Remember when I said that this story would probably be done around 40 chapters long? That was obviously just a guess, but I'm starting to think it was very wrong. Probably won't go all the way up to 50, though. I feel compelled to try and end on a multiple of 5, but I don't want to drag things out if I don't have the material to. So sadly, unlike the previous two stories, this one might end up landing on a random number.

Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 36

Friend or Foe

The next morning, the students slowly awoke and made their way to breakfast once again. Despite their overnight rest, their bodies were still sore from the force of the explosion they witnessed yesterday. Even Nekomaru's metallic form creaked and groaned as he moved around. Seeing the scorched and shattered state of the hotel lobby did little to improve their mood.

As he stepped into the dining hall, Hajime was greeted by the others.

"How are you feeling?" Nekomaru asked.

"Not good... but not so bad that I can't move." He said.

"Then you're okay..."

"I'm not!" Hiyoko spat. "My ears are still ringing! Ugh... I don't wanna go deaf..."

"So... what should we do now?" Chiaki asked, scanning the group.

"What can we do...?" Sonia reiterated.

"How troubling... If the traitor would just come forward, this problem would be resolved in no time." Nagito said.

Everyone else present did a double-take. "N-Nagito!?" Hajime gasped. "When did you-!?"

"Good morning... I came to motivate you guys since you're just laying around. Didn't I tell you yesterday that the bombs are set to go off in two days at noon? Well, you've got one day left. C'mon, you better hurry."

"H-Hurry...? Hey, it's not our fault the traitor hasn't come forward yet." Hiyoko asked.

"Well, that's probably true... But even if this does depend on the traitor, your attitudes aren't admirable at all... I mean... real hope is when you confront a hopeless difficulty that's standing before you, right? And despite that, you guys are already ready to give up. What does that mean? Or... is this your limit? If so, it makes me laugh to think I ever called you symbols of hope."

"Nagito... you better knock it off!" Nekomaru slowly rose from his seat.

"Now now, settle down... I took the time to come bring you guys a valuable hint. Wouldn't it be bad if I changed my mind?"

Hajime stared at him. "Nagito... what's your hint?"

"Oh, you finally have hope? That makes me happy. Well it's about the bomb's hiding place... I hid it somewhere you guys haven't been before."

"...Somewhere we have not been before?" Sonia repeated.

"If you guys have time to pick a fight with me, then you should start searching for the bombs already."

"...Why did you give us a hint?" Chiaki asked.

"Well, if the traitor sees their friends working hard, they may feel inclined to come forward, you know?"

"The traitor might not even exist..." Nekomaru said, shaking his head. "Right now, we should focus on finding those damn bombs! Let's go!"

"Take care..." Nagito muttered as they ran down the stairs. "Oh, by the way, I'll be waiting here, so if you want to reveal yourself, come see me anytime... Mister or Miss Traitor."

As the group ran out onto the hotel grounds, Nekomaru asked, "Any ideas where to search first?"

With no hesitation, Sonia turned to him. "Let us all head over to the ancient ruin!"

"...Huh? The ruin?" Hiyoko repeated.

"Nagito said that the bombs are hidden somewhere we have never been before. If that is the case... the inside of that ruin is the only place I can think of."

"No... there was another place, too. What is it again...? That castle at the amusement park... What was its name...?"

"Nezumi Castle!" Nekomaru shouted.

"Then... we have those two places to choose from..." Hajime muttered. "But we won't be able to enter the ancient ruin without a password. What should we do?"

"A password, right... I guess we still don't have any clues for that."

"That probably goes for Nagito, too." Chiaki pointed out. "He wouldn't be able to enter without the password either... right? If that's the case... it's hard to think that the bombs were set inside the ancient ruin, right? So... we should try going to Nezumi Castle first."

"But... isn't that dangerous?" Hiyoko asked. "What if this was part of his trap all along?"

"Monokuma's trap... Monomi's trap... and now Nagito's trap..." Nekomaru muttered. "If we keep worrying like this, we won't get anything done!"

"...We should try going there at least." Chiaki said. "We don't have time to stand around doing nothing."

"All right! FULL SPEED AHEEEEAD!"

"...No... No, no, no..."

Chihiro's quiet cries of frustration pulled me from my observations. I slowly got up, manoeuvred my way around Miaya's wheelchair, and made my way over to where he was, sitting at the monitor in the corner of the room.

"Everything okay?"

"...No, I just changed that...!" A few notifications popped up, but he quickly closed them and opened another window, searching through the code rather frantically.

"I don't wanna interrupt you if you're, y'know, in the zone, but..."

"Come on, come on..." He found what he was looking for, and quickly changed the line of code. With that, he let out a sigh that seemed to be relief, though he didn't relax at all.

"Chihiro, you good?"

He jumped at my voice, before swivelling around to face me. "Oh, Al. Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away there..."

"No problem. It's just, you sounded a little high-strung just now. I take it Junko's fighting back pretty hard?"

"Yeah... I don't even know what happened. Everything was pretty quiet for the past few days, but all of the sudden, the virus just started taking everything over. I've never seen a computer program that acts like this..."

"Well, technically, you have. The Junko Virus is just a modified version of the Alter Ego template, right? He'd probably be just as frustrating to deal with, if you had to go up against him."

"...That's a good point. I've been treating this like virus-protection this whole time, but really, it's just like trying to keep out a real hacker. Only, I can't lock them out of the network since they're inside the network..."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Keep in mind, the goal isn't to eliminate her completely. If everything goes to plan, Alter Ego and Usami can handle her at the end. For reasons that I don't fully understand. All you gotta do is play keep-away. As long as she doesn't take over enough that she can change the rules, we're golden."

"Right..." He turned back and opened a few more windows, scanning more lines of code.

"And, while it might be a bit redundant given your title, I have to say, your work is really impressive. It's, well... It's so impressive that I can't even understand how impressive it is. It all just looks like gibberish to me. You might as well be a wizard, from where I'm sitting."

He did the usual bashful smile he did when someone complimented him. "Thanks. But... what we really need is a hacker, I think. My dad and I, we're just software engineers. This isn't the kind of stuff we're trained for."

"I... think I get that." I scratched my head. "It'd be like... putting a pastry chef in charge of the main course, right?"

"Um, sure, close enough."

Mental high-five! "But yeah, there's a reason your title was never "Ultimate Hacker." Plus, Junko's talent is analytical ability, so she gets an advantage at responding to your attacks. And as an AI, she's capable of even quicker thought processes than when she was human. I guess. So, I dunno... maybe try to think outside the box?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean... That's what I tend to do, during trials and stuff. When it seems like I hit a dead end, I'll try to turn my thinking around. For example, if I can't figure out how to prove how the killer did something, I'll instead try to figure out what kind of evidence they would leave behind if they did it that way. Does that make sense? Again, I'm not tech-savvy, so I'm not sure how you'd apply that to what you're doing..."

"Turn my thinking around..." He muttered, turning back to the computer. "This stuff is usually pretty straightforward... But I'll give it a try. We don't have much to lose, after all."

"Yeah." I agreed, before turning to head back to my seat and whispering to myself, "...Except for everything. No pressure."

As I sat back in my seat, I noticed that Miaya was watching at me. With those cold, stoic eyes of hers.

"What's up?" I asked.

The screen in front of her wheelchair lit up, though I couldn't see what was on it at the angle we were seated, but I heard her Usami avatar speak up. "I noticed that you refer to the Junko Virus like it was Junko herself. You don't do that to Alter Ego or his sister, even though they're basically the same thing."

I shrugged. "The main Junko isn't around anymore. As far as I'm aware, the Junko Virus is the only version of her that remains."

"I see. So if Chihiro or Chiaki died, would you accept their Alter Egos as a replacement?"

"Different situations. Chihiro's Alter Ego only uses his personality as a base, but the rest of him is built around what kind of information he's absorbed. Same with Chiaki's, she uses our Chiaki as a base, but she's been altered to fit the way the subjects viewed her in the past, which doesn't perfectly match up with reality. Junko, however, created the virus to essentially be a second version of her. The personalities of the two are identical."

Miaya nodded, conceding my point. "Still, it feels like you might have a bias toward her. Perhaps because she's your enemy?"

"Maybe so. It doesn't matter to me what form she takes, or how she changes the battlefield, I'll take on Junko on whatever terms she sets. And I'll find a way to win. No matter how much she pushes me into a corner, no matter how much she tries to change who I am, I'll stand my ground. Because someone has to..."

"...On a related note... there is something I've wanted to ask you. But it might bring up some bad memories of your killing game..."

"I'm an open book. Shoot."

"During your game, there was a moment when you tried to kill the mastermind. To kill Junko. But after that, it's like you swore an oath of pacifism. So I'm wondering... would you go so far as to kill Junko, even now? Because, you mentioned earlier that the Junko Virus is supposed to get deleted. That's the equivalent of it being killed, isn't it? Can you condone that?"

I sighed. "No, I can't. I couldn't condone it when she executed herself at the end of the killing game, either. But I have to be realistic. There was a time when I could've reached out to Junko, could've understood her point of view, could've saved her... But that time was robbed of me by Toshihide. It's too late. Junko's not gonna accept my help, no matter how hard I try and force her to. She made her choice... and I have to make mine. If that means being responsible for her death, then... I can just add her to the rest of the people who died on my watch."

I was once again expressing inferiority in front of Miaya, despite her trying to get me to stop. Still, that was what a Therapist was for. Interestingly, she didn't scold me or tell me that my thought process was flawed. "You stand by your ideals, but not to a self-destructive degree. That's a rare trait these days. I respect that."

For the first time, I felt like it wasn't quite her Usami avatar speaking. Of course, she always had a way of speaking that was different from the Usami AI I recalled from DR2, but just from her tone, I felt like I wasn't hearing either version of Usami. For once, it was Miaya, speaking earnestly.

I smiled. "Thanks... You know, I feel like we always end up talking about me when it's the two of us. I'd like to learn a little bit about the real Ms. Gekkogahara."

"I... don't like talking about myself." She admitted.

"Trust me, it's good for you. Besides, have you seen what my other friends are like? I doubt you've got any secrets that would turn me away. You'll notice that I'm pretty big on this whole "loyalty" thing."

"You consider me a friend?"

"Is that... presumptuous? If you'd rather keep our relationship strictly professional, I'd understand."

"No, that's... I don't mind. I guess I just never thought about it that way. I always saw you as a coworker, and as a client. I... don't really have any friends."

"If you ask me, friends are what makes life worth living. Just knowing that there are people out there who will have your back when you need it, and will miss you when you're gone... That kinda stuff can help you get through your worst moments."

She blinked, tilting her head. "Are you saying you'd feel that way about me?"

"Have your back? I think I owe you that much, after all these therapy sessions. As for missing you, well, I don't think we've spent enough time together for it to warrant that feeling from me, but I will say that I enjoy your company."

"The way you define who your friends are seems simple, maybe a little too simple, but... I think I like it your way."

The bottom half of her face was buried in her scarf, but I could swear she was smiling. And sure enough, just like when I drew a smile out of Kyoko, the stoic ones always seemed to have the most pleasant smiles.

It might have been weird to say, but I felt like I was on a bit of a roll lately. I uncovered the biggest mystery surrounding this island just a couple of days ago, and since then, I had managed to keep everyone at some relative level of "happy." Even myself, which was admittedly kinda rare. But of course, my streak couldn't continue for long.

In my mind, I saw the image of a burst of atoms moving through the gaps in the door and reforming before it, taking shape as Toshihide. As he did so, he projected his raspy voice into our minds, stating dryly, "I hope everyone's decent, because I'm coming in anyway."

I glanced around. "It's the Observation Room. Why would anyone be undressed in here?"

"I figured you would appreciate my attempt to replicate your sense of humour."

Miaya looked between us. "Um... You still haven't explained how Prof. Tomonaga is back. Wasn't he supposed to be in another universe or something?"

"It's like, this whole thing... It'd probably take too long to explain for something that you kinda don't need to know. Just... watch out for him, I guess."

His face soured at my choice of words, but he turned and bowed to Miaya. "In any case, greetings, Gekkogahara-senpai. It's been far too long, even discounting my temporal distortions."

"Senpai?" I repeated.

"Yes. I was in class 76-A. Gekkogahara-senpai is a year older than me, and attended class 75-A." He blinked, then tilted his head. "Don't tell me you didn't know that much?"

"It, uh, never came up."

He shook his head. "Honestly, Albert, you're supposed to be more observant than this. I had you pegged as being on par with Naegi and Kirigiri."

"Look, if I worried about all the things I don't worry about, I'd never stop worrying!"

"Er, right... As entertaining as your continued buffoonery is, I actually did have a reason for coming here. I have a topic I wish to speak with you about, Albert." He gestured for me to get up and follow him.

"This room is as good as any."

He glared at my obvious defiance. A shiver went down my spine as I felt his cold eyes piercing every atom of my body.

Reluctantly, I slowly got up. I told Miaya, "If I'm not seen again after this, assume Toshihide killed me. I'm not sure what you could do to detain him, but whatever."

He chuckled darkly. "If I wanted anyone on this island dead, I would have done so long before you revealed my presence. I could do it in a microsecond. You could say "in a heartbeat," but I don't really have one of those anymore."

"I'm so confused." Miaya said.

"We all are." I assured her. "Hopefully it'll all clear itself up eventually. Hopefully..."

The students quickly arrived on the fourth island and headed straight for Nezumi Castle. As they passed the entrance, they all stopped in their tracks.

"H-Hey... check it out...!" Nekomaru said.

"Th-The entrance is destroyed...!" Hajime gasped. "It's been blown to bits, as if someone set off a bomb..."

"It looks like my guess was right..." Hiyoko muttered.

"Then the bombs are inside here...!" Nekomaru declared.

"Then let's try going inside." Chiaki said. "...But we need to be careful. We need to pay as much attention as we can."

"You're right..." Hajime agreed. "...Then let's go!"

One by one, they climbed over the crumbled stone remains of the entrance, and found themselves inside a European-style castle. There was no furniture to speak of, but multiple pillars lined the middle of the room to hold up the ceiling, and some tapestries and decorative arms hung on the walls. It was also remarkably dark and dusty.

"...What is this place...?" Hajime asked. "I thought the inside would look more lighthearted than this..."

"The ambience feels similar to that of a temple or church." Sonia noted. "However... Is it just me, or does it seem like there are no bombs to be found here?"

"No, it's not just you..." Nekomaru said.

Chiaki looked around. "If the bombs are strong enough to blow up the entire island, they should be pretty big... But I don't see anything. I don't see a place where they could be hidden either."

"Then... the bombs aren't here!?" Hiyoko shouted.

Despite knowing that they were in the wrong place, Hajime continued to investigate. He felt there was something off about this place. He walked toward the centre of the floor, where the light from the now-open doorway illuminated an engraving. "Hey everyone... Come check this out...!"

"...Huh? What's that?" Hiyoko asked. Everyone crowded around and read the engraving.

To all subjects:

The password to guide everyone to the future is

The bottom line was scratched out to the point of being completely unreadable.

"What the heck!? We can't even read the most important part!"

"What does "The password to guide everyone to the future" even mean?" Nekomaru wondered.

"Ah, maybe it's... that password..." Hajime glanced up, and his eyes connected with Sonia's.

"Could it be the password to access that ancient ruin? "Guide everyone to the future"... Maybe that refers to the Japanese word that is written on the door?"

"But... if we can't read the password, there's nothing we can do." Nekomaru said.

"It is a rather tragic moment..." She agreed.

"...I wonder who erased this." Chiaki said.

"...Huh? Erased?" Hajime repeated.

"I mean... it doesn't feel like it was erased naturally, right? It looks like it was forcibly scratched off... That's the only way I can see it."

"But... Monomi and Monokuma can't enter this castle because they don't like mice, right?" Hiyoko recalled.

"Then it was Nagito! He was the one who erased the password." Nekomaru said.

"Nagito... probably discovered the password here and used it to enter the ancient ruin..." Sonia agreed.

"Then he hid the bombs inside the ancient ruin!?" Hajime realized.

"So he erased the password so we wouldn't be able to get near the bombs..." Nekomaru muttered. "Dammit! That actually makes a lot of sense!"

"If that's true... He gave us a hint even though he knew we wouldn't be able to use it..."

"Just so he could... shove it in our faces...? There's no way we can enter the ancient ruin if we don't know the password!"

"In the end... We can't do anything about the bombs unless the traitor comes forward..."

"H-Hey... um..." Hiyoko started. "Whoever you are... you don't have to reveal yourself to us. Just tell Nagito. If you don't... we're all gonna die, you know?"

"Hey, who are you talking to?" Nekomaru asked.

"The traitor, obviously!"

"Let's stop... Fighting among ourselves won't help anything." Chiaki said. "More importantly... Let's work harder to find the password to that ancient ruin... or clues that might relate to it... As long as we cooperate and explore all over the island, we might be able to find it, you know?"

"Are you telling us to look everywhere for a password that might not even exist...?" Hiyoko asked.

"Also... who would leave a password here in the first place, and why?" Nekomaru wondered. "If it wasn't Monokuma or Monomi... then who was it? If we can't answer that, then how can we even find any clues?"

"Then what would you have us do!?" Sonia snapped. "Just wait until we all die!? That... is no different than when we were in the Funhouse... And what did we learn there? Suicide, giving up on life... It is no more justified than murder!"

"But... it was Maki who said that, wasn't it?" Hiyoko argued, her face twisting into a glare. The others in the group had similar expressions as they recalled the Criminologist's words.

Sonia herself recoiled slightly when she was reminded of who the lesson came from. She glanced between the others, looking for someone to back her up. When no one did, she snapped once more. "Very well then! I shall look for it on my own! Excuse me!" With that, she turned and ran out of the castle.

"S-Sonia... hold on!" Hajime called after her, but she was already gone.

"Well, it might be a good idea to work separately, anyway." Hiyoko suggested.

"...Huh? Why?"

"I mean... it's easier to move around that way, you know. In case someone wanted to secretly go meet someone..."

"Hey, does that mean..."

"...Just pretend you didn't hear me." With a pout, she made her way outside as well.

Nekomaru let out an electronic sigh. "Not again... We're scattered as usual..."

"If you think so... then please help!"

"Well... it's not like it's entirely a bad thing. If we split up, we can cover more ground. Yeah... Yeah, let's do our best!" Putting on his best game face, the robot left the castle as well, leaving Hajime and Chiaki alone.

"I have a bad feeling for some reason..." Chiaki admitted. "Like, what is Maki doing during all of this? It's best if we keep her away from Nagito for now. Far away..."

"Yeah, you're right... I guess we should try to keep an eye out for her while we search. So, I guess we should split up too, huh?"

"Okay, see you later!"

As he was left alone in the castle, he stared down at the engraving once again, before turning and leaving, the castle cold and empty behind him.

Toshihide and I walked along the port, where the few ships that had come here were docked. As we passed by some of the sailors, I exchanged a few pleasant greetings. I wondered if Toshihide was even bothering to project his image in their minds, or if it just looked like I was alone to them. He wasn't saying anything, after all.

Eventually, however, his silence broke. "Do you enjoy the smell of the ocean, Albert?"

I glanced at him. "I guess. I grew up in a port town, so it's sort of nostalgic to me."

"Nostalgia... That's a feeling I understand all too well."

"I'd bet..."

He stared off into the horizon, and planted his hands against the railing. "How... How much do you remember, about Susumu?"

Susumu? I had to admit, that was a guy I hadn't thought about very much. "I only have a few memories of him, and all of them include you."

"I assumed as much. Well, regardless, what do you think of him?"

"...Why do you ask? You'd know more about him than I would."

He sighed. "Doesn't it seem strange to you? He was able to create a device that was able to almost perfectly replicate the effects of what my father and I created together. His submission for the Hope Ascendance Project allowed you to shed your physical flesh and become immortal. For Alice Kizuki, this effect was simply a freak accident caused by my negligence. For me, however... this was the intended purpose of the machine. How...? How does a biologist, even the Ultimate Biologist, manage to create something like that?"

I recalled what few memories I had of Susumu. "I see what you mean. He always struck me as rather laid-back. And a bit immature, sometimes. But for him to invent something like that... he must've invested a lot of research into not just biology, but atomic physics and engineering as well. Say, what was his specialty, anyway?"

"Specialty?"

"Well, you're the Ultimate Physicist, so your generally good at all types of physics, but you always specialized in atomic and quantum, right? What about Susumu?"

"He... Now that I think of it, he seemed to spread out his focus quite equally. Although, if I had to list one thing, he always seemed eager to study fields that function toward improving health. Biochemistry, biotechnology, immunology, nanobiology, medicine, things like that."

"It does sound like he planned for humans to shed their flesh eventually, yeah. At least a couple of those sound a little cyborg-ish. Do you think... No..."

He stared at me. "Say it."

"Do you think... he had some sort of terminal illness? Maybe he was going to die, and was trying to find a way to extend his life?"

He turned back to the horizon. "I suppose that's not impossible. We were still young when the Tragedy struck and he was killed by the Despairs. It's just, I never even considered that he might be hiding something from me until I realized just how impressive his machine truly was. I had always assumed he was simply humble, and felt that his chosen field wasn't perfect. But perhaps, while I was hyperfocused on physics, he was out there studying up on everything he could. I know you seem to think of me as an Ultimate among Ultimates, but perhaps Susumu was a better scientist than I'll ever be. I suppose it's too late to know for sure..."

"I mean, if you miss him that much, why didn't you just go and find a timeline where he didn't die?"

"Perhaps that would make it feel like I was cheapening his death. Perhaps I simply don't want to greet him as the person I am today. Perhaps I'm ashamed of my actions. Pick whichever excuse you want. In the end, I chose this timeline, this universe."

We stood there for an uncomfortably long time, in silence, staring out into the horizon. Speaking of nostalgia... The way we stood there, it reminded me of the few good memories I had of Toshihide. There was no sign of pollution, no sign that the world had ended, no sign that one of us was technically dead. Just Toshihide and I, staring out into infinity. And yet, it felt dreadfully wrong. After everything we've been through, after everything he put me through... I couldn't let go of it.

He stepped away from the railing and turned to continue walking. "I suppose that's all that I can get out of you on the subject. We should head back for now, even if we don't have much to do until the final battle."

I reached out to grab his shoulder. I wasn't expecting it to actually connect, I'd probably just pass through him, but it'd get his attention. But he must have allowed it, must have projected the image of me successfully catching him in my mind, because my hand landed firmly on his shoulder, a metallic clack accompanying the action. He was terribly cold. It was a kind of cold I recognized well. It was the same kind of cold a dead body has once all life leaves it. He half-turned toward me, quirking an eyebrow.

"...Why? Why did you pick this universe, this point in time, out of an infinite number of other choices? That's what I still don't get, and you keep beating around the bush when I ask. Why can't you just be straight with me, for once?"

He fully turned to face me. "Did you give any thought to the question I left you off with? What am I to you? Perhaps if you can answer me that, then I can answer your question."

I spread my arms. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because, that's why I came back!" He snapped, his stoicism betraying him for a moment. His expression was pained. "For you, Albert. I came back for you..."

I took a step back. That certainly wasn't the response I was expecting. "...Me? What? What about the "me" in every other universe out there? What about the fact that you wanted me dead? Wh-What... What am I to you, Toshi?"

"Heh, you... called me Toshi. I can't remember the last time you did that." He smiled, staring at the ground. Then, slowly, he stepped toward me, placing his hands on my shoulders. I flinched. I knew it was only a projection, but he felt cold and almost weightless against me. Still staring at the ground, he muttered, "...You confuse me. So much."

I didn't know how to respond. We just stood there like that, in silence.

He sighed. "...As much as I enjoyed psychology, I've never been very good at understanding other people or their emotions. Susumu was the only one I felt comfortable around, because we were childhood friends. I knew where I stood with him, you could say. But then you came along, and I'm so confused..."

I raised a finger. "Dude, if you're about to confess your love to me, I'm actually gonna shit myself. Don't tempt me."

He suppressed a laugh. "No, you have nothing to fear on that front. Though like I said, I have a hard time understanding emotions... even my own. I've found you on my mind ever since our last meeting. Not just "Albert Wright," but this universe's version of you, specifically."

"...Why me?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for the last three millennia. I think... I think the answer can be found here."

Suddenly, I felt one of the memories in my mind forcibly resurface.

"I'll be entirely honest with you, Albert Wright. I don't believe in your abilities very much at all. I feel as though... I made a mistake, bringing you into this. I apologize."

"Wait, what!? You're ditching the plan now!? After all this!?"

"Frankly, I don't see what "all this" refers to. In the long run, you've changed very little, and the few changes you have made are inconsequential."

"Inconsequential!?" I snapped. "And you say I don't value these people's lives!? Sure, we had a few slip ups, and my plans nearly never work, and I have my bad days. But you know what, Toshihide? I'm going to keep trying. I won't give up, I won't throw it all away, and I won't give into despair! I'll keep trying, even if I end up dead because of it. That's how far I'm willing to go to keep my classmates safe!"

Just as quickly as it surfaced, it receded back again. Right, I remembered that time. It was shortly after the third trial. Toshihide was trying to test my resolve, by acting like everything was hopeless. I passed the test with flying colours.

"That moment..." He muttered. "I think that was the moment I realized just who you are. Even in all the other universes I've been in, while those other Alberts might say something similar to what you did, I don't think any of them ever said it with the same conviction. You are, in a way, the most "Albert Wright" person I've ever met."

"So you're saying... What? I'm the best at being myself?"

He finally looked up and looked me in the eyes. "You, better than any of the other versions of yourself, embodies your own ideals the most. Whether or not you fail, you keep getting up and trying again, even when there's no hope. In this universe, where Hope and Despair are such prominent forces, do you even realize just how scary and powerful that kind of mindset is? Makoto Naegi is the Ultimate Hope, and Junko Enoshima is the Ultimate Despair. Either of them can reach out to a normal person and fill them with their respective force. But you, Albert... I think you may be immune to their effects. Or at the very least, their effects cannot utterly corrupt you like they can for anyone else."

I thought about what he was trying to say, but then shook my head. "You know, Toshihide... A long time ago, a friend of mine left me with some wisdom. There's nothing special about being able to hope. It's a natural state of mind, as well as despair. The important thing is which side of the coin you side with when the going gets rough."

He seemed to think about that one for a while. For someone with a supercomputer for a brain, it was an interesting sight to see him so stumped for once. "...So, is that your answer to my question?"

"I don't know..." I admitted. "I... trust you, in a way. From what you've showed me, despite everything you've been through, you're still the same person you were when I last saw you. I know who you are, and so I know what you will and won't do. As for whether you're a friend or an enemy... Well, I don't hate you. Despite myself, I still see you as a friend, and there was a time when we shared the same goals and aspirations. But I don't like you, either. You betrayed my trust, ruined my life, and I just can't forgive you for that..."

"I never asked for your forgiveness. Nor did you ever ask for mine." He said. I gave him a confused look. "In a way, you ruined my life as well. I could have escaped my cycle much earlier with your cooperation, but you refused. Both of us, we each burned the other... and I know too much has happened between us for us to "start fresh," but... I think I would like to try picking up the pieces, and trying to make something better than what we had before."

I smiled. "Like a mosaic?"

"I was going to say "Like nuclear fusion," but your example works, too."

"Yeah, of course you were..."

He extended his hand to me. "Well, what do you say? No longer mentor and student, or senpai and kouhai. Just equal allies."

"As you said, we can never start fresh, but... I guess there's no harm is scrubbing the records, pardoning each other of any past betrayals. Not forgiven, not forgotten... but kept in the past, as we look to the future..." Slowly, I extended my hand and took his. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

We shook on it. Unlike before, his hand had a bit of warmth to it. Not quite the sensation of life, I don't think he can mimic that feeling, but it was a comforting warmth all the same. His eyes, despite their dull colouring, seemed to shine. He wore a genuine smile, no longer held back by fear of betraying, or being betrayed. "Thank you... for giving me a second chance."

"Sooo... Does this mean you're willing to help us deal with Alice and the Remnants and stuff?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Albert, Albert, Albert... A true friend is supposed to do what they think is best for their friends, isn't that so? Well, I firmly believe that everything in this universe would be best if I simply remained an observer."

"Yep... Same old Toshi..." I muttered.

He began walking back, and I turned to follow him. "Don't worry, Albert. I'm sure you can do this. If anyone can, it's you."

"You said the same thing back then, too. Remember how that turned out for us?"

His only response was a single dry chuckle.

No, I suppose we could never go back to the way things were before. No one can change their past, not even someone like Toshihide. Where we came from will always effect us. Still, he and I may have been driven apart by past events, and I can never let those go, but... I'll never stop trying to reach out and understand the people around me. Junko, Mukuro, The Warriors of Hope... I firmly believe that anyone can be understood, anyone can be saved. That's the philosophy that made me who I am today, isn't it? So no matter what Toshihide's done to me, no matter how many millennia we've been separated for, I will keep trying to reach him, trying to save him from himself. Because someone has to...

As I stared out to the horizon once again, a single thought crossed my mind.

Prepare yourself, Alice Kizuki. I'm going to save you, no matter what it takes.

It might seem a little early to have Al and Toshi come to some kind of agreement, even if they haven't made up or anything. The thing is, you do have to look at who these two characters are. Albert dislikes conflict and will always try to resolve them when he can. Toshihide is pragmatic and wouldn't want to have any enemies. And the two of them, whether they like it or not, are linked together from their shared past. This wasn't a conflict that was going to go on for very long.

Also, I like to consider this moment to be a bit of a resolution to Albert's arc in this story. Obviously, it won't be fully resolved until the finale, and we're still going to see Albert between now and then, but I figured now was a good time to have the tension settle down, since I'm going to be cranking up the tension on Alice's side.

In the next chapter, we'll see how Hajime and his friends are planning to deal with Nagito. Again. Again...