Himiko wasn't dumb.
Her friends would never say she was to her face, but she knew they thought she was. A lot of people did.
They tried to hide it, but she knew Shuichi and Maki weren't doing good. It had been obvious at the hotel, but even when they'd call each other on the phone, Himiko was pretty sure she knew what was happening.
Shuichi didn't like himself very much. It didn't really matter what he did, or what happened, he'd always find a way to think it was all his fault. Himiko had told him while they were at the hotel that he did really good, that the only reason they were free was because of his detectiving, but he had just done that dumb thing were he smiled with really sad eyes.
Maki didn't like herself either, but it was different. She didn't blame herself for all the things that happened, that was good. But Maki hated her talent. Himiko had thought maybe learning that she'd never killed anyone, that all her assassinations never happened, would help, but it didn't. When she looked in the mirror, Maki saw someone that Himiko didn't, and Himiko didn't know what to do about that.
But Himiko? She was fine.
Really, she was doing really good. She had two moms who loved her, she didn't hate herself, and she was a teenager with thirteen dead friends.
Himiko was fine.
"You're sure you'll be okay, Himiko?" Short Mom asked her for the fifth time. They were getting closer to their destination, a diner not too far from their house.
Maybe someone else would have been bothered by Short Mom's tendency to double and triple and quadruple check that they were okay, but Himiko actually found it reassuring. It...kind of reminded her of Tenko. "I'll be fine, nyeh."
While they waited at a red light, Short Mom reached over and ruffled Himiko's hair, something she didn't get to do usually. Himiko had wanted to wear her hat, but the prosecutor lady told her not to, so Himiko wore some less magical clothes that her moms had picked out for her, with no hat. "You know, you could invite your friends to come over sometime," Short Mom told her. She'd taken a half day at work just so she could drop Himiko off and pick her up for this afternoon appointment.
Having Shuichi and Maki over..."I'll try to remember to ask," Himiko promised. It actually sounded kind of nice.
Then they were at the diner, and Himiko saw Shuichi and Maki waiting for her. Which was why it was a little embarrassing when Short Mom got out of the car too, giving Himiko a long hug and a forehead kiss. After one last promise to message her the second the meeting was done, Himiko watched Short Mom reluctantly drive away.
At first, Himiko looked at the ground as she shuffled over to see her friends. It wasn't that Short Mom was embarrassing, it's just that stuff like that drained her mana. But when she did look up, she realized how much she'd missed the only other two survivors of the Killing Game. After a second's hesitation, Himiko remembered what Tenko said about expressing her feelings, so she came closer and hugged the other two teenagers.
They both stiffened, though weirdly enough it was Maki who relaxed first and hugged her back. "It's good to see you," was all she said, but from Maki that meant a lot.
"Yeah," Shuichi said, still a little off-balance from the physical affection. "I missed you too." After Himiko pulled back, she was able to get a better look at what her friends were wearing. Like her, they weren't wearing the stuff they had on the show, but then again they'd both changed out of those clothes when they got to the hotel, nyeh. For Shuichi, that meant a hoodie with a suit jacket over it, and blue jeans. He looked silly. "So, Himiko, was that your..."
His voice trailed off, and Himiko guessed that he was trying to think of a good way to refer to Aini. None of them really liked that word the government lady had used, 'body donor'. "She's one of my moms, nyeh," Himiko explained, trying not to blush. "They're both...really nice. I wanna stay with them forever." She didn't mention Aini, because talking about her made Himiko sad.
To most people, Maki's expression would probably look like nothing, or something mean. But Himiko had gotten to know her well enough to tell she was smiling, even if it only really showed in her eyes. "That's really good, Himiko. I'm glad your moms are treating you well." There was definitely something different about Maki, and it wasn't just her clothes. Himiko wondered if they were from Marika, because otherwise she didn't know why Maki would have them. A cute t-shirt with a fluffy bunny on it and a cardigan in baby blue...not very Maki. If Himiko used them for summoning magic, they'd probably call up a teenage succubus, nyeh.
Shuichi opened his mouth, but it took him a few seconds to say something. "Maki...um..."
It looked like Shuichi was still walking on eggshells around Maki. Himiko thought that was silly. Maki was their friend, and they could talk to her like normal. "Is your family nice, Maki?" Himiko asked, thinking that was probably what Shuichi was going for.
Maki winced, and her eyes looked weird. Why was she happy and unhappy at the same time? That shouldn't be possible. "Marika's family is...really normal. But it looks like no one really told them what happened to her. They still thought I was her. Think I am her." That was strange, Himiko thought. Why hadn't Maki just corrected them? "What about you, Shuichi?"
Himiko had been curious about that too, but from how clammy and sweaty Shuichi looked after hearing the question, she felt like maybe they shouldn't have asked. "I'm..." It looked like Shuichi was trying to find the right words again, like he didn't know how to say what he was feeling. Which didn't make sense to Himiko, once she'd decided to start saying what she felt, it was pretty easy, nyeh.
"Hey there kids, sorry we're late." They all turned to look, Shuichi's issue forgotten, to see the prosecutor lady and the therapist lady were walking down the sidewalk towards them. Like always, the government person looked like a grown-up Maki, and the other woman was really smile-y.
Following her lead, they all went inside the restaurant and went to a booth that fit the five of them, adults on one side, teenagers on the other. They didn't talk about what they were meeting for until after food (Himiko got french toast with lots of syrup and a ginger tea), and it looked like Shuichi and Maki were pretty antsy to hear what they had to say. Himiko didn't know what this was about, so she didn't really care yet.
"We have news about the court case!" the therapist lady said first. "It's all over, they dropped the case and you're scot free now!" That sounded good to Himiko.
The prosecutor lady pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, kind of like Tall Mom did when she was upset. "Zatsu, that's not it." Looking mostly at Shuichi, she clarified, "They didn't drop the case, they settled it. They've given up any claim on you kids, and they're paying you a pretty hefty sum for what you've been through."
Himiko didn't really understand how that was any different from what the therapist lady had said, but apparently Shuichi knew what they were talking about. "That's strange though...why did they give up so quickly? It's only been a month, and even for Japan the courts wouldn't be ready to hear the case for a while." Only really half paying attention now, Himiko started playing with sugar packets.
"There was a lot of pressure to get this over with," she explained. "On one side, other production companies for immersive reality tv shows didn't want the courts looking at the technology they use any closer than they had to, and a settlement doesn't have any standing in case something like this happens again. On the other side...was the public."
This time, it was Maki who said something. "You mean all of the 'fans' of the show?" She was doing that thing where her voice was really scary, but that stopped working on Himiko a while ago.
It didn't seem to do anything to the prosecutor lady either. "Ex-fans, actually. That stunt you pulled turned a lot of people off from Danganronpa, and while there are still fans out there who are pissed at you for ruining the season, you three have kind of become a symbol for everyone who wasn't okay with it in the first place. There was enough public pressure to make sure things were resolved quickly." Himiko actually kind of liked the sound of that. After all that had happened...it was good that some of the people watching tried to understand them.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you, while we're on the subject," Shuichi said, and the way he said it made Himiko pay attention. It was like when he was in a class trial, and all the nervousness and hesitancy that normally slowed Shuichi down were gone. "Can you tell us why the government didn't move against Team Danganronpa until after we escaped ourselves?"
Even Himiko could tell that Shuichi was mad. She had to think though, because it was a good question. She'd tried not to think about the show since they'd left, but it still seemed impossible to her. Why were they allowed to kill people on TV?
It wasn't the prosecutor lady to say something first, but the other adult at the table. "They...we wanted to. A lot of us did. But..."
"I'll handle this, Zatsu," the prosecutor cut in, taking over. It looked like she was taking Shuichi's question really seriously. "It's a long story, but I'll give you the highlights. Back when immersive reality television first started, there was a big outcry, and the prosecutor's office debated whether they should push against it. But in the end, they decided that since the people went into it voluntarily, it could be legal.
"Danganronpa didn't enter that scene until a while later, and when they did people were furious. That first season was the most controversial show ever aired on television, and thousands of people boycotted the show, and others were calling for it to be shut down by us." Okay, Himiko thought, so why didn't they? If they had... "Our hands were tied. Team Danganronpa had spent years setting the stage for that move, working with other lobbying groups to set up the laws that would keep them from being prosecuted. Lowering the age needed for actors in immersive reality television, weakening of regulatory bodies, and a law that made immersive characters the intellectual property of their companies. They'd made it so that arguing they were breaking the law was near-impossible."
For the first time in a while, Himiko felt the need to speak up. "So...you guys didn't even try?"
"I was a kid!" she snapped back, but something about how she said it...Himiko thought that she felt guilty anyway. "Some people in the office at the time still wanted to try, but they were blocked by their higher-ups. I've asked around, and it seems pretty clear that Team Danganronpa made 'donations' to the right people." The prosecutor bit her lip, and now she couldn't look at any of them. "The initial backlash was a double-edged sword. The show went from reviled to top ratings in just a few seasons. Any press is good press, you know?" Then, she got up from the table. "Fuck it, I need a smoke."
She stalked off, and the other lady took over talking to them. "So, I bet you're all wondering what this news means for you!" The therapist was trying to sound cheery, but Himiko could tell it was forced. It didn't even take a Detect True Emotions spell. "The long and short of it is that you're all free, emancipated minors!" After reaching into her jacket, she handed some folders to each of them. "Those are everything you need! Government ID, proof of citizenship, all the boring paperwork that proves you're a real Japanese citizen. Shuichi Saihara, Maki Harukawa, and Himiko Yumeno are completely officially real people now."
"Are the show people still after us?" Himiko asked, as she put the folder on her lap. She didn't really know what else to do with it.
With a more real smile this time, the lady told Himiko, "No, I highly doubt it. We're keeping some minor surveillance on you, just in case, but as far as we can tell there's nothing to worry about. You kids can say who you really are on the internet, you can go to school under your real names, you're all free as a bird!" A server came over with a check, a sign it was time to leave. "I'll take care of this, you can all go do whatever you feel like doing. And remember! I'm always just a phone call away."
They walked out of the restaurant, and looking at her friends, it seemed to Himiko like they were kind of dazed. She didn't see what the big deal was, really, but it still felt too quiet, so she said something. "I don't wanna go to school, nyeh. I'll ask my moms if I can just do it from home..." Himiko didn't say it, but she also didn't care about that online thing really. Social media had never really been something she understood.
Something about that must have been funny, because Shuichi actually laughed. "I was thinking of doing something similar, actually."
"..." Maki didn't say anything, but Himiko knew that she'd tell her what she was doing later. Maybe she didn't even know, yet?
After Himiko messaged Short Mom, she pulled up in her car in less than a minute. Had she been parked just around the corner, nyeh? But seeing her reminded Himiko of something, so before she left, she looked at her friends seriously. "We need to talk more. I don't want to only see you when government people make us go to a diner." Shuichi nodded at that, and Maki smiled with her eyes, if not her lips. "Oh, and Momma wanted me to invite you over, so you can probably just come by anytime, nyeh."
That message delivered, Himiko went into the car and told her Short Mom something vaguely similar to what had happened. She seemed really happy about the stuff in the envelope, but then again she had a really boring job, so maybe she just liked boring stuff.
Even if she didn't really understand what all of that was about, Himiko at least was happy that it sounded like it was really over now.
She cursed herself for thinking that immediately after. Now, she'd jinxed it.