I was planning to post this yesterday, but because of some issue with the site I was unable to log in. Not sure what that was about. Anyway...

This isn't a long chapter, but it leads into the next one well. It's mostly just the students exploring the final island, so if you're not interested in that, you can probably just skip to the end and read the last section. Or you can just skip it all entirely, but that'll hurt my feelings.

In any case, I hope you enjoy.


Chapter 33

Nowhere Fast

The next morning, back to their usual routine, the survivors met up at the restaurant. They all seemed more alive thanks to the dinner they enjoyed the night before, but their diminishing numbers did little to help.

"The restaurant... certainly feels more spacious than before." Sonia noted.

"Of course it feels spacious." Hajime said. "There are less than half of us here now than there were at the beginning."

"Anyway... what happened to Maki and Nagito?" Chiaki asked. "I haven't seen them like I usually do..."

"Who cares about Nagito?" Hiyoko asked. "He always just does what he wants, anyway."

"But still... I'm a little worried about how he was acting during the last class trial." Nekomaru said. "As for Maki, I doubt she wants to see any of us right now. I mean, it's not like we want to see her very much either, you know?"

"Yeah, that's a good point..." Hajime admitted. The table was silent while everyone contemplated the two outcasts.

"Anyway Hajime... Isn't it about time you told us what that was all about?" Nekomaru asked.

"...Huh? That?"

"You know, what Nagito said during the trial... He said we're supposed to be "Symbols of Hope," but then said "Except for Hajime." You said you'd explain it later."

He nodded, then paused, trying to think how he should word it. "Um... To tell you guys the truth... Unlike the rest of you... Well... apparently I was never a part of Hope's Peak Academy's Primary Department... I'm a Reserve Course student from the Reserve Department."

"...Reserve Department?" Sonia repeated.

"It means... unlike you guys, I don't have an Ultimate talent at all... Apparently... I'm just a normal person." Saying it out loud made it suddenly seem so much more true. The haziness in his mind that had been plaguing him through the whole game was gone. With it came clarity, like a breath of fresh air... but he also felt a wave of shame hit him.

"...It that all?" Nekomaru asked.

"What? You're acting like that makes you any more pathetic than before." Hiyoko laughed.

"It's not something that I can just brush off... Especially since it's about me..." He explained. "I... thought I just forgot... I thought I got into Hope's Peak Academy because I had talent all along... But... Shit!"

His whole life... He just wanted to feel confident about himself... And he thought getting into Hope's Peak meant he had finally become someone he could be proud of... Not just some backup student!

His thoughts were interrupted when Chiaki put a hand on his shoulder. "...Cheer up, Hajime. It doesn't matter if you're from the Reserve Department..."

"She is right!" Sonia agreed. "No matter what, you are our friend! You know, there is a saying in Japan! Fear is grateful for the danger!"

"What the heck!? That's not how that goes!" Hiyoko snapped.

Suddenly, Monomi appeared in the room. She was breathing heavily, and covered in blood. "So everyone... was here... I-It was... a real close battle!"

"I apologize..." Sonia said, ignoring Monomi. "I was trying to cheer you up, but I ended up saying the wrong thing..."

"Hey, it doesn't matter!" Nekomaru laughed. "Sometimes it's just hard to say stuff!"

"Huh? That's weird? Maybe you can't see me?" Monomi waddled closer to the table.

"Whoa... what the heck!? You're covered in blood!" Hiyoko gasped.

"Yes, that's right... Th-The Monobeast this time... was very strong..."

"Gross! Don't get close to me! Get out of here!"

"No gratitude... I'm being treated like filth..."

"Hey, why don't you clean that blood off?" Chiaki suggested. "We're trying to eat."

"Ah, yes... I'm ashamed of myself..." She grabbed a few napkins, ducked under the table, and began wiping. When she was finished, she emerged, clean and back to her energetic self. "There we go! Now then, allow me to report to you all once again! After a fierce battle that's never been seen in history, I've finally succeeded in conquering the last Monobeast! Because of this, it's finally possible for you to travel to the final island!"

"...I see." Nekomaru muttered.

"What a thin reaction. It's like I'm surrounded by tons of shabu-shabu at an all-you-can-eat restaurant... Don't tell me... this again? You're gonna say stuff like, "It's not like we can get off this island. Why bother going to the new island?""

"Well, it's true that I don't really expect much... But who said we weren't gonna go? Obviously we're gonna go! If we can't run, we fight!"

"F-Fight...?" Hiyoko repeated. "Seriously? That group is called "World Ender" for a reason...!"

"But if we do not fight, then we are trapped on this island forever!" Sonia explained. "If you have the power to argue, then direct that power toward our enemy! Now then, let us go forth! Offence is the best defence!"

Hiyoko sighed. "I guess you have a point..."

"ALL RIGHT!" Nekomaru roared. "Let's charge our way to that new island!"

"You guys... seem reliable..." Chiaki said, a smile on her face.

"Hey, don't talk like you're not included." Hajime countered. "You're our friend too, you know..."

"...You're right. Then I gotta do my best, too."

For the first time in a long time, the group faced the unknown with strong will and determination.

But Hajime was still plagued by unpleasant thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about the Reserve Department. He couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't belong in the group. He did his best to ignore those thoughts, and simply tried to focus on moving forward.


The final island was styled like a urban dystopia. Tall glass and cement buildings dotted the land, with machinery that gave it a very sci-fi atmosphere. Giant monitors were plastered everywhere, like billboards, displaying a video of Monokuma giving a speech of some sort, though the students couldn't quite make out what he was trying to say. Not that they tried very hard, of course.

Hajime approached a giant building that looked like Monokuma's head, with the door where his mouth would be. There was smoke billowing out of the top, so he guessed that it was some kind of factory. As he approached, he could see that someone had beat him here.

"Ah, Hajime. Good timing." Chiaki said.

"What's up, Chiaki?"

"This building clearly looks suspicious, right? I was thinking it might be good if I thoroughly look around inside, but... Since it clearly looks suspicious, I thought it'd be dangerous to go alone."

"...Then do you want to go inside together?"

"Mmm..." She shuffled in place, unsure.

Hajime payed her behaviour no mind and continued forward. "All right... then I'm going inside."

As he entered, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out, "...Wh-What the heck is all this!?"

The inside of the factory was almost entirely covered in conveyor belts. The start of the line was pulling in palm trees, but through some weird machines, they were quickly being converted into Monokumas. At the end of the line, the Monokumas were being tossed into a giant basket, which already appeared to be full.

"Mmm... I see." Chiaki muttered. "So this place is for manufacturing life-size Monokuma plushies."

"Wh-What kind of messed up place is this!?" Hajime asked.

"Don't look down on me...!" The Monokuma they recognized appeared indignantly. "Do you think it's just for life-sized plushies? Puhuhu, there's a lot more Monokuma merch in the goods warehouse next door!" With that, he disappeared.

"...What should we do?" Chiaki asked.

"Honestly... I really don't feel like going." Hajime admitted.

"But what if there's some kind of important clue?" Chiaki asked. "What are you gonna do?"

"Y-You're right... Then... we should go there for just a little while."

The two made their way next door, where a comparatively small metal building waited for them. Inside were large stacks of boxes, Monokuma merchandise, and dust.

Hajime peeked into a nearby box, and nearly recoiled in disgust when he saw a Monokuma calendar, Monokuma sandbag, and even a Monokuma guitar inside. "...How full of himself is he?"

"Mascot popularity doesn't last forever!" Monokuma explained, appearing once again. "I gotta earn the big bucks while I can! A mascot that isn't popular anymore is like a piece of candy without any sugar... In other words, it has no reason for existing!" With that, he disappeared again.

Chiaki looked around, disappointed. "...It's like I can tell just from the ambience... that there are no important clues here."

"Well, at least we confirmed that..." Hajime said with a shrug. He glanced over at a stack of books. "...Monokuma's Poetry Collection!? How stupid...! Who the hell is going to read this crap...!?"

"There's another book here, too." Chiaki picked it up. "Let's see... "Monokuma's Most Precious Moments"... That's the actual title of the book, but it's a collection of nude photos."

"...Monokuma is already naked."

"I know."

Shaking his head, Hajime moved over to examine a stack of standing panels shaped like Monokuma. As he approached, the real Monokuma appeared. "I was thinking about using these to decorate the stores that sell my merch and make 'em look all BOOM! Then they'd stand out, you know?"

"...No store would sell your stuff."

"Of course not... you're such a fool... That's why I'll open up an official Monokuma Shop! I'm thinking of opening chains all over the world! Of course, the main attraction will be my life-size Monokuma plushie!"

"Enough already!" Monomi snapped, making her appearance. "You have no business sense anyway, so just stop it!"

"Hey hey, don't say that... Let's do our best together! We'll be as popular as pogs were in the 90s...!"

"Um... don't you remember how long those stayed popular? Besides, if you're serious about opening a business, you've already committed a major mistake... because there's no merch of meeeee!"

"Oh Monomi... my little sister... Don't you know the Aesop's fable about "The Rabbit and the Bear"?"

"Not a tortoise...?"

"A long, long time ago... there were these two old guys."

"Two old guys living together!?"

"The old guys thought, "Rabbits aren't as popular as bears."... The End."

"Huh? Did you even need the old guys in that story!?"

"So even if I made merch of you, it's pointless. A half-pink rabbit is so lame! You don't even have one ounce of good fashion sense!"

"You did this to me! You're the one who has no fashion sense!"

Suddenly, Monokuma reeled back, and started punching Monomi in the face repeatedly. "Ora ora ora ora ora ora, ora ora ora!"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The final punch launched Monomi at high speed into a nearby trash can. "What a hopeless way of snapping back!"

"But honestly... I can't help but feel like I might've made too many panels..." Monokuma admitted. "So whoever wants to decorate the room, please do it as much as you like! C'mon, what are you waiting for!?"

"Hajime, let's run...!" Chiaki decided.

"Y-You're right!"

Narrowly avoiding Monokuma's plan for inventory disposal, the two of them dashed from the warehouse. Once they were a safe distance away, Hajime turned to Chiaki.

"It's like... you just got tired..."

"Yeah... you're right..." She admitted.

Silently, the two of them decided to split up to cover more ground. They were both sure that nothing important would ever occur at that factory, anyway...


Hajime made his way to the military base, and was instantly surprised by the amount of equipment awaiting him there.

He hesitantly approached a tank. "It it real?" Not just that, but all around the area were jeeps, helicopters, and even an anti-aircraft cannon.

"This appears to be a military base." Sonia explained helpfully as she approached from nearby.

"Is that so..."

"Despite the fact that this island is quite small, the military technology here appears rather extensive. These might prove useful when the time comes to combat the Future Foundation!"

"Useful...? There's no way we'd be able to operate stuff like tanks and heavy weapons...?"

"Huh? Really? In my country, even a child in grade school can operate a tank, no problemo!"

"...No problemo!?"

"A course in modern warfare is a required class in all our grade schools. However... weapons are only weapons when humans start to use them... If no one uses them, they are nothing more than scrap metal."

"You're right... Unfortunately, this stuff in the base probably won't be useful to us..."

"No... that is wrong."

"...Huh?"

"Well... I have discovered a puzzling document in the tank operator's seat." She presented it to Hajime.

"That's the Future Foundation's insignia! "Jabberwock Island Development Plan"...!? Wh-What is this!?"

"I assume it belongs to Monokuma, and it was placed rather ostentatiously... I do not know how much we can trust it. Do you think it could be a useful clue?"

He thought about it for a moment. "...So what does it say?"

"Beyond what is written in here, I do not know much... But it does document Jabberwock Island's redevelopment plan at considerable length."

"What is that plan?"

"To place Jabberwock Island under the Future Foundation's control, and prepare it as a central headquarters..."

"A central headquarters for the Future Foundation...? I thought Jabberwock Island was a tourist destination. Why would the Future Foundation be interested in it?"

"In actuality... there was something written in here that caught my attention... The travel agency that managed Jabberwock Island went bankrupt, so the island was uninhabited for a long time. Because of that, the island was unaffected by the incident, which allowed them to easily gain a foothold."

"W-Wait, hold on...! This place was uninhabited for a long time? If that's true, the maintenance here has been way too attentive... The items at the supermarket are always stocked, and the hotel is still really clean... Could that be the Future Foundation's responsibility? But more importantly, what's the incident!? What does it mean that the island was unaffected by it!?"

"I cannot discern that from this passage alone... Simply reading this will not help me grasp what those words mean... However... there is one more thing that caught my attention..."

"There's... more...?"

"Do you remember the guidebook to Jabberwock Island in the library? It was written there that... the central island houses a large administrative building... However, we could not find that building anywhere... We even commented on how strange that was, right? But according to this plan, the building that the Future Foundation is planning to use for their headquarters..."

"Could it be... that same building?"

"They are planning to rebuild it and use it as the Future Foundation's headquarters... or so it is written..."

Hajime shook his head. "Wh-What the heck... It's so inconsistent... How do you rebuild a building that doesn't even exist...? Dammit! What the hell is going on!?"

"We were so distracted by all of the horrible situations that kept happening, one after the other... We might have overlooked... a more pressing issue."

The mystery of this island... Hajime thought. What's really going on? This mystery doesn't make any sense... No matter how much we think about it, there's no reason behind it...


Eventually, the group met up to discuss what they found. Their meeting spot was a street filled with stands serving food.

As everyone took a seat at a stall, Nekomaru remarked. "All right, looks like everyone's here."

"Huh, what about Nagito and Maki?" Chiaki asked.

"Who cares!?" Hiyoko snapped. "It's not like they're our friends or anything!"

"I didn't see them when I was looking around. I don't know where they are or what they're doing." Nekomaru said. "So, did anyone learn anything about the Future Foundation?"

"It's not clear which information we found is believable, if any..." Hajime said.

"However... I believe there is no question that the Future Foundation is behind everything that has been going on." Sonia declared.

"Are we sure about that...?" Nekomaru asked.

"Huh!?"

"What are you saying...?" Hiyoko asked. "If they're not our enemy, then what are they? If they're our ally, there's no way they'd trap up on this island, right?"

"That's true, but... I've been thinking... Monomi works for the Future Foundation, right? And she's been fighting against Monokuma since day one, and he's the one forcing us to kill each other..."

"You mean... pretending to fight him, right?"

"No, I don't think she's pretending." Chiaki argued. "They clearly hate each other."

"Then... isn't it possible that the enemy of our enemy is our ally?" Nekomaru suggested.

"Because she opposes Monokuma... you think she's our ally?" Hajime asked.

"Even if they both oppose one another, is it not possible that they are both our enemy?" Sonia asked.

"Like a three-way fight? I guess that's not impossible..."

"Why are you bringing this up now, after all this time?" Hiyoko asked. "Are you actually the traitor working for the Future Foundation?"

"D-Don't be stupid!"

"There never was a traitor!" Sonia declared. "Monokuma lied to us!"

"Lied...?" Hiyoko repeated.

"It is simply a false entity that Monokuma made up so we would be suspicious of each other! How can you not believe in your friends after everything we have endured together!?"

"Weak... how weak..." A familiar voice sent a chill down everyone's neck. They turned and saw Nagito approaching them from down the street. "Instead of facing the problem directly and overcoming it... you're desperately trying to run away... That weakness... is hopeless!"

"Nagito... where have you been this whole time?" Hajime asked.

"I wonder where your thought process wandered off to... As usual, you guys just keep running around in circles... What are you, hamsters? Oops. If I compare you guys to hamsters, will I get yelled at by that weakling who dropped out?"

"Wh-What does that...?" Sonia started.

"You asked, "where I've been this whole time," right? Well, I was in the middle of looking for someone."

"Looking for someone...?" Hajime asked.

"I thought that person might've already arrived... but I guess I was wrong. Or maybe... that person is hiding in a secret location and carefully watching us...?"

"Hey, who are you talking about...?" Nekomaru asked. "Are you saying there's someone else on this island besides us...?"

"It's probably the survivor of the killing school life."

"...Huh?" Chiaki gasped.

"If so, a lot of things might start adding up, don't you think?"

"Are you... talking about Byakuya?" Hajime asked. "He's the "survivor" you're talking about, right?"

"...Huh? Oh, I see... you guys have only reached that stage..."

"What stage...? You're not making any sense at all!" Hiyoko snapped.

"But still... if you think about it properly, you might be able to figure it out... Why would Byakuya, a survivor of the killing school life, die in vain like he did at the Funhouse...? Don't you think it's strange?"

"What does that mean!?" Nekomaru roared.

"The issue is not with what he means!" Sonia interrupted. "Please take back what you said about Byakuya dying in vain! You have been acting very strange lately! I do not like this version of Nagito we have been witness to!"

Seeing the expressions of his classmates, Nagito looked down. "Aww... it looks like I'm being hated... Well, that's understandable. There's no way you guys can even comprehend by suffering... Knowing the truth... can be pretty painful in its own way."

"The truth...?" Hajime repeated. "What truth...? What do you know?"

"Curious, are you...? But... why don't I tell you guys that after we've found out who the traitor is?"

"...Huh?"

"To tell you the truth, I still haven't figured out who the traitor is... But it won't take me very long! You guys don't have to worry... I'll weed out the traitor, even if it costs me my life!"

"Y-You're going to weed out the traitor...?" Nekomaru asked.

"A-As I have already said, there is no traitor!" Sonia insisted.

Nagito chuckled to himself. "If I'm able to wipe out all the despair on this island, will I...? Will I become... the Ultimate Hope?"

"Ultimate Hope...?" Hajime repeated.

"What the heck are you talking about!?" Hiyoko asked.

"Now then, I should get going... But if you see Monokuma again, there's something I want you to tell him. Tell him... he doesn't need to provide a motive anymore."

"...Huh?"

"Tell him not to worry because I'm planning to go all out. Besides, the next one will probably be the last..."

"Nagito, what does that mean?" Chiaki asked.

"...Bye." Was all he said before turning on his heel and leaving.

Everyone seemed to want to get up and stop him, but they each must have decided that it would be pointless, as no one acted.

As she watched him walk off, Hiyoko asked, "I don't want to say it, but... he's definitely planning to kill, right?"

"Based on how he was talking... it looks like he's targeting the traitor..." Nekomaru agreed.

"There is no such person!" Sonia insisted. "I mean... the notion that one of us has been deceiving us all along... I will never, ever believe that!"

"Well, regardless of who he's targeting... There's a high chance that he's planning to kill, right?" Nekomaru asked. "Then we have to tie him up again! Forcing him to stop is the only way! Just leave it to me! I'll come up with a game plan!"

No one had any better ideas, so the group decided to return to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow, they would hopefully be able to do something about Nagito.


"Gotcha."

I set down my pen and stretched. I must've been hunched over my notes for the last hour or so, but I had started making rapid progress in my decoding and didn't want to interrupt my momentum. As it turns out, my labours were rewarded. I finally found it. The one piece of evidence that Toshihide had left behind, whether he realized it or not.

There was a section, no more than half a dozen pages long, discussing the creation of his dimensional transporter. The damn thing responsible for bringing me to this world and changing my life forever, and he could only spare about six pages for it. I guess he really didn't want people finding out any of his trade secrets. But I didn't need any of the sciency stuff, I just needed one contradiction. And I found one.

During the planning phase for the device, he speculated that setting up and firing the device once would cost roughly 15 billion yen, or 150 million dollars. Of course, this was just an estimate, and he had no way to accurately predict the true cost. Toshi was not a mechanic, after all. But he was an excellent mathematician, so I knew the numbers shouldn't be too far off. Maybe a few billion in one direction or the other.

A few pages later, I found a budget list. Obviously, a lot of the engineering aspects flew over my head, but there was also a chunk of the chart displaying solely the amount of power they spent on testing. "Testing," of course, being shorthand for my arrival in this world. And the total cost of the testing phase was 40 billion yen, or 400 million dollars.

More than twice the estimated amount. And even if Toshi and his father were both brilliant scientists, and were getting additional funding from Hope's Peak, that wasn't the kind of money you could just throw away. They would only spend that much extra if they really needed to. I knew exactly why they did.

I spoke up. "This is what you were trying to tell me back then, wasn't it?"

I got no response.

"Hm..." I stood up and headed for the door. It was a little late in the evening, but this was something that my friends needed to hear about. I would call for a meeting in the conference room. With this, the mystery would be solved, and the only question would be where to go from there.


This chapter is interesting because I think it's the first one where Maki doesn't make an appearance in any capacity. Wonder what she's up to, huh? Also interesting is that I think the next chapter will be the first one where I don't show what's going on in the game, it's just going to be Albert and crew. Assuming my outline works out, at least. So yeah, two firsts in a row.

In the next chapter, we'll find out what Albert's theory is, and hopefully resolve most of the mysteries surrounding Maki. Don't worry, though, I'm still saving the big one for the final trial.