Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. This post-trial content is turning out to be longer than I imagined. In hindsight, there's a lot of stuff happening during that time, so it probably shouldn't come as a surprise; still, longer than I imagined.
If I don't finish up the reaction to chapter four here, then it'll probably be wrapped up in the next chapter, along with the beginning of a break. Either way, I hope you enjoy this one.
P.S. Links for my p.a.t.r.e.o.n or ko-fi page can either be found on my profile here, or more directly in the chapters on AO3. Just letting you guys know in case anyone was looking.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.
Chapter 84: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 18
With a clearing of his throat, Monokuma began reading. "My good friend Hina. There's something I wish to tell you." He read. "I hate to do it like this, but you need to know. This is… my final wish."
The scene faded into black, before lighting up to show Sakura writing the note. "As you know, I've been giving information to the one who's imprisoned you here. It was our first night in this strange school that the mastermind came to see me…" She wrote. "You see, the mastermind took control of my family's dojo, and demanded I become their tool."
At that, eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "A dojo?" Leon repeated dubiously. "That was the hostage that the mastermind took?"
"My family's dojo." Sakura corrected, looking unsurprised by this. "One that has been watched over for centuries."
"You might not see the importance of a dojo, but my family has watched over it for over 300 years. I couldn't let it be destroyed under my watch. So even if it meant my own life, I had to protect it. That's how I saw things…"
"Still though… is this dojo truly worth being a spy for the enemy trying to kill us?" Taka pointed out in disbelief and even somewhat disappointed in what he's hearing. "Is it worth the life of others, including yourself?"
"Isn't that the same thing Celeste was doing…?" Hiro asked, scratching his head.
At that, Hina's head shot up with a glare. But before she could say anything, Sayaka spoke up. "It's not. It's more similar to my motive." She corrected the fortune teller calmly, yet softly. "This dojo is something that's a part of her family, something that holds value to her dream and people close to her. When you're confronted with the idea of losing that dream, losing everything you worked hard for… you can make mistakes. Horrible mistakes."
At her words, no one pushed further on this topic, putting their focus back on the TV and Sakura's will. The martial artist herself nodded gratefully towards the idol, thankful that she understood why the decision was so difficult.
"However, that was my greatest weakness." She admitted. "And because of that, I made the mistake of giving in to the mastermind. And what the mastermind wanted from me was nothing less… than murder. They were probably worried that until the first murder had happened, nothing would move forward. But what neither the mastermind nor I expected… was the incident involving Sayaka."
At that, the idol flinched, her guilt becoming more pronounced across her face. Meanwhile, Kyoko took the time to speak up. "So if no one decided to kill anyone, the mastermind would've forced Sakura to kill someone." The detective summarized, a neutral look still across her face. "He wanted to ensure that the killing would start and things would move forward."
"So the mastermind wasn't completely confident that any of us would kill out of our own volition." Byakuya mused. "Even with the motives, he feared a stalemate would happen; and once the first murder was committed, he kept Sakura as his trump card…"
"In case the game gets boring for them." Mukuro finished, her tone neutral. "But unfortunately, Sakura was clearly unneeded from much of what we've seen."
Mondo bowed his head in anger and regret, while Celeste attained a very stiff and neutral expression.
"At that point, the plan changed. The mastermind told me to hold off - to wait until we reached another stalemate." She continued. "However, as I lived here with all of you… as I lived here with Hina… my resolve began to weaken. Watching everyone fight against such despair, trying so desperately to stay alive… I saw the weakness in my own heart, the mistake of succumbing to the mastermind. And more than anything… I cannot betray those who would call me their friend. That's how I came to feel."
Despite already seeing this for themselves, the group couldn't help but look at this with some amazement. "And that is why you physically fought against the mastermind, wasn't it?" Celeste deduced. "To show your resolve."
"You have a strong will, Sakura." Sayaka said, smiling sadly. 'Stronger than mine…'
"Definitely…" Mondo spoke softly, holding some admiration and envy. It was something he couldn't do; see things as clearly as Sakura did.
The screen transitioned back to the trial room. "So that's why Sakura…" Makoto spoke with slight realization. A flashback of Sakura resisting Monokuma was then shown.
"Of course, because of that I decided to reveal her secret, which made everyone else hate her." Monokuma gloated. "Her decision to stay true to all of you led directly to all of you hating her for it… ironic, isn't it?! Or maybe oxymoronic? Or just moronic…?"
While some of the students glared at the bear hatefully, Hiro and Toko couldn't help but flinch at this. More and more, both are seeing how much they were playing into the mastermind's hands…
The screen went back to Sakura writing the note. "Of course, I understand if you all hate me. All of this is because of my own weakness…" She stated in her note. "I'm perfectly willing to accept whatever attack you may want to make on me. So this is my atonement for betraying you. That's what I had in mind… but unfortunately, that's not enough. This won't end with just me accepting your hatred."
Flashbacks of the conflicts between the group then started showing. "My own situation has started having an effect on more people than just me… which is exactly what the mastermind wanted when they revealed my betrayal." From Hina's and Byakuya's confrontation, to Jill's attack on the swimmer. "My betrayal brought suspicion, disharmony… the mastermind knew that eventually it would escalate into someone murdering someone else."
"It was like Kyoko said…" Taka said, gritting his teeth. "The reveal was the motive. It created conflict, confusion, suspicion, all of which was continuously rising…"
Both Hiro and Toko looked even guiltier, while Hina found herself flinching, now acknowledging how she played a part in the disharmony. How much of what she did caused Sakura to worry…? What did her friend think of her, when she was butting heads with the others…?
"And Sakura saw that. She saw the tension was gonna end with someone murdered. With another class trial and another execution." Makoto said morosely. "So then… what did she…?"
The lucky student's eyes widened, now realizing Sakura's true motive. He was quickly joined by Kyoko and Byakuya, both of whom connected the dots.
"Of course, I'm still responsible for that, as well." Sakura stated. "I have an obligation to get this situation under control. And to fulfill that obligation, I've decided to do as the mastermind has commanded. I will do as I was told, and commit murder. But I've decided… the one I'm going to kill is… myself."
Her words shocked the room into silence. Sayaka covered her mouth once again, tears glistening her eyes once more, while Taka stared at the TV dumbly. Chihiro's reaction was similar to Sayaka's, with tears already sliding down, and Mukuro's own eyes expanded by a few inches.
As for Sakura… her own eyes widened in realization, before relaxing. Relief then encompassed her expression, now seeing what her future self was trying to do. That she didn't take her life due to mere cowardice.
"If the mastermind demands that I kill someone, then that someone will be me. Then my dojo will be safe, and above all else, none of you will have to kill anyone. When I die, the source of conflict among you all dies with me. For that, I'm willing to give up my life. If it can save you, then sacrificing my own life could have no greater meaning. Whatever you think of me, please know that you are all my most treasured friends… I've never had people like you in my life…"
"S-Sakura…"
"Damn…"
"She really…"
"Wow…"
If the students were amazed at Sakura's willingness to not betray the survivors, her sacrifice definitely left them stunned. It would've been one thing to take on the hatred of the others without complaint… but to sacrifice herself for them? To take their own life just so a murder wouldn't happen?
It was close to impossible for many to comprehend such strong a will.
"I see…" Makoto, however, was not one of those students. Rather than stunned, the lucky student looked down with a melancholic smile. A smile that was also filled with relief, and even acceptance. "That really explains everything…"
"The decision wasn't made out of weakness…" Kyoko added solemnly. "But out of courage. Remarkable courage at that."
"No kidding…" Was Leon's remark, as he turned towards the martial artist. "I mean, no offense, but Sakura… you have to be bat-shit insane to pull something like that off…"
"No offense to be taken." Sakura assured him, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Normal means could not be taken to fix the mess my future self had created." And she was more than content that her future self took this route above all others, no matter how insane it may appear.
"..." Hina couldn't say anything. She could merely stare dumbly at the screen, skin ashened and eyes dilated. The girl was slowly comprehending how much her future self screwed up… what exactly she would've done if her plan had actually succeeded…
The transition to the trial room happened once more, with the focus now on a pale skinned Hina. "Then… Sakura…" The girl muttered, comprehension and horror clear in her voice. "...didn't feel cornered. She didn't die hating us. She wanted to… stop us from fighting? To protect us?"
"She didn't end her own life because she was weak. Quite the opposite, in fact…" Kyoko stated confidently. "She was strong. Too strong. That's why she killed herself. She chose death for herself in order to protect the rest of us. To sacrifice so much… no normal person could do that. It was only her limitless strength that made it possible."
"..." Hina was unable to say anything else; merely stood there, stunned.
How could she not notice that the note was fake? How could she have thought that Sakura was weak, when everything she knew about her said otherwise? Those were questions that were pressing onto the Ultimate Swimmer's mind, the girl wrapping her arms around herself to keep from shaking.
Junko, meanwhile, had to make an effort to withhold any looks of annoyance, resulting in another blank looking expression. 'First pixie boy, now the walking mass of muscles?' She whined in her head. 'Where does this large boost of hope come from? It's soooo aggravating!'
Once again, the flashback of Sakura writing her will was shown. "Finally… Hina, I want to apologize to you especially." She wrote. "The reason I didn't tell you any of this is because I knew you would try to stop me. I'm really, truly sorry. But please don't be sad. If I can thwart the mastermind's plan, if I can keep you from killing each other… that's enough for me. This is the path that I have chosen. This is the only way I have left to distinguish myself."
"And you can use this note to bring the class trial to a quick end. I'm so sorry to ask you to do something so unpleasant, but I have to leave the rest to you." The martial artist requested. "Please talk to Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro on my behalf. I can't tell anyone about my plan while I'm alive, but I wanted you to understand why I'm doing this. In the end, though, I hope to show myself through actions and not words. Hopefully then they'll see…"
"I never saw you as my enemy. You were only ever my friend, who I wanted to help as much as possible…" She stated confidently in her texts. "Hina…. Whatever it takes, survive. Survive along with everyone else. No matter what… just survive."
Once again… Hina found herself broken. Rivers of tears slid from her eyes as Sakura's final request to her future self repeated in her mind.
'Idiot.' She thought to herself. 'Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. You didn't know about Sakura at all. Didn't understand how she felt one bit!' As her thoughts continued, the swimmer found herself hyperventilating. 'It was clear as day! So obvious! She didn't do anything to hide it, and you didn't have a single, goddamn clue as to what her true thoughts…!'
Suddenly, the girl found herself being pulled into another hug, none other than by Makoto. The lucky student's embrace opened the floodgates for the sorrowful, guilt-ridden sobs to come out; her body shaking and her arms clinging onto her source of comfort.
'This trial… this must hurt a lot, doesn't it?' Makoto thought, his heart going out to the girl in his arms. 'This entire chapter must be devastating for you, Hina…' It's clear that he'll need to talk to her later. Ensure that no negative thoughts stay ingrained in her mind.
'Hina… I'm so sorry…' Was Sakura's remorseful thoughts. While she no longer holds any protest for what her future self has done, she still regrets that it hurt her friend this way.
'I… really am a big idiot, aren't I?' Was the defeated thought of Yasuhiro Hagukure, a look of guilt now clear across his face. Even when he distrusted Sakura, even while he was frightened of her… she still saw him as a friend. Sacrificed herself even. And his future self ended up trying to kill her.
'Pathetic… pathetic… pathetic…' Was the thought that repeated in Toko's mind. The writer was now curled into a complete ball, her head tucked into her arms and knees, shaking with self-loathing.
The screen went back to the trial, focusing on Hina once more. "Th-This is…!" She sobbed, tears slipping from her eyes. "I… I didn't understand how she felt… not at all… I thought we were close, and still…!"
"But in the end, all her meddling was like, totally pointless!" Monokuma bragged. "She died so you guys wouldn't try to kill each other, but you almost ended up doing it anyway! Thanks to you, her death had no purpose at all!" The bear let out a mocking laugh. "In fact, it was BECAUSE of her stupid meddling that the rest of you nearly hit the big one!"
Suddenly, one of the tables filled with food was thrown at the TV. Thankfully, it was stopped before it could make impact, and it merely levitated in front of it; that didn't deter the thrower from speaking. "GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Mondo roared in fury, as the table and its content floated back downwards. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GODDAMN MEDDLED! NOT SAKURA!"
"If you didn't take it upon yourself to steal the note and replace it with another, none of this would've happened!" Taka shouted in fury, getting up alongside his best friend. "Your interference is what caused this to happen, not Sakura's sacrifice to save everyone!"
"He's acting all high and mighty, but the bastard had to use a fake note to get that started in the first place!" Leon snarled, fists clenched tightly. "Like Kyoko said, he probably knew things would get resolved if that fake note wasn't there! So he had to butt in!"
"If he didn't steal the real note and replaced it with the fake, his words probably would've had some merit." Sayaka muttered. However, a vicious glare aimed at the TV. "As it is, his words hold no weight. He gave no reason to believe that her sacrifice wouldn't have worked!"
Almost the entire group felt united in their hatred against the monochrome bear. Even the more timid ones, such as Hiro and Chihiro, could not help but have appalled looks over the mastermind's manipulation.
"...He's a coward." Makoto summed up plainly. He aimed his own hate-filled glare at the TV, while still holding onto the devastated swimmer. "A petty, rotten, gaslighting coward. He wouldn't have done this if he wasn't."
There was no disagreement with the lucky student - except for one Junko Enoshima, who gave an unreadable look towards Makoto.
"She deserves all the blame! Everyone, blame her! Go ahead, she deserves it! Puhuhu… now then, the next victim has been decided!"
"What do you mean, next victim?!" Makoto then interjected fiercely. "Nobody here blames anyone…!"
"Hrmm?" Was the bear's confused response.
"First of all, you're in the wrong for tricking Hina with that fake suicide note!" The lucky student pointed out. "And plus… Sakura's death wasn't a waste!"
"Hurrrmmm?"
"Because she made us remember…" Makoto continued. "We're not enemies that hate each other. We're friends, who need to work together!"
"Damn straight." Hiro spoke in agreement, looking a tad remorseful. "This is all because of our misplaced hatred. I don't blame her! I CAN'T blame her! And nobody can blame Hina, either!"
Monokuma let out a cry of shock and panic.
"Whether or not there was a spy never really mattered. Because the one we need to destroy…" Makoto directed an angry glare towards the bear. "...is you! Nobody else!"
"Did he really think that this was going to divide us? That all of us would go and blame Sakura or Hina for this?" Makoto asked rhetorically, his glare turning less hateful and more determined. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint; but like I said before, I'm just not built for that!"
"I wouldn't either." Kyoko stated, gazing coldly at the screen. "I'm more than confident that my future self can see through the mastermind's intent. There's no chance that I would fall for this obvious play."
"And you heard future me, didn't you? I don't plan on hating Sakura or Hina!" Hiro spoke up, trying to pump himself. "He can see that it was partly his fault this all happened… and I see it too! I'm not gonna put any blame on Sakura OR Hina!"
The words of three of the survivors' present counterparts got spirits rising, pumping up the group even further. A few were even hopeful that this would actually unite the group, rather than cause further division.
Junko, on the other hand, was the opposite. The more this continued, the harder it was to keep any annoyance from showing. 'This is actually uniting them?! Seriously?!' She exclaimed. 'No way! Even if they don't see Sakura as an enemy, there's no way they forgive Hina just like that!'
"What the heck?! That's not how this is supposed to go!" Monokuma protested fiercely. "But anyway, are you sure about that? This killing game is a competition between all of you, remember? Your enemy… is each other."
"He's absolutely right about that." Byakuya spoke up in agreement and irritation.
"Oh, you have got to be shitting me…!"
"Almost forgot about this asshole…!"
Leon and Mondo let this displeasure known, while several of the students held looks of displeasure.
"I understand why you were angry with us before, Byakuya…" Taka conceded, gripping his knees. "But still, to see you like this…"
"Is he still gonna act like this? Despite everything that happened?" Sayaka questioned with anger and some disbelief.
The Togami heir said nothing, as held annoyance for his future self as well. 'Stop being a fool…!' He practically commanded. 'Stop being manipulated! Get out of the mastermind's tune!'
"Ah, lovely Byakuya!" Monokuma turned towards the affluent progeny happily. "You understand, don't you?!"
"This is a life-or-death elimination match. The only way to survive… is to win." Byakuya stated factually. "There can be no doubt that those are the rules of the game."
Byakuya's words caused Junko's annoyance to abate, with the girl having to hold back giggles now. 'Look like Sakura's sacrifice will be pointless, after all.' The fashionista sang. 'So long as one person is divided from the rest, there's always room for distrust and conflict!'
Somewhat similar thoughts were held the other students, though the emotions were opposite of Junko's. Some couldn't help but feel frustrated that the Togami is still…!
"Which is why… I am bowing out of the game."
And just like that… all negative thoughts were halted. With every single pair of eyes staring at the screen in shock.
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"Did he just say-?!"
"Is he actually implying-?!"
"What the actual f-?!"
"Byakuya…!" Makoto stared at the Togami heir in shock, and was met with a similar look of surprise from said heir.
Not even Junko was immune, with the girl dropping her jaws dumbly.
"Huh…?" Was Monokuma's reply to that.
"Sakura and Hina were both willing to sacrifice their own lives to deny the reality of the game." Byakuya continued. "Thanks to them, it would appear the others have cast aside their fear for the game. There's no point in participating in a game which has lost that sense of excitement. Which is why I will no longer be participating in it."
"He's actually… giving up on participating in Monokuma's game?" Taka questioned in shock.
Byakuya's surprised look quickly turned into a vicious smirk. "They miscalculated." He stated confidently. "In their attempt to make things more interesting… I was given enough to wake up. A combination of Sakura's sacrifice, Hina's revenge scheme, and the mastermind's hand in it showed my future self to be shaken from their manipulation."
That shook the students out of their shock… and for their spirits to soar even higher. Some were even grinning alongside the progeny.
"Wh-What's going on here?!" Monokuma cried out in anger.
"Now I have only one thing to look forward to." The Togami heir aimed a fierce glare at the monochrome bear. "And that is to heap the harshest possible punishment onto the one who thinks they can control me!"
"For once, you actually sound like a badass!" Leon cheered, pumping a fist up with a grin. "Finally, future you isn't being an asshole!"
"Damn straight!" Mondo cried out in agreement, gaining a similar grin. "The mastermind fucked up there!"
"And if Byakuya joins them, that means Toko would follow right after!" Hiro added happily. "Can't see her doing anything else!"
"Their open attempt at manipulation cost them." Celeste stated, merriment dancing in her red eyes. "Now they lost one of their best cards."
"Oh Master~!" Toko exclaimed, looking at her love with a dreamy expression.
For once, the entire class felt united. Chihiro was smiling happily, Hifumi shook giddily in excitement, Kyoko was smirking, and even Sayaka felt a surprised elation towards Byakuya's change of heart.
Makoto was one of the happiest of the group, smiling wide at the show of unison both here and on screen. He looked towards Byakuya, his expression screaming "I knew future you would come around!". The Togami heir merely rolled his eyes, though he didn't lose his smirk.
'You didn't see that coming, did you Junko?' Mukuro mused with some shock, looking towards her still stunned sister. 'Otherwise, you wouldn't have read that note to them.' Never in her life did she witness her sister making a mistake like that. Did that craving for despair get the better of her or something?
"B-Byakuya!" Makoto looked at the Togami heir in shock. "Does this mean…?"
"Don't misunderstand. I haven't been moved by some thoughtless sentimentalism, if that's what you're thinking." Byakuya rebuked.
"Okay, he's still a bit of an asshole." Leon retracted, though still looking pretty happy.
"Like Hina said though: He may be a jerk, but he's our jerk now!" Hiro stated in a cheerful tone.
"And the lot of you are still a bunch of annoyances." Byakuya snarked back in kind.
"Wherever Master goes, I go!" Genocide Jill cheered. "And if the mastermind turns out to be a guy, maybe I can catch on fire!"
"And the survivors are now officially united!" Hifumi cheered.
"But will Toko remember anything from this?" Taka asked in concern. "I remember one of them saying that they don't share the same memories."
It was the writer herself who answered. "We don't… but w-while we don't share memories, we do share emotions." She said, hints of confidence in her voice. "So while I may not know anything, I'll hold the same sentiment as J-J-Jack. And regardless, I'll go wherever Master goes!"
Sakura looked upon this with a content smile, happy that their future selves will honor her dying will. She would have to thank the mastermind for helping unite them even better than they would've before; cause now, she can say confidently no other murder will happen.
"E-Everyone…!" Makoto cried out happily.
"Well?" Kyoko spoke up, smirking at Monokuma. "Now can you say that Sakura's death had no meaning?"
'Oh, go **************************!' Was the annoyed, angered thought of Junko Enoshima. The fashionista settled on her blank, almost bored looking expression, finding all this incredibly annoying.
Some of the others, meanwhile, couldn't help but find humor in this, with some already laughing. "You are a savage in this trial, Kyoko!" Leon remarked, holding his stomach in his laughter. "The mastermind has got to be steaming after that one!"
"It's no less than they deserved, after how arrogant they were." Kyoko remarked, looking as smug as her future self. She would even go as far as to say that they helped unite the group, rather than divide them like planned.
"Hmph. How boring." The bear said flatly. "But nothing good can come of this. I'm still gonna be the one having the fun time!"
"The fun… time?" Hiro inquired nervously.
"Anyways, let's forget about that good-for-nothing backstabber and get back on track!" Monokuma growled. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Punishment time!"
Immediately, all laughter and good spirit stopped, with the students looking at the screen in alarm. "E-Execution?!" Hifumi exclaimed.
"But, there's no one to execute!" Taka protested confusingly. "Even if we would call Sakura herself the killer, she's already deceased!"
"Who the hell is he gonna punish? The bottle of poison?" Leon voiced his own confusion.
"...Oh no… oh, please don't tell me…" Several students turned their heads to a fearful looking Makoto.
"No… no, he wouldn't dare…!" Sakura looked just as worried, halfway up from her seat.
"...M-Me?" Spoke a frightened Hina, who finally managed to turn her attention on the screen.
That's when it clicked for several students. And that confusion quickly turned to fear.
"Wait, but… Sakura was technically the killer, right?" Jill pointed out in confusion. "And she's dead!"
Makoto's eyes widened. "Y-You're not gonna…!"
"I-Is it me…?" Hina asked fearfully.
"NO!" Sakura roared, rage quickly joining her worry. "He will not lay a hand on Hina!"
"That's bullshit!" Mondo raged alongside the martial artist. "Just because she tried to hide that Sakura killed herself, doesn't give him the fucking go-ahead to kill her!"
"Does he honestly think that killing Hina would break the spirits of the others?" Taka questioned angrily and incredulously. "No, it would merely unite them even further against him!"
"Indeed. This sort of action would merely lose him more credibility for his killing game…" Byakuya mused, eyes narrowed. "Even he should be aware of that. So would he really…?"
"Oh heavens, no!" Monokuma assured quickly. "Just cuz the blackened is dead doesn't mean I can just sub in whatever ol' student I want!"
That rage, worry, and fear now quickly shifted back into confusion, with several voicing out befuddled "Eh?"s.
"Didin't I tell you?! I'm very particular about the 'Bear-Times-One' rule!"
"As I thought." Byakuya nodded his head to this. "The bear has clearly shown to be very firm on the rules he has created. It would be odd for him to blatantly break them now."
"True. The mastermind has made it clear at this point that they want our spirits to break, not just simply kill us off." Kyoko spoke in agreement with the Togami heir. "Setting up these rules for this killing game, and having us be the one to stain our hands, is part of that process. Breaking their own rules would give us more justification in our hearts to unite against Monokuma, and they know it."
"Then… who the hell is he gonna kill?" Mondo questioned, completely befuddled at this point.
"But I spent so much time preparing my special punishment, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste! So, for my special special punishment… I've prepared a special guest!"
"A special guest…?" Was Makoto's wary question.
"Who the hell is it?!"
"Yeah, who?!"
"Could it be Sakura's hostage?"
"But Sakura did as he requested!"
"Maybe he won't count suicide as a murder…"
Junko narrowed her eyes in thought, wondering who exactly she got as a special… the fashionista grinned. She didn't have to wonder long.
Kyoko also managed to connect the pieces, not long after Junko. 'Please don't tell me they already…'
"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma announced eagerly. "It's… PUNISHMENT TIME!"
With that, the screen went black. But it soon lit back up, like a computer screen, to reveal a smiling Alter Ego.
At the sight of Alter Ego, the group went deathly silent. Eyes were widened, jaws dropped, and faces went pale at the sight of the AI.
All of them knew what seeing Alter Ego meant. And Leon summarized their feelings with an eloquent, "Shit."
For a moment, nothing happened, with the AI merely blinking in confusion. But then a rumbling was heard, causing him to move his eyes around. As the rumbling continued, the screen expanded, revealing the laptop to be in a construction site. A fake one, which was quickly revealed when a bulldozer ran over the props. It stopped right behind the AI.
"No…" Chihiro said shakily, his mouth covered and eyes dilated. "No, no, no… no!"
'Knew it…' Was the unanimous thought of Celeste, Byakuya, and Mukuro.
A cute little song then started playing, with the screen showing a different angle of the bulldozer. It then showed Monokuma inside, pulling down a lever, which caused the dig machine to lift up.
EXCAVATOR DESTROYER
There was but a moment of silence before the machine slammed onto the laptop. It continued doing so in rapid speed, turning the laptop into mere pieces. It did not stop, however, and continued to pummel it with unnatural movements, Monokuma shaking inside from the vibrations. It then, somehow, formed the pieces into a metal ball. It finished it off by placing Monokuma's muzzle and evil red eye on it, before the excavator moved back.
"NO!"
"Alter Ego!"
"It got turned into scrap metal!"
"Fuck!"
It was clear over half the class felt equal parts shock, dismay, and anger over what happened. Despite not knowing the AI personally, despite it being a program… it was still distressing to see him being destroyed. Not as much as the previous executions, but distressing nonetheless.
Chihiro, of course, was the most affected. The young programmer looked devastated, white as a sheet and tears streaming from his eyes. He honestly felt a bit pathetic, crying over a program of all things. But it was his creation. An AI he had made, and seen developed in this viewing. One that was supposed to help his friends figure out the mysteries of Hope's Peak, possibly even find a way out!
And Monokuma smashed it into tiny pieces.
The scene transitioned back to the trial room, with most of the students in clear shock. "Y-You…!" Makoto stuttered out.
"You suck, man! You turned him into a mangled hunk of junk!" Hiro exclaimed in dismay.
"Whew, that really took it outta me! Maybe I'll go grill up a plate of chicken!" Monokuma playfully mused. "After all, they say for post-workout grub, chicken's where it's at! And I'm all about the grilled goodness! Fried? Broiled? Gimme a break! The color, the smell, the succulence… grilled is where it's at!" He ended his random chatter with his evil, mocking laughter.
"Mother… fucker…!" It took everything within Mondo not to throw the table at the TV once again, though he couldn't contain his growl. When his eyes fell on the devastated Chihiro, however, he worked double time to suppress his anger.. With a sigh, he patted the programmer's head, in hopes of comforting him.
He didn't expect the smaller dude clinging onto him from his side. The biker looked startled for a moment, but when he felt Chihiro shaking and his tears dripping on his coat, his eyes softened. He once again patted the programmer's head, continuing his attempt to comfort him.
Meanwhile, Makoto could only look on in disbelief, still holding onto an equally shocked Hina. He knew that this was likely to happen… that connecting Alter Ego to the network was likely gonna be a one way trip, with no guarantee to bear any fruit… but still…
'No matter what, we're gonna get out of here! You and all the rest of us, as friends!' Those words that his future self has typed could not help but repeat in his head.
Junko, of course, was enjoying every minute of this. 'Ah, nothing like smashing someone's hope into tiny bits to bring my mood up!' The fashionista thought fondly. 'Might even go for some chicken myself! Have to fry or broil it though… don't want to look more suspicious than I might already be! Ah, how despairful~!'
A flashback of Alter Ego's determination to enter the school's network was then shown. "I realize how dangerous it could be. But still… I have to do this. I'm scared, but… I can handle it. I… don't really understand why, but… when I think about everyone else, my courage starts to grow…! You might think I'm just some inhuman AI, but it's true! So… it's okay. If it's for the sake of everyone else, I won't be afraid!"
The previous words of Alter Ego pierced the group even sharper. Tears were slipping from Sayaka's eyes once again, while Hina buried her head into Makoto's shoulder. Leon and Taka gritted their teeth in frustration, whereas Hifumi looked devastated, despite having mostly gotten over his infatuation with the AI. Sakura bowed her head in respect, and even Hiro and Toko were saddened over the AI's death.
And Makoto… he began to feel fury bubble up once again. 'He wanted to help!' He shouted in his head. 'He wanted to be brave; to do whatever he could to solve the mysteries of Hope's Peak! And this is how his bravery is repaid?!' It honestly made him want to scream out in frustration.
When the viewing went back to the trial room, it showed Makoto's expression of disbelief slowly morph into one of pure fury. And unable to stop himself, he shouted. "How dare you…? That was my friend! How dare you kill him?!"
"Huh? You were friends with a laptop? That's pretty pathetic." Monokuma mocked casually. "What's next, friends with a basketball?!"
More stuff was thrown at the TV, from baseballs to plates of food. All of it was caught in a telekinetic field before even a smear could be made.
"Fuck off!" Leon and Mondo shouted furiously.
"He has no right to mock who we deem as friends!" Sayaka growled right after.
"Alter Ego has proven he wasn't just a laptop or AI!" Taka spoke with angry passion. "He was someone who we can deem as a friend! Someone who was willing to risk everything for his fellow friends!"
"He is far from just a laptop." Sakura spoke in agreement.
"Shut the hell up!" Was Makoto's furious retort. "He wasn't just a laptop. He was my friend! And you killed him!"
"Is this what you call animism? Where souls dwell within all things? Even, like… laptops?" The bear playfully mused. "Well, you can call it whatever you want. Bottom line is, it got in my way. It was trying to find things out, all sneaky sneaky."
"So… you finally noticed him." Kyoko sighed.
"I knew it would be a fruitless endeavor…" Byakuya sighed irritatingly.
"It was a gamble. A bad one at that." Celeste spoke in agreement.
"Finally? No, no, no, I knew about it from the very beginning!" Monokuma corrected.
"Huh?" The number of surprises seemed endless today, as once again, the class was stumped.
"I knew Chihiro was doing something with the laptop. And I knew you were using it to analyze data. I knew exactly how it was gonna play out from the start!"
"What…?" Makoto said numbly, as he processed this info.
"He knew?!" Leon voiced incredulously. "He knew, and still let them look into that data?!"
"Likely because the information in there would be useless to them." Mukuro mused. "With their memories wiped, it would likely merely lead them to the wrong conclusion."
"And the mastermind has said before that he wouldn't interfere with us investigating the school…" Kyoko added, looking in thought. "Guess that would mean old data lying around."
"You knew, and you were still cocky enough to let us take the plunge…?" Byakuya questioned incredulously.
"Well, I mean… the data in that laptop? It was… I guess you could call it a gift from me to you." The bear stated with a shrug. "Or maybe more like a reward, in honor of you being able to unlock something so difficult. So of course I didn't care if you got access to that. But sneaking into the network was just too personal! So I had to do a little, ya know, reformatting!"
Another flashback of Alter Ego was shown. "I want to keep being helpful to everyone. I want to work as hard as everyone else so that we can all get out of here!"
'Alter Ego wanted to fight for us…' Makoto thought in frustration. 'He wanted to help, at the risk of his own life… and for that… he was killed.'
'Will this happen every time I try to be brave…?' Chihiro thought, tears still running and body still shaking. 'Will this be the result every time I take that first step forward? Does… does the world really want me to stay weak?'
"Puhuhu… yeah, the punishment time has made me feel a billion times better!" Monokuma stated happily. "Experiencing a meaningless death is so soothing! It makes me remember that every low can get even lower!"
"No… his death wasn't meaningless, either." Makoto refuted. He looked at the bear with a determined glare. "Everybody who's died so far… the deaths of each and every one of our friends… they all make us stronger! I swear to God… someday, you WILL pay for this!"
"Makoto…" Of course, the counterparts of the dead students were touched by this. They all knew that Makoto was talking about each and every one of them, both the victims and the killers. So they all can't help but be moved by his words, even Celeste.
"You're still carrying our deaths, aren't you Makoto…?" Sakura voiced out. She turned her head towards the lucky student, who in turn faced her. "Carrying our memories. Holding them to your heart."
Makoto ducked his head at that. "Well… I would like to think so." He replied modestly. "I can't tell you for certain what my future self's thoughts are; but I would like to think I'm still doing that."
"You really have such an incredible will, Makoto." Taka said, pure respect oozing from his voice. "With so much death, so much betrayal… even I wasn't able to handle it efficiently."
"You definitely had a lot of us beat." Mondo remarked wryly. "You, Sakura, Chihiro… we could learn something from you three."
"Definitely selling to us as a grade A protagonist, Mr. Naegi!" Hifumi voiced his own admiration. "You even have the potential to be something of a chad!"
"While I'm not gonna pretend I understand any of what Hifumi just said…" Leon said dryly, before giving his friend a smirk. "You're definitely sounding cooler by the day."
"I… have to agree." Mukuro spoke up, a blush adorning her face as she said this. "You really do… sound cool."
"You're just as strong-willed as Sakura…" Sayaka added, smiling softly at her crush. "With such a caring heart too…"
The compliments showered over the luckster caused him to get redder and redder, his face closing in to matching that of a tomato. 'Is all this really warranted…?' He couldn't but whine a little.
"...You're so incredible, Makoto." Hina couldn't help but whisper, still clinging onto him. Of course he heard it, which caused his blush to grow stronger. "You really are wonderful… for holding our classmates to your heart…" Unlike her, who would've thrown away Sakura's last wish. Who claims to know Sakura best, yet would do the opposite of what her friend would want.
'...Makoto could do it.' Chihiro thought to himself, slowly calming himself. That inner courage he has such a hard time recognizing started sprouting. 'If he could step forward despite all this hopelessness… then shouldn't I?'
And Junko… she aimed a discreet, annoyed glance at the luckster. 'You keep ruining my fun!' She whined childishly. 'Just you wait, lucky boy! I'll figure out something to crush that disgusting hope of yours!'
'...He really is the type of person that can overcome this, isn't he?' Kyoko mused her counterpart's words to Makoto at the end of the first chapter. Like her future self, she can see - that he's the type that can keep moving forward.
And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Not sure if the reactions to Alter Ego's reaction was too over-dramatic, but I couldn't really see them acting tame to the AI's death (Well, except for those like Byakuya and Celeste). Next up, the rest of chapter four should be wrapped up, with the start of the next break. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.