Well, this year was a load of shit.

But yes, here we are, the final chapter of 2020... assuming you're in my timezone, anyway. If you're an hour later, then welcome to the first chapter of 2021! Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this story by 2022. Of course, then I have to write both Another Past and Another Future, which will probably take me a year or so on its own. If you told me when I started writing Another Hope that I'd be working on the series for the next four, five years of my life, I'd say you were crazy. But who's the crazy one now? Me. Th-The answer is me...

Anyway, in this chapter, Maki explains her motive for the trial, Albert talks with one of his friends, and Nagito talks about Hope. Sound all nice and good? The previous chapter seemed pretty divisive, though everyone seems to appreciate my boldness, and while I don't expect Maki's explanation to help matters, maybe it could at least ease some confusion. Hopefully.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 32

Reasons for Treason

Monokuma nodded as he tallied up the votes. "Ugh... it'd be bad if I bit my tongue again... so I'll speak slowly... Judging from the results... You guys were correct once again! Getting four in a row without any mistakes is a splendid achievement! Through Maki's devious cunning, the three victims in this case inadvertently committed suicide!... Yay! I said all that without bitin' my tongue!"

"Since I'm assuming you won't be holding an execution, can we just hurry up and move on already?" Nagito asked.

"Hold on..." Hajime interrupted. "It's true that the class trial is finished but... that doesn't mean the incident is over... We can't finish yet until we hear it from Maki!"

"Hmph, no matter what she says, it won't change a thing... Well, I have no right to stop you either... so do whatever you like."

"That's assuming I have something to say to you." Maki said. She stared at the floor, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Why, Maki...?" Sonia asked once again. "Why did you kill our friends!? Why did Gundham, Fuyuhiko, or Byakuya have to die!? Has all our time together meant nothing to you!?"

"...What do you want me to say? No matter what it is, it'd just sound like an excuse. And murder has no excuse. But if you want me to explain my thought process that bad, then I have no choice but to comply. Let me ask you, what's the point of living if you're just waiting for death? What's the point of a death that has no purpose? That isn't courage. No, just the opposite; it's cowardice." She turned to Hajime. "You told me that you'd rather die than have your friends kill each other. And maybe some of the others here agreed with your sentiment. But I'll never give up. I'll keep fighting to survive no matter what... That's what it means to live. Tell me, if killing is "evil," then what about suicide? If you consider that to be more just, then you're no more sane than a murderer."

"Then are you saying... this was all just to bypass the motive?" Nekomaru asked.

"If I hadn't done what I did, we'd all still be starving. The less healthy members of our group might be bedridden by the end of today. By the end of the week, who knows? Whether you like what I did or not, you can't say I didn't save you all."

"...No, Maki. That's wrong." Nagito suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"If all you wanted was survival, you never would have set up multiple traps. You could have just set up a single crossbow, loaded with a single bolt, and had a single victim. That scenario would have the least amount of bloodshed possible. Instead, you filled Strawberry House with dozens of crossbows, and put a bomb in the tower. If it weren't for Gundham disabling the elevator, and Nekomaru and I disabling your traps, there would have been many more deaths. Face it, this wasn't a murder for survival. You wanted as many of your classmates gone as possible. Your heart and mind have already given in to despair, haven't they?"

"...You are correct. I committed murder, the absolute sin. Like I said before, no matter what excuse I claim, nothing can excuse murder. I am a criminal. That's all there is to it..."

"Wait..." Chiaki spoke up. "Doesn't it seem like her plan relied a little too much on luck?"

"What do you mean?" Nagito asked.

"I mean, if she really wanted to kill as many of us as she could, why would she have the crossbows randomly set up all over the place? Why would the bomb be set up to knock over a pillar instead of just blowing up the one who triggered it? There were too many uncertainties, too many ways she could have been more efficient. Plus, there weren't even any traps in Grape House."

"Didn't she just set it up like that so she wouldn't accidentally kill herself?" Hiyoko asked.

"It would seem that way at first, but Maki had no problem going over to Strawberry House. She probably memorized where each trap was and knew how to avoid them. So why didn't she set any up in Grape House?"

"But it's not a mistake to think that she really wanted us all dead, either." Nagito argued. "There were also too many ways she could have been more merciful."

"Maki..." Hajime turned to her. "Just whose side are you on, really? Are you with us or against us? Please, just give us a straight answer..."

"...I suppose I can try, but whether or not any of you actually believe me is not my fault." She turned to Monokuma and glared up at him. "Of course I don't revel in bloodshed, but bloodshed is all that Monokuma wants. Do you really think he'd just let me get away with killing a single person? Especially after I went out of my way to earn the right to break a single rule? No, he'd never forgive that, and he'd make sure the next motive was even worse than this one, just to get back at me. I don't want to hate any of you, but there was a time when we could have formed together to oppose him, and that time has passed. We have to face reality, Monokuma has complete control over this world. And here's a lesson in criminology: in both gang and prison hierarchies, it's generally accepted that the best way to get on top is to take down whoever already is. But if you can't manage that, the next best thing is to find the most powerful person in sight and kiss their ass."

"My oh my." Monokuma blushed. "I dunno if that's an appropriate thing for a headmaster to hear from one of his students..."

"So basically, you would rather do whatever Monokuma expects from you than help the rest of us?" Nagito asked.

"How does that make you any better than him!?" Hajime snapped.

"It doesn't. But I want you to understand... When the chips are down, when my life is on the line... I don't care what lines I have to cross. If I must debase myself, so be it! I will drink filth and eat carrion to survive! I will do anything to survive!"

"That belief... is why you committed your crime..." Chiaki said. "Hey, what about the Final Dead Room? Did you do the Russian Roulette too?"

"And you did it at the highest difficulty, like me, right?" Nagito asked.

"I never put myself in any real danger." She explained. "But... that's all you'll get out of me."

"Is that it...?" Hajime asked. "Then... I'll just leave it at that..."

"P-Please wait! Maki, I do not accept your explanation!" Sonia argued. "We... We trusted you...! Gundham, Fuyuhiko, Byakuya... they all trusted you! Do you feel no remorse for killing your friends!?"

"Friends... I have always thought that I could be friends with the rest of you, that's true. Maybe if I was a couple years earlier, that could be the case. But as it stands, my arrival was too late. I'm always... too late. Maybe it was the same with Mikan. Maybe I'm just... chasing empty memories..."

"M-Maki...?"

"Monokuma! This farce has gone on long enough. Let's put an end to it." She commanded.

"Yaaaay, got it! I have prepared some very special punishments-"

"Wait, there's still gonna be an execution!?" Nekomaru asked.

"Of course! Like I said before, in a pinch, I can always substitute Monomi! You didn't think I'd skip the best part of the trial just because all the deaths were suicides, did you!? Now then, I have prepared some very special punishments for the Ultimate Breeder, Ultimate Yakuza, and Ultimate Affluent Progeny... Let's give it everything we've got! It's... PUNISHMENT TIIIIIME!"

"Hawawa!?" Rather than being pulled behind the curtains by a mess of chains, Monomi was slowly lifted out of the room by the rope she was tied to. The monitors in the trial room lit up, showing a desert landscape.

"Gundham Tanaka Stampede!" Monomi was unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the desert. It took her a moment to take stock of her surroundings, but she quickly noticed the two halves of Gundham laying a few feet away from her. She gasped, turned away from the sight, and saw a Monokuma riding toward her on a herd of various megafauna. It was then that she noticed something else a few feet in the other direction. It appeared to be her Magic Stick. In desperation, she quickly grasped it and began tracing a magic circle in the sand around her and the body. At the last possible moment, she rose the stick in the air, and the runes began to light up... before ultimately failing. As the herd crossed the line, she was trampled, buried under their hooves. By the time the herd passed, all that was left was blood and stuffing in the sand.

Next, the camera cut to a back alley, where a turf war was currently taking place. Bullets whizzed back and forth from various hiding spots.

"Best Battle!" Monomi, in a new body, found herself hiding behind a metal crate next to Fuyuhiko's body. She peeked out from the cover to scan the battlefield. A bullet shot through one of her ears, causing her to bleed and lose stuffing, but she managed to map out a relatively safe path out of the area. She picked up the body and moved quickly. More bullets hit her on her way, slowing her down, but she eventually managed to reach an alleyway. She ran desperately, turned a corner, and was met with a dead end. She turned to backtrack, and standing where she just was was a Monokuma with a pompadour holding a pistol, next to a cardboard cutout of Peko. Upon seeing that it was Monomi and not Fuyuhiko being executed, the Monokuma tossed the pistol and cutout aside and pulled out a machine gun, pumping her and the body she was carrying full of iron.

Finally, the camera cut to a garbage can.

"Human Disqualification!" Monomi, alongside Byakuya's body, fell into the garbage can from above. The ground beneath the can opened up almost immediately, dropping them further into a place that appeared to be Hell. Monomi crawled out of the trash, dragging Byakuya's body with her. She didn't make it far before a group of Monokumas happened by, dressed as elementary schoolers, and began taunting and throwing rocks at her. Eventually, she managed to make her way away from the crowd, but she was covered in bloody cuts and scrapes. She reached a door, opening it to reveal a snowy landscape outside. She tried to continue, but found herself moving slower and slower as time went on. The execution ended not with a bombastic bang, but with a cold whimper as Monomi succumbed to both her wounds and the cold.

"...Tch." Maki turned and moved toward the elevator. "Like I said at the start of this trial, I'd like to spend as little time in this place as possible. So... Seeya, I guess."

None of the others moved as she left. They were unsure what to do. Their numbers were falling so rapidly, and the number of people they could trust fell even faster.

"It's such a downer... clearly..." Chiaki said. "But still... Even though we feel this way... We still gotta do our very best."

"You... are right..." Sonia muttered. "This time around... we must move forward... We must continue to live and believe in our friends... If not... Gundham will most likely crawl his way out of Hell, and I presume he will be very cross with us..."

"You're... right..." Hajime agreed. "You're right...

Monokuma looked around at the remaining students. "So how long are you guys gonna stand around chattering? The class trial is over, so it's okay for you to hurry back over to Jabberwock Island! However, the killing school trip will proceed as usual, so make sure you know that!"

"H-Hold on!" Monomi appeared next to Monokuma, in a new body. "How... how much longer are you gonna keep doing this!?" With that, the two mascots disappeared, leaving the students.

Nekomaru spoke up next. "Now then... I'm sure you guys are all hungry, so let's hurry back and get some food in you!"

"What the heck?" Hiyoko asked. "Does being a robot make it hard for you to read the mood or something?"

"Well, you know... I'm sad, too... Obviously, this whole situation makes me sad... But I still wanna live! And I'm not afraid to say it! And sometimes, "living" just means doing what you can to make it to tomorrow. So come on! Let's go stuff our faces so we can keep on living!"

"Yeah... let's go back for now and eat." Chiaki agreed. "And then... after we're full, let's sleep as much as we want. And then... let's do our best again."

"...Yeah, you're right." Hajime agreed.

They made their way back to their island life, and did their best to tune out the despair of the last few days. But what they didn't notice until later was that Maki wasn't the only one who had abandoned the group. Someone else, someone who may have been far more dangerous, went out on his own as well...


As usual, I had spent the day observing the trial. Unlike last time, however, the others managed to convince Chiaki not to join me. She was pushing herself hard enough as it was, probably as hard as I was before, and it was clear as day how much I was falling apart then. The last thing we needed was Chiaki having a meltdown. Instead, she retired to her room to rest.

Me, I was busy spending the evening worrying over Alice. She was even further off the deep end than I anticipated. On the one hand, I could understand and even sympathize with her plight. I nearly lost it during my own killing game, and you could say I was built for that kinda punishment. For someone else, however, it would make sense for them to fly off the handle. It would be normal. Especially after losing someone as important to her as Mikan. Could I say I would be in any state to work if I had lost one of my closer friends, like Chihiro? I don't know...

But on the other hand... I was finding it quite hard to look past her crimes. I was able to forgive every other killer I've previously encountered, because I knew the corruptive powers the killing game could have. So why couldn't I forgive Alice? Was it just because this whole thing felt that much more personal for me? Or maybe it was the fact that... this didn't seem like a standard descent-into-madness like I've seen before. She jumped straight from optimism to nihilism at the drop of a hat. Even accounting for the possibility that she contracted the Despair Disease, it's almost like this was a long time coming. Like part of her was waiting for the opportunity.

"Alice... what happened to you?" I muttered to myself, flopping down onto my bed. The sun had set and the sky had turned blood red once again. I had organized my notes, showered, made sure Kameko had enough food in her box, and finally started settling down for bed.

However, I was interrupted by a knock at my door. Grumbling, I got up, put on my glasses, and threw on some pants. While I was doing that, the knocking started again, this time a little more frantic.

"I'm up, I'm up, Christ..." It wasn't normal for the others to call on me at nighttime, they knew how much trouble I had getting sleep, after all, so I knew whatever this was must've been important. However, I couldn't have guessed who my guest of the evening was going to be.

"C-Could I come in for minute...?" Chiaki asked. She looked like an utter wreck. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her hair was messy, and her clothes seemed hastily thrown on. It seemed as though she had just woken up and came straight over here. "I need someone to talk to..."

"Uh, yeah, of course..." I pulled the door open and moved aside. She entered and moved straight for my bed, sitting down and holding her face in her hands. I knew she wasn't crying right now, as there weren't any sobs, but she looked like she could start again at any second. I just stood across from her, leaning against the table.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, but I wasn't about to push her.

Finally, she muttered, "I had a nightmare, or a vision, or... something..."

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked. It seemed like a stupid question. What else would she be here to talk about? But just because she said she wanted to talk doesn't necessarily mean she does. She could just be looking for a presence, someone to keep her anchored to reality. Not that I was really the best at that, but whatever.

She nodded, slowly. "Do you... remember the day that you saved me?"

I shook my head. "My brain's still working on recovering that bit." I've been a lot slower at remembering the past than my classmates seem to be. Perhaps because most of them are somewhat smarter than me? Who knows...

"I told you I didn't remember it that well, either. You said that was probably because of PTSD or something. Repressed memories. But... I've been slowly remembering things since this "game" began. I think watching my classmates on the monitor might have something to do with it..."

"Do you think... your nightmare was a flashback?"

She nodded once again. Then, she asked, "Al, do you trust me?"

"Always."

"...I don't think... I don't think you really saved me. Not in time, anyway..."

I wasn't sure I heard her right. "Wh-What do you mean...?"

She was talking faster now, more frantic. "...I-I thought I just ended up getting severely injured, and that you managed to get me medical help in time... but that wasn't it! I was d-dead! Game over! Wh-Whatever you did, you brought me back to life..."

"Chiaki, calm down! What are you talking about?"

"I thought I just passed out... you know, from blood loss... there was so much blood, and I was sure I was gonna die... and I did...!"

When I managed to process what she was trying to tell me, I just shook my head. "No, Chiaki. It's just a nightmare. The stress is making you imagine things, warping your memories. It happened to me about a week ago. Trust me, no matter what world I'm from or what world we're in, it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead. That's just fact..."

She took a deep breath. "Y-Yeah... you're probably right, but... There's another thing I saw in my nightmare... something that I think might actually be real."

"Okay... what is that?"

"Can you... promise not to tell anyone? I don't want the others to panic if it turns out to be nothing."

"I've been told I'm good at keeping secrets. Yours is safe with me."

"When J-Junko was trying to kill me, she wasn't alone. She baited me into a trap, using my teacher. And my teacher... I think she might be a Remnant of Despair, as well. I think she was in on it." She finally looked up, and stared at me with her red, puffy eyes. "My teacher was Chisa Yukizome."

Yukizome... I recognized that name. "The Former Ultimate Housekeeper... Head of the Future Foundation's 5th Division... The 5th Division is in charge of intelligence and counter-espionage. If it's been compromised this whole time... Holy shit..."

She nodded. "You see what I mean? If the others found out about that... there's no doubt everyone would panic."

I sat down on the bed next to her, thinking. "Hmm... I don't know as much about the Future Foundation Heads as I'd like. I really wish I got a chance to watch DR3... But in any case, I know we're eventually gonna have to confront them anyway. I know Makoto's gonna have a trial eventually. I'll confront Chisa for you when I get the chance. I might be able to get her to spill something."

"...You really trust me? Just like that?"

I smiled. "I already said "Always," didn't I? What more do you need?"

She nodded, but didn't smile back. Instead she said, "Thank you, but... I think it should be me..."

"Huh?"

"I should be the one to confront Ms. Yukizome. She was my teacher. She should be my responsibility, just like my classmates."

"Are you sure? I feel like seeing her again... might drudge up some more trauma..."

"Th-That's... why I have to do it. I need that closure. I have to be able to see her again. Show her how much I've grown. Tell her that I'm not afraid of Junko, or the Despairs..."

I shook my head. "Don't be ridiculous. You're terrified."

She looked up at me, then looked down at herself. "I-I guess I am, huh...?"

"Exactly. Don't sell yourself short. The fact that you can still think like that while you're terrified means you're also really brave."

Finally, I got a smile out of her. "I guess you would know more than anyone. You're always kinda scared, aren't you? You know, you always used to call yourself a coward, but if you use your logic, I think that makes you the opposite."

I nodded, chuckling. "I guess I changed a lot since those days, then. I was definitely a coward back at Hope's Peak. But yeah, I'm tired of letting my fear control me. And I can understand what you mean when you say you need closure. I've got too many people I haven't been able to say my last goodbye to, either. You can come along for Makoto's trial, then. Hell, we could use any extra witnesses we can get. And when you get the chance, you can confront Chisa. And if you need support, I'll be right there with you."

"Al... you're a good friend." The tears were returning, but they didn't betray her smile. "After everything you've done for me and my friends... sometimes I feel like I haven't done enough to pay you back."

"I know the feeling. I always feel like I haven't done everything I could for others. But seriously, none of that. I don't help you because I want a reward, I do it because we're friends. Besides, I know you're just having a rough time. You've got yourself spread thin enough worrying about your classmates, and now this. Speaking of... I thought you planned to stay on this island and help them once they woke up. Makoto's trial is gonna get in the way of that."

She thought about that. "I'm sure they will understand. Ms. Yukizome is their teacher, too. They would want the closure just as much as I do. So... after the trial, when I get back, I can tell them how it went... and we can all move on from there. Toward our own future."

I nodded. "...Sounds like we got a plan. So, do you think you're alright from here? I don't wanna abandon you if you're still scared, but..."

She looked around, and seemed to notice my state for the first time. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, but I was getting ready for bed."

"Sorry..." She slowly stood up. "But I think I had enough rest, anyway. I should get back to the Observation Room."

"Don't push yourself. Seriously."

"Yeah. Same to you."

She left, and I waved her off, before shuffling over to my bed. I fell asleep the moment my face hit the pillow, my mind thoroughly drained.


"Allll right! Monokuma has arrived! Who summoned me!?"

"...Thanks for coming." Nagito said, disdain clear on his face. Their meeting spot was the park, just under the giant timer that was still counting down after all this time.

"Why it's the lonely little Nagito! Are you all alone tonight, too!? So what's up? Your face looks scary."

"I see... so you can tell..."

"Ah, perhaps you found out who the traitor is?"

"You know me well... Is what I'd like to say but, unfortunately, I haven't learned that yet."

"I seeee, so even you don't know, huh... Looks like the final showdown is gonna take a little more time. So why'd you summon me anyway? Were you finally gonna confess your love?"

"I summoned you... because there's something I really need to ask you. It's about... the special prize from the Final Dead Room."

"Oh yeah... What about it?"

"There was information about seventeen people in the file I received... But isn't that weird?"

"What's weird?"

"Well... there's a traitor from the Future Foundation hiding among us, right? Including that person... the total number of students would be seventeen, right? But this file contained documents that were created at Hope's Peak Academy, right?"

"That's right! I just reused the stuff that the former headmaster spent a lot of time making!"

"If this file even contains information about the traitor... Was that person also a former student of Hope's Peak Academy?"

"Puhuhu... I wonder."

"Could it be...? Is this your doing? Did you slip false information into the file? Were you trying to keep us from learning the traitor's identity by obtaining this information...?"

"...What's wrong with that? If it's my job to heat things up, it's okay if I do something small like that, right?"

"That's not my point... My point is... you already know who the traitor is."

"...What's wrong with that? Well, you're splendidly correct when you say, "I knew who the traitor was all along..." But even though I know who it is, why do you think I ignored it on purpose? It's just like Monomi after losing her Magic Stick! The traitor's existence means absolutely nothing to me!"

"Their existence means nothing, huh..."

"Well, that's just how I feel. I'm sure you guys feel somewhat different. After all... that person is the evil Future Foundation lackey who's putting you guys through this awful stuff!"

"Hmmm... that's not entirely true... I didn't really come here to fight or anything like that... Instead, I came here to offer my cooperation, you know?"

"...Cooperation?

"Your purpose... is to fill everyone on this island with despair, right? That's why you're intentionally letting the traitor do as they please, right?"

"Yep, yep!"

"If that's the case... I might be able to cooperate somewhat too. However... in exchange, I want to know who the traitor is."

"I see... interesting, very interesting... Obviously that's a biiiiig no-no! I mean... I want to make everyone in your group feel despair! That includes you, too!"

"...Well, I knew you would say that."

"Besides... I just wouldn't be able to handle the sadness when you inevitably betray me later on..."

"Hahaha... Just as I thought, you saw right through me... No matter what situation I find myself in, my core way of thinking will never change... In order to create absolute hope that shines brightly, stepladders such as myself and despair exist..."

"Puhuhu, you're right! You're a true believer of hope after all! I must say, that belief... reminds me of that person for some reason!"

"Reminds you...? I don't know who you're talking about, but if someone as worthless as me reminds you of some other person... they must be extremely unlucky."

"But your just as unlucky, right? I mean, the fact that you're even involved in something like this..."

"Am I? I actually think I'm very lucky."

"...Huh?"

"Wouldn't you say that coming across this much despair is a rather rare opportunity? I can't rely on anyone on this island... That's why I have to be the one who does it... If I can eliminate despair from this island, I won't be a stepladder anymore. I'll become... true hope... I'll become an existence that could even be called Ultimate Hope!"

"Puhuhu... The two of you are alike. You definitely remind me of him."

"Hey, there's one more thing I want to ask you."

"...Hm?"

"Who are you waiting for on this island?"

"...Huh?"

"Looks like I'm right again... You're definitely waiting for someone on this island... Is the person you're waiting for already on this island?... Well? Answer my question."

"If... if that's the case... If that person is already on this island... Puhuhu! Wouldn't that be exciting!? Aaaaaahahahahahaha!"

As Monokuma's laughter echoed throughout the night, Nagito turned and began walking away. If he wasn't going to get an answer to his question, then he wasn't going to waste his time. He needed to spend as much time trying to pinpoint the traitor as possible. So far, he had only narrowed it down to five.

He could do it. He would. He would eliminate the despair on this island. If there was any job he could trust himself with, it was that. After all, if there was anything special about him, it was how lucky he was.


Oh boy, I'm already throwing in some foreshadowing for DR3. I don't want to spoil who I plan to have participating in Another Future, but suffice to say that Albert and Chiaki will be accompanying the others to Makoto's trial. While this may delay her glorious reunion with her classmates, I think the payoff will ultimately be worth it. Just be glad she's alive in this version, you darn whippersnapper.

Survivors-7: Maki Yugami, Hajime Hinata, Chiaki Nanami, Hiyoko Saionji, Nagito Komaeda, Nekomaru Nidai, Sonia Nevermind

Victims-10: Teruteru Hanamura, Kazuichi Soda, Mahiru Koizumi, Peko Pekoyama, Akane Owari, Ibuki Mioda, Mikan Tsumiki, Gundham Tanaka, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Byakuya Togami

And with that, we've officially hit the point where there are more victims than survivors. That's always when the game gets the most fun. Well, except in the first story, where I just skipped chapter 5. Oh shit, I have to write a fifth trial this time. That one's always the most mind-bendy!

In the next chapter, the killing game shall continue, and we'll explore the next island.