Mists of Penjar

by The Kobold Necromancer

Graduated students of Hope's Peak Academy want to know how Despair was able to spread so fast and ruin so many lives. In an abandoned town known as Penjar, where windless mist creeps down old streets, they have come to find the answers. But Despair, and its Kubs, still have plans even in this seemingly forgotten place. [Part 1 Spin-Off of Crit Fail's Legacy of Despair Series.]

31. Chapter 4-7: Case 4 Trial, Conclusion

Chapter 4-7

Gold Medal of Information

---

All eyes were on Aka, as the skier stood at her podium, proud and ready. She scanned the area, though her gaze faltered when Pyrrha or Hikari was within sight. "Okay, I told you up to ask me anything. You really should take me up on that, I don't know how generous Monokuma will be with my time."

"Then tell us why," Pyrrha muttered. She slammed her hand on her podium's railing, and looked up, tears in her eyes. "Why did you do it?!"

Aka flinched slightly, and glanced away from the writer's teary face. "Um, I'm sorry to tell you this, Red, but there isn't a really big reason. The truth is, I did it…

"I did it for the thrills, baby."

Silence set in the trial room again, the only noise being a heart-wrenching sob from Hikari. Hara was breathing hard, hands over her heart, Isaac trembling in outrage that he was barely containing. Saiko would be the one to say what they were thinking.

"WHAT?!" the investigator shouted. "Are you fucking kidding me? Are you for real?"

"Look, I know you're all wanting some big story and explanation, maybe I could give you one, but the honest truth is I did this because I wanted to do it. It was thrilling, it was exciting, and it was what I wanted to do.

"I'm a thrill-seeker, an adrenaline junkie, a tomboy who cannot get enough out of life-threatening excitement. That's how it has been my entire life! And this is no exception."

"You killed Yejoon fur the kicks?" Fiora asked. Her arms had slumped to her side, Yejoon's notebook in one of her hands. There were tears in her eyes as well. "You… murdered him fur nothing?"

"Fiora, I don't know why you're so upset over it," Aka said with a shrug. "He was a serial killer with about two hundred violent murders on his belt. He was your stalker. He-"

"He saved my life!" the movie maker shrieked. "He stopped me from committing murder, he… he cared… n-no… you're… you're right. No! No you're not… I… I joo'st doo'nt knoo'…"

"Fiora, for what it's worth, I'm sorry you got hurt by this," the skier said as she crossed her arms and sighed. "But it was for the best. He was way, way too dangerous to leave alive."

"I don't think we fully understand why you did this all of a sudden," Eisei said, removing the lollipop from his mouth to speak more clearly. "Maybe you could give us a bit more detail?"

"Look, I'm being honest when I say I did it for the thrills. I once told Hikari about my past, how I saved my parents when they were snowed in during an avalanche by skiing down to the cabin they were stuck in. That started my love for life-threatening sports…

"And I just needed more. More and more of that pulse-pumping action that made me feel alive! I got so damn good at it, that's how I got accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. Heh, I could have gone to the Olympics, but I'm just not organized enough…

"And the thrills are why I ski, thrills are what I wanted! Sex too, once I got into that, it was just as damn good! Sex and life-threatening thrills were my life for years, and what a life it was!"

The skier took off her goggles, ran a hand through her hair, and then held her eye cover in her hand as she let out an exhilarated sigh. "Then the Tragedy came. At first, it was like the greatest adrenaline rush I could ever ask for! Racing away from psycho-killers, not knowing who fell into despair, it seemed amazing…"

"What are you saying?" Drake interrupted, staring in fear and concern at Aka. "The Tragedy was horrible!"

"Do you know how many innocent people died?" Saiko shouted. "How many of us lost people important to us because of the Tragedy?"

"Crazy fucking psycho bitch," Blake muttered.

"Are you," Ken said as he narrowed his eyes, "a follower of Despair?!"

"I did say, 'at first,' people." Aka responded with a roll of her eyes. She put her goggles back on top of her head as she explained further, "The Tragedy was exciting at first. Then my parents died… and so many of my classmates from Hope's Peak died… and every girl who I ever slept with died, or became a murder-thirsty despair-ridden madwoman."

The skier pulled her goggles down over her eyes, as if to shield herself from what she was saying. "I found out some of them after they had killed innocent people, their family members… and children.

"When you look into the eyes of someone who cared about, and see nothing but a monster who murdered three innocent children just because she didn't want to be pressured into being a mother by her parents, so she was happy to do it to prove a point… I couldn't enjoy the Tragedy as a thrill-fest anymore.

"I would never become a follower of Despair. Never!"

Aka turned up her nose as she pulled her goggles off of her eyes. She glanced at the people watching her, and smiled. "So yeah, when the Tragedy was over, I tried to go back to the thrill-seeking that was skiing, and other extreme sports. I thought it would work, but the thrills were starting to die over the years.

"Then I got the message about Penjar, and I was so fucking stoked! Something to do, something I could do that was dangerous and exciting! And it sure has been!

"It's actually been a long time since I did something that made me feel alive again. Especially you, Hikari," she said as she turned towards the steampunk model, "I hadn't felt like trying to flirt with other women until I saw you."

Hikari's sob as she covered her eyes made Aka's smile disappear instantly. She glanced to the side, the train of thought she was on derailed with how distraught the model was. "I… I told you, at the beginning, I never meant to hurt you. I swear…"

"But why murder Yejoon?" Pyrrha asked, finding her strength to speak. "And… why… why'd you…"

"Pyrrha, let me try to explain this to you one step at a time. Do you remember when you were talking to Ignatia at the stables?"

---

Ignatia, who had been shocked to receive a hug like this, eventually nodded. When Pyrrha released her from that hug, the mime looked a little forlorn that it was over. She smiled appreciatively at the romance writer, then glanced over at Aka.

The skier was staring down at the floor near the two girls, when she noticed both of them were looking at her. "Hmm? Sorry, was I supposed to say something?"

"No, it's okay, Aka. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I'm not good at mushy stuff like, well, feelings and shit. I'm kind of a fast girl, you know?"

---

"The dirt on the ground near the supposedly locked room at the stables was shifted. Someone had opened the locked door, and that could only mean one of the boys on the western side had been over on our side."

Aka clenched her fists in outrage, as she said, "I didn't say anything because I didn't want you all to panic, especially because I was worried of the same thing you all could think: it was someone dangerous like Yejoon.

"I didn't think he had that doll of his sister's insides with him, but I thought it was highly possible he still had something that belonged to her! Though it fucking figures that Monokuma would just give him a way to come over to our side, isn't it? Anything for Despair, ya damn bear?"

"Upupupupu! You know me too well, Aka!" Monokuma declared. "I mean, it's totally fair when you think about it."

"You're just lucky I don't have anything to kill you with like the others," the skier said with a scoff. "Anyway, that was when I realized I had to do something, and it was only made more and more clear with everything that happened yesterday.

"Odelios gave me the idea of how to pretend to be the opposite gender, Crystal got stuck in the room which looked to me like a trap, and none of the marriages were working out. Well, the ones I had seen, I kind of got distracted when Ignatia, who was a much cooler person than I originally realized, was trying to kill herself in that coma-like state.

"And then, well, you know about the other distractions I faced," Aka said, blushing slightly as she rubbed the back of her head, staring at Pyrrha. "I honestly felt compelled to act last night, because if I didn't, something could happen to one of you."

"You… did you use me?" Pyrrha asked, staring at her. "Was I just a last minute thrill to you?"

"Oh come on, you were more than that, you're my friend. You may be obsessed with romance and such, and I'm not a romantic, but I know someone who really needs to let their passion out. Sex is like that, we can do it to relieve tension, to have fun, to feel alive. This town, it drains you, it makes you feel lost, hopeless, and the stress is unbearable.

"Besides, this isn't my last thrill, Pyrrha. I don't plan on dying, but I want to make sure I tell you all everything I can before I go through that test."

"So last night, you snuck out," Shuuya said, "you gathered what you needed, and went over to the western side."

"Yejoon wasn't in his room, and I realized I was going to have to act fast. I hunted for Drake's room, because I thought he might have Emanuel's keyring, and sure enough I was right. Oh, and Monodam was there, he watched me like a hawk the entire time."

"WHAT!?" Monokid shouted. "That's blatant favoritism! That's fucking wrong! That's fucking disgusting!"

"Monodam, does youse have an explanation for your actions?" Monosuke declared.

"…" was the green Kub's response.

"He really needn't have bothered," Aka said with a smile towards Drake. "I could never hurt you. You're too sweet, and I had one target in mind."

"Why didn't you joo'st kill Blake?" Kimiko grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "You sure hate him."

"Yeah, I do, but he's not a clear and present threat, he's just an asshole that I hate," the skier replied.

"And fuck you too," Blake said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Aka flipped him off as she continued talking. "So yeah, I told Monokid I was actually a woman, and he totally had to let me outside. I snuck into the bowling alley, and there Yejoon was, playing video games…"

---

Aka crept into the building, trying to make sure her footsteps were light as possible. It seemed unnecessary, since the building still had music playing overhead, which drowned out any noise she was making.

She moved through the place, until she came across to the arcade. Yejoon, in his fine get-up, was standing at one of the arcade machines, Fighters of the Storm. He seemed so out of place with how he was dressed, considering the place and the activity.

There was no time to question why he was playing arcade games at night like this. She lunged forward, with her heart pounding so hard that she was sure it would give her away before anything else. He didn't move, not until the prongs of the taser stuck in his neck and zapped him.

Yejoon collapsed to the ground, twitching at first then rather still. Aka, panting furiously, pushed the taser against his neck again. He strained as his body locked up, but she couldn't see his face due to his mask. She tased him again, and again, and again…

"Errrgh… could you… not?" he asked after several of those terrible shocks made his body clench. "I don't… need it… like this."

"What?" Aka said, as she pulled out the carving knife from her pocket. She held it to the artist's throat, and said, "No wait, I don't care. I'm going to kill you…"

"Not like this," Yejoon requested. "There are… baseball bats in the shack out in the field. If you would be so kind… I would like to be taken out that way."

Aka was stunned silent, and she pushed the blade up more against his neck. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"

"Those bats were used to murder someone during the Hope's Peak Killing Game. I wish for them to be used on me when I go. Consider it to be my dying wish."

"Are… are you fucking high?"

Yejoon reached up with one hand, grabbed Aka's wrist (the one connected to the hand holding the taser), and pulled it towards him. She pulled the trigger on the taser, zapping him once more.

"Nnnrrrrrrgh! Do it!"

"Fine! You fucking crazy…"

"You're going to need to take that doll of my sister," he said, motioning with his head towards the blood-soaked Jin doll. "Monokid won't like it if I travel outside without it."

"Ugh, whatever."

---

"Yeah, that happened," Aka said with a roll of her eyes. "I grabbed one of his ankles, and dragged him outside, thumping his stupid body down steps, dragging him across dirt paths and the grass. Sure enough, there were bats in the shack, and I took some of them.

"The first thing I did was bash his kneecaps until they shattered, then I went for his elbows. No running, no throwing his knives, he was all mine!"

Aka punched her palm as she chuckled. "I actually have to admit, doing horrible things to someone like him, it makes me kind of giddy! Though he didn't scream in pain much, but hey, what are you going to do when you deal with someone that psychotic?"

"Please," Fiora begged, hanging her head in sorrow, "doo'nt… doo'nt tell me that."

"Sorry, Fiora, but this is where it got a little interesting, as well as personal."

---

Aka dug through Yejoon's clothing, pulling throwing knife after throwing knife out of his clothing. They were in a pile nearby, far out of his reach from his broken state. She then searched his pockets, and pulled out a notebook.

"What have we here?" she asked as she flipped through the pages. "What language is this, Korean?"

"Hehe, that's a little secret," Yejoon said, shaking his head. Aka, fed up with his lunacy, grabbed his mask and yanked at it. The cord snapped and she threw it on the ground. The shattering noise of it being smashed by Aka's baseball bat made the artist visibly flinch.

"Care to talk now?" she asked coolly.

"I will admit, that sure did upset me, but it cannot be helped," he said, glaring at her as the moonlight made his whisker tattoos all the more obvious. "If you must know, that notebook is a message to Fiora."

"Ugh, your obsession with her is one of the biggest reasons I am doing this. It's not a fucking love letter, is it?"

"It's a detailed account of everything I found when searching this plaza on both sides. She'll be able to translate it, I ask you not to destroy it."

"Hmm, what the hell."

Aka flung the notebook away, and it landed at the base of the pitcher's mound. She stared down at Yejoon, and said, "You know, I thought I would have more questions for you. But I look at you, someone who has murdered so many people, and all I feel is this… hatred."

"She'll stop you. They all will stop you. They will figure it out."

"You fucking idiot, I know that. They're supposed to, but it's not a thrill if I don't make it hard for them to guess who did it."

"I suppose I should be upset about this, but considering why I took the path I did, it would be very hypocritical of me to be upset over dying for someone else's thrill."

"Yeah, you're boring me now, you fucking monster. It's time I finish this."

Aka dragged the baseball bat against the ground, staring venomously at Yejoon. The artist noticed the bloodstain already there, and he shivered with delight for some reason. Yejoon spoke his last then and there.

"Very well. Until we meet again, my dear little flower."

Aka slammed the bat down on his head, and then hit him again… and again… and again… and again… and again, and again, and again and again…

---

"After I broke every bone in his body, I took the rainwear I was wearing, that evil blood doll, and all his knives, and stuffed them in that trash bin," Aka said. "Then I did the shit with the bowling pins, the bats, and I was done there.

"I used the blue-handled carving knife to cut off one of his hands. It… wasn't pleasant, I don't take delight in such grossness. But I had to do it, because I figured Crystal would be stuck in that room until she died, and I couldn't let that happen. So I hurried across the field, opened the locked door to that lab, and propped the door open as quietly as possible.

"Thank fuck I didn't wake you up, I very much doubt you'd heed a request from me to keep quiet so I could have my own trial," Aka said with a laugh.

"Um, thank you, I guess," Crystal said. "I guess I do owe it to you that I made it out of there alive."

"No problem, girl. Anyway, I put the knives back on opposite sides for more confusion, put the taser back in the gift room, and hurried on back to Hikari's room. The truth is, I kind of left it in my pocket, and when I woke up this morning and found my room locked due to the murder, I had to carry it with me!"

"Carrying around a large keyring," Yitro remarked. "You really did this simply for the thrill of it, you could have been caught at any time."

"Yeah, that was the point! I never planned to have you all executed for my sake."

"You," Saiko snarled in an outrage that she couldn't contain any longer, "you fucking bitch! You selfish, evil, sex-crazed bitch!"

"Jeez, tone it down, Saiko," Aka snapped at her. "I know we don't like each other, but is that really necessary?"

"After what you did? After all you've done? You deserve far worse than just name-calling!"

"I know you hate me, but what exactly did I do that was so wrong, huh? I had consensual sex with willing partners, I took out a serial killer, and I saved Crystal from dying in that room."

"You had everyone thinking Isaac and Hara did it! You were perfectly fine with the sweetest woman I know being stared at like a monster, as Isaac was trying desperately to defend her, and himself!"

Aka sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I mean, I do admit I kind of let that stretch out a bit, but I was curious if they did have a hand in this. I also thought Fiora might have been part of it, but the moment I shifted the blame to her, Isaac and Hara jumped to defend her…

"I kind of knew then and there that those two were innocent. That's why I defended them next, if you recall?"

Saiko shook her head, glancing over at Isaac and Hara. Hara was still unnerved, but appeared to have pulled herself together as she took deep, soothing breaths. Isaac pulled down on his beanie to shield his eyes, as he spoke with a calm fury.

"You thought we had some part in this?" he spoke. "What could we have done? You did all of it!"

"Isaac, I am truly sorry I put you and Hara through that stress. I was suspicious of you two, but I realize I was wrong about that now; however, I didn't do everything that happened last night.

"I wasn't the one who vandalized the Hall of Fame," Aka said, her tone and face dead serious now. "I had absolutely nothing to do that, and it unnerves me that it happened the same night I was out there with my own mission."

The trial room became silent, and then Souma spoke up. "But didn't we talk about that during the trial?"

"Yeah, the words of Chaos had the first letters that spell out KUMA," Anzu remarked. "And they seem to know a lot about us here."

"I wonder about that," Aka remarked. "The Entity of Chaos is still here, and I'd recommend not lowering your guard until we figure out who that is. That's why I drew out the trial as long as I could, to see if we could find out anything."

"I still think it is rubbish," Ken remarked. "I have no idea what 'scarlet' would be referring to."

Isaac shook his head, remembering the cruel words of 'serial killer bait' being under his portrait. Ignatia shivered as she recalled the word for her was 'tattletale.' 'Fraud' came back to haunt Anzu, and she nervously tugged at one of her blue bangs.

"Well, you still made things difficult for us," Saiko declared as she pointed at Aka angrily. "If you hadn't gone and killed Yejoon, we could have found out what was in those locked rooms!"

"We'll never know what were in the bowling alley locked rooms now," Ishiku said ruefully.

"Haw haw haw!" Monokid laughed. "You stupid fucks, you didn't do the motive right!"

"Sorry, everyone," Monophanie muttered.

"IT-IS-A-SHAME-YOU-DIDN'T-GET-ALONG," Monokid said.

"Upupupupu, youse really should have looked in those rooms when youse had the chance," Monosuke said as he corrected his glasses. He then started fanning himself with money, and remarked, "I mean, youse could've easily done it after youse killed the mook!"

"Yeah, now I do feel a little stupid," Aka said. "You Kubs really outsmarted me. What were in those rooms, anyway?"

"Oh one of them was full of janitor and car supplies in the hopes that the deadly chemicals could be used as poison," Monosuke said earnestly, "and the other contained an arcade version of Crypt of the Necrodancer, something we were extremely proud of because it gave youse all a little hint about…

"…" Monosuke paused, and then 'sweat' started to run down his forehead. He screamed, "Waaaaaah! I told youse all the things I wasn't supposed to tell youse all!"

"Way to go, bonehead," Monokid shouted.

"Monosuke, the reason we have secret rooms," Monophanie chastised him, "is because we don't tell them what is in the secret rooms! You dummy!"

"Man, the jock outsmarted you," Monokuma said as he hung his head in shame.

"WE'RE-NOT-MAD," Monodam assured his orange brother, "WE'RE-JUST-DISAPPOINTED."

Aka giggled and turned to the others. "There you go, seems like it wasn't a waste. Really, the only things that were of worth were that lab and the other Hall of Fame."

"But what about the clothing shop?" Saiko asked. "We never learned what was in there."

"Meh, probably clothing," the skier said. "Look, I told you all this before we headed to that damn plaza, we all know that Monokuma and the Kubs aren't going to give us the answers until they feel like it. We weren't going to find out anything on that side, they just wanted a murder. So I gave it to them, and I saved the world from an awful person.

"Again, Hara and Isaac, I'm really sorry I put you through that stress, it wasn't my doing. Fiora, sorry, even if I don't understand why you suddenly care. The rest of you, most of you are good people, so don't let the shit of this town get you down.

"So yeah, that's all I really got, though there are a few people I'd like to say good-bye to before I take on the biggest challenge I will yet."

"But, but Aka," Drake stammered, "you could most likely die during this!"

"I could have died every time I hit the slopes, lil' cinnamon roll. Don't worry about me, I know I'm gonna make it. Now, let me say good-bye."

Aka walked over to Pyrrha, who couldn't look the skier in her eyes. "Look, I cannot tell if you hate me right now," Aka admitted, "but I wanted to say, I never tried to use you. I did what I wanted to with you, and that was because I felt you wanted to too."

Pyrrha finally managed to look into Aka's eyes. "What about the kitchen? That wasn't to just get me to find that knife?"

"Someone needed to find it who wasn't me, the original plan was to wait for someone to search the kitchen, but no one was doing that. So I thought about asking you, and, well, the idea of doing it like that was just too exciting to pass up.

"You said yes, Pyrrha, so I knew it was thrilling to you too. Listen, I'm no romantic, so you're definitely going to find someone better than me in your future. Don't let this get you down, you're way too strong of a woman for that. Just take care of yourself, whatever happens to you."

She leaned in and smooched Pyrrha's cheek, then pat her tush before moving on. Aka stopped in front of Odelios, and shivered as he looked at her.

"Oh holy fuck, you still unnerve me every time you stare at me," she said. Odelios crossed his eyes, and Aka pursed her lips. "That doesn't help."

"Gonna punch me out for exposing it all?"

"No, of course not. Just… well played, clown. You watch over everyone here, 'kay?"

Odelios gave her a salute. She walked away, shivering one last time, before approaching Hikari. The steampunk model was staring down at the floor, and had her arms crossed tight, as if to protect herself.

"Hey there, Hikari-hon," Aka said gently. "You might not believe it, but I never meant to hurt you."

"You sure you're not just saying that," she bitterly mumbled, "to get something out of me? Wanna just bang me one more time, that your goal?"

"Okay, yeah, I deserve that," Aka said, scratching the back of her head. "I don't really deserve someone like you, even as a friend, because I'm way too simple. You're… you're just so much better than how I treated you.

"I don't plan on dying today, but I want you to know that ever since I stepped in this town, you've been the reason I stayed. And even when I get through whatever the bear is going to throw at me, I know you won't want any part of me. You just keep strong, okay?"

Aka reached up and pulled her goggles from her head. She motioned to hand them over to Hikari, who glanced at them then up at the skier incredulously. "They're… my most prized possession," Aka said. "I never had much desire for materialistic things, but I treasure my goggles. Since you're a steampunk model, I figure you could make them into something really cool.

"Or smash 'em with a hammer, however you feel about me. I won't blame you either way, just-"

"Okay, that's enough sappy sweet talk!" Monokuma shouted. "If no one is going to try to kill me or everyone else in this room, then I say it's high-time we put this bitch on ice!"

"Hell yeah," Monokid shouted. "I'll show these crossdressing treacherous how traitors are punished!"

The blue Kub reached behind him, and pulled out (from somewhere) a thick winter coat in the same color as his metal body. The fur lining was white on one side, black on the other, and he put it on within seconds. "I got a rock-hard rager that this death's gonna be major!"

"You don't intimidate me, you damn bears!" Aka turned around slightly to shout over her shoulder, then went back to Hikari. "Come on, sexy, please take them. Don't make me beg."

"Oh no, oh no no no," Monophanie whimpered as she put on a winter coat exactly like Monokid's, except hers was bright pink. She pulled the hood over her head, as she added, "Last time was so horrible, I don't know if I can handle this!"

"Pops is getting us ready, youse mooks," Monosuke said as he lifted up his tangerine-colored winter coat. "Let's get ready for one helluva death!"

"THAT-IS-NOT-ENCOURAGING," Monodam announced, his green coat dangling from one paw. "YOU-SHOULD-BE-MORE-POSITIVE-"

Monokid let out an angry shout, and declared, "Shut up, Monosuke, you gave away secrets and blew everything! And shut up, Monodam, you just… you just can shut up!"

The blue Kub grabbed Monodam's arm and threw him at Monosuke, bowling down the two and knocking them into Monophanie, a mess of coats and Kubs.

"I've prepared a VERY special punishment for Aka Fuyu, the Ultimate Skier," Monokuma announced, pumping his fist-paw in the air.

"HIKARI!" Aka desperately shouted, shoving the goggles in the model's hands. "Please, why aren't you-"

Hikari grabbed the goggles and swiftly put them on Aka's head. She cupped the tomboy's face and said, "What if he puts you through a challenge that those would be useful for? Don't you dare…"

She leaned in and kissed Aka good, and then whispered, "Don't you give up, Aka! You show that evil bear with all that fire in your spirit and heart! Do you hear me?"

"Y-yeah," Aka said, grinning now. "I got y-"

One of the metal clamps from before shot forth from the wall, and wrapped around Aka's torso. The skier grabbed at it with both hands, and strained against its strength, the clenching terribly uncomfortable.

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma bellowed…

"IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

The cable that was attached to the clamp raised up towards the ceiling, and Aka was yanked upwards, letting out a startled shout. Hikari reached out to her, but the skier was out of range within seconds. Aka gave a thumbs-up down to her, before grabbing onto the clamp around her stomach, and holding onto her goggles, for dear life. A trapdoor in the ceiling opened up, and she was gone from sight.

---

Monokuma drummed his claws together, before he pulled a primitive gavel from out of nowhere. A screen with a rusty bell atop of it popped up in front of him. He leapt up and swung horizontally, clanging the bell with that old-school sound. The moment he struck the bell, the screen lit up.

An 8-bit ghost town showed up on the screen, with black bars at the top and bottom. Aka's pixel art version was standing in the center, as a pixel version of Monokuma came walking up.

AKA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY

Aka was hoisted above Monokuma, and started walking off with the fretting pixel-art athlete. The four Monokubs followed behind him, celebratory animations from them.

TIME FOR PUNISHMENT!

Inside of the trial room, five large screens came down from the ceiling, so that everyone from any point in the circle could see what was being broadcasted on the screens.

---

A helicopter was hovering over Penjar, above the thick clouds that were covering the sky for the small town. There was a cable dangling from it, recoiling back up into the copter. Aka was at the bottom of the cable, the clamp around her stomach the only thing keeping her from plummeting to her death.

When she was right under the helicopter, the pilot Monokuma flew forward. Aka was whipped around underneath, frigid with cold, struggling to hold on, staring down as every second felt like she was going to fall and die.

The helicopter flew towards a nearby mountain, high up near the peak. There was a wooden platform, the kind that skiers would use to start off the slope, as well as a large billboard. It read:

Ultimate Skier

Aka Fuyu's

Execution: Commenced

Slide Drive Nose-Dive Stay Alive!

Aka was hovered over the platform for a few seconds, then dropped on her chest. She struggled to get up, and saw Monokuma, wearing a white 'n black winter jacket with the hood up. He had his arms crossed, and said, "This is very simple, Aka. All you need to do is put on the skis, get the ski poles, and make your way down the mountain. Cross the finish line down there, and you will be spared!"

The skier stared at him, and then nodded. She looked around the area for the ski equipment, but didn't see it. It was then that the Monokubs, all wearing winter coats now, popped out from behind the billboard and waddled over to her.

Monophanie had the skis, Monodam had the poles. Monosuke was chuckling deviously, twirling a starting pistol in his paw. Monokid was holding onto his sniper rifle again, and he was pointing ominously at her.

Something was off about the Kubs, but she had no time to focus on that. As she put on the skis, the four Kubs all stepped onto snowboards. Aka stared at them, then heard Monokuma laugh.

"Oh, and if they get down there first," the papa bear of Despair added, "you might get a sniper round to the head!"

"HELL YEAH!" Monokid shouted.

"Hmmph, snowboarders," Aka said as she adjusted her goggles, silently blessing Hikari for giving them back to her. She stood up, poles in hand, as she observed the mountain slope.

It was… insanely perilous, even for someone like her. The angle that the mountain was at, the amount of trees, the rocks that bulged out like brick walls for a skier, it was clear that this would never, ever be approved.

Aka swallowed nervously, and asked, "Okay, ya damn bear! Oh, and are their any rules about what I can do to the Kubs?"

"You cannot hurt them, you big dumb dummy!"

"Oh yeah. What about you?"

"Huh? Well there's still no rules-"

Aka speared him in the face with one of her ski poles, and then flicked him over the side. Monokuma went screaming and bouncing down the mountainside, and she grinned most impishly before turning to Monosuke.

"Wanna start us off, tropical drink bear?"

"Youse is so dead, youse cocky twat."

BANG!

Aka pushed off from the platform, and headed down right away. The four Kubs all bounced off of the platform, snow kicking up as they hit the powder. Aka raced forward, undaunted by the danger.

Her clothing was not practical for actual skiing. Her gloveless hands were freezing, and the cold burned at her, but she refused to let go. Sliding to avoid tree after tree, she could feel her heart racing. This was exciting!

Monodam slid down the mountain, reaching a rock formation that was like a ramp. He flew off of it, and landed on the slope, kicking up so much snow that some of it impacted Aka. She shook it off, and, seeing him in the lead, aimed for a similar rock ramp.

Flying through the air, she hit the ground a little off, but nothing would stop her now! She was ahead of Monodam, then Monophanie tried a similar tactic. Aka dodged and weaved through trees before coming up to one of those ramps, and leaned into it, giving her extra speed.

Aka laughed as she took the lead again. This was cut off by an explosion further down the mountain, sending snow and dirt into the air and some into her face! One rock clipped her goggles, leaving a small crack on the lens, but she was unaffected for the most part.

"Youse didn't think we would make this easy for youse, did youse?" Monosuke shouted as he raced forward. Another explosion burst from the ground in front of Aka's path, making her need to veer and fast.

Monosuke took the lead, as the other Kubs were also catching up. Explosions started to rock the mountain, one of them hitting Monophanie from underneath her snowboard. She was sent sprawling through the air, spinning around and shrieking the whole way.

Aka hit ramp after ramp, each one increasing the strain on her legs; these would never be sanctioned officially, they were too dangerous to break a leg or both on. Still, she hit them all flawlessly, and managed to catch up to Monodam and Monokid. Monosuke had the lead, and Aka eventually sped past him.

Blood was oozing from cuts and scrapes the explosion debris had given her, but Aka was unfazed as she held the lead. It was then that she realized that the mountain slope was clear, with only a scarce tree or rock in the way, the trees on both sides of this perfectly maintained slope forming into a one-way road of sorts.

Aka peered down the slope, and it seemed like the finish line was a good distance away, but within sight. She clenched her teeth as she leaned forward to speed up…

The sound of wood breaking, incredible trees being snapped, came from the right side of the wooded area. Aka looked to see a gray monstrosity, the size of a double-decker bus, come smashing through the trees, breaking them in the process.

The hulking monster was covered in mangy, gray-white fur. It had a body like a gorilla and a mouth like a great white shark. Horns protruded from its head, and it had red eyes that bore down on Aka.

"What the hell is that?!" she shrieked.

"Haw haw haw, Dad didn't just make that kitty when he experimented with animal bio-weapons!" Monokid shouted from nearby her. "He also made the yeti!"

"IT-IS-LIKE-THAT-VERY-VERY-OLD-SCHOOL-COMPUTER-GAME," Monodam tried to explain as he maintained his balance on his snowboard. "BE-CAREFUL. ALL-IT-KNOWS-IS-TO-KILL."

"Youse in big trouble now, girl!" Monosuke announced. "Youse is gonna get all kinds of messed up, and-WHOA!"

The yeti charged down the slope towards Aka, its thunderous footfalls and hand slams into the snow sending small tremors on the mountain. The Monokubs were all sent sprawling, knocked backwards and tumbling down the mountainside. The vicious yeti barreled towards Aka…

The purple-topped skier snarled in determination, and hit another ramp. She raced through the air, as the yeti reached out with a hand that featured nasty looking claws. It missed by a few feet, but she could feel the wind from the powerful swing it had.

Aka hit the snow again, sliding as fast as she could. The yeti leapt off of the ramp and hit the ground, knocking her off-balance for a few precious seconds. It started to catch up with her during this time, and she hit another ramp to gain speed. The vicious monster leapt again, but she veered to avoid the effects of it landing.

Her heart was jackhammering in her chest, the excitement so intense that she thought her essential muscle would explode. Aka leapt from ramp after ramp, the yeti trying to grab her each time. She kept a lead, but only just barely.

The finish line was now close, and she would reach it in a couple minutes, maybe one if she had just a bit more speed. Her hands were burning in pain, her legs strained to the point of feeling like lead.

Aka saw one last ramp, and headed for it. The yeti was catching up again, the sprinting making the slope tremble with each impact. The skier made it to that last ramp and took off…

She didn't even notice that there was an explosion from the ramp when she first made airtime. It came a second later when the force of the blast slammed into her, and pain coursed through her body. Aka was hurtled to the ground, rolling on the snow as her limbs all betrayed her and refused to work to try and stop the agonizing crash.

She came to a sliding halt a few feet from the finish line. Aka lifted her head, but couldn't see because of the ice and blood on her goggles' lens. She tried to stand, but her legs refused to work. It was something a veteran athlete like her recognized, that both of them were broken. One of her arms was too, it was too difficult to move without searing pain.

Aka pulled her goggles up and off, dropping them to the side as she pulled herself with her one good arm towards the finish line. She could hear the thunderous footfalls of the yeti coming towards her, the ground shaking. Panting, straining, she pulled her ravaged body towards that finish line.

The yeti was right behind her, and she slapped her hand on the finish line. The agony from her injuries caused her vision to white out for a moment, and she let out a weak but triumphant laugh.

"Now that… was thrilling," she said as she lost consciousness.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Aka's hand on the finish line was yanked away, as the yeti pulled her back with its horrendous teeth in her leg. It lifted the unconscious skier up, grabbing her with its clawed hands, and opened its mouth once more.

There was a terrible crunch, as well as the gut-churning noises of a human body being ripped apart. The yeti sank its fangs deep into Aka's body, and bit down with inhumane strength.

Blood covered the snow. Aka's legs dropped to the ground, both severed from her body. Her shoulders, one of her arms, and her head fell on the other side. Her eyes would never open again.

The yeti chewed on Aka's torso, and then swallowed it down. It let out a satisfied grunt, and started to pick at Aka's legs, seeing if there was good enough meat on them.

Monokid slid to a stop a few yards from the yeti, not wanting to dare get near it. Snow then sprayed on his face, and he wiped it away to see his brother in the green winter coat had stopped in front of him. Monokid glared at him, then a malevolent red light shone in his eyes as he thought about his utter hatred for Monodam.

Slamming the butt of his rifle against the back of the green hood, Monokid sent his sibling sprawling down the rest of the mountain slope. The blue Kub watched as his sibling bumped against Aka's legs, and right in front of the yeti.

The yeti took one look at the small creature that had intruded on its meal, and lifted one of its feet. There wasn't even time for a scream, as the yeti stomped down with enough strength to shake the snow from the trees.

There was a splattering of metal, blood-like oil, and gears. The yeti had obliterated the Kub in front of Monokid's eyes. The red light shone even more, and he laughed victoriously.

Monokuma's dead body bounced down the rest of the slope, as if on cue. Monokid watched his dead dad go, and then he took aim with his sniper rifle, the yeti's head in his crosshairs. "I got this, Dad, don't worry."

BLAM!

---

The TV screens in the trial room blinked off, and retracted back into the ceiling. Monokuma, wearing a winter coat like the one on the mountaintop had, appeared back on his throne.

"And she tried to stick the landing, but it's NOOOOO GOOOOOD! AHAHAHAHA!" Monokuma cheered as he ripped off the winter coat and threw it away. "Guess that's why she never joined the Olympics! What a shame, but what a show, am I right? AM! I! RIGHT! UPUPUPUPU!"

The graduates were too shocked to speak, it had been so violent, so awful, that they couldn't find words. The first sound from them was a painful sounding thud, and Pyrrha cried out in alarm.

"Hikari! Oh my God," the writer exclaimed as she hurried over to the collapsed model. "She… she fainted. Oh the poor dear, someone please help me."

Several people went to check on Hikari's state, as everything that had just happened full dawned on them. Yitro slammed his fist on the podium, and then pointed accusingly at Monokuma. "You lying sack of shit, you lying bastard!"

"Hey hey hey, whoa whoa whoa," Monokuma protested. "What's with the harsh words, partner?"

"You lied to her! You told Aka up on the mountaintop that if she crossed the finish line, you'd let her live!"

"Yeah, I didn't lie. She's dead because she didn't do it."

"She put her hand on the finish line! We all saw it!"

"That's not crossing it."

Yitro shook in outrage, as Ken glared daggers up at the bear. "It figures, you are a charlatan and a scoundrel in every regard."

"I do what I can!"

"M-Monodam…"

Drake sobbed as he covered his eyes, Ignatia trying to comfort him. The cartoonist cried, trying and failing to keep his emotions in check. "Aka and Monodam… it's… it's not right! It's not fair!"

As if on cue, Monokid popped back up on the Monokub stand. His winter coat was covered in snow, and he tore the blue garb from himself, then clutched his rifle in both hands. "Haw haw haw! Hey Dad, did you see me take care of that fucking yeti!? Another failed experiment used to its full potential, and then bagged like a prize lion!"

"How did you get down here so fast?" Ishiku asked, then shook his head and muttered, "You know what, never mind. I don't care, you murdering bastard."

"Upupupu, awww, what's the deal?" Monokid asked, setting his rifle on his shoulder. "So Monodam met with an untimely death because of an unfortunately timed nudge. We didn't need him."

"That may be true, my beloved widdle Monokid," Monokuma said, "and you look so darling with that sniper rifle, yes you do! Oh yes you do! However, I think it is best that we take that away from you for now, I cannot have you get mad with power."

"ALLOW-ME-TO-DO-THAT, FATHER."

Monokid turned to see Monodam yank the sniper rifle out of his paws. The green Kub lifted the rifle up, and slammed it down on the ground, breaking it into several pieces from the incredible force. He tossed the ruined barrel aside, dusted off his paws, and turned towards Monokid.

"WHAT?!" the blue Kub roared incredulously, waving his paws in the air as 'sweat' ran down his forehead. "You're alive?! How the fuck are you alive?! Why… how… hey…

"Why the fuck are you wearing Monosuke's coat?!"

Monodam was indeed wearing the bright orange coat that matched Monosuke's color scheme. The green Kub took it off, and examined it.

"OH. THERE-MUST-HAVE-BEEN-A-MIX-UP-WHEN-YOU-KNOCKED-US-OFF-THE-PODIUM. I-MUST-HAVE-GOTTEN-HIS, AND-HE-GOT-MINE. WE-WERE-IN-SUCH-A-RUSH, WE-COULDN'T-HAVE-NOTICED-DURING-THAT-SNOW-RACE."

"B-b-b-b-bullshit," Monokid shouted. "I killed you! But wait, if you're here, then…

"MONOSUKE, NOOOO!"

Monophanie came waddling in, holding the destroyed head of Monosuke. The pink Kub was still wearing her pink winter coat. The orange noggin had been split open, and as the snow melted off of it, the blood-like oil and bits of machinery falling from it was a grisly sight.

"He's… he's dead," Monophanie sobbed. "He's dead and never ever coming back! Monosuke… why? Just like Taro… just like…"

Monophanie wailed as she dropped the head and ran off, crying the whole way. Monodam stared at Monokid for a few more seconds, then walked off. The blue Kub shrugged and muttered, "Eh, whatcha gonna do?"

Drake, who had watched the whole thing in shock, realized that Monodam was walking back into the trial room, holding something in his paws. The cartoonist raced over to hug the green Kub, he whispered, "I'm so glad you're not dead."

"I-AM-BUT-A-MACHINE, DRAKE," Monodam said. "I-CANNOT-DIE. HOWEVER." He then held up the item that he had carried back into the trial room: it was Aka's goggles. There was still blood on them, the cracks caused by the explosion's debris making them unusable.

"I-BELIEVE-THAT-SHE-WANTED-TO-GIVE-THESE-TO-HER-FRIEND," the green Kub said as Drake took them. "PLEASE-GIVE-THEM-TO-HER-WHEN-SHE-REGAINS-CONSCIOUSNESS."

"Monodam… why?" was all Drake could ask.

"I… I-DO-NOT-KNOW. I-AM-SORRY. IF-YOU-ALL-NEED-SOMETHING-TO-EAT-AND-DRINK, HEAD-ON-OVER-TO-MY-TAVERN-WHEN-YOU-MAKE-IT-BACK-UP-TO-THE-TOWN."

"Yes, about that," Monokuma announced, "the northern plaza is now off-limits to tourists. Any tourist who tries to enter any of the buildings in the northern plaza will be severely punished.

"You all may return to your original rooms, and explore the rest of the town. Don't worry, we'll give you more to do very soon!"

"Why are you doing this?" Anzu asked, staring up at the bear. "What is the point?"

"Huh?!"

"You brought us all here, you get us to kill each other, and you tell people that they can be spared… but it doesn't happen. What do you want?!"

Anzu stomped her foot as her crimson eyes flared up. She glared hatefully at Monokuma, who stared back at her.

"That's the problem with despair, my lady," Monokuma said with a snicker. "Sometimes, when things would go to plan, you just gotta let them go to pot because it causes such sweet misery.

"I think you will understand that very soon. You all will… because if you don't embrace our town's ways, you're going to be very, very miserable with no way of countering that.

"You still got the rest of the day, tourists of Penjar. I suggest you enjoy it while you can. Upupupupu… AHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

Monokuma bounced once, and then was suddenly out of sight. The room echoed with his shrill laughter for several seconds after he was gone. The gradates exchanged concerned glances, before Shuuya spoke up.

"I believe what we need to do now," the bounty hunter said, "is we get everyone together in the tavern, and we are going to have a very long talk."

"That is long overdue," Futaba agreed, crossing her arms. "We have a lot of questions, and some of you haven't been good with the answers. If we're going to survive this town, you all need to talk.

"Especially you," she said as she pointed at Souma.

"Excuse me?" the public speaker asked, staring at her. "What have I done?"

"The Future Foundation has answers that we need, information that we desperately need. You're not leaving the tavern until we get the answers we want, Souma."

"Until we get all the answers we want," Shuuya said, scanning the room at all of the startled graduates. "Fiora, we need you to finish translating that notebook, even the late Yejoon might be of use to us."

"Y-yes, sir," she responded nervously.

"What about Hikari?" Pyrrha asked, glancing at the collapsed model. "Please, seeing that happen to Aka was too much for her."

"I'll carry her," Kimiko volunteered. "It's okay, I got her."

The biker gal lifted up the unconscious model, careful to support her head. Pyrrha moved over to pick up Hikari's parasol and hat, following after them.

Everyone started to move towards the elevator, though Shuuya saw that not everyone was there. He turned to see Isaac holding Hara, the explorer shivering and sobbing into his shoulder. Saiko stood near them, watching with great concern.

Eisei walked over to Shuuya, and said quietly, "I'll stay here until they're ready to go. You go make sure that everyone goes to the tavern."

The bounty hunter reached up and touched his facial scar where the metal wire had struck him last trial. Somehow, it had hurt less than how this trial ended.

---

Day 13, 3:32 PM

Western Tavern Bar 'n Grill

Eventually, every one of the twenty remaining members was in the tavern. Hikari had woken up, but she was dead silent as she sipped at her drink; Pyrrha watched her with concern, but too nervous to approach.

Everyone was seated, some of them alone, some with those they trusted. Ishiku and Anzu held hands as they tried to think of what to say, as Odelios watched them to try and gauge this odd relationship.

Drake and Ignatia sat together, as the cartoonist drew a sketch of Aka. The skier was posed with confidence, a nice little tribute to her.

Isaac, Hara, and Saiko sat together, quiet and exhausted. They had wanted to speak, but they couldn't find words after that ordeal. It wasn't until Shuuya approached with some drinks in his hands, setting them down in front of all of them.

"I…," the bounty hunter said, scratching the back of his head as he tried to find the words. "I'm sorry. I am not good at apologies, but I feel like I need to say something here."

"You were practically leading the charge against them," Saiko angrily said, glaring up at him.

"You have to understand, I never wanted to believe Hara and Isaac are guilty of anything. My hatred for Yejoon and other killers might have been me projecting, in that I believed if there was an opportunity, I would have taken it."

"It's just odd to me," the investigator continued, "how the trained assassin can be so judgmental. After all we've been through here, you-"

"Saiko," Hara spoke up, as the explorer took a deep breath and looked up at Shuuya. "I… I can speak for myself. Yes, it hurt, but I do understand."

"You do?" Saiko declared incredulously.

"It was an unfortunate set-up that made us look guilty. And I shouldn't be so emotional, people were trying to find out who could have done it. Fiora's been through this enough times, I should be able to take it once."

"You're too kind, my dear Hara," Isaac said, taking her hand in his and squeezing affectionately. He sipped from the drink Shuuya had given him, then looked at the bounty hunter. "Are we all going to talk now, about everything that's happened?"

Shuuya nodded. "I think now would be best."

The assassin walked towards the open space in front of all of the tables, and clapped his hands. "Attention, everyone! It's time we stop hiding information, we need to talk about what we've seen, what we know, and most importantly, what we don't know."

Shuuya stared down Souma, and the Future Foundation member flinched. "You do realize that what I know," he replied, "is highly confidential. I could be tried for treason for divulging what I know to you all."

"No, you should tell us," Yitro barked out, slamming his fist on the table. "We are risking our lives out here, people are dying, and, as much as I hate to say it, Aka was right about one thing. This Killing Game isn't going to give us the answers, we need to know more to stop it!"

"But still," Souma tried to argue, "I don't know wish for this information to get out. It could much more damaging than useful."

"As damaging as it would be if I revealed to the world the truth about Kyosuke Munakata?" Isaac asked.

Souma whirled around to the reporter, his eyes wide. "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

"I respect the Future Foundation, the efforts you all have made into making the world safe again; however, I do know that there are secrets and dark sides to it. I found out from various sources that Kyosuke committed several cold-blooded murders, that he ordered for the execution of all of the Hope's Peak Academy survivors, how he blamed loved ones for 'letting' those they cared about fall to Despair…

"And that he escaped custody and is out there, somewhere, a loose cannon who truly does not care who he butchers to win against despair."

Souma went pale, then sighed and stood up. All eyes were on him as he took center stage in front of the group. "Isaac, if that gets out, you know what will happen. Legions of people will assume the worst, all of the Future Foundation could be arrested or worse. The world is still recovering, and millions want someone to blame for the Tragedy.

"Just one issue, one minor thread to pull from the tapestry, and it could all come crumbling down."

"We're all here to find out how it started," Futaba pointed out, crossing her arms defiantly. "I refuse, I utterly refuse, to hold back until we get our answers here, Souma."

"That goes the same for all of us," Kimiko said. "We need to knoo' what we're up a'geenst here."

"We're all in this together, Souma," Isaac said. "After what just happened, the vandalization included, we need to know what caused all of this chaos and despair. What does the Future Foundation know that relates to this place?"

"I'm afraid none of us have any answers about Penjar specifically, that is why I am here," Souma said. "I took it upon myself to investigate this town when I got an anonymous message. I…"

The public speaker corrected his clothing as he continued. "I honestly believed it might have been Kyosuke who sent the message, a way to showcase how right he was; maybe it was a trap, maybe it was someone who wanted us to find the answers.

"But just know this, everyone present: if what I tell you here gets out, you might undo everything the Future Foundation did to bandage the world."

"The Lions worked together to help the US and Canada through the Tragedy," Crystal spoke up, her tone stern and calm. "But we know nothing about how it all started. What do you know, Souma Koukai?"

Souma took a deep breath, and asked, "What do you wish to know? Please trust me when I say, I have no knowledge about Penjar."

"How did the Tragedy start?" Anzu asked. "It seems like that's something you do know."

"That's… I shouldn't…"

Souma stammered, running a hand through his short hair, as he saw everyone staring at him. 'No' wouldn't be acceptable here. The public speaker calmed himself, and spoke with the kind of clarity and charisma he was known for.

"There is a name you all have heard here in Penjar, during the Tragedy and the Hope's Peak Academy Killing Game: Junko Enoshima. She was the Ultimate Fashionista, though there was something off about her even before she was scouted.

"Junko had a charisma to her that is impossible to fully describe, but it was something about that woman that made you think she was capable of so much, much more than you could ever expect. I met her once, when I visited Hope's Peak, and I still remember the chill I felt when she smiled at me.

"There's… no easy way to say this, there's no way you could all understand, because I sure don't. Junko Enoshima is the one responsible for the Tragedy, for Despair, for everything awful you can possibly imagine that started at Hope's Peak."

The graduates were all dead silent, just like how Souma thought they would be, unable to comprehend it.

"Hold up," Blake said, "you're telling me one bitch did all of it? Junko started the Killing Games, the Tragedy, the billions of deaths?!"

"Just one teenaged girl?!" Ken declared. "That's unheard of!"

"Junko Enoshima was brilliant beyond description," Souma explained, "a young woman who was completely and utterly enthralled with despair. She was the one who found ways to corrupt someone with Despair by watching a video, she created a way to give someone precise amnesia, she transformed everyone who ever interacted with her into her cult-like sycophant for Despair.

"We don't know how, but Junko became that powerful before she entered Hope's Peak, and once she did, she spread like a disease from there. It's impossible to know how deep it goes, but we know that experiments, diabolical machines, and an expansion to her ability to corrupt people with Despair grew within our academy.

"It should also be said that she was Ryōko Otonashi, the Ultimate Amnesiac, in the Hope's Peak Academy Killing Game."

"That sweet redheaded girl?" Hara declared. "That… that was her?"

"Ryōko Otonashi was her alter ego after she mind-wiped herself so that she could experience the Killing Game. It is believed that she wanted to feel the utmost despair of being an innocent person who would come to realize she was the most evil, cunning person one could imagine."

"But didn't Ryōko die?" Ishiku asked.

"Yes… by Kyosuke's hands," Souma admitted.

"If all the shit you're saying is true," Blake muttered, "sounds like it was totally justified."

"Ryōko Otonashi died that day, not Junko Enoshima," the public speaker remarked. "That's the problem though, evil like that doesn't just die. Junko's experiments and influence reach out from beyond the grave, which is not only why the Killing Games haven't stopped, but something far more chilling than even that.

"The Future Foundation believes that Junko was trying to find a way to revive herself, should she ever die. We discovered a highly skilled programmer who had been corrupted by her had almost developed a way to do just that.

"Junko, at one point, downloaded her consciousness into a program. This program would be applied to an A.I. virtual reality experience that, in which should those who entered it die, would render them into a comatose state. Once the program was over, Junko's personality would be, for lack of a better world, uploaded into the comatose participants' brains.

"It was a way to mass produce Junko Enoshima, but we stopped it. The program was destroyed, and the programmer is, uh, gone. The problem is, we believe there may more ways her followers and she herself are trying to discover."

"Oh my God," Fiora squeaked out, clutching the notebook. "In the vision I had, I saw her… and she said something like that. She… she was talking about uploading herself into me!"

"I saw her too," Kimiko said, shivering. "She was the most terrifying being I have ever laid eyes on, despite her looking like some busty supermodel."

"Wait a minute," Isaac shouted, standing up and slamming his palms on the table. "Souma, what you just described, that's what has been happening here! People falling into comatose states, seeing visions of unrealistic places and people, and Junko being involved.

"Is that what Penjar is about? Are they trying to resurrect Junko Enoshima from this town?"

"Wait, this makes no sense," Crystal said. "How is it even possible to do that? No one here is hooked up to any virtual reality machine, they're touching things that make them go through this experience."

"The similarities are very striking," Saiko remarked. "But we have seen things we cannot fully understand, and if I can admit that, you all can."

"Hold on a minute here, people," Odelios spoke up, "we kind of glossed over the part of how Penjar and Junko are related. Penjar isn't Junko backwards or anything like that."

Souma cleared his throat as he spoke again. "I went through all of the records I could, but I couldn't find a relation between Penjar and Junko. It is most perplexing, I believe this place holds answers that no one knows."

"This place couldn't be her home," Drake said. "It's way too old, and completely forgotten to time."

"There still is a link, and Aka was right," Hikari spoke up, crossing her arms underneath her breasts. The others looked at her in surprise, as she continued to speak. "Monokuma is playing a game with us, withholding information so that we continue to play while we hunt for the answers we want."

"In the vandalization of the Hall of Fame," Ishiku spoke up, "Ryōko Otonashi's portrait was circled with adoring hearts and stuff. That means the Entity of Chaos wants her, admires her even?"

"Despair and Chaos can work hand in hand," Crystal remarked. "We have no idea who the Entity is, but I'm guessing that whoever they are, they want her back."

"Chaos and Despair want the world plunged back into madness," Souma said ruefully. "It is never enough for them."

"Wait a Goddamn minute," the military adviser suddenly shouted. "That room I was stuck in, the lab that was blown up, they were of similar nature! Upload a personality into super computers, and then a body will be created as a result! That's what they want, to make Junko Enoshima alive again! They're truly trying that!"

"It certainly seems that way," Eisei remarked. "But how will they pull Junko out of thin air, since they haven't found out how to do it by now? And how does it involve us?"

"If I could hazard a guess," Isaac remarked, "it is that we can touch the cursed objects that give people visions. The machines here, like Monokuma and the Kubs, cannot."

"But the Kubs were given human bodies," Drake remarked. "And also, those items, why do they act like they do?"

"If those items were actually objects that were owned by the victims of Hope's Peak Academy's Killing Game," Pyrrha said, "it could mean something truly awful… that this was planned even during that first Killing Game."

"Okay, if this is all true," Blake said in a furious huff, "why don't we all leave, and come back with enough firepower to destroy this place? Nuke it from orbit, kill it with fire, make sure that nothing remains?"

"Yes, you would suggest that," Hikari snapped bitterly, "wouldn't you?"

"Name one good reason, woman," the pyro replied back just as fiercely, "name one reason we shouldn't get the hell out of here and destroy this place?"

"I-BELIEVE-I-CAN-ANSWER-THAT."

Monodam was, from out of nowhere, standing next to Souma. The green Kub stared up at the humans, and spoke, "I-MAKE-MY-CHOICES-BASED-ON-WHAT-MY-FATHER-SAYS. I-CANNOT-LET-YOU-LEAVE-PENJAR. IT-IS-WHY-I-STOPPED-IGNATIA-FROM-DOING-SO."

"Why is that, Monodam?" Drake asked.

"DESPAIR-AND-CHAOS-CAN-WORK-WELL-TOGETHER-BUT-THEY-ARE, ONE-COULD-SAY, HIGHLY-COMPETITIVE-RIVALS. IF-THERE-WILL-BE-A-SECOND-TRAGEDY, BOTH-SIDES-WANT-CREDIT-FOR-IT."

"I don't understand," Yitro spoke up. "How could us destroying this place start a second Tragedy?"

"THE-ENTITY-OF-CHAOS-HAS-PLANNED-THIS-FOR-A-VERY-VERY-LONG-TIME. THE-ENTITY-SET-THINGS-UP-HERE-ALONG-WITH-US, BUT-THEY-DID-SOMETHING-WE-DIDN'T-SEE-COMING.

"YOU-ALL-HAVE-CHAOS, INFECTED-LIKE-A-DISEASE, UPON-YOURSELVES."

"What now?" Eisei asked. "I don't feel infected."

"This is bullshit," Blake remarked.

"You cannot simply be infected with Chaos or Despair," Crystal said. "You either have it or you don't."

"NO-YOU-DO-NOT-UNDERSTAND. THE-LAB-THAT-WAS-DESTROYED-WAS-USED-TO-TRY-AND-EXPAND-ON-HOW-TO-SPREAD-DESPAIR. VIDEOS-AND-LIGHTS-ARE-NOW-NO-LONGER-VIABLE, THE-OUTSIDE-WORLD-KNOWS-HOW-TO-STOP-THEM.

"THIS-PLACE-WAS-WHERE-EXPERIMENTS-WERE-MADE, THOUGH-IT-COULDN'T-BE-DONE-BY-US, BUT-BY-THE-ENTITY-OF-CHAOS-AND-THE-FOLLOWERS. THEY-DISCOVERED-A-WAY-TO-CREATE-ARTIFICIAL-GERMS-THAT-DO-NOT-INFECT-THE-HOST, BUT-TRANSFER-TO-OTHERS."

There was a soft clatter, as Eisei's lollipop dropped to the floor. The petite man gaped, and remarked, "N-no."

"Eisei, are you alright?" Souma asked.

"No, I am far from alright, I am the opposite of alright, my friend. This technology, it was a major part of my family's company. The Amane Corporation worked to try and find a way to spread cures, by making their own versions of germs that could spread from a subject."

"YES-THE-ENTITY-OF-CHAOS-KNEW-OF-THIS, AND-HIJACKED-THE-PROJECT," Monodam stated. "NOW-INSTEAD-OF-A-SUBJECT-FEELING-THE-DESPAIR-OF-BEING-A-BIOLOGICAL-WEAPON, CHAOS-WILL-FOLLOW-IF-YOU-LEAVE.

"IT-WILL-HAPPEN-RANDOMLY. IF-YOU-TALK-TO-SOMEONE, GET-NEAR-THEM, TOUCH-THEM, YOU-CAN-POSSIBLY-SPREAD-CHAOS-TO-THEM. AND-FROM-THERE, THEY-WILL-KILL-ANYONE, DESTROY-ANYTHING, TO-FULFILL-THE-ENTITY-OF-CHAOS'-DESIRES."

"Holy fucking shit," Anzu whimpered, covering her mouth with her fingertips. "We… we have that? On us?"

"Goddamnit," Blake shouted, "how do we know this is true? It can be a great big bluff to force us to stay!"

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Yitro said. "If it is true, we can become Ground Zero for Tragedy II."

"Why are you helping us?" Saiko demanded of Monodam. "Isn't this betraying the Entity of Chaos?"

"FATHER, DESPAIR, THE-KUBS, CHAOS, THE-ENTITY, THEY-WILL-ALL-WORK-TOGETHER. BUT-THIS-RIVALRY-WILL-WORK-TO-STOP-THE-OTHER-SIDE-FROM-WINNING."

"Is everything that we've been discussing true?" Drake asked. He walked over to Monodam, kneeling in front of him. "Are we here in a plot to revive that awful woman?"

"THAT-I-CANNOT-SAY."

"But… the Entity of Chaos… I thought you wanted to work against them?"

"YES. BUT-WE-CANNOT-RISK-THE-SEED-OF-DESPAIR. THE-ENTITY-HELPED-US-PROCURE-THE-SEED, BUT-WILL-DESTROY-THE-SEED-IF-WE-REVEAL-TOO-MUCH."

Everyone was dead quiet again. All of this information was so much to process, and they couldn't comprehend it entirely. Anzu spoke up first, clenching Ishiku's hand as she spoke with a slight tremble.

"But what does Mahiru Koizumi have to do with this place?" she asked. "She's been in so many visions, and the Entity of Chaos singled her out in the locked part of the Hall of Fame."

Monodam was silent, he merely shook his head.

"Look, we all know," Isaac said, still standing so he could address everyone, "that this town is holding secrets, and now we're getting somewhere. If this is a plot to revive Junko Enoshima, and she's as awful as Souma makes her out to be, we need to stop it."

"And doubly so if we want to make sure we're not contagious," Hikari remarked. "I cannot bear the thought we might corrupt those we care about."

"Wait, what proof do we have any of this is true?" Ken asked. "Or are we going off of belief?"

The graduates remained quiet for a moment, but a soft sob brought them all back into focus. Fiora was clenching Yejoon's notebook, and tears were spilling from her eyes.

"I… I finished translating it," she said, biting her bottom lip to stop from outright bawling. "But… I doo'nt think I can read it 'oot loud. Could one of you…?"

"I can," Shuuya said, moving over to her. He took the notebook, adding, "Though I wonder if it'll be of any use."

He began reading it out loud to everyone…

---

My dear little flower,

If you are reading this, I have died. I am sorry I must make this final confession to you via code, but I wanted to make sure you and only you would be able to see the words first off.

There is something I must confess, first off. I knew of you before all of this. When I attended Hope's Peak, you were a year ahead of me. I noticed your work, and I was enthralled. Part of me wonders if seeing you again here must be some kind of fate, to see your beauty in person.

I would not approach you, because I know I am a demon, a fiend who could never be worthy of someone like you. No matter how much I want to, I cannot shut off the fiend in me, and your life would be in danger. Plus, I'm certain my sister would have killed you, which is why I kept it secret.

I am also infatuated with Despair, the Tragedy, which is why I cannot be near you for your sake; however, I will pass on all information I have with this farewell note. It relates, trust me.

The gory doll of my sister allowed me access to both sides of the plaza, and I checked out the rooms at the stables, then the spa. When I reached the hair salon, I found a lab much like the ones in the Science Lab that is now a pile of rubble.

I also found a pair of scissors on the floor, rather artistic and I believe I recognized them. Sure enough, when I touched them, I fell unconscious and found myself in someone else's body, in Hope's Peak.

The person I was happened to be Toko Fukawa, or also known as Genocider Syo. How fitting, for me to be the most infamous of serial killers even in another world. I will spare you the grisly details, my dear flower, but know that I took part in a bit of a slaughter-based fantasy.

Everyone I saw in that vision were slain by me, the scissors carving and slicing perfectly; I even slew the one known as Mahiru, that one who seems to be reoccurring. I carried on until I saw her. Forgive me for saying so, my flower, but she was the most beautiful woman, the most gorgeous, splendiferous, perfect work of art there is.

Junko Enoshima. The Ultimate Despair. I know her work well, she is the cause of the Tragedy. One tends to know who a real professional is when you're immersed in our way of life.

The Junko in this vision and I had a nice, long talk. I was practically salivating, I was so delighted to be with someone as awesome and inspiring as her. She confirmed all my theories there, her creation of the Hope's Peak Killing Game, the Tragedy.

But you stare too long into the perfect abyss that is her madness, my dear, and even someone like me cannot stop it from happening. The vision ended when I plunged one of those scissors into her neck, and I woke up on the floor of the hair salon.

And I wanted to die in the most despairing, artistic way I could.

Though I cannot do it myself, I shan't allow it; I can no more put my elbow in my ear than I would commit suicide by my own hands. Death is art, but to kill yourself is not. Someone else must do it.

Many here want me dead, I will leave myself open to them. One of them will eventually kill me, and our own Killing Game will progress.

You must understand, my flower, that the game only progresses at the desire of the Mastermind. The Mastermind of this game is hoping to resurrect Junko Enoshima, and plunge the world into Despair once again.

Personally, I do not much care for sequels, so I do not mind missing it.

I also know that whoever the Entity of Chaos is, they are within our group. They work alongside and against the despair here, so keep keen. Do not leave this town until you discover everything, or you risk helping their plans come to fruition.

There may be more than just the Ultimate Despair, but her alone is cause for the utmost concern. We were all called here for a reason, but even the most masterful of plans have flaws in them. That's why I have faith in you, Fiora.

I fear I will never see you again, for we both know where I will go after death, and you shall not follow me. Just know that I believe in you, and that you can find out the answers to all of despair.

Feel free to destroy this notebook after you read it. It will be the last piece of Yejoon Nahm, the serial killer, to go out in a blaze of glory. You take care of yourself.

Good-bye, my dear flower Fiora.

---

Fiora was sobbing into her arms by the time Shuuya finished reading the translated message. Everyone else was silent, taking in this last message of the serial killer.

"As much as I don't want to take what he says as truth," Isaac said, "it sounds like we were right."

"That explains where those scissors went," Saiko grumbled.

"Despair like the kind that corrupted and killed," Drake said, "had to have come from somewhere, or someone. Maybe this place has the answers."

"The answers to the questions we all had," Hikari shook her head as she spoke, "when we came here. Most of us, anyway…"

"This town was here before Junko, before all of us," Souma commented. "It is possible that this is an origination point. We must keep all of this into consideration, and not leave here until we have all the answers.

"I revealed secrets that the Future Foundation would destroy me for doing so, so I must ask all of you to consider staying here until the mission is done. If we leave it at this, it'll all be for naught."

"How are we supposed to trust each other?" Ken asked furiously. "The Entity of Chaos and the Seed of Despair are amongst us. We don't even know why we're here to begin with."

"We sort of do," Odelios said. "If the Entity of Chaos is amongst us, they are a graduate of Hope's Peak. We are all graduates, so they just blended right in."

Crystal glanced to her side, at someone in particular, then spoke out loud. "We all lost people we cared about because of the Tragedy, I am sure. If we leave now, if we let the truth slip from our grasp, it will all be for naught.

"Despair doesn't make sure their plans are air-tight, it gives its victims a chance to succeed. That's why it keeps losing in these Killing Games, there is a part of it that desires feeling the greatest of despair for having a masterful plan be defeated."

"But does the same apply to Chaos?" Futaba asked.

"And do we really buy we could spread that shit around like germs?" Blake inquired. "I mean, it sounds so far-fetched."

"It does explain something, Blake," Isaac spoke up again. "We were never held hostage, we were never forced to be here. Why would Monokuma allow us an easy way out, a way to avoid this place and never come back?"

"But are we really going to trudge forward?" Fiora asked, lifting her head up as she wiped away the tears. "Are we joo'st gonna walk further on into the trap?"

"If we don't," Hikari spoke up, "everyone who died here will be for nothing. Not just Aka, but Angelique, Takeo, Shinobu, and even Emanuel, they all died trying to get the truth. I won't allow that."

"I won't allow Chaos to escape into the world," Crystal firmly stated. "It cost us so many lives back home, I will stay here until I die, or the job is finished."

"I won't allow Junko Enoshima to come back to this world," Souma declared. "I've seen too much evidence that the sycophancy of her followers will do what they can to revive her."

"I won't allow this coming of us together to go without a little lightening of the mood," Odelios announced, standing up and pumping his arms. "We're all staying, so we're all going to have to get along! And you know what?

"We got a karaoke machine, I'm gonna do a song! We're all going to drink, eat, talk amongst each other, and we're going to be comrades, friends, acquaintances! We're not going to lose, we've come too far!"

"That's right!" Ishiku cheered. "Screw despair!"

"Screw chaos," Anzu agreed merrily.

"Let's pour one out for Aka," Shuuya suggested, "and we'll enjoy tonight, like normal people."

"I doo'nt mind," Fiora said, a smile on her face as she wiped the last of her tears, "having a good time like tomoo'row wasn't going to be what we knoo' it will be."

"We'll tackle that when we get there," Futaba said, grinning at the movie maker. "Every step forward will bring us to the answers, I know it."

"Hear hear," Ken said as he clapped his hands.

"You guys are all crazy," Blake said with a chuckle. "But you know? Better to go forward to stomp the despair we know than wait for it to rear its ugly, fucking head when our back is turned."

The group of twenty graduates, and Monodam who stuck around, then went to behaving much like a class reunion. People were talking, drinking, cooking and preparing food, and dancing.

This was the morale booster they needed, and for a few hours, they had that kind of content enjoyment. Couples danced out on the dance floor, people toasted and guzzled down drinks (some alcoholic, some not).

Fiora was asked by Yitro to dance with him, but she had one thing she had to do. Walking over to the fireplace, where the flames were crackling, she tossed the notebook into it. Watching it turn to nothing but ash, she silently said, "Good-bye, Yejoon."

"I know you're still upset, and I'm sorry we cannot properly sympathize," Yitro said, wrapping an arm around her in comfort. "But maybe this is truly how he wanted to go, and now you can find your own way."

"Fur now, it's here with all of you," she said, leaning against him. "We're gonna find 'oot what the hell is going on here. Now, let's dance."

Odelios led the party by singing in front of everyone. His vocal capability was actually much better than most thought, even when he started to do country songs; there was something very amusing to them about a Japanese clown doing a US southern accent.

Eventually, almost everyone was dancing, forgetting the stress and strain the town was putting on them. The only ones who sat out were Crystal, Blake, and Odelios, the last of the three singing for everyone. It was a happy time for them all.

Odelios sang as he watched everyone, "All cowboys need to truth / that this town might be big enough… for both of us!

…

…

…

…

(He was quite good at whistling too…)

…

…

…

…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was the next part. It startled everyone there, though he continued on irregardless.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ishiku chimed in.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" pitched in Fiora.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kimiko agreed.

"AYYY-YEE-AYYYY-YEE-AAAAAAAAAAAAAH," contributed Monodam, as Drake held up in the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" concluded everyone willing to do country music for the evening.

---

Day 13, 11:07 PM

Housing District

The celebration of continuation and comradery lasted a great deal longer than they thought, but it wasn't a waste in their eyes. With no way back to the northern plaza, they merely had to wait for tomorrow.

Good nights were said all around as they went off to bed in their original houses. The last two to retire for the night were Ishiku and Anzu, who stood outside of his house.

"I want to thank you for not telling anyone about what I did," she said to him, placing her hand on his chest. "I know we should have been honest, but I'm too scared to know what they'll think if they know I'm losing my mind."

"Anzu, you're not crazy. Just please, take care of yourself. If you'd like to stay with me?" Ishiku offered. Anzu watched as a blush spread across his face, and he stumbled when saying, "Just, you know, stay together. Nothing intimate."

"Oh, I know, sweetie. But I kind of promised a few places that I'd stick with Hikari tonight. Gotta keep up that image of being the girl that literally sleeps around."

She laughed lightly, and then sighed sadly. "Hikari may not have seen the Ultimate Despair in a vision, but we're still all worried about her. Three people wanted to kill themselves here, and one did so… though by getting himself killed."

"Yeah, I still don't understand everything that's happening. But I know that you're my friend, and I watch out for my friends."

She giggled, and leaned in to give him a kiss. It lasted for a few seconds, but then something started to buzz in her head. It seemingly grew louder and louder, until she felt her head might explode from the intensity of the screaming…

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW, YOU EVIL SLUT!"

Anzu flinched and grabbed her head, hissing in air as she tried to quell the reverberation inside. She panted hard, and could feel Ishiku touching her shoulder. Using that as a life saver, she gripped his hand as she took several deep breaths.

"I… there's something very wrong with me still, and I cannot explain it," she admitted. "Just please, don't tell anyone, unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless I start not acting like myself. If you at any point think I may be a danger to us here, let the others know. I'm not going to-"

Ishiku hugged her tightly, and the two stayed like that for a little bit longer. They knew it was conspicuous and odd, but this was something both of them needed.

---

Day 13, 11:29 PM

Housing District

?'s House

The Entity of Chaos chuckled as they moved through their room, making sure everything was in place. Nothing had been taken, much to their delight. "Seems Despair is playing fair, how nice of them. I would have been more than a little upset if they had taken the opportunity to loot my stuff.

"Then again, this is all I need for now."

Fishing through their pocket, the Entity of Chaos pulled out a small capsule with tiny electronic buttons on it. Names were written in font so small that one would have to squint to read it.

"I guess so long as I never say who blew up the lab, they won't seek retribution. I'm sure they know I have this, strange they won't try to forcibly obtain it…

"I thought for sure it would be harder to take possession of DNA samples of their most exalted leaders. Jibo Momota, Hiyoko Saionji, Izuru Kamukura, Monaca Towa, and Junko Enoshima, all within the palm of my hand, at my mercy."

They, as if to taunt someone watching, squeezed their hand around the capsule; they were careful not to break it, though the possibility of doing so was exhilarating. "Good thing too that the DNA of someone gone from this world counted. It's so nice, having everything working out so finely.

"Though I don't know if I care much for the fact that they've caught on to the… ugh, order of things here. But I doubt it'll spoil the taste of things to come…"

The Entity of Chaos chuckled, then there was the sudden noise of the TV turning on by itself. Groaning in exasperation, the Entity watched the next installment of Monokuma Theater.

---

(Day 13 is over~)

(Monokuma Theater)

*Monokuma is wearing a lab coat inside of a lab that appears to be in a basement of sorts. He is standing in front of a table that has a great deal of tubes, beakers, and valves. On the center of the table is a pan filled with a strange, dark liquid, and the ruined head of Monosuke siting in it.*

*Monosuke still looks quite dead.*

Monokuma - "I've been getting into politics a bit lately, feeling my urge to really get into the most important parts of life, liberty, and all that good stuff. You have to have opinions on the most important things in life, not just minor things like, say, flipping tables. Can you imagine if flipping a table was a major political debate?"

Monokuma - *pretending to speak like Monosuke out of the corner of his mouth* "Urgh… let me die, youse…"

Monokuma - "Are you pro-flip, or pro-stand? Should table flipping be government funded, or independently provided? Is table flipping an actual sport that one could do in the Olympics? Do you varnish your tables, or are you anti-varn?"

Monokuma - *pretending to speak like Monosuke again* "Hey youse… k-kill me…"

*Monosuke grabs the table with all the science stuff on it, and the vat containing Monosuke's head, and flips it, causing a great big messy crash.*

Monokuma - "There's also a case of when someone needs to or deserves to die. When is it appropriate, who are we to judge, can we not just tie them to a table and flip them over a cliff? Cruel and unusual are terms that people use, but I like to think cool and amusable are what we should strive for in this world of ours!"

*Jump cut to a semi-close up of Monokuma, rubbing his paws together. The background is completely different than it was before, as if he's in another dimension.*

Monokuma - "If my opinions cause someone to be offended, it's alright; they can be offended as much as they want! In fact, if I'm not offending at least one person every time I make a statement, I think I'm doing something wrong with my life! I should always be giving someone a chance to flip tables as well."

---

The Entity of Chaos rolled their eyes at the television after it turned off. "Again, it's like a damn artist film, trying to showcase hidden meaning when there really isn't any. Despair isn't as deep as you're trying to make it out to be, Monokuma!"

With a sigh, the Entity started to prepare for bed. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting, and they couldn't wait to see what it meant for their plans.

---

Day 13, ? PM

Northern Plaza

A lone figure walked down the hill towards the eastern side of the now forbidden section of Penjar. They carried on, unperturbed, towards the spa. The doors were pushed open, and the being moved in without anyone or anything stopping them.

They eventually reached the hair salon, and then entered the lab connected to it. Eyes scanned the large machine, the computers, the features of the grand device.

Soft tapping of the keys followed, as the being inside of the room started up the machine. As the lights flickered on and the computers roared to life, it was clear that something big was going to happen in this small room.

"What are you doing in here?"

The being inside of the room didn't even turn around to face Monokuma. The despair bear approached, chuckling deviously. "You really think this'll save you? That this will give you what you want? You go down this road, you'll never come back. And… and…

"And I just cannot BEAR to lose another child! Boo hoo! Boo hoo hoo!"

Monokuma's pathetic crying did not perturb the one at the keys, and when the machine was ready, they stepped on the platform and waited for it to hook up.

"Well fine then, you weren't my favorite anyway," Monokuma grumbled as he turned and left the room.

The Kub on the platform smirked, before the machine hooked them up, and started the process…

---

"Yeah, I gotta admit, making a big speech in front of an audience isn't the type of thrill that I'm into. Though I did have a little to say, so I won't bore you all too much for long.

"Hope's Peak Academy has helped me find out what I want to do with my life, the direction I want to go. Believe me, I had a bad joke about how there really is only one way a skier can go, and that's downhill… but I feel like my life will only go up from here.

"I know who I want to be, what I want to do, and where I'm going from here. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, every one of you. Take care of yours, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do!"

-Aka Fuyu's graduation speech

---

Chapter 4, The Rust on Penjar, is now over.

…

The Entity of Chaos is in Penjar.

The Seed of Despair is in Penjar.

There is a trapped soul within Penjar…

The evil presence of Junko Enoshima is within Penjar…

…

Monotaro, the Ultimate Determination/Forgetfulness, has died.

Monosuke, the Ultimate Preparation/Perversion, has died.

…

20 Graduates remain in Penjar.

…

TO BE CONTINUED.