A game? After living through day after day of Monokuma's nightmarish killing game, even the word sent a jolt of ice through Naegi's chest. What kind of game was Junko talking about? She couldn't mean…

"Oh, don't worry, sweetie, I'm not talking about any replays!" Junko cut in, as if she could see the exact moment his thoughts turned in the direction of the killing game again. "Who wants to keep playing the same old boring game over and over and over again? No, I have an even better way to keep things fun — a brand new game, just for you and me!"

She grinned at him happily, inviting him to share her delight… but Naegi could only stare back at her in confusion. What was going on? He didn't really understand any of her strange mood swings, but this one was even more bewildering than the rest. A moment ago she'd been so empty, so lost to any hint of emotion… and then in an instant, she'd flipped back around to the playful, lighthearted persona. They couldn't both be genuine… but he didn't see any hints that one might be more or less real than the other. Was it that she was both of them at once… or was neither of them really her?

"There were just so many games I wanted to play with you that it was awfully hard to pick just one," she went on, picking up the thread of her monologue as if she hadn't just waited a full thirty seconds to see if he would answer. "But you know, the very best part about games is playing them with other people — it's sooooo boring by yourself! And since it absolutely had to be a game you could play with me even though you're stuck on the ground, I decided we should play… a guessing game!"

Guessing…? That wasn't what Naegi had expected at all, and relief surged through him at the realization that she didn't intend to start up a new round of a "killing game" with him as her defenseless opponent. Could she have switched herself around so much that she'd actually decided to come up with an innocuous game that didn't hurt anyone?

No… not even all the optimism he had could let him believe that. There would be some dark twist to this new game… she just hadn't told him what the worst part would be yet.

"Hmmm?" Junko leaned forward to peer down at him, blinking with innocent confusion. "You know, you sure don't seem as excited about this as I am." Her mouth fell open in a perfect O of dismay. "Oh no, don't tell me you're so tuckered out from that nasty execution that even a brand new game won't do it for you now!"

Arguing with her didn't sound like a good idea… but with the way her opinions kept flip-flopping, Naegi wasn't sure he wanted to agree, either. Talking hurt, and if he guessed wrong then he'd only have to speak more to explain himself. Was anything safe to say?

"And now you don't even wanna talk to me?" Junko sounded so heart-broken that it made his own chest ache in sympathy, no matter how firmly he reminded himself that she couldn't really mean it. "Wow, you must really be in bad shape if you can be so awful to one of your beloved friends!" She shook her head sadly.

He could feel the words pressing against the inside of his lips, heartfelt reassurances tingling across his tongue. Even knowing that Junko had been the one behind so many horrors, he couldn't quite squash the part of his mind that thought it recognized her as a friend. She wasn't a friend… after everything she'd done, she couldn't be… but it was so hard to keep remembering that in the face of her apparent distress.

"And you know, I can't just leave a friend in that state! Soooo… I guess there's only one thing left for me to do." She clenched her fists, nodding to herself with renewed determination. "I'm gonna have to make extra sure you're excited!"

No… oh, no. Naegi knew the look gleaming in her eyes, knew the words she was about to say, and he fought to find the strength to protest before she could utter them.

But he never got close to having a chance. "We need stakes!" Junko beamed at him. "Nothing gets your blood pumping like a little risk, right?"

She'd said it before, over card games and races, friendly competitions among classmates… but he knew this would be nothing like the tame forfeits she'd d suggested back in those peaceful days. And no matter how much it had felt like she had bowled over any opposition at the time, this wasn't even in the same league. This time, he really didn't have the option to refuse.

"But what to bet, that's the question," she said, tapping one finger thoughtfully against her bottom lip. "I mean, it's gotta be something you want, right? But hmm, what do I have that I could wager that you care about? It's just so hard to know!" She tilted her head at him, eyes wide and sugar-sweet. "Do you have any ideas, sweetie? I'm wide open for suggestions!"

Naegi didn't believe her. No matter how genuine she looked, there was no way that she'd actually ask him for ideas. It was exactly like back in school… she would only listen to suggestions if they were what she'd already decided she wanted anyway.

"Huh? You mean there's nothing you want?" Junko asked. Then she gasped, eyes widening. "Or is it just that you don't think I can give you what you really need? Do you really have so little faith in me? That would be just the worst!" Her lower lip trembled like she was about to burst into tears. "You aren't gonna be so mean to me, right, sweetie? You're gonna tell me what you want, right? Right?"

Should he answer her, or should he stay quiet? Naegi didn't know which would be safer… if any option could be safe, with all Junko's attention focused squarely on him. But even if he wanted to give in to her demand… it wasn't like he had anything to say. He would have liked to ask her to end the killing game, but —

"Come on, come on, don't aim low!" Junko urged, leaning forward until her shirt gaped open even further. "Go on, sweetie, think! If you could have absolutely any dream come true in the whole entire world… what would you want?"

Naegi hesitated, wishing he had one of his friends at his side to help figure out what to do. It almost sounded like she wanted him to ask her to end the game… except he didn't understand why. Did she just want him to admit that he dreamed about ending the game so that she could show him it was impossible? Or was there something else she was trying to do?

He didn't understand any of it. Nothing she was doing made sense… at least not to him. Naegi was sure that Byakuya or Kyoko would have understood… but they weren't here. They weren't anywhere in the world, not really. Not the people they'd been, the people he'd cared for so much. Tears burned at the backs of his eyes, blurring the room around him as he wished… he just wished

"There we go!"

Junko's triumphant voice sliced through his mind, leaving a bloody trail of fear in her wake. "You want your friends back, right? You should've said so!" She laughed. "And here I thought you were gonna ask for something that couldn't be done!'

She — what? In spite of himself, Naegi felt the beginnings of fresh hope stirring in his heart. He knew there had to be a trick to it somewhere, it couldn't really be what she was implying — but he missed them all so much that he didn't know what to think. She had to be lying to him again, just like she'd lied about telling Byakuya the truth… but what if she wasn't? What if there really was a chance he could see the people he loved, the friends he'd shared so much with?

"It's not like the amnesia's irreversible, you know," Junko said, lowering her voice like she was confiding a secret. "I mean, you broke it all by yourself, just by accident! But there are easier ways to do it, too." She grinned. "If you're interested, that is!"

He should tell her no, he knew it. Even if it ended up being meaningless defiance, he should refuse this bait. But… memories of Byakuya flashed before his eyes, two years of precious memories that had been destroyed… and he couldn't summon the words to tell her no.

"So you're going to play with me after all?" Junko's face lit up. "That's so wonderful — I just knew you'd want to! We can start when —" She stopped short, frowning. "Oh, wait… I didn't tell you all the rules, did I? I guess I'd better do that before we get going!"

Rules? For a moment Naegi could almost hear echoes of Monokuma's gleeful laughter in her voice, and terror twisted through his stomach.

"So like I said, it's just a fun little guessing game!" Junko explained. "And since you're at a disadvantage being oh so injured, we'll keep it casual — one bet for one friend's memories. Just think what a terrible waste of my time it would be if you dropped dead from overexertion after I went to all the trouble of saving you!" She laughed cheerfully.

Naegi just waited for her to finish, trying to keep his breathing steady. He didn't know what was coming, but he was sure he'd need all the strength he could muster for it.

"We'll keep the rules simple — I mean, complicated games are just boring, right?" Junko beamed at him, clasping her hands with a single sharp clap. "So all you have to do to win is guess how long it will take your prince charming to murder someone now that you're out of the picture!"


Note: I'm not sure if that's an appropriate story milestone point for chapter 300 or not. Either way, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's stuck with this story up to this point. I really appreciate it!