"Never ask me about that again. It didn't work, end of story".

"Forgive me so… what are we supposed to do?"

"Huh?"

"What are we supposed to-"

Peko was cut off by Fuyuhiko slamming his foot against the pod she was leaning back against. She flinched at the crash, eyes widened at him as she fought to maintain her stoic composure instead of slinking back in fear and surprise.

"Fuck! Please tell me you did not just fucking say that".

"Say wha-"

"Don't act stupid with me! You were going to say, 'what are we supposed to do'".

"Yes".

"For whom?" He hissed his words harshly, confusing her greatly. Was this just a trick question? She continued staring at him silently, watching his facial expression confront further into anger and frustration. "I said.. for whom".

"What do you mea-"

"That is what I mean! You're smart, aren't you! So, tell me".

"Jun-"

"Godammit!" He kicked the pod again out of anger, once, twice, three times. Things had just escalated to a higher level of confusion for her, and a higher level of frustration for him. Fuyuhiko slowly grew silent, and started staring at her, cupping his chin in his hand as his right foot started rapidly tapping the ground. "I need you to get what I'm about to say through your head".

"We are DONE with Junko Enoshima. You get me? DONE".

The order was enough to finally draw out some emotion from her, a shocked look now displaying on her face. She was speechless, making the matter clear to Fuyuhiko, who now has a shocked look upon his face as well.

He didn't know what exactly to do at this moment, a scenario like this, the last thing he could imagine would transpire. The first thing he thought to do was to call Hajime back from wherever he had gone, but that thought also came with the fear of what he would do. Likely, presumably rather, she would be determined and forcibly locked away while he attempted 'reconditioning' her in whatever way he saw fit. The second thing he thought to do was to 'slay the shit out of her' in hopes of knocking her to her senses, but that was obviously counterintuitive.

"What's with that look?" He growled, receiving no immediate answer save for the still shocked on which he was speaking of. She shifted slightly in place, knees wobbly and ready to give way to the need to fold. She was still holding onto her reply and turned distraught when she noticed the glance of disappointment pass over her. "Say something…"

He was slowly losing his will to continue. Seeing that now saddened face of hers only made this worse. The two of them continued looking at each other in a sullen silence, waiting for the other to speak. After a few seconds, Peko let out a light. Whimper as her legs gave out under her, leaving her on the ground with her back against the pod she was holding herself up with.

"I can't believe what's happening…" She finally said.

A light had switched on in Fuyuhiko's brain, his fingers snapping loudly as the realization. He cursed himself for having passed over the thought, that she had remembered what transpired in the killing game they participated in.

"Wait!-" He spoke up. "Do you remember the trial, and everything else?"

She nodded her head as soon as he stopped speaking. In his mind he was smiling wider than humanity possible, finding some piece information he could finally work with positivity.

"I apologise…" She softly spoke, almost under her breath. Her head started drifting downward, wanting to avoid his gaze. Fuyuhiko took a few quick steps so he could kneel down next to her.

"We can talk apologies later. First, let's talk about the obvious. That… killing game. It wasn't real".

"R-right…"

That was a weirder start than he would've liked, but he had to start from somewhere.

"A barge".

"Yes!"

Kazuichi was massively, excited about having found the sea vessel, as well as everything else in the airfield. In one place he had found a boat and a hefty number of planes he would probably scraps of parts. He hadn't partaken in much tinkering lately, so Hajime thought it'd be good for him to get back on the horse.

"You plan on using that to move between the islands? Isn't it a bit large?" Sonia questioned the practical use of the thing, it's large size for the most part.

"It's perfect!" Was the only argument Kazuichi believed he needed to present. "It's the best thing I could ever ask for, we can bring back as much stuff as we want, no limits or roundtrips!"

The simple explanation was all Hajime needed to come to an agreement with the pink haired boy. But there was still things that needed to be figured out before the barge could be used. Just two actually.

"How do we get it into the water?" An easy question, one he probably didn't need to ask even.

"Well it's here, and on a trailer, and there's a marina on this island. The one those future foundation guys used for their ship. "That's exactly what Hajime was thinking, almost word for word.

"And how will we move the barge from here?" A question with a more situational answer, even if he could think of something himself.

"Ah, I just figured I'd make something that could tow it there".

Not much thought went into that answer, but it was something. "Best case scenario, we'll be in the water by this afternoon! Worst case, um… the barge sinks, I guess. So, on that note… who's going to stay and help me out?"

"These two will, isn't that right?" Mahiru stepped forward and volunteered Nagito and Hajime, pushing both towards Kazuichi. Hajime made a thinking face, while Nagito looked completely willing to help with the legwork, his smile said to all.

"Nah, I think I'll stay too". Akane shook her head and volunteered her own services, sliding over to stand near Hajime, who still looked to be in his thoughts.

"Well… I was thinking about going to check on Peko. But I suppose I'll stay as well". Kazuichi clapped once loudly when Sonia decided to stay as well. The masses then moved their eyes to Mahiru, pressuring smiles on their faces while they stared her down. The photographer let out a deflating sigh and let her shoulders slump down before her posture straightened out.

"Alright, like I'd be the only one to leave anyway".

"Forgive me". She said again after seeing his face contort and twitch irritably. From behind his stiff lips came a heavy grunt.

"Would you please stop saying that".

"As you wish",

"That too! And if you say, 'yes master', then you're really going to make me mad!" Fuyuhiko looked down on her with a tired expression, before finally offering his hand to her. She took it hesitantly and let out a huff when his other hand came down and helped lift her onto her feet. Off the ground once again, she was leaning against her pod, now watching him move to another corner of the room, returning with a folded wheelchair. She narrowed her eyes at the seat as he unfolded it and dusted it off.

"I don't need to-" Peko tried to object the piece of equipment, her right foot moving forward only for her knee to buckle. On instinct her hands shot forward and latched themselves onto the armrests of the chair, pushing it against Fuyuhiko as he stood behind it. she gave her eyes to the floor out of shame as her left foot moved next, her legs now parallel whilst they rattled intensely.

"Just sit in the chair, Peko. Please". He leaned down, locking the wheels in place before moving to the side and laying a hand on her arm. He gently pulled at her limb, slowly spinning her around so that her rear was in front to the chair, her own body doing the rest as her legs gave way and she fell into the seat. "It didn't take Mahiru that long to stand on he own feet, so don't worry about it".

She almost flinched when the chair's wheel unlocked, then she was spun around. Her palms gripped the end of the armrests tightly as he wheeled her towards the exit doors, stopping he lean over and shove the door open before swiftly pushing her though.

The sunlight overhead was almost blinding, her vision flashing as the outside came into view. Her eyes closed as her hand drifted down, slowly opening again when she knew it was safe. She stared at her lap as Fuyuhiko pushed the chair forward, the drift cracking under the rubber wheels as they went along. Peko's eyes watered while her vision slowly started fading back in, the sight before them leaving the Swordswoman at a loss for words.

The Mirai hotel was a small way away, but the look of it caught her attention immediately.

"Where are we?", she let out.

"Jabberwock island". He answered, confirming what she thought couldn't be true. "It's almost the exact same as the setting of the killing game, with only a few minor visual differences. Now can we get back to what we were talking about?"

"I believe you, you know", the brakes on his train of thought slammed down when her response plopped down onto his tracks. The wheelchair suddenly came to a stop as well, Peko's torso bobbing forward and back in her seat. "From the moment you said you disowned her cause, I believed you. I almost couldn't believe it".

"Junko?" She nodded her head lightly, making Fuyuhiko scrunch his face in confusion.

"I'm proud of you…"

"It's working! It's working!" Kazuichi honked the horn of a derelict looking truck as it's engine roared to life after a simple turn of the ignition key. The Mechanic had been spending the past few minutes manically disassembling the truck's original engine and replacing it was one of his own design. "I'm putting it in gear!"

As soon as he said so, his palm moved the stick shift, and the vehicle exploded out of it's parking space, moving full steam ahead into a stationary sea plane a few meters away. The others cringed before running after the monster machine as it continued moving, pushing the plane along with it with ease. The two continued to plow ahead, not stopping until they collided with the perimeter fence. The group ran up to the truck, stopping at the door as it flung open, Kazuichi rolling out with a hand slapped over his mouth, stomach dripping in and out as he let out muffled gags.

"Good job", Hajime patted him on his shoulder as he stepped over him, reaching over the trucks steering wheel to grab the keys and shut off the engine.

**Hrmmphhh**… T-than-*Hurp*… thanks…" Kazuichi wretched through his words, worried that he'd succumb to the reflex if he spoke more. Liquid bile already reaching the back of his throat. With his left hand he pinched his nose shut tight as he could stomach pushing the vomit back down to his stomach. "Dammed motion sickness…"

"Motion sickness?" Sonia said, spotting a clear conflict of interest. "You plan to step foot on a sea vessel, with motion sickness?"

His eyes sparked like metal under a blowtorch, his jaws slamming down so he could praise the heavens for the Princess' concern, before lurching forward. Like he had been squeezed with a vice, Kazuichi let loose a large amount of vomit, his eyelids clamping shut as the fowl taste washed across his tongue.

"Ha-Hajime!" The person of the same name now held his head to the sky, his hand hiding his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His chest was covered in the brown slop, now sliding down and changing the colour of his white shirt, and splashing onto his shoes, even sliding into them to dampen his socks.

"It's… hot…" Hajime stammered out as he inwardly cringed that heat of the bile as noticeable as a heavy blanket. "It got in my shoes…"

"What a waste of food…" Akane almost cried, noticing hints of the gang's earlier meal in the throw-up.

"Not my usual subject, but this'll look good", Mahiru said behind a click and a camera flash after she moved to Hajime's frontside.

"Poor Hajime…" Sonia felt sorry for him, a worried look on her face growing as she saw him twitch a few times as he stood there.

"Please, forgive me…" Kazuichi pleaded, his left hand towards Hajime as his right covered his mouth.

"If you try to take that shirt off, it'll probably get in your hair!" Nagito couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, bursting as he pointed out a further nuisance in the predicament. Hajime twitched again, reacting to the plopping sound that was made by his shirt dripping off the last of Kazuichi's stomach's contents. "What a stroke of bad luck! I didn't think you had that, not at all".

Hajime reacted to nothing that any of them said, slowly kicking off his filled shoes, scraping his socks against the asphalt to peel them off. He then united his tie. Then carefully pulling his arms into his shirt so he could gently and precisely raise it over his head. With a defeated way of moving, he fell back onto his bottom, arms raised forward at an angle with his torso drooping forward as well.

"Couldn't you have… avoided that? Kazuichi had the nerve to ask, Hajime slowly nodding his head to say yes. "Then why didn't you…"

"Akane was right behind me".

"I was? I was!" She gained a scowl on her face, turning red after her eyes darted to Kazuichi, who returned her look with fear. "Hajime, you-"

"He gave his body to shield the one he loves!" Sonia's eyes sparkled as she shouted her statement, yelling something about Japanese soap operas after.

"Gave his body!? It's not like he's going to die!" Kazuichi challenge the comparison, looking at Hajime to try and gauge his opinion.

"I think I'm dying…"

"No, you're not!" Kazuichi shouted at his human target.

"Wait, did you say he loves-"

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Akane's sudden call to action interrupted Mahiru's question, leaving the redhead confused as she and the rest of the group watched as the Gymnast chased Kazuichi across the lot, the pink haired one still covering his mouth as he ran.

"It seems your luck truly can rival mine, Izuru!" Nagito earned a glare for the shot he took.

"What?"

"'I'm proud to see how much you're matured".

"I don't follow. You're not…"

"My loyalty is to you and the Kuzuryu clan. Not her. Involvement in her following couldn't change that".

He could find some comfort in that. But he had to know if her loyalty could be backed up by own opinion.

"So, you could abandon Despair? Just like that".

"Yes, I can. You don't have to worry about me".

All of Fuyuhiko's nervousness had just slapped him insultingly. It was all for naught, the anger, frustration and shouting he had gone through today. He felt like an idiot, but at least he was a happy idiot.

"If that's how you feel, then why were you acting so confused", Fuyuhiko pointed out.

"You surprised me. Can I assume the same for everyone else?"

"Yeah, everyone's right in the head now. At least these of us who're awake now. We have to play it by when we wake someone up, though. That's why… I was so harsh earlier. Sorry 'bout that…"

"Please, all the shouting just showed that you care".

"That I care, huh?" He smiled, his face warming lightly as a blush started creeping over his cheeks. "Here, let me help you up". He moved by her side, offering his arm to her. Bringing her to her feet, he hooked his arm around hers, their sides touching as he leaned against him for support, her legs still weak. They started walking together slowly, both of them agreeing to go and find the others.

'I'm glad to have you back, Peko… just… wait of me to muster up some guts, and I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I feel'.

Paranoia ended up being the only roadblock he had faced today. Other than her legs being asleep, Peko was fine, in both mind and body. It was honestly almost enough to make him jump for joy. He had his childhood friend back and there wasn't anything else he would rather have.