"I've put my trust in you. Pushed as far as I can go. For all this. There's only one thing you should know."
- In The End (Linkin Park)
Warning:
This story is contained with spoilers from Danganronpa V3. If you have not watched it, move away now.
This is the Secret Ending of 'The Ultimate Punishment' that has provided its true plot twist of the story. Whatever will happen in the story, will remain in the story itself.
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to read the Author's Note for further information about 'The Ultimate Punishment'.
Appearances/Mentions of Team Danganronpa (As of Chapter 4):
Izuru Kamakura - Founder
Makoto Naegi - Director
Hajime Hinata - Second Unit Director
Juzo Sakakura - Head Security
Kyosuke Munakata - Actor
Chisa Yukizome - Actress
Kazuichi Soda - Construction Team Head
Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Security
Mondo Owada - Security
Mahiru Koizumi - Camera
Ryota Mitarai - Editor (Retired)
Ryoko Otonashi / Junko Enoshima - Head Editor
Chihiro Fujisaki - System Administrator
Mikan Tsumiki - Medical Team Head
/
P.S: I'm really scared right now!
A friend of mine once said when I was chosen to direct V3:
"Always keep your cool with your actions and the words that you're about to say...Because rage will lead to many MANY regretful things in your life..."
I took his advice well, I followed the guidelines on how to become a director when I was an actor before since I was fated to work as one when I applied in Team Danganronpa. There are ups and downs, but I don't want to talk about the downs just so you ask.
Being a director seems fine actually; guiding my staffs in what they should do in their assigned jobs, able to express my creativity, and I can finally be acknowledged as Makoto Naegi the Director (and not Makoto Naegi the Ultimate Hope, I don't want to hear that anymore).
I'm the type of director who was benevolent and open for some suggestions to my fellow writers, though I am pretty strict when it comes to following my concept the exact way on how the show presented it to the Danganronpa viewers.
This is also the reason why I WAS SO MAD AT THIS POINT!
October 7, 2017
11:03:07
+ Recording +
uuwuh! ah! a-a-ah...argh...ack! ah...!
I...I-I can't...I...don't have the strength...This is...the end for...me...
I'm...sorry...I just...couldn't go on...I can't...fight...anymore...
You...were right...your choice...is right...
Your true enemy...is...the ones who...wanted this to...happen...the outside world...it's their fault...
Use...me...I want you to use me...
Change it...change the world...
Change the world...plea...se...
BREAKING NEWS!
"The Riot"
The Riot has caused several participants and protesters injured during the event
Participants blamed Team Danganronpa for irresponsibility
Protesters claimed responsibility over the Riot
Man arrested for the use of firearms
First Hope Execution a victory or failure?
I remained staring at the screen that shows the aftermath of Ki-Bo's execution...and the event I'd like to call as 'The Riot'.
The news was spreading fast just as soon as they caught every single scene on camera, many of them were talking about how the Riot came to happen during the first Hope Execution. In which, and I admit, have NOT expected that to happen in the first place.
This is why I requested my friends to call them while I was preventing myself to cause an outburst in Team Danganronpa...again.
Hajime and Ryoko had gathered every single staff who was in behind the scenes of Danganronpa V3, especially the ones who were in the robot's execution a few hours ago. They were wounded from the riot though, and Mikan had to work excessively just to bandage them while the others were still coming to the main room.
And you ask, what happened after Ki-Bo's execution? Well, my friend. It's a MESS. A mess! Like 'almost-the-biggest-most-awful-most-tragic-event-in-human-history' kind of mess! And you know why? BECAUSE SOMETHING WENT OFF THE SCRIPT! THERE WAS A MISTAKE AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT MISTAKE FROM RUINING THE SCRIPT!
The reaction when I freaked out when it's just me, Hajime, Ryoko, and Chihiro, it was horrifying that even the System Administrator cried when he saw my (angry) face. I had to apologize to him, it was so stupid of me flipping out in front of a young boy.
Anyways, outside of Team Danganronpa was a mess. You could see some trash scattering on the road, eggs (don't say Makoto Naeggy or you're dead), tomatoes, even those empty soda cans, and paint being splattered all around. I could even see the shotgun that was used to mutilate the robot, which was not PART OF THE EXECUTION AT ALL!
Other than that, the Riot had caused several damages in terms of the properties within the execution radius. Which is approximately where Juzo's security team had stood post of...and got hurt...and got the fences disfigured. The medical tent got tears and the medicines had gone missing, mostly because it was used in the Riot.
Sigh...I'm getting stressed from all of this, I was dead silent while the others were gathered and I still haven't moved away from the screen. The scene I witnessed, it's unimaginable that I couldn't look away.
Especially when I see the compactor that was used in my execution in Trigger Happy Havoc, I could easily see that Tsumugi's corpse still there in the tracks...and was surrounded by a flock of crows around it. Good riddance for Tsumugi, yet I do feel bad that we've lost another 'creative' person. But then again, I don't like her. From that, I let her, the 'Executive Producer', die during Ki-Bo's execution. I feel the sigh of relief when I saw her falling and landed on the pool of her blood.
And then comes the huge block of metal that was used to pulverize its victims, it's where the remaining three got shot by the gunmen (that we legally hired just to give the robot even more Despair in his execution). So far, all I could see under the compactor were the pure pink blood being splattered and nothing else.
Everything came to dead silence, I assume that everyone that Hajime and Ryoko called are now present in the meeting since they poked my shoulder as a signal that they're ready.
I turned around and looked at them, my eyes were showing some black bags under them. I never slept, that's why. They didn't bother to even say something about my (tired) face, they didn't. Because the last time someone (Yasuhiro Hagakure, Team Danganronpa's Media Agent) said something about my condition, I threw a chair at him. Looks like they took note of it, and remained silent (especially Hiro was sitting at the far corner) until I permitted them to.
I released a long, deep sigh, erasing (partially) all of my anger and calming my nerves.
"What happened in there?" I started the conversation with a question, but the question I asked startled the staff. They're still afraid of my rage, aren't they? As a result, no one answered. It's just the silence that was telling me, the Riot did several damages and they were scared to even tell me. It's like I'm some strict parent going to hurt a child! Even Hajime and Ryoko were looking away from me in disgust, them too? Geez...
"Look...I'm not mad at what happened in the Riot." I tried my best to speak up and showed to them that I'm not (bursting) mad, "I just want to know who caused it."
A hand was raised, I could see Taka standing up much to Juzo's dismay. He was the one who played as the Ex-Ultimate Moral Compass (and he's literally the grandson of a retired prime minister, who didn't do anything wrong, unlike his character's backstory, just so you know), so it makes sense that he's the first one to speak up.
"Director Naegi..." Taka took a nervous breath, "The security team had been run over by the protesters during the Ultimate Hope's execution...The reports were...unimaginable. They were able to break away from our defense systems and attacked us..we tried our best to stop them and...Director Naegi...I apologize for my incapability as a guard!"
As a result, Mondo stood up and elbowed Taka. The person who played as the Ex-Ultimate Biker Gang Leader still got his character on, or maybe it's just really him. "Bro, you don't have to do that! You can't just take the blame all to yourself! That's just stupid! None of it was your fault!"
"But it is! I was so weak to subdue the intruders from entering that I ended up in the stampede!"
Juzo had his fingers pinched over the bridge of his nose the whole time, had enough of the argument and followed in speaking up, "Just calm the heck down, Ishimaru! I'm the head of the security team, so I should be the one who should take responsibility!"
"Let's make the three of you speak up instead!" I raised my voice since they might be going to start causing a commotion again, this made them silent for a while.
"Taka already said the whole thing, sir." Juzo murmured as he placed a hand behind his neck.
I could only shake my head slowly, "That's all I need to know from you three, sit down."
Technically, this wasn't the answer I was looking for.
Mikan finished patching up herself after she was done in helping the injured staff. She got numerous tears on her clothes that she had to wear a jacket provided by Team Danganronpa's Technical Director named Chiaki Nanami, also known as one of the Danganronpa viewers' Waifu. Mahiru was checking every lens on her video cameras that some of them she retrieved from the Riot, she was so ticked when most of them got broken! Heck, she even asked Kazuichi to fix them when our Construction head was just a mechanic and not a technician.
Hajime walked towards Mikan just to check if she's alright, she seems to calm down from what happened to her.
"Mikan?" He lightly touched her shoulder, and yet she was still jumpy from the call.
Her head was covered with the gauze and her face got more bandages on it, "Y-y-yes, Haj-jime?"
"Do you have any ideas on who did this to you?" He asked sincerely, but the sound of it made Mahiru burst.
"Isn't it obvious, Hajime?" Mahiru asked in annoyance, "It's the protesters. They were the ones who wrecked at least everything in their path during the execution! Just look at my cameras!" She showed the dismembered camera, probably the most damaged gadget from all the cameras in there. "They're ruined! I couldn't even believe that those men got the guts to climb over the walls and swing a BAT over them!"
"Well, at least it wasn't your head!" Kazuichi spoke up while trying his best to even put the broken cameras altogether, even though he couldn't. "Someone just hit me with a soda can! A SODA CAN! They even took over the compactor! I blacked out! OH, WHY DO PEOPLE HATE ME?!" He limply laid the pieces and slammed his head on the table, I could hear the mechanic wailing from the incident (most people do hate him in Goodbye Despair) that Chiaki placed her hand over Kazuichi's shoulder while reading something on her tablet.
She enlisted, "The Tech team had many damages, the cameras were broken, the compactor glitched out, and the production truck...almost got car-napped."
Hajime bit his lip, who knew that the protesters got the guts to inflict so much damages within an hour or so.
But that's not the answer that I was looking for either, I just rolled my eyes in disappointment. We'll deal with the damages that happened but there are more things to discuss, like the Riot.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, "You seriously all don't know who caused it?!"
They were looking away from me, avoiding eye contact. I'm taking that as a no.
Unconsciously, I sighed. More likely, I had some insights on who caused the Riot in the first place, but I also need some second opinions.
"Okay then, I'll tell you my guess. But I think you all might go against my opinion once I said it." That made everyone looked at me (because I'm the boss, unfortunately).
But by the time I opened my mouth -
"Perhaps I can provide some thoughts, lad?"
Someone just barged into the meeting, but I can't let myself get mad to someone being rude to me. Because I know who owned that voice, everybody does.
Ryoko gasped, "Mr. Kamukura!"
The surname made everyone stood up from their seats, even me. We all saw an old man around his fifties, his hair is white and carries a cane with him (despite he had a perfect posture for an elderly). The old man raised a hand, a non-verbal gesture saying 'sit down'. Of course, by common sense and authority, he walked towards where I am. The tapping on his cane provided noise from the silence, I took a step back but God knows why I unconsciously did that though...
One thing that I always took note of, is that this man needs to be respected. Because he's the person who founded Team Danganronpa in the first place, his name was even christened to Hajime's alter ego. His name is...Izuru Kamukura.
"My, my! Why was this joyful place being filled with silence? You should all be proud of yourselves! Every single member of Team Danganronpa had put extra effort to present its first ever Hope Execution!" Mr. Kamukura clapped his hands in applause out of nowhere. And reluctantly, all of us forced ourselves to at least follow him much to our dismay.
The applause quiets down as Mr. Kamukura looked at me, his cold eyes already screamed 'I know what you did' to me.
"Makoto, you don't need to explain furthermore. I am fully aware of the Riot almost cost us members who got caught in the attack."
I hung my head down. Technically, we were supposed to tell Mr. Kamukura about this right after we figured the Riot out but that's too late. "I apologize, sir. We were trying to find out who could have done this to us, but no luck."
Mr. Kamukura nodded in understanding, "I just heard that you have an idea on the culprit. We might have the same thinking, Makoto."
That made me blink.
Mr. Kamukura said nothing, he walked towards the live switcher and started fiddling with the controls. Upon the television screen, we all saw the video clip of where the security team was before they were attacked by the protesters. All of the people in Team Danganronpa watched as they witnessed (aside from Juzo, Mondo, and Taka in humiliation) the barricades got destroyed and the guards being ran over from the stampede. Mr. Kamukura paused the video and then he looked at us, he kept a stoic face.
"Now, I want you all to listen to the audio of this clip. Listen closely, then I think we might have the same ideas."
He played the audio, all of us followed on what the founder said. We could hear the sounds of the protesters yelling, we even hear the defenses broken down because of the loud creaking noise that signifies the barricades being bent...brutally. But that's it, none of us were able to get the answer from the sounds that we've heard. Nothing. Mr. Kamukura then rewinds the audio again, and again, and again, until we could get the sound that our founder was looking for. Much to our dismay that it's torturing us, even so as a hidden punishment because of the Riot.
I saw Ryoko having her eyes closed, it seemed like she was concentrating hard. She was the actress of the Ex-Ultimate Analyst, after all. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she was focusing on her hearing since the video clip was pretty much noisy to hear which sound Mr. Kamukura wanted.
It's noisy...
It's hard to get a word from the people saying at one time, I do wish that I have Kaede's enhanced audio hearing.
Wait...I'm getting something...
Huh? A gun? Since when there's a gun -
"I hear it!" As much as I appreciate Ryoko's intelligence, does she have to say that out loud?
"Hear what, Ryoko?" Hajime was even curious about what she just heard, his hearing couldn't even get the same sound as Ryoko does.
With her Editing skills, Ryoko quickly went to the live switcher and her hands started to do its work, though it was fast enough that I lost the sight of her hands pressing the buttons and other controls. Her hand finally laid on the knob, indicating that she was finished editing the clip.
"I was able to voice enhance the sound that Mr. Kamukura was looking for, I ho -, wished that you can hear it clearly now," Ryoko said as she played the clip one more time.
So far, it's pretty much the same thing. Nothing was changed on the first minutes of the video, but then we could hear some new sounds from the clip. We now hear the sound of a gun being loaded and then -
BANG!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
All of the staff, aside from Mr. Kamukura and Ryoko, got scared from the scream we've just heard that some went jumpy or even fell from their seats. We all thought that it's a jumpscare from whatever horror games you could think of, but this one was real.
"Dang, what the heck was that?!" Kazuichi angrily asked while trying to get back on his knees when he fell on his chair because of the scream.
Mr. Kamukura answered, "Everyone, this was what the true cause of the Riot."
The scream made my ears ache a little, but it also made me skeptic about the sound that Mr. Kamukura had told us to find. The rest of the team were confused about what the founder was talking about, especially the Security Team.
"A scream? A SCREAM?!" Juzo didn't even take that answer well either. "Mr. Kamukura, if is this one of your funny jokes then I'm not laughing! That Riot almost killed us and I've never been humiliated like that ever!"
Mondo agreed as well, "Yeah! How can a scream broke the barrier in the first place?! The robot's not even a siren or anything, right?"
Taka remained seated, he almost got the same reaction as I had. "I am confused as well. I found it impossible for the Ultimate Hope would do such a thing." He placed a finger on his cheek, still deep in thought.
Hajime was also skeptical on what Mr. Kamukura meant. His fellow workers got hurt from the Riot and he's ticked on whoever did it to them, but a scream from the Ex-Ultimate Robot couldn't possibly be the one responsible from the Riot. It even sounds absurd in his point of view.
When she looked at Mr. Kamukura, Ryoko could only shrug as a response. I'm not sure what she was saying without her mouth open, but I think she has an answer…she just wanted Mr. Kamukura to talk instead.
"I know that this is not what you all would have expected from our intruders to cause the Riot in the first place, and I also know that none of these events were our misdoings. However, no matter how much we get rid of these flaws, Mistakes will always occur. It is the balance that we have to harshly follow within our lives, just like Hope and Despair."
Mr. Kamukura then looked at me.
"Why don't you tell them, Makoto?"
I did not expect that. When he ordered someone to tell something, that means to say that the person he commands them to speak was the immediate culprit. Whether there was concrete evidence or not, Mr. Kamukura always gets his wild guesses right.
"M-me? W-w-wait! What did I do?!" I asked while unconsciously pointing to myself. What did I do? I was the one who conducted the Hope Execution, so I know what happened to every single scene. I didn't do anything wrong.
And if I did SOMETHING wrong, I would have put the whole blame to (the unreliable) Tsumugi Shirogane! She always ruined everything I planned, she mistreated the other workers, and she even almost took over Danganronpa V3! I became invisible to her own eyes, it's like I was her shadow or something! She didn't respect her director or even Mr. Kamukura. Rumors has it, she attempted to take over Team Danganronpa for herself.
So...I had to do what's best for everyone. Thankfully, everyone agreed to one resolution: Eliminate Tsumugi Shirogane at once. And that's where I killed Tsumugi the way she killed (the Plan A Protagonist) Kaede Akamatsu, I killed her by execution.
Now I ho-, I mean, Now I would be relieved if you understood my side of the story...at least.
But because she's (despairingly) gone, Mr. Kamukura couldn't blame anyone...but myself.
He pointed his cane at me, "I order you to speak, Makoto Naegi. For you are the person who orchestrates the execution, and there is no doubt that you memorized every sequence of it too."
"But what does that supposed to mean?! Sure, I was the one who planned the execution. I know none of us would make a mistake because we followed the script exactly as it was!" I retaliated, but Mr. Kamukura doesn't seem to flinch.
"And that was your grave mistake!"
...Wait, what?
"Wait...what?"
What I did was wrong? Since when following the script was wrong? And...why I'm the only one who went wrong?
I look at Ryoko and Hajime. I was confused on what's happening right now, maybe they might have some ideas...even though it's going to get painful.
Hajime saw me when I looked directly at him, he responded with a disappointed sigh.
"What Mr. Kamukura meant to say…you just got hoisted by your own petard."
"…I got what?" I'm sorry, I don't understand what Hajime said about that idiom or even everything that I was accused of.
Because of that, Ryoko instead rewind the tape longer until it reached at the beginning of Ki-Bo's execution.
October 7, 2017
04:09:19
+ Recording +
Despite his efforts to escape the chains that were chasing him, its shackles were able to bind his legs, arms, waist, feet, and wrists altogether. Ki-Bo then felt a strong pull that dragged him towards the dark hatch, his arms even tried to reach out even though he knew it's futile now that the three pairs of pink eyes and one pair of blue eyes were staring below him as the darkness had finally swallowed him.
He felt like he was falling to a deep realm until the hard impact from the ground stops him from falling, and it was painful too. Just as he got the sense to rise, the chains were restraining him from even moving. His arms were bound from the sides while his feet were bound together, almost looked like as if he was literally crucified on the ground.
It seems dark at first, apart from the small light coming from above, almost acting as a spotlight that was directed at him while he was bound.
Then, a flash of light came all around the abyss that made Ki-Bo want to cover his eyes from the brightness if his arms weren't shackled. From what he saw, the chasm wasn't actually a place that was filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Even the 'ground' wasn't even ground after all, more like a rusty looking metallic floor.
There were screens that were activated in every angle, what kind of a place that has television screens below a trap door?
The static effect from the screen faded, revealing a man appeared to be wearing formal clothes and he has green eyes and brown hair with a large chunk of it sticking out in the air.
Wait a minute…that man was me!
"Hello there, Ki-Bo." I smiled from the monitor while staring the pitiful figure of the Ultimate Hope, "We've been waiting for you."
Ki-Bo begins to show confusion from his face, he doesn't know who I am after all.
"...Wh...Wh-who...Who are...you?" He asked me while trying to move from his binds.
As much as I want to say who I really am, I'm pretty sure he doesn't need to know. It's going to be obvious anyway.
"My name would not matter in this situation you are having right now. But what matters is that you, the new titleholder as the Ultimate Hope, will be participating in this final execution."
"You! ...You're the person from Team Danganronpa!" I could see him glaring at me. See? I told you he knows who I am. And that makes me laugh when he pretends to be brave, still the stupid robot I created and know of.
I want to taunt this robot more, "Well, what are you gonna do to me? Huh? Would you still use your stupid platitudes to break those chains that bind you? Heh! You couldn't even lift a manhole because of how weak you were! How pathetic."
My taunt worked when I intimidated Ki-Bo, you could see him shrinking but the shackles don't want him to.
"What are you going to do next? Are you still going to execute me?"
I gave the robot a grin even though it's fake, "Of course, I still want to execute you! It's just...it's better to have some chit chat to our Ultimate Hope before you get dismantled. Besides that, I just don't want YOU to reach out and cause any signs of rebellion to THEM."
"...T-th-them?!"
Chills were running down from my spine, I didn't know that I look and sound creepy from an audience point of view. It made me wonder why Ryoko even played this clip in the first place, this might be the part where I made a mistake? Well, it's the only part where I showed myself after all.
I smiled eerily at him with an empty voice, "You didn't think that your execution would be private, did you?"
Then it was the cue flooring beneath Ki-Bo to rise, almost for me to see him in one angle.
"Makoto Naegi, this is where you made your mistake." Mr. Kamukura told me to pay attention.
I was frozen from my spot. I don't what was a mistake or why I did it, but I have to find out so I can fix that stupidity of mine.
"To be honest, your talent is actually powerful."
"A robot like you were able to give Hope towards the Danganronpa audiences within a fraction of a second, unlike the previous ones. Because of that, you might even start a rebellion against us by controlling them by your words and we are not allowing that to happen."
Ryoko stopped the clip, and the room fell in silence as the whole crew of Team Danganronpa looked at me.
Of course...I remember saying that line, but was that my mistake?
"Have you forgotten about what are the capabilities to a titleholder of Ultimate Hope, Makoto?" Mr. Kamukura asked me, his voice was raised slightly.
I gulped but I still nodded as a response, he doesn't want to wait for answers.
"Ultimate Hope, defined as a character who were the pure representatives of Hope itself. Uses their talent to either guide people towards the golden age, optimism, and charisma, or even going far as to sacrifice oneself in the name of Hope."
I recited the definition of Ultimate Hope based on his exact words, which gives Mr. Kamukura some satisfaction.
"Correct, what you said is true." He confirmed what I said, but there's always a catch.
"True enough to start some chains of events!"
That gave me some spark to move my body and retaliate, "But Mr. Kamukura, those were words! Platitudes! There's no way that robot could have done that during his execution! He failed to save the three from their brainwashing!"
"Sure, his talent failed to break the effects of the brainwashing video I installed to Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko. But he did use his talent to someone else!" Ryoko then raised her voice at me, I took a step back from her sudden response.
"Someone else?"
Ryoko looked at me with solemn eyes, "His own voice sparked the protesters to attack the execution participants. They heard him when he was trying to save his brain dead friends, but the scream already crossed over the line as if it's their 'Go Signal' to attack..."
I remained silent, she does have a point there.
"Ki-Bo was hurt." Ryoko continued, "It's natural for some people to help him."
See that? That's also one of the reasons why I get confused to the humans at times. Some people like him and some people hate him to death. My hands curled into a fist, angered that the robot did something stupid...again.
"Stupid robot..."
Hajime stood up from his chair, "Makoto, you are the first Ultimate Hope announced. Didn't you remember how you used your talent before?"
"Of course, I did! All I have to do was to be optimistic and stuff! Nothing else!"
"And what happened to the characters who did listen to your 'Platitudes? Huh?" Hajime walked towards me with a glare from his eyes, he even raised his finger to poke my chest hard. "Don't forget, Makoto. YOU were Ki-Bo's creator, YOU were the one who programmed him into your image, YOU were the one who gave him his TRUE TITLE as the Ultimate Hope!" He said to me with a harsh tone, and I don't like it when he mentioned about me being Ki-Bo's creator. Idabashi doesn't exist in this world, folks! And it ticks me off!
I furiously brushed Hajime's hand away, "So what if I made Ki-Bo to be the STUPID ROBOT he is?! What does it have to do with me?!"
But Hajime fights back when he pushed me, "Which means it's your entire fault why the Riot happened in the first place!"
"Oh! How come it's my fault?!"
"Well, if you hadn't taunted your robot, then he wouldn't have any idea on how powerful his Ultimate Talent was in his execution!"
"He's just being stup - "
"Can you stop pinning the blame on the robot, please?!"
"Why are you on his side?!"
Everyone was feeling uneasy of me and Hajime fighting, even Mr. Kamukura wasn't pleased with our behavior. The security team was going to stop us before we could even start punching each other, but our founder stopped them with a raise of his hand.
I continue to taunt Hajime, "Oh wow, Hajime Hinata! Just because you also got the title of Ultimate Hope the last time, doesn't mean you could use your 'abilities' against me!"
"You're going too far, Makoto! This isn't you!" Hajime said to me as if I'm the good ol' Ex-Ultimate Lucky Student. I'm not as adorable as you think. And they were always being too cautious of me, that's what I don't like also.
"Stop treating me like a kid!"
"But you act like one!"
"You think so?!"
"Yeah!"
I got my fist raised at him, ready to strike. "Why I oughta - "
"HAJIME AND MAKOTO THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ryoko shouted at us, she even caught my hand right before I'm going to hit Hajime. It's just in time for Ryoko to stop the fight before it even began, but I could tell that she's mad. She was panting like crazy!
Mr. Kamukura stared at the three of us, the leaders of their branches of Team Danganronpa, were acting unprofessionally. With a disappointed sigh, he looked at everyone.
"I will talk to them. Meeting adjourned."
And from that, everyone except me, Ryoko, and Hajime, stood up from their seats and walked out from the room. Then comes the sound of silence aside from Mr. Kamukura's cane tapping on the floor as he walked towards us, Ryoko still hadn't let go of my hand. I can believe I got involved in his lectures again, but perhaps that's the downside of being a Director. So, the responsibility was pretty large enough to get blamed.
"Are you two men calm?" Mr. Kamukura asked without a change from his voice.
"Yes," I answered while Hajime nodded, then Ryoko let go of my hand.
"While I understand that you wanted to fix your mistake, Makoto Naegi, you CAN'T just simply vent your anger unprofessionally! I am disappointed with how you acted."
I looked away for Mr. Kamukura, taking those words to the heart.
"And may I ask you this, because it seems that you have the hatred towards the robot. Every time we even mentioned his name, vex comes out afterward."
My heart's igniting fire, knowing what he'll be going to ask me might cause a second Riot. But I'm bracing for it, I don't care what's coming after me anyway.
"What did Ki-Bo ever do to you?"
My head snapped to him, that pang inside of me forcing myself to move. The question went surprising as I expected to be. What did that stupid robot ever do to me?
"Well, lad? Speak up."
I could see my hands were shaking that I had to hide it behind my back. Ryoko and Hajime were looking at me too, but I couldn't take a glance at their facial expressions. I guess it makes sense for them to get angry at a friend.
"I don't know," I answered bluntly, in which I received a suspicious glare from me.
"You don't know? Or you don't WANT to know?"
"..." I couldn't answer. Or more precisely, I don't want to answer that question.
Mr. Kamukura sighed, "Your immature actions had caused great peril in Team Danganronpa. It is very irrational of you to act on your behalf also. From that pinnacle of your hatred...you also gave us a discovery of further knowing the capabilities of the Ultimate Hope. We might as well look on the bright side if you keep on behaving like that, Makoto Naegi."
"..."
"The Ex-Ultimate Robot's main role was to become the camera that could connect to the Outside World, so that the audience can use him as an interactive character towards the students and to even guide him throughout the Killing Game."
It was supposed to be according to the plan to, he's right about Ki-Bo.
"Weak as an old human person, boasting about his importance and reliability as a robot, and even has a distaste about 'Robophobia'. Perhaps we underestimated that robot right from the start of his creation, the 53rd Ultimate Hope was a robot. I suppose the audience wouldn't have been surprised if he was created to your own image." He looked at me for a second before continuing.
"Just as our late 'Executive Producer' had said, Ki-Bo is the connector of the Outside World. His own fate will cause a worldwide spread of Despair to the world, the Ultimate Despair has to do is to murder the robot and the Butterfly Effect will take place...Or at least, that's what you would have thought."
My own mouth had given a chance to move, "I'm taking my guess. Obviously, when that robot proclaimed himself as the Ultimate Hope. His role went the other way around."
"Correct, his execution and the Riot were the key proof of his ability as the titleholder of the Ultimate Hope. Ki-Bo was much as powerful than you or Hajime, it's just like you said, 'able to spread Hope within a fraction of a second to the point of causing a rebellion'. We are lucky enough to know this phenomenon...and learn its a painful lesson that we all have to face."
I know that he doesn't need to remind me that. It's messing me up whenever he talks about the abilities of being an Ultimate Hope, considering that I was also one (something that I want to erase from my life).
Mr. Kamukura started to walk towards the door, ending his talk to the three of us. But not without looking back, "Are you finished with your next episode?" he asked me.
I nodded, "Yes, we'll air it as soon as possible."
"Good." He then walked out of the room, silence came after.
I felt exhausted from the meeting, I haven't slept for who knows how many days I stayed up for V3. My cup already ran out of coffee for me to drink, and my eyes were getting heavier than usual. Ryoko and Hajime were looking at my fragile stature despite they're still not happy at my attitude, but their faces were showing concern rather than anger.
Hajime places a hand over my shoulder, "You okay, Makoto?"
"Yeah," I answered, he seemed to calm down and (forced to) forget that our fight even existed.
But enough about the meeting, I'm getting even more stressed in thinking about it. So far, the Riot was still a topic from the network. People who witnessed the incident were still angry about the outcome, they could only blame Team Danganronpa for it. Humans can be so confusing, especially when they complain too much.
I reached my hand to pick the show's script and read the pages of it, there's still more to finish and I don't have to time in doing silly gimmicks. With a deep sigh, I turned around to look at the television screen that was on pause for the whole time. It showed Ki-Bo's terrified face, it was the time when he was about to get executed. As much as the execution actually 'killed' (or dismantled) the robot, I'm still not happy from what happened regardless.
I want to forget this already and move on.
"Come on, guys," I said to Ryoko and Hajime, in which the two nodded to the director since they were prepared more than I do.
"We got work to do."
uuwuh! ah! a-a-ah...argh...ack! ah...!
Wait, what?
I...I-I can't...I...don't have the strength...This is...the end for...me...
His eyes shot open, who said that?
I'm...sorry...I just...couldn't go on...I can't...fight...anymore...
"It couldn't be..."
You...were right...your choice...is right...
Your true enemy...is...the ones who...wanted this to...happen...the outside world...it's their fault...
"That voice..."
Use...me...I want you to use me...
Change it...change the world...
"Me..."
The creak from the mechanical gears of the press started to move until...
Change the world...plea...se...
"Change the...world?" He asked.
From the question he asked, the realization came too late when the large block budged and it comes down to a hard slam.
And the next thing he knew, he was falling into darkness.
Am I...falling?
Everything around Ki-Bo is dark, he couldn't see a thing except his own hands and his feet. It's all that he sees in the darkness.
He...was having a hard time regaining his thoughts about what happened to him after his execution. Which is funny, he's already dead when the huge block slammed into him. Ki-Bo didn't have the chance to close his eyes and braced for the impact, and neither does his dead friends.
Ki-Bo wondered if this is the same feeling as what happened to Kokichi Oma, the late Ultimate Supreme Leader, who killed himself by letting Kaito Momota, the late Ultimate Astronaut, activate the hydraulic press and inevitably murder the boy. Of course, it was against Kaito's wishes to murder someone, but Kokichi persuades him because Maki will get executed instead.
Except, the mechanism between the hydraulic press and the trash compactor was different actually. Both machines were provided with a huge piston ram that was used to give enough force to flatten any object within the pressing range, mostly used to crush any garbage or cars. But this is Danganronpa, so that device was used for killing obviously. Especially because the safety apparatus of the hydraulic press got deactivated, he might as well guess that Kokichi's death claimed to be...painful. Whether it came from the poison or the press itself, Kokichi didn't deserve a painful and brutal death like that.
Even in Death...I couldn't feel...anything...
He couldn't feel or define exactly how he felt like when he got crushed, physical pain to be exact. All he knows from his eyes, the block falls on him and that's it! He was literally falling to...something that he could land on. But does the darkness even had a surface? Like a floor or a wall? He doesn't know! It's dark! It's really, really dark!
Where...am I?
Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? He doesn't know either. He's still falling, that's for sure.
I am...useless...
Does he? After going through of getting voted, betrayed by his friends, had to face the execution that Team Danganronpa prepared, endure the humiliation from the outside world, and...facing his Despair.
In the end, it's all his fault. Ki-Bo wouldn't fall for Tsumugi's trap if he hadn't spoken up and battle against Despair on his own, that was his biggest mistake he'd ever done.
Everything...is all my fault...
All my fault...
He's still falling, but he couldn't do anything about it. The robot lost everything he had and now he's trapped in darkness with nowhere to escape from, and it's sickening to see the exasperating color. It reminded him of Shuichi's detective uniform, one that which he wished to forget. The color belonged to his friend, after all, the one who was formerly a detective who was afraid to face the truth becomes the player who was determined to finally end the game.
And what happened to him in the end? Shuichi got brainwashed and hurt Ki-Bo, then got publicly executed by getting shot by the firing squad.
...What is this...feeling?
I...feel heavy...
He placed his hand over his chest, the source of the weight inside of him. Ki-Bo got the same feeling when he was executed, the expression of pain and numbness clashing each other. Something that he couldn't get the word out of it.
But the feeling did spark the robot a piece of its memory, something that did give him emotions that he could not comprehend from.
That memory was the death of his friends. He remembered someone shouting, and then comes the sound of gunfire that came from out of nowhere. The sight of the three even shocked Ki-Bo as they died when they were actually a part of the Ultimate Hope's execution, it's unfair that they were only used just to give Ki-Bo...Despair...
Ah...that's right...I have forgotten about that...
It's Despair...
It's painful, but at the same time, it's numb. This could only happen whenever the image of Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko dying flashed in front of his face, a flashback to be exact. For some reason, it is the only memory that he wanted to remember.
I feel...Despair...
It's strange, he feels something light. But that's not because of his fragile body structure, the robot just feels lighter than usual. Perhaps this is also the effects of Despair taking over him slowly.
Maybe...Maybe I deserve to suffer...like this...
Ki-Bo gave himself a solemn smile, but his eyes showed sadness. He wished that he could finally cry now that he's...well, dead. The robot wondered if there was even someone feel sad for him when he died, but people hated him for existing. So why bother?
Maybe I shouldn't exist...
He doesn't want to be alone.
He wanted to fade away from the darkness.
He wants his suffering to end.
He closed his eyes as he waits for himself to rust and disintegrates into nothingness.
"I want to...die."
But does he want to die?
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"There's no way you'll let Despair win over Hope, right? It's time for you to survive against it."
"Don't you dare to give up, Ki-Bo!"
There was a flash of light shining to his face, he opened his eyes to see find out whoever called him. He knows that the sound was a boy, and then comes a girl. And for some scary reason, they sound familiar to him! Ki-Bo must have been hallucinating from the silence he's only listening to, but at the same time, he wanted to believe that he recognized those voices.
"...Rantaro?...Kaede?" The name of his deceased friends coming out from his lips.
"Heed my words, Robot Boy. Don't follow me. I see how you value your humanity even it is artificial. Because of you, I believe that there is really some Hope."
"Fixing things is a long way ahead, but, no, you've started, and there is no way to see it unfinished. Ki-Bo, be strong."
From where he's facing, there was a small twinkling light...and it's glowing even brighter.
"Ryoma...Kirumi..."
Their words.
They're...encouraging him?!
"Believe in Atua's grace! Angie knows He will save you! You are kindhearted, there is no way He will forsake Ki-Bo!"
"Tenko hates those male degenerates, but Ki-Bo is far nice. So, fight! Fight Despair!"
"Humans are all beautiful beings. But, you also proved that even your heart is made up of gears, you try to live as a human! Show me how you will live in more years, Ki-Bo."
"Angie?! Tenko?! Korekiyo?!"
It's unbelievable! He could hear their voices!
"Too bad I won't be able to repair you anymore, but, don't just trash your life away! Give your butt until the extent, you can't die."
"Gonta believes that Ki-Bo is not a bad person. Live, live. A good person deserves a long life."
"Miu! Gonta!"
Then, there comes this new feeling inside him. It's like something is sparking within and yet he wasn't even malfunctioning, that spark made Ki-Bo move at least.
The small light is growing bigger and bigger as it slowly illuminating the darkness.
"You'll regret coming here on the other side... Because I won't stop asking if you have a dill!"
"Say, Ki-Bo, you managed to help us. Don't let my death be in vain. Ya know how much I put my faith in ya!"
"Kokichi?! Kaito!"
Even the voice of the person who made fun of the robot was also there to support him, even the so-called Luminary of the Stars is also present!
He realized that he felt the strange feeling inside of him before, he wanted to remember how he obtained this feeling in the first place.
"Behold! I'll pass my mage powers unto you! Don't let her win! Use your all mana! Kiiiiiii-Boooooooooo!"
"...I trust you, Ki-Bo."
"Himiko! Maki!"
It was the memory when his 'Inner Voice' commanded him to save his friends. He knew that it came from the Outside World, but this is different! The voices he is hearing were not the people from the Outside World, but it's the voices of his friends! And they're telling him not to fall from Despair, not to this robot who was entitled as the Ultimate Hope!
"Live for us!"
"Shuichi..."
Ki-Bo felt warmth, a good kind of warmth. The light is so warm that he wanted to reach his hand out, it's like he's catching a firefly.
He remembers it, he remembered this feeling inside him.
"My friends...I'm coming! I'm coming!" Ki-Bo cried out as he stretches his arm more, he has to reach the light!
The feeling to live on, even in Despair.
It's Hope!
He's almost there! His friends must have been waiting for him at the light, all he had to do was to reach it further!
Ki-Bo can finally get the light up close. The light shines brightly as it took over the darkness, as well as Despair itself.
This is it.
The light had already engulfed Ki-Bo as he felt a gust of wind blowing through him, and then -
"Gwheah!"
And then he felt a hard impact from his body? That's not right, not right at all.
His technological vision is blurry that he has to refocus his...'camera lens' just to see what happened to him, yet, he wanted not to see it.
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From his point of view, all he could see is the familiar sight of a ceiling. A ceiling that came from the hallway, the Ultimate Academy's hallway.
"Where did the light go?" Ki-Bo asked himself while staring at what it seems to be sunlight shining through his 'eyes', he brushed his free hand when he inspected where he landed on. It was cold and hard, but smooth at the same time. There's no doubt about it, it's the hallway's floor.
Now that's weird, how did that happen?
"What...happened to me?" He asked again as he tried to stand up and move, but his legs were shaking. The robot balanced himself a little while holding his head as if he's dizzy, which is a human thing for a robot like Ki-Bo to feel any seizures as such.
Ki-Bo looked at his hands, they were metallic. That's it.
"I must have been dreaming..." Ki-Bo covered his eyes, his mind is still numb from...whatever happened to him and his 'dream'. Which is also weird, robots can't - Okay, that's a little bit robophobic, don't ya think? To be honest, what he had is a nightmare! Seriously, he got executed and his friends got killed. Surely, it's a dream that you wanted to wake up from.
He removed his hands from his eyes, the robot still sees the empty hallway. The floor he stepped on and the illuminating light, it's all real.
Everything that happened to him was nothing more but illusions, dreams. That's right. Thank goodness, he woke up from that scary dream!
Maybe those people he met were also illusions, the Ringleader of the so-called 'Killing Game' must have been an illusion too. Even those 'characters' named Tsumugi Shirogane, Maki Harukawa, Himiko Yumeno, and Shuichi Saihara were just some imaginary people in his databanks...he must have been malfunctioning or something. Of course, they're not real!
Ki-Bo sighed in relief, despite robots can't exactly or necessarily 'breathe'. At least he woke up in the real world, that's all that mattered to him.
"Yes, it's just a dream...No...It's a nightmare..."
"Or is it, Ultimate Hope?"
His head snapped up, "Huh?!"
"So, you think that execution of yours was a nightmare? You're still stupid than I remembered from you!"
Where did that voice coming from?! He looked around, but no one was there. Not even the television speakers, it was turned off the whole time.
"W-what are you saying?! Who are you?!"
"That question again? I'll give you a hint: Team Danganronpa"
"Team...Danganronpa?!" That name, he heard that name before. It's the one that...happened in his execution... But did it really happen?
"The Inner Voice...The Outside Word..." Ki-Bo placed his hand over his head, the voice must have been inside of it. Should he believe in them? Did the dream he had was real?
"Come on, Ki-Bo! Of course, you remember it! It already happened to you last time!"
"It's just a dream! I refuse to believe this! I know everything happened to me was nothing but a nightmare! You don't have any evidence to prove it! You are not even real!" The robot yelled to wherever he could face. One person in Ki-Bo's dream had told him that the voices he heard were the people from the 'Outside World', and they were scary because of what they did to him. The numbing pain from the arm that he got shot from, he could still feel it.
"Feisty one, aren't you? You want evidence, I'll give you evidence! Surely, you'll remember what we did if our robot gets in our way, right?"
"What do you mean?"
Suddenly, a surge of electricity went inside his body. Ki-Bo didn't expect that to happen when he tried to control himself from jerking around, he grabbed his head when the familiar feeling of excruciating pain creeping through his brain.
Then, from his vision, numerous strange images flashed into his eyes. Pictures that he'd never experienced before, but they all looked familiar. It's as if, it did happen, but he doesn't know when. Seeing them hurts his head even further.
"Gh! ...Ah...ARGH! Ahh! Wha...What is this! What are you doing?!" He cried as he clutched his head even tighter, even going to pull his synthetic hair just to stop the pain.
"It's better if you find that out on your own. Try and remember, Ki-Bo."
"I...I refuse! ...Whatever you're trying to do to me...I refuse! ...They're not...They're not real..."
He feels weak from the torture he's experiencing, his knees buckled and the robot collapsed on the floor. The current was still invading his circuitry, and it hurts every second.
"It...hurts...It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"
Why did those words feel like he said that before?
"Looks like I have to increase the voltage just for you to be obedient."
Ki-Bo begged, "What?! N-no! D-d-don't! Please...Don't!"
"Now. Ki-Bo, Ultimate Hope... REMEMBER!"
"NO! PLEASE!"
Too late to beg now, those voltages inside his body just went haywire. The next thing he knew, he was screaming uncontrollably. He can't control it anymore, it's like everything explodes within him.
"Hngh! ...Hah!...Ahh! NNNGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
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I...remember it...
Of course, he remembers it.
All of it was just for show.
It would be unfair to reject it considering he remembered his DEAD FRIENDS on it!
Oh, why did I even reject these memories?
Have I been...afraid?
He is afraid.
Afraid of seeing his friend's skull cracked, turned into a skeleton painfully, losing the connection of their spinal cord and brain, strangled to death in two worlds, and having his dying body slowly crushed.
I remembered them...
I'm such an idiot...
He remembered being a witness of his friend's hanging and getting her body desecrated further into pulp, the person who wanted to save selflessly had to go through a death trap that ends of losing the will to live any further, an peculiar man who loves humanity getting banished into existence twice in a row, the gentleman facing the brutal irony of something that he loved, and the man who faces death with full dignity.
How could I ever forget them?!
The most painful memory he ever had was losing everything, all because of his existence. The three people he tried to save ended up brainwashed and betray him, the Outside World being filled with mean people who want to kill other humans, even discovering his first Despair.
The Despair of Loneliness.
But it's not like this happened ONCE though.
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The pain suddenly faded, Ki-Bo opened his eyes to see himself curling on the floor. He 'felt' exhausted from whatever happened to him, the robot was even sweating excessively!
He attempted to get up, but he's weak to stand that he knelt down instead just to regain some thoughts from his...torturous experience. He placed a hand over his chest, there's no heartbeat considering he's a robot, but it's a way just to calm himself. Without the scary voice inside his head, he can finally think of something from what happened. But the voice did had a point, it's a bad thing to reject those...images that he saw. It's also a bad thing to accept that what happened to him was nothing but a nightmare because it's real.
Everything is real.
And he finally remembers it.
"I...remember..." Ki-Bo muttered over his lips, his voice already showed the tone of fear. The robot looked at his hands once more, they were shaking like wild.
"I remember...everything...what I've done...in the past!" He embraced himself in a lonely hug, trying to stay calm.
"...I-I-I remembered...trying to save them...and then failed..." But his voice sounded like he was sobbing.
"Again...and again...and again..." Ki-Bo remembered what happened to him.
"I remember...what I was trying to do...I remember...who I am..." He remembered who he was and what he was, and he remembered his true role in this story.
One that might give a jump from anyone.
"I'm a Time Traveler."
Interactive Segment: Unscramble the acronym for the 'Secret Ending' Chapter Title
OSNTTHLPRET
Answer:
RNSETLPTHTO
Full Acronym:
RNSE. TLP. THTO
"Renaissance Time Loop Thirty One"
"How can a simple Lie change the world? Did it changed on who we are? Did it changed on how the world is supposed to be? Whatever's on the other side of the world, this fiction world, we'll know for sure. Whatever we're going to do next, even if it's a little change, this story will go on….Fiction will never end, it will instead continue."
- Shuichi Saihara, Ultimate Detective (Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony)
Author's Note (Please read):
[I would also like to thank Cyonil for helping in giving the V3 cast's "encouraging lines" in this chapter.]
Hello, everyone. And welcome to the true Twist of 'The Ultimate Punishment, I'm so sorry if this thing isn't the one you'll expect on a 'What If' scenario. I actually had to flesh all of the words in my head, I can't believe I reached ten thousand and fifty two words for this secret ending. I'm so gonna get sued by the readers for doing this story...To be honest, I'm really scared right now.
So, we'll go to explanations.
I actually made this concept on Tumblr, my username is trishiabidaure there. This thing is inspired by HetaOni, Hetalia is one of my fandoms but Danganronpa and Boboiboy is my current fandom as of now. So the whole time travelling aspect came from Italy Veneziano, I would rather call him as Feliciano Vargas though, who is also a time traveler who tried to save his friends from Steve for who knows how many times, some people said that he went through 82 time loops or something like that. I actually had a 'blueprint' of the 'plot' on my notebook.
To be honest, this isn't the first time travelling fanfiction I wrote. I also have this multicrossover fanfiction called 'GiaOni: Gears of Time'. It's on hiatus, unfortunately. But I'm still working on a chapter.
Now the question is, why did I performed the 'What if' story first before I showed the true twist?
I actually wanted to focus on Ki-Bo's point of view in this story, since we already saw Kaede and Shuichi's point of view and less to Maki and Himiko, so does Ki-Bo when he was revealed as the In-Universe Protagonist.
Not only that, I wanted to try and show Ki-Bo's experiences as a Time Traveler. Because we mostly see a pattern in both HetaOni and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Vocaloid Night Series, Higurashi, and Umineko (I'm sure that there's more), we see the pattern of not revealing the intentions of the time traveler and then we saw who they were and how they went throughout the series. And from what we saw from the time travelers, it's a really not good experience. Seeing their friends get killed and had to go back again and again just to save them no matter what, it's traumatic!
I already read some Danganrona V3 fanfictions that had the tags of 'Time Loop' or 'Time Travelling' on it, there's Rantaro, Kokichi, Shuichi, and Maki. They're the first four characters who were in a Time Travelling fanfiction, and they're in Archive On Our Own right now. And why did I put 'Renaissance' on it? It means Rebirth, basically.
I think there are some people who thinks that Ki-Bo could qualify as a Time Traveler because he's a robot...also he died by self destruction. I performed the 'execution first and then the truth' because I wanted to show that Ki-Bo also went through traumatic experiences in his previous time loops, HE WENT THROUGH THIRTY ONE TIME LOOPS FOR GOODNESS SAKES! He would have fallen to Despair, but his friends helped him to keep on going and pursue in saving his friends from the horrible cycle. HOPEFULLY, I was able to execute this Secret Ending well and I'm sorry that I somehow 'tricked' you into thinking that this is a 'What If' ending story, I'm really really sorry.
You know about Shuichi saying that Fiction will continue?
I'm continuing this story. So, stay tuned for that. I actually needed some help when it comes to portraying the V3 casts, since...they're there and alive of course. So I needed some tips or advises on how the characters speak like so and so! But there are times when I will do something different from them, so be prepared for that.