did before, all those years ago in Russia.
Azuma: [happy] But I'm here now…
Seiko: [in tears] …
Azuma: [happy] You've shed more than enough tears, Seiko...you still have a job to do…
Seiko: [sad] But what about you…?
Azuma: [happy] This isn't goodbye…
Seiko: [sad] Isn't it?
Azuma: [happy] Of course not. Death isn't a final farewell. After all...look at what happened to you and I. I was practically dead. And...I still came back.
Seiko: [sad] Only to die again…
Azuma: [disappointed] Yeah...fate's a cruel bitch even at the best of times, isn't it? [happy] ...But it gave me a chance to meet you, and fall in love with you...all over again.
Seiko: [in tears] …
Azuma: [happy] The Seiko I know would never give up her life to the enemy. The Seiko I know would fight to her last breath. And I know you can do this. You can take them all down. Kenji...Monokuma...the Copycats and the Founders...I believe in you.
Seiko: [sad] How…? I couldn't even save you…
Azuma: [happy] You already have.
Seiko: [sad] …
Azuma: [happy] And you will again.
Seiko: [sad] …
Azuma: [happy] Give me a smile, won't you? ...I didn't pull myself all the way back here from the robot afterlife just to see you in tears. You're not a cute crier, you know.
Seiko: [happy] Haha…
Azuma: [happy] That's more like it…
You always did know how to make me smile…
Azuma: [happy] You know what you have to do now...right?
Seiko: [happy] ...Right.
Azuma: [happy] I'm counting on you, then. ...We all are.
And he was gone.
…
…
…
But I knew...I wasn't alone.
And I never would be again.
…
…
…
Seiko: …
Monokuma: …
Seiko: …
Kenji: [snide] Gone quiet, eh? Nothing to say? Nothing to retort back? This...is most unusual. You said you were going to make this a real battle of wits and words. Now...you're just...giving up? I must say, Umeko...I'm...disappointed.
Seiko: Seiko…
Kenji: [confused] Wha wha?
Seiko: My name isn't Umeko. [accusatory] It's Seiko. Seiko Hirayama!
Kenji: [shocked] …
Seiko: [accusatory] I reject the name you chose for me. My name...is my name, and my name alone!
Kenji: [snide] …
Seiko: [accusatory] Samira…
Samira: [annoyed] …
Seiko: [accusatory] I know you wanted to break my arm. I know your hatred. Your anger. What you saw in that video...what I did to you. I know the pain, the betrayal. But that thing...it wasn't me. That person...that's not who I am now.
dISLl; elmsa' wHY isn't this wo0o0oOoOorkKKKing-
sHUT her Upp-
Seiko: [accusatory] The girl you met in this Village...that was me. The real me. The girl who spent her whole life growing up in an agency like Azuma did, trained her entire existence to be a spy and a secret agent, to work for a government that would willingly throw me and the boy I loved to the wolves for their pet project to succeed…! ...That girl is me. And the girl you got to know in the context of this fucked up Game...she's real.
Samira: [sad] …
Miyumi: [sad] Ume...Seiko…?
Seiko: [accusatory] That same girl who fought so hard to prevent so many deaths...she's real and she's me. My body may be robotic, but my brain is human. I can feel it. My thoughts, my feelings, my emotions…
She's KL;JSAL ;NOt respondwwing Bzz-
LaUNCH theD DDDDDAI-
Seiko: [accusatory] My pain, my heartbreak, my grief and anguish, my bitterness and resentment and indignation at this fucked, fucked situation...I know they're real. And I'm more than just the robotic shell my creators designed. I am human, as human as all of you. And I reject whatever sick plan the Copycats have for me.
sHHEEE's not oBey3iNGGG-
With one final mental push, I felt something click inside my head, and it was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders as I flushed what was left of the DAI out of my system.
-BZZZT-ZZZzzz…
...See you never, assholes.
The static cleared from my head.
And all at once, I knew…
I was now alone in there. My head...was mine, and mine alone.
Monokuma: [shocked] Wha wha? [distressed] What's this? The DAI is...isn't responding?
Seiko: [accusatory] Miyumi...you know me.
Miyumi: [sad] …
Seiko: [accusatory] The girl who was there for you after Taro's death...the girl who's looked out for you for so long...it's me. No robot, no Copycat of Despair...no one put me up to that. That was me.
I turned to Mordecai.
Seiko: [accusatory] Mordecai…
Mordecai: [worried] …
Seiko: [accusatory] I came to you at Fukumi's grave...that wasn't a robot, or an Android, or an order in my head. That was me. I wanted to comfort you, to bolster you in the wake of you losing your best friend...because you're one of mine too.
Yoshihiki was watching me out of the corner of my eye.
Seiko: [accusatory] And Yoshihiki...I've been preaching it from the start, and I'll do it again, over and over, if it'll get you to believe me.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] …
Seiko: [accusatory] We ARE a team. All of us. ...And I'd never turn my back on you, any of you.
At last, I turned back to Samira.
Seiko: [accusatory] As your friend…I'm asking you guys. Please…[in tears] Please believe me.
Samira: [worried] …
Miyumi: [sad] …
Mordecai: [worried] …
Yoshihiki: [sad] …
Seiko: [in tears] You're all my friends...no matter your decision. But I wanted you to know…[happy] It was all real...all of it was real to me. Our friendships...our pain...every single thing I felt with you guys. You're more than just my friends. You're family to me now. You're more of a family to me than the people who raised me only to send me to die to achieve their own ends. And I will never forget that.
Monokuma: [angry] Alright, alright, alright! That's just about enough of that! If the DAI can't shut her up remotely, then we'll do it ourselves. I say if the four losers don't make a decision right the fuck now, then we just get Umeko off the fucking stage already-
Miyumi: [angry] She said her name isn't Umeko!
Monokuma: [shocked] Wha wha?
Mordecai: [angry] Enough with your damn nicknames!
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] That's right. Her name's Seiko…
Samira: [angry] And I'll break the arms of anyone who calls her otherwise!
Seiko: [shocked] ...Guys…?
All four of them turned to face me.
Samira: [disappointed] I may not know a whole lot about a lot of things, but…[angry] What I do know is that I know the kind of person Umeko is! The person who I got to know in the Killing Game...and she's real! She's real to me! She was our friend! I don't care if she's not made of flesh and blood! I believe in her and I believe in the Umeko I got to know! [accusatory] And I will never be on your side, Monokuma! Never, not in a million years!
Mordecai: [sad] All this time...I have been confident about the enemy I was facing...and now…[accusatory] I know that this is yet another trick! Umeko comforted me in my time of need! She has been a true friend to me, to all of us, and her compassion and honor is something that cannot be faked! She has the passion and spirit of a true warrior! And you, Monokuma...I will not be deceived by the likes of you! The true devil is, and always has been you! I will not fall for your final charade! I will stand by Umeko, my friend, and all my friends, and I will fight against you for the sake of everyone who has fallen before me! That...is what Fukumi would want. That is what Azuma would want! I have made a promise to fight, and I will not turn my back on my friends!
Yoshihiki: [snide] I'm well aware Umeko loves making her little speeches…[sad] But this time...I suppose I have to agree. I may have a lot of difficulty trusting others...but that's on me too. I owe it to Umeko...to believe in her...the same way she believed in me! I've seen her show kindness to even those most undeserving of it. She didn't have to believe in me...and yet she believed in me even when no one else did…[accusatory] What kind of person would I be if I didn't believe in her back? I'm not going to hide behind lies and falsehoods anymore...I'm going to stop being a coward and face the truth with everyone!
Miyumi: [sad] Umeko...was always there for me. Even in the toughest of times...she was there to give me strength. And I wouldn't have been able to keep going...without the comfort of others...my friends. Everyone who died...they wanted us all to survive...to escape this horrid place...and to tell the world our story! [accusatory] And so that's what I'm going to do! I'm not going to lie...I'm terrified. But I'm not going to stay afraid if it means giving in to you, Monokuma! You're the reason so many horrible things happened to us...and I will never believe anything you say! I'm going to believe in Umeko and I'm going to believe in my friends! You're never going to break us! [as Nico] Yeah, never! [as Dr. Creeper] You've lost, bear! Face the defeat!
Monokuma: [angry] Grr...why, you...insolent little…
Soldier: ...Hm.
The Four Founders were still watching us on their big screens. Soldier's head cocked to the side with intrigue.
Soldier: ...How curious.
Tinker: Unprecedented! I thought we erased enough of the original model's personality that the DAI could takeover, but this? Is...Is it really her? Is it really...Seiko Hirayama?
Tailor: ...She's really her.
Spy: ...In the "flesh".
All four heads turned to look down at Kenji, who was, I was satisfied to see, sweating bullets.
Kenji: [uncomfortable] …
Spy: ...Kenji Enomoto.
Kenji: [uncomfortable] H-Huh? Um...what. What is it?
Spy: ...This is your final challenge.
Kenji: [uncomfortable] … [annoyed] I understand.
[Track: watch?v=lnUHIlvUXhY&t]
I squared my shoulders as Kenji glared me down, slamming an open palm on the podium so loud, it echoed around the room.
Kenji: [angry] You can have your cute little speeches all you want, Umeko! But the fact of the matter is, for the better part of a couple years after Nagatomo brought you to us, you were nothing more but our hapless puppet! And that's a part of your history you can never erase away, no matter how much you want to preach about who you are now!
This must be Kenji and the Copycats' final bid to convince the others to let me die…
But I won't let them have their way! I want to live! I want to be alive!
And I won't see them win and achieve the despair they've been trying so hard for. I won't let them!
[Track: watch?v=uUvQ5RlFV6A]
[Scrum Debate: Start]
EXECUTE UMEKO:
Kenji: [unknown]
Tinker: [unknown]
Tailor: [unknown]
Spy: [unknown]
Soldier: [unknown]
EXECUTE KENJI:
Seiko: [edo]
Miyumi: [ko,]
Samira: [opi]
Mordecai: [moti]
Yoshihiki: [ear]
Kenji: Umeko's LYYYING to you, EVEN NOW! Every single tear she's shed is a crocodile tear, and every single story she's told is another contrived sob story to prey on your emotions!
Tinker: That's simply because her DAI is so advanced, it can emulate even the most complex of human emotions to a tee. What looks like genuine sorrow to you is nothing more than the result of lines of code in her head!
Tailor: Bringing up Azuma now is, like, pointless. This debate is about Umeko, not him! Stay on topic!
Spy: It is true that both the consciousnesses of Azuma and Seiko were successfully transferred to their robotic shells. But robots still lack the things that make humans...human. They are susceptible to glitches and malfunctions, like the one that caused Azuma to lose all memory of Seiko. Who's to say that, with Umeko, it wasn't also the same? ...Her emotions may be nothing more than a glitch in the system.
Soldier: Allow me to appeal to you all a different way. ...Even if Seiko Hirayama were more human than any of us thought...would you all really be willing to sacrifice your chances at freedom...for her?
[Scrum Debate: End]
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Answer:
Kenji: [ear]
Tinker: [moti]
Tailor: [opi]
Spy: [ko,]
Soldier: [edo]
Kenji: Umeko's LYYYING to you, EVEN NOW! Every single tear she's shed is a crocodile tear, and every single story she's told is another contrived sob story to prey on your emotions!
Yoshihiki: I've seen the tears Seiko's shed throughout this game. I've been witness to her grief, her heartbreak...and her rage. I believe her truth.
Tinker: That's simply because her DAI is so advanced, it can emulate even the most complex of human emotions to a tee. What looks like genuine sorrow to you is nothing more than the result of lines of code in her head!
Mordecai: Azuma wasn't being controlled by the DAI, yet I believe his anguish at the time he confessed to Ichiro's murder. If the emotion he felt then was real, then what Seiko feels is real too!
Tailor: Bringing up Azuma now is, like, pointless. This debate is about Umeko, not him! Stay on topic!
Samira: It's about Seiko, actually. And we are on topic. Seiko and Azuma were cut from the same cloth. They both underwent Project Droid's surgeries. And they both felt more human to me than any of you heartless, maniacal monsters!
Spy: It is true that both the consciousnesses of Azuma and Seiko were successfully transferred to their robotic shells. But robots still lack the things that make humans...human. They are susceptible to glitches and malfunctions, like the one that caused Azuma to lose all memory of Seiko. Who's to say that, with Umeko, it wasn't also the same? ...Her emotions may be nothing more than a glitch in the system.
Miyumi: We've seen Seiko suffering from glitches already, and it was from you people trying to reactivate the DAI to take control of her! That's all the proof we need to know that everything bad and heartless about Seiko, the Seiko that kidnapped us...came from you...and everything human about her comes from her, and her alone!
Soldier: Allow me to appeal to you all a different way. ...Even if Seiko Hirayama were more human than any of us thought...would you all really be willing to sacrifice your chances at freedom...for her?
Seiko: Your "freedom" is a lie. This is another one of your deceptions. I know it! And I won't let you fool us any longer!
[Scrum Debate: End]
[BREAK!]
I turned, and looked at each one of my friends in turn. In all their eyes, I saw my own gritty resolve within.
...Our resolve…
...to END this Killing Game.
[Track: watch?v=k5HuHnhHxXY]
Tinker: ...Hmm. How troubling. It appears we've lost.
Kenji: [shocked] L-Lost…?
Tailor: Can't be helped, I'm afraid. I see it in their faces...can't you, Kenji, dear?
Kenji: [uncomfortable] I-In their faces? S-See what? See...despair?
Spy: ...Determination.
Kenji: [scared] Tch!
Samira: [angry] Even if it means being stuck here forever...I would never vote to kill Seiko and let scum like you live, Enomoto.
Miyumi: [angry] My parents taught me it's important to stick by your friends, and I intend to do just that!
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Why don't you skateboard on over to hell and rot there?
Mordecai: [accusatory] Looks like you ran out of luck today!
Kenji: [nervous] I...ahaha! Out...of luck?
Seiko: [accusatory] It's over, Kenji. ...Give it up already.
Kenji: [distressed] O...Over…?
Kenji seemed genuinely shellshocked, taking half a step back, raising his hands up in front of his face like he wanted to defend himself or hide behind something.
Kenji: [distressed] How...can it be over? I-It...it's not supposed to end this way...it can't! Th-This…[angry] This is MY Killing Game! I designed it! I'm the mastermind!
Tailor: Actually, darling…I think you'll find it more apt to say that...we are the grand masterminds behind it all.
Kenji: [angry] W-Well, of course you four are the proper masterminds, b-but...th-this Killing Game, it...it's my work! I came up with the ideas, I kidnapped my own classmates, I...I even faked my death for this! It's...it's my work! It's my project!
Spy: Incorrect.
Kenji: [distressed] W-What the fuck do you mean, "incorrect"?
Soldier: You were always meant to be just another cog in the grand scheme of things, Kenji Enomoto. The final battle coming down to an execution between our protagonist and our mastermind…
Tinker: A copycat of the original!
Kenji: [distressed] Y...You…
Tailor: We always had an inkling things would turn out this way. That's why it helps to have backups prepared! We already had an execution planned out for you in case of this exact scenario!
Kenji: [distressed] Y-Y-You…[crazed] wh-what the fuck…? You're...you're gonna...t-toss me aside, like I'm...like I'm…
Spy: ...Worthless.
Kenji: [scared] ...Worthless…
At that single, scathingly spat word, Kenji reached both hands up and tugged frenziedly at his hair. Tears of desperation were streaming down his cheeks, but he wasn't crying. Rather, maniacal laughter was being forced out of his mouth, loud and abrupt and unnatural, like he couldn't hold them back.
Kenji: [traumatized] Ahaha...ahahahahahaha! I'm...worthless? Ahahahahahahahaha! After all that I did for you people...aha! ...after everything I sacrificed for the Copycats, you'd...you'd do this...to me…?
Tinker: …
Soldier: …
Kenji: [traumatized] You...You told me I was special. You said this was my chance to prove my talent as the SHSL Lucky Student wasn't just a fluke, you…! You told me this was the time to get back at the talented at Fangan Academy, to shove their superiority and arrogance right back in their faces! You presented me with this opportunity to prove something, to make my mark!
Soldier: And you have. Your work will be remembered by the Copycats for generations and generations as the catalyst for the dawn of a new age of the Killing Game...one perfected and idealized into the optimal Killing Game environment with the research we've gathered from the DAI Prototype.
Spy: …
Tailor: …
Soldier: You'll go down in history. ...You just won't be around to see it.
…
…
…
[BREAK!]
[[TRIAL: END]]
Voting...KENJI ENOMOTO...Guilty!
…
…
…
Monokuma: [angry] Ehhhhh! WRONG! Kenji Enomoto was NOT the blackhearted blackened behind the demise of Sora "the Shadow" Hirayama…[laughing] but eh, who the hell cares? Y'all've made your choice, to save the moral metalhead Umeko or Seiko, whatever the fuck she's called, over the downtrodden deviant, Kenji Enomoto. If it's lifetime imprisonment you really crave, then it's lifetime imprisonment you get!
Kenji: [crazed] Mmpfft! ...Ahahahahahahaha…
Kenji had slumped to the floor behind his podium, out of sight, both hands trying to cover up the twisted, broken sneer that seemed frozen on his face in disbelief.
But I had no eyes for him.
I turned and Miyumi was already running to me, almost tackling me onto the floor with a hug.
Miyumi: [happy] I'm so glad you're safe, Seiko…
Mordecai: [excited] Indeed! This was...quite the turn of events. But at the very least...we five made it out alive in the end.
They were all there now, abandoning their podiums to gather around me.
Seiko: You guys...you might've left. Even now, you still don't know… You might've gone if you'd just sacrificed me. But...you didn't.
Samira: [accusatory] Well, of course not!
Miyumi: [happy] We wouldn't do that to you, Umeko.
Yoshihiki: [playful] Or Seiko. Her name's Seiko. Whatever your name is. I've kinda lost track by now. But yeah...who would we be if we left?
Mordecai: [accusatory] A true warrior would leave no man or woman behind! Especially not one of our friends, like you!
Friend…
One of...their friends…
Samira: [excited] Mordecai's right! All for one and one for all, right? After what I almost did to Ichiro just to be able to see Katsuo again...I believe he'd support my decision on this matter.
Miyumi: [happy] It's what everyone else would've wanted…
Samira: [happy] Besides, you brought up a good point. It was probably another one of their elaborate schemes again. [accusatory] And I'd never believe a word out of their lying mouths over you, my friend!
Even after I helped imprison them…helped to set this twisted game up…
...No. That...that wasn't me.
But...they could still have abandoned me.
They could've been free. But...they're still here.
My...friends.
Samira: [playful] Looks like you can't shake us off that easily, Umeko.
Yoshihiki: [excited] Yeah! We're here to stay! You're just gonna have to get used to that. I hope you're ready for me to be pranking you for the rest of your life!
Mordecai: [excited] And I'll teach each and every single one of you how to be a master archer! Properly, this time! I'll even get a hermit like Miyumi to love camping outdoors! We've got the rest of our lives to make it happen!
Miyumi: [happy] We'll be like a family...just the five of us. [as Nico] Don't forget me! [as Dr. Creeper] And me! [as Ms. Shortcake] And meeeee!
Mordecai: [accusatory] And this time...it really will be over.
Seiko: You guys…
I smiled, feeling the tears coming down my cheeks.
I guess even as an Android, I was built with the function to cry.
And this pain in my chest...this feeling of sadness...but also joy...happiness…
It's something no one can manufacture in a factory.
It's the part of me that's still human.
Seiko: Thank you...thank you all, so much…
...And thank you, Azuma…
Kenji: [crazed] ...So...this is what true despair feels like...
Kenji was standing on both feet again. He had both hands wrapped over his face, and his eyes were peeking out between his slender fingers. A kooky, sickening grin peeked out from beneath his palms.
Kenji: [crazed] I can feel how she would've felt before she died if she were real...Junko Enoshima! The original SHSL Despair! That's the only way I can describe this feeling...this powerful, enthralling, overwhelming feeling! Wave after wave after wave of despair, crashing down on me…! It's...indescribable. It's magnificent. Is this...what they all felt...knowing they were about to die? Nagatomo...Shizuko…? Taro and Hanako and Azuma…? To know that death is around the corner and that it can't be beat or outrun?
Samira: [angry] What can I say, except that you get what you fucking deserve!
Mordecai: [disappointed] One reaps what one sows, Kenji.
Yoshihiki: [playful] Karma's a real bitch, ain't she?
Miyumi: [accusatory] All the despair you caused us is coming back to you, tenfold! [as Dr. Creeper] Such is the cruel, inescapable hand of fate.
Kenji: [crazed] Yes…[playful] You're all...absolutely right…
Monokuma: [giggling] Upupupu...upupupupupu! How diabolically delightful! How deliciously despairing! To think, after all the sacrifices you've made for the Copycats of Despair, that they would toss you aside so mindlessly in the end...I can think of no greater sense of despair than that!
Kenji: [giggling] Hehe...I guess, in the end, even I...can't evade the inevitability...of death…
On screen, Soldier raised her hand up high in a salute.
Soldier: At ease, Pvt. Enomoto. ...You are henceforth relieved of all further duties. The Copycats thank you...for your service.
Her screen fizzled out to static.
Tailor: Oh, is that, like, our cue to bounce? Finally! This was a fun little showdown and all, and it's cool to take centre stage, but it got really boring around the, like, fifth dramatic revelation. I need a massage…
She, too, disappeared in similar fashion.
Tinker: Seiko Hirayama...you truly are one of the most marvellous feats of technology I have ever had the privilege to witness and work on. If we ever meet again after this...I do hope it will be as allies, and not enemies.
His screen turned black.
Spy: …
Seiko: Wait!
Spy: ...He waits.
Seiko: ...You said you were a spy too. Does that mean...I know who you are, too?
Spy: …
Seiko: Did you betray me and Azuma?
Spy: …
Seiko: Who are you? Say somethin-
Spy's screen cut to black, and he was gone, without a word.
Seiko: ...Ngh.
Monokuma: [giggling] ...Pu. One by one, the Founders have all gone, and poor, worthless Kenji is left...alone. It's back to just us again! You, me, and all my lovely, wooonderful students! Finally, the class is back together, alone once more. Now then! With the Founders taking their leave, and Kenji here about to be executed, I can finally return to my official capacity as the Headmaster of the Academy, and of this Killing Game! First things first…
Monokuma's eye began to glow brighter.
Monokuma: [laughing] We have an EXECUTION to get to!
We all watched as Kenji bent over his podium, tangled hair falling over his eyes, a line of drool dangling from his open mouth as he bared his teeth in a silent laugh.
Kenji: [crazed] ...Ah...ahh…
Miyumi: [scared] Sh-Should...should we do something?
Samira: [annoyed] Like hell. We all voted for him. It's his just desserts…
Miyumi: [sad] ...You're right. But I don't want to watch. ...I'm through with watching people die.
Yoshihiki: [sad] ...Me too.
Kenji: [distressed] Heh...hehe...such...harsh gazes…[crazed] You all...really have no sympathy...for a wretch like me...?
Monokuma: [laughing] Alrighty then! Now that there are no further objections...I've prepared a veeery special PUNISHMENT for the SHSL Skateboarder-turned-SHSL Lucky Student, Kenji Enomoto!
Kenji finally raised his eyes up to mine, and there was a spectacular weariness in them that touched me deep in my soul. It was as if it had finally, truly sank in for him that...he'd done all of this for nothing. He'd created this Game and caused so much despair only for it to bounce back and see him be cast aside like a worthless pawn in the end.
And the worst part was, I couldn't tell if the despair of it all was eating him up on the inside, or...or filling him up.
Kenji: [crazed] ...Heh...you know, Umeko? I...wasn't lying. I really did like you. Honest…
Seiko: …
Kenji: [playful] And the whole lot of you...you were my "beloved class", weren't you? I love you guys...so much. So much so that...I wanted...to immortalize the lot of you...immortalize your legacies as the first class to take on a real-life Killing Game!
Samira: [annoyed] Oh, don't you worry, Kenji. When we get out of here, I'll make sure you're immortalized too. You'll be immortalized as a real son-of-a-bitch, you son-of-a-
Kenji: [giggling] Upupu! Always so quick-witted with the insults, Samira. You're like a never-ending thesaurus of insults. But that's what I like about you…
Miyumi: [sad] Oh, Kenji…
Kenji: [playful] No...don't feel sorry for me. ...The Founders were right. I...really should've seen this one coming. I was a fool not to have anticipated this. And, at the very least...what a way to go out, right? Exiting the Killing Game with a bang...definitely beats getting bonked on the head with a trophy, wouldn't you agree?
Monokuma: [excited] With no further ado...Let's give it EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT!
Kenji: [playful] Hey...Seiko?
Part of me wanted to ignore him. That part of me knew he was responsible for...so much. So many deaths, so many senseless murders...so much pain and heartbreak.
But another part of me acknowledged him anyway.
For a moment, I forgot the psychopathic, frenzied, despair-fueled mastermind standing in his place...and recalled the laidback, flirtatious and yet well-intentioned boy I'd first met all those weeks ago.
A facade...or perhaps a glimpse of the boy he could've been had he not been tainted and manipulated by the Copycats and their ideals?
Seiko: ...What, Kenji?
He ripped his Copycat mask off his neck, held it out in his hand and let it flop onto the floor. His eyes sparkled as he looked back into mine.
Kenji: [playful] You...never ceased to surprise me. Thank you. ...Thank you...for making my Killing Game...a success.
Monokuma: [excited] IIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!
Kenji spread his arms out wide like an eagle, offering up no resistance - and neither did we - as the chains snaked out of the walls and surged towards him like sinister tentacles.
…
[GAME OVER]
[KENJI HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY]
[TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!]
When the TV screen came back on, those of us who were still watching saw Kenji perched atop what appeared to be a large cliff. Only when the camera pulled back did we realize he was standing on the edge of a gigantic skateboarding ramp, looking down from a great height.
A black-and-white skateboard in Monokuma's colors lay at Kenji's feet. Kenji rubbed at the back of his neck, and I caught a glimpse of the uncertainty flashing in his eyes as he stared down at the board.
Before him, the skateboarding course stretched out into the distance, and we watched as swinging blades and axes appeared from the walls and ceiling to block the path, along with spikes set in the floor, trap doors giving way to bottomless abysses, and rings of fire rising up into the air.
Droplets of sweat traced their way down his pale, clammy face, as an unearthly growl sounded from the shadows behind him.
[SHSL SKATEBOARDER LUCKY STUDENT KENJI ENOMOTO'S EXECUTION: EXECUTED]
[GNARLY WHEELS OF FORTUNE]
Music began blasting around the room, and I recognized it as the song playing in the stadium from Hanako's execution. A countdown clock appeared at the very end of the course, and I spotted a gold trophy atop a shelf, waiting to be retrieved. A familiar giant worm emerged from the darkness behind Kenji, this time with Monokuma atop it in a cowboy hat and boots, twirling a lasso over his head. The worm surged forwards towards Kenji, giant toothless gaping wide open, and steeling himself for the drop, Kenji planted both feet on his skateboard and tipped over the edge just moments before the worm would've swallowed him whole.
With no helmet, gloves or protective gear whatsoever, Kenji skated down the ramp at frightening speed, as the worm slithered down and gave chase, Monokuma whipping it every step of the way.
Despite his lack of talent and the fact that his legs were shaking violently, Kenji stayed atop his board the whole way down. Unable to tear our eyes off the screen, we followed his progress, watching as Kenji navigated the obstacle course with obvious unease, yet succeeding in dodging, ducking and swerving out of the way of every single blade and axe that swung his direction.
Through sheer luck alone, we watched as he skateboarded across impossible tracks, narrowly avoiding death by millimeters each time an axe swinging down from the ceiling just brushed the tip of his hair or his skateboard somehow maneuvered a clean path through a maze of razor-sharp spikes shooting out of the ground. The worm giving chase was a lot less lucky, as all at once, it was impaled by spikes through the underbelly and an axe came down to take its head clean off.
Kenji looked back and smirked, as he sped on forwards, and I felt an ache in my heart at how reminiscent it was of Azuma's final glance to the camera before his demise. Once again, every single death trap sprung Kenji's way never hit their mark. Darts and arrows flew past him...he perfected a trick shot up a ramp and through half a dozen rings of fire...and he even managed to skate over a police car that almost ran him down midway in the course. The neverending onslaught ensued, and yet Kenji continued to escape death, trap after trap after trap.
At long last, the trophy and countdown clock grew larger as Kenji drew closer and closer to the finish line. Just as Kenji ducked beneath one final axe, his eyes widened and he rushed to stop the skateboard. He came to a complete stop barely inches away from what we saw now to be the edge of a second cliff right by the shelf with the trophy on it, this time nothing but a sheer drop leading down into the gloom below, with seemingly no end in sight.
Kenji raised his fists in the air in triumph right as the countdown clock ticked down to zero. A panel of four Monokuma judges, sitting to the right, raised their score cards, revealing scores of 1, 10, 3 and 7 respectively. In the face of Kenji's indignation, as one, the panel of Monokumas began hurling tomatoes at Kenji, who continued to evade their fruity assault from where he stood. Eventually, one Monokuma raised a rock over his head and hurled it at him.
Kenji ducked underneath it again, and the rock nicked the edge of the shelf, causing the trophy overhead to wobble. Seeing the Monokumas were out of ammunition, Kenji spread his arms wide open victoriously...right as the trophy tipped over the shelf and slammed down onto his head.
Fumbling blindly, clutching his head wound in agony, Kenji staggered back, and his foot landed right on top of his skateboard. He stumbled even further. Alarm flashed in his eyes as the skateboard rolled out from underneath him, and before I knew it, he was sent sprawling, arms outstretched and a mask of horror etched into his face, as he tumbled unceremoniously over the edge of the cliff. As he fell backwards to his death, I watched, unable to look away, as the abyss swallowed him whole, and Kenji Enomoto disappeared from view.
…
…
…
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Mordecai, grim lines etched around his eyes and mouth. He shot me a curt nod.
Mordecai: It's...over.
I didn't know what to say. The abyss that just swallowed Kenji up was still frozen on screen, until it was replaced with a fizzle and static a moment later.
It's...over. It's done.
Kenji...is dead.
I didn't expect to feel particularly triumphant or like my vengeance had been sated somehow. I knew, after everything that happened and even after I'd spent so much of the game cursing the mastermind for plunging us into their game...I wouldn't derive much pleasure or satisfaction from watching Kenji be executed.
Because at the end of the day...he'd been a pawn too.
Like the rest of us...just another pawn in the Copycats' grand scheme of things.
The Four Founders.
...They're the ones I want.
And so I made peace with the hollow emptiness inside me that even watching karma strike Kenji back couldn't refill.
Monokuma: [giggling] ...Pu.
I'd almost forgotten, in all the chaos of seeing Kenji alive again and getting an audience with the four main leaders of the organization that kidnapped us, that Monokuma was here, and just as important a figurehead in the Copycats of Despair and in orchestrating our despair as the Founders were.
It had been a while since the Trial began and only the five of us and Monokuma were alone in the Trial Room. Kenji and the Founders respectively had taken turns usurping Monokuma of his usual role as the host, so now he stood, alone once again, perched on his throne with pudgy fat paws on his pudgy little hips.
Mordecai: [annoyed] ...Oh. You're still here?
Monokuma: [giggling] Upupupu...of course I am! After all, I'm still your headmaster!
Miyumi: [nervous] S-S-So…[as Nico]...what happens now?
Miyumi had been covering her eyes for most of Kenji's execution, refusing to watch more out of principle than of actual fear this time around, and Yoshihiki had joined her.
Monokuma: [confused] Hm? Whaddya mean?
Samira: [disappointed] ...I suppose...now we're stuck here after all. That...was what we agreed to when we chose to vote for Kenji. And...I don't regret it. Nor do I want to.
Yoshihiki: [disappointed] That's it, then? Kenji is dead, and the Founders came and went? We're supposed to just...be okay with that?
Samira: [annoyed] What would you have us do? You heard the Four Fuckfaces. [disappointed] By voting for Kenji, we're agreeing to stay locked up in this Village forever...unless someone comes along and rescues us. But that's not likely.
Miyumi: [accusatory] I, for one, don't ever plan on giving up. We have all the time in the world now to keep attempting escapes, right? The Founders promised us that neither they nor Monokuma would ever interfere in our affairs again, so...that must mean we can keep trying and trying!
Mordecai: And even if we don't succeed…[happy] you heard the news. The people on the outside are aware of our disappearance! That means people ARE looking for us. And if Azuma and Sora could locate where this place is before once...hopefully, someone else can do it again!
Seiko: Heh...you know what? You have a point. ...All hope is not yet lost.
For the first time in a really long time…
...I felt hopeful.
The simple knowledge that there WERE indeed people in the outside world searching for us was enough to bolster our collective confidence that we would, some day, be rescued. But until then…
Samira: [happy] Well...shall we head back to the North Sector? Gotta be honest...I'm really looking forward to just crashing for the night.
Yoshihiki: [playful] You're telling me. I'm starving too!
Mordecai: [excited] I'll cook you all a mean chicken from the Supermarket! It feels like ages since we last used the grill because of our stint in the Haunted House and in the South Sector forest.
Miyumi: [happy] Let's go!
As impossible as it seemed, I felt my spirits being lifted. Even though they'd all basically signed their lives and their freedom away, for me…
This was the most optimistic I'd seen my four friends in a long...long time.
Samira: [happy] Come on, Seiko! What're you waiting for?
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Yeah, come on! I'm dying of hunger over here!
Smiling, I turned to leave the Trial Room with them.
Monokuma: [angry] Hey! WAIT!
Monokuma's voice halted us in our tracks. We turned back around and saw him scurrying over to us, heated.
Monokuma: [angry] I wasn't even done talking to you lot! Who the hell do you think you are? I'm your HEADMASTER!
Samira: [bored] Uhhh...I seem to recall a certain clause being that...we were to be left alone for the remainder of our time here, no matter how short or long. So...like...why are you still talking?
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Yeah, like, read the room, bear. No one wants you here. Buzz off already!
Miyumi: [as Nico] Yeah! Loser! [as Ms. Shortcake] No one likes you. Go away!
Mordecai: [accusatory] Leave at once before me and Betsy give you the ole' one-two! Are the former rules still in place preventing violence towards you, now that the Game's over?
Samira: [thoughtful] Hmm...I don't know, actually. [snide] Care to test it out, Mordecai?
Mordecai: [excited] I'd be delighted!
Monokuma: [distressed] Wait, WAIT! Noooo!
Monokuma cowered behind his paws as he adopted a defensive stance in the face of Mordecai's crossbow and his trigger-happy trigger finger, twitching on the trigger.
Mordecai: [angry] You've got 30 seconds to speak your mind before I open fire, Moronkuma!
Monokuma: [distressed] E-Eh? Y-You're...giving me nicknames now? W-What is this role reversal…?
Seiko: Ugh...just say your peace already.
Monokuma: [angry] Geez! Such an ungrateful group of survivors. All I wanted to tell you was that if you really wanted to see if you could get out of here, why not go check the gate yourselves?
The gate…?
Miyumi: [shocked] Huh? W-Why? Has...has s-something changed?
Samira: [annoyed] I don't get it. And I don't trust this. Why are you telling us to check the gate? Is this another trap?
Mordecai: [angry] What more do you have up your sleeves, foul demon? What trickery do you have planned now? Speak! I order it!
Monokuma: [scared] Don't shoot! Pleeease!
The others turned to me.
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] ...Do you think he's got something planned again?
Samira: [disappointed] I don't trust why he's suddenly telling us to do something when the rules were that we'd be left alone after Kenji's execution. But...it's your call, Seiko. Should we do as he says and check it out?
Should we?
I looked down at the cowering Monokuma, and felt nothing but repugnance towards him.
Seiko: …*sigh*. Let's go see what's changed.
Monokuma: [rests one paw behind his head] Good bot! I always knew I could rely on you to listen to reas-
Mordecai let the arrow fly without warning, but Monokuma was faster, as he suddenly did three masterful somersaults backwards, and disappeared from the Trial Room in a flash and a puff of smoke.
We all coughed a little bit as the residue of Monokuma's final dramatic exit dissipated into the frigid air.
Samira: [disappointed] What a fucking drama queen…
Yoshihiki: [worried] Let's just go to the gate and get this over with, yeah? No point dilly-dallying.
Miyumi: [nervous] Maybe…[as Ms. Shortcake] It'll be good news?
Seiko: I...I hope so.
[Move to: Gate]
We took the Express Elevator back to the gate in the South Sector. All throughout the quiet elevator ride, my mind was plagued with endless questions.
What are we going to do with ourselves now that the Killing Game's really over?
Or...were the Founders lying about leaving us in peace? Do they have some other insidious ministrations planned behind-the-scenes?
Kenji was the main man puppeteering our Killing Game and the events that took place, with the help of Monokuma and his fellow Copycat of Despair. But the Founders are the ones who created the Copycats to begin with. It'd stand to reason they must have some plan for us, the remnants of their Killing Game experiment.
They can no longer control me now that I've purged the DAI from my system. So I'm worthless to them now. But they must still want to conceal me from my agency and prevent them from getting me back.
I'm...not even sure if I want to go back. I...want to reunite with my old friends.
Daisuke and Naomi...Iceman...and the others…
But the Board, and the Chairman...the people on top who decided to send me and Azuma on an ill-fated mission just so their pet project could succeed…
Do I want to go back to working for such a callous crew?
And...there's the matter of my friends now. My new family…
They'll want to reunite with their friends and family too. They denied the possibility of that opportunity for my sake…
So I have to make things right! I won't rest until I see them get back home, safe and sound.
I will make destroying the Copycats of Despair my life's mission if I have to.
The Founders and the Copycats of Despair will pay for everything they've done.
Like what Hanako wanted when she tried to escape...she wanted to prevent something like this from happening ever again. She wanted to protect innocent people from becoming the Copycats' future victims.
I can't let them do this to anyone ever again. I can't ever let them continue to make another Killing Game.
The elevator finally came to a stop, and we reemerged back in the remains of the old church. Snow was still falling, but considerably lighter now. The sky was clearing up.
Yoshihiki: [shocked] Hm. Is...winter coming to an end?
The large double doors were wide open. Stepping outside, in the distance, I spotted the imposing gate set in the gray walls, same as always. We approached it together.
Or, at least...I thought it looked the same as always. Drawing closer to it now, I could tell that something was...off. I couldn't quite put my finger on what until I realized…
Seiko: Stop.
Yoshihiki: [confused] What? What's wrong?
Seiko: Listen…
Four sets of blank looks stared back at me.
Mordecai: [nervous] Listen...for what?
Miyumi: [worried] ...I don't hear anything.
Mordecai: [shocked] Merciful mackerel...you don't mean to tell me you hear the haunting hypnotic notes of the Siren's Song, Seiko? Legend has it only a select few people have the ability to hear their tune at an impossible frequency, which-
Seiko: No, not that. I mean, you can't hear anything. The gate's supposed to be charged with electricity.
Samira: [thoughtful] Hey...you're right.
I took a step towards the gate, arm outstretched.
Miyumi: [shocked] Seiko! Be careful!
Seiko: I'll be fine…
Gingerly, I wrapped my fingers around one of the bars in the gate.
Nothing.
Seiko: The electricity...it's been shut off.
Yoshihiki: [worried] Hey...wasn't there supposed to be a sign around the bars too? Something about…
Samira: [shocked] ..."Only Survivors...Get To Walk Free"?
He was right. The sign was missing.
Miyumi: [shocked] Does this mean…?
And as if it had been waiting for a cue all along, there was an ominous wrenching sound as the gate pulled back from me and started to swing outwards. I stumbled back, startled, hardly daring to believe my eyes as the gates parted open, leading out to a path into the world beyond.
Miyumi: [as Ms. Shortcake] I-I-I-It...It opened! I-It r-really opened!
Mordecai: [shocked] What is the meaning behind this?
Samira: [shocked] For real?
Yoshihiki: [shocked] Holy crap…
I waited for the other shoe to drop, expecting Monokuma or one of the Founders or even an Android version of Kenji to burst out of the snow somewhere and explain to us this new change of events.
But no one showed up.
Seiko: The gate leading out of the Village...could it really be?
Samira: [distressed] W-Wait! What if...what if this is another trick?
Yoshihiki: [annoyed] Screw that! If this really is the way outta here, I'm not waiting around before it closes again. Let's get the hell out of this place!
Miyumi: [nervous] Is it really true…? Are we...finally being released?
It did almost seem too good to be true. But there was no denying the fact that the gates were now wide open and inviting. The path ahead appeared to wind through more trees and wildlife, but it was a promise of something more.
A promise of an escape, no matter how slim.
A chuckle escaped my lips as I turned to the others.
Seiko: Whatever the case...let's go find out.
Samira: [accusatory] R-Right! Trick or not...it has to beat staying here and waiting for rescue.
Miyumi: [accusatory] L-Let's go see what awaits us on the other side!
Mordecai: [accusatory] Onward! To freedom!
[Track: watch?v=OGLMGxNdlNw]
[CG] The Five Survivors [CG]
In the end...we were all that was left. We stood in a line in the open gateway, the path leading back into the Village behind us, and only the unknown lying ahead.
Samira, our hotheaded vandal…
Mordecai, our lunatic marksman…
Yoshihiki, our petulant prankster…
Miyumi, our timid puppeteer…
...And me.
A ghost.
A spy.
A machine.
Alive, and yet not, at the same time.
Existing in a shell not of my own creation.
And here I am, only by the grace and love of my friends...allowed to live and breathe and move forward with them.
I cast a glance at Miyumi and Mordecai to my left, then to Yoshihiki and Samira to my right.
...I am human. I am alive, and the friendships I've created...is proof of it.
I took one last look over my shoulder.
Azuma…
Ichiro…
Everyone...
...I'll never forget the events that took place here.
I will make sure the world knows your stories. And I will make the Copycats of Despair pay…
Even if I have to hunt them down for the rest of my life...I swear it to you all.
For everyone that died...my friends...even those who were led astray…
...I will make sure your deaths, and your sacrifices...were not in vain.
I will keep your memories alive with my promise.
And so, together, the five of us stepped over the threshold as one and took our first collective step out of the Village.
The Village...of Despair.
…
…
…
…
…
[ENDING C: TRUE 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]
[DEAD] Kenji - SHSL Lucky Student [DEAD]
Yoshihiki - SHSL Prankster
Umeko - SHSL Detective
[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]
With that...after more than two years of writing, with 55 individual chapters, 6 Class Trials, 11 deceased classmates and 5 lucky Survivors…Fanganronpa: Village of Despair has officially come to an end.
THANK YOU all for joining me on this journey! It means so much to me that there are people who enjoyed reading what I enjoyed writing, and I'm thankful for the Danganronpa fandom for staying strong and being so supportive. Danganronpa easily became one of my favorite fandoms when I first discovered the franchise back in 2017 and I don't regret a single second I spent working on this story.
If you want, you can still join our Discord where we'll probably still talk about some VoD and DR-related stuff. ^.^
Also, while the main story of VoD itself has come to an end for now...I'm not done yet!
I'm going to release a Village Mode after I take a short break, which will basically be like School Mode in the DR games, that takes place in an alternate universe where the Killing Game was disbanded before it even began. It will last across a span of about three more chapters, where I'll showcase all the FTEs for characters that were missed out on in the main story, as well as some other fun post-story content, trivia, popularity polls etc, including a short Epilogue and a little teaser for what I'm thinking of doing next. So stay tuned, and thanks again!