Well, here we are. I said you would hear from me around the start of September, and here I am, on the dot. I swear I didn't even plan this, I just happened to finish up the other day. I guess everything played out perfectly. So, before we get to the Killing School Trip, I need to get a few things out of the way.
Firstly, this is a sequel (or, I guess, a threequel?) to Danganronpa: Another Hope, my first Danganronpa fanfic. If you start with this one, you will likely end up confused not only as to who the hell Albert Wright is, but certain events he makes mention to, even with his brief recap at the start of this chapter. Also, you will be confused as to who lives and dies in those previous stories. Speaking of, while Another Episode: Another Hope might seem like a side-story or spinoff, it does contain some very important plot points for this story, so do not skip it. If you have not read either of my previous stories, then read ahead at your own risk, and all that.
Secondly, if you have not played Super Danganronpa 2, you NEED to. That's not a recommendation, it's a warning. Like, only a few paragraphs in I spoil the biggest twist of that game. It would be impossible to write this story without doing so. If you have not, then like I said before, read ahead at your own risk.
Thirdly, I am going to be doing something with this story that I have not done before, and there are going to be alternating POVs. Albert is still the main character, but most of the Killing Game events are going to be told in a third-person perspective. If you don't get it, well... You will see. The only reason I'm including this is because I think it would be rather awkward to spring that on you in the third story, after every previous one was told from Albert's solely.
Fourthly, if there's anything you feel I could do to improve my writing in the future, in any way, feel free to let me know. This is only my third story, after all, so I would like all the help I could get.
Finally, I hope you enjoy.
Prologue
Destination Despair
I stood at the prow of the ship, my lab coat billowing in the salty wind. With a yawn, I pushed my glasses further up my face. It was a nice day out, for whatever that's worth. The sun was shining, the pollution wasn't too thick. The smell of the sea reminded me of my home town, a port city on the east coast of Canada. It had been years since I've been there, even before the... odd circumstances that lead to my current life. I tried to enjoy these blissful moments. They were few and far between.
My name is Albert Wright. I was considered by Hope's Peak for the position of Ultimate Psychologist, I studied under the Ultimate Physicist, and I am currently an agent of Future Foundation, 14th Division. My story... well, it's an complicated one.
Originally, I was just your average guy. I went to school, came home, played video games or read a novel, went to bed, woke up, and repeat, ad nauseum. Then, one day, my life changed. The Ultimate Physicist, Toshihide Tomonaga, received a message from his future self warning him of the Tragedy to come if he didn't act. He created a dimensional transporter to pull in someone who could act as a rogue element in the events ahead, hopefully to stop the events that would lead to this Tragedy. This rogue agent, luckily enough, happened to come from a world where all of the events from this Tragedy were recorded in a game, known as Danganronpa. That rogue agent... was me.
However, the Toshihide of the future had other things in store, and used his powers to manipulate me into following a script so that nobody found out who the instigator of these events were. He did this so that, when the events happened, and I ended up stopping the Tragedy as it was reaching its peak, he could take credit for it, so he could feel some pride after all the failures he suffered. The problem was... I wasn't the godsend hero he expected me to be. I couldn't stop the Tragedy, not on my own.
When I last said goodbye to Toshihide, I swore I would do everything I could to protect my friends. In turn, they promised to help me. Together, the seven of us joined the Future Foundation, an organization built on one principle: preserve the hope of humanity. Due to my knowledge of the Tragedy, I was considered a rather influential figure in the Future Foundation, even though I wasn't an Ultimate, though my influence only goes so far. I was briefly considered to be allowed to be a branch head, but that fell on its face due to the fact that I was never officially recognized as talented by anyone from Hope's Peak. It didn't help that Kizakura, a former talent scout, sat on the fence on that topic...
Either way, my friends and I made strides in our progress to aid humanity. My most recent project wasn't even something official. Basically, Towa City had become a war zone, but intel told us there were a bunch of captives being held there. A team was sent to retrieve them, but that quickly went down the shitter. So, without telling anyone, I stole a Future Foundation van and drove all the way to Towa by myself, and with the help of some of the people in the city, including the little sister of a good friend of mine, I managed to get every captive evacuated, with minimal injury. After that, well... due to circumstances, I decided to stay in the city alongside the aforementioned little sister, doing what we could to get other innocent civilians out of the city. I must've been living there for... over a month. Maybe almost two.
However, recently, I received an emergency call from my buddies. Well, first, I received a regular call from them. Apparently, they caught all the ringleaders of the terrorists known as the Remnants of Despair. Good, I answered. The plan was to use this program that was developed by my best friend, another friend and coworker, and the research of some dead dude I never met to rehabilitate these terrorists, and treat their mental illnesses and brainwashing. Basically, we would turn them back into the semi-normal, quasi-functional members of society that they originally were. Cool, I said. I thought that'd be the end of it. However, about a day later, I received the aforementioned emergency call. Something went wrong with the program, they said. Something I never told them about, apparently. They weren't able to explain it on the phone because, well frankly, sometimes my friends can be rather brain-dead.
So basically, my good pal Aoi Asahina, as well as some of the healthier captives I helped escape, volunteered to go to Towa under the guise of delivering food and resources, and met up with the little sister I teamed up with before, while I escaped the city and caught a ride on a ship that my other good pal, Kyoko Kirigiri, pulled some strings into chartering me a ride to Jabberwock Island, the site of this little project my friends had. So, every base was covered. All I had to do now was get to that goddamn island and find out what it was that had my friends so spooked.
I didn't want to think about that, though. I mean, I already told them everything that's going to happen with the project. If something happened that I never told them about, it was probably something unexpected. No. I dismissed the idea. I was the only rogue element there was. It's more likely that they just forgot some key thing that I told them, and this was all a huge false alarm. Yeah... a false alarm.
I sighed. If only I could convince myself so easily. I turned around and stared at the window leading into the wheelhouse. Or the bridge. Whatever, I wasn't too knowledgeable on ship anatomy. I almost laughed when I saw my reflection in the window, though. Was that truly the same cowardly boy who was pulled through dimensions just a couple years ago? Or the same man that escaped the Hope's Peak killing game by the skin of his teeth? Would my friends even recognize me when I step off the ship?
I hadn't shaved in forever, so I had a nice thick scruff growing in. While I was able to shower in Towa, I never really took the time to comb my hair, and since I hadn't had a haircut in a while, I had a messy do. Speaking of, the stress also caused me to sprout quite a few grey hairs. And given the squalid conditions living in that city came with, I hadn't had true rest in a while, so thick bags under my eyes made me look a little older than my real 20 years of age. Hell, I'm not even old enough to purchase alcohol in the U.S., and yet I looked like I was the same age as many of the Future Foundation branch heads. Then again, all of the Remnants of Despair we captured were the same age as me, and with their lifestyle, I doubted they faired much better than me. Still, a shave, haircut, and good night's rest would do me wonders right about now.
As I stared into the window, I noticed the captain of the ship exit through a door off to the side. He approached me. "Hey Doc, we'll be reaching land soon. I'll have some of my boys head down to your cabin and grab your bags before we hit land, since you got that bum shoulder." Well, I wouldn't exactly call it "bum," but yes, my shoulder had suffered a little after an injury I received in Towa. It was healing pretty nicely, though, all things considered.
I turned back to face the waves, and noticed an island growing on the horizon. Jabberwock Island. I turned back to the man. "Thanks, Captain. But, uh, I'm not a doctor. Actually, I never even graduated high school."
He nodded. "Well, given the way you act, it's hard to tell sometimes. Mr. Wright, then?"
"I'm a good actor. And let's cut the formalities, you can just call me Albert."
"Albert it is then. You know, I've wanted to ask you this the whole voyage, but I guess I never got the chance..."
"What's up?"
"In those broadcasts, of the killing game... You said you were from another dimension, right? Is that true?"
I sighed. Every time I met someone who remembered my name, that question always came up. "Afraid so, Captain. I find it funny when people are so disbelieving, though. I mean, it was the Ultimate Physicist's fault. People question his abilities, but not the fact that a teenage girl caused the apocalypse?"
"Hey, I never said I didn't believe you. Trust me, I know the crazy things Ultimates can do. My uncle was the former Ultimate Navigator. That man had a sense of direction, I tell ya, it was like magic. No matter what you did with him, blindfold him, earmuffs, tie him up, and no matter where you took him, he knew exactly where he was relative to where he started."
I shook my head, smirking. "I believe that. Small world, though, huh? What are the chances I'd meet the nephew of an Ultimate here of all places?"
"I like to think it's fate. Everything's all tied together, in a way." He said, staring out to the horizon.
I laughed. "I guess it's true you sailors are a superstitious folk. Sorry, but I don't believe in fate, Captain. There are an infinite number of possible futures and alternate realities. The only things that decide which path we go down are our choices... and our luck."
He nodded to make it clear he was listening, but didn't seem to be in agreement. "Y'know, you and I should share a drink sometime. Besides all your crazy science talk, you seem to be a pretty interesting guy."
"I don't drink." I told him. "Though, if you're fine getting wasted while I have a root beer float, you'll hear no objections from me."
It was his turn to laugh. "Alright, Doc. Whatever you want. Now, I gotta go see how my crew's doing. Gotta make sure they don't crash us straight onto the shore of Jabberwock." He turned and walked back to the wheelhouse.
"Yeah. That's not how I wanna be reunited with my friends." I laughed, turning to the island on the horizon once again.
Hopefully, we could just relax and all make it out of this unscathed...
Nagito Komaeda looked around at all of the Ultimates he was surrounded with. They had not introduced themselves as such yet, but he knew. He could feel the unique aura emanating from each of them, filling the room with an intense atmosphere. Of course, there was also the fact that he, through his incredible luck, managed to get into Hope's Peak Academy, and now he was in a classroom with a group of people the same age as him. It was an easy bet that they were to be his classmates. He suppressed a smile at the idea that some people might consider him equal to these amazing figures. There was no way that was even close to true, he thought.
He was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room from the door. This gave him a clear view for whenever a new face entered the room, so he was able to quickly identify who was who based on what he heard about them online. And it seemed as though he was going to play another round of Guess Who. However, he had a harder time identifying this one in comparison to the others.
She had the unique appearance of an Ultimate. Her outfit consisted of a white button-up with a violet neck tie over her ample chest. Black dress pants clung to her wide hips and ran down to her feet, which were covered with matching dress shoes. Over her somewhat formal outfit, she wore a lab coat, long enough to reach just behind her knees. Her long raven hair was tied into twintails, dyed an electric purple at the tips. On her head was a cat-ear hairband, the fur matching the shade of black her hair was. Most odd of all, however, was her heterochromatic eyes, pink on the left, and blue on the right. They gleamed with intelligence, scanning the room and all the people in it before making a move.
However, despite her easily distinguishable look, Nagito was confident he had never seen her face before. Apparently, the same was true for the rest of the class, as when everyone turned to see the new entry, no one expressed any recognition. Of course, that was the case every previous instance as well. He guessed her talent was tied closely with her intelligence, and an ability to read people. A gambler, perhaps?
Either way, despite her odd surroundings, the mystery girl put on a big smile. Before anyone had a chance to react, she spoke. "Oh, hi! Are you guys all the other freshmen?" A few voices of affirmation came from the group. "So, uh, what's going on? I sort of... blacked out, on my way here, if you can believe it." She stepped inside, and the door slid shut behind her, causing her to flinch slightly.
"We were actually about to discuss that matter..." The rotund, bespectacled noble who must have been Byakuya Togami answered.
"Ah, okay, that makes sense." She responded. She seemed to consider if she should stay near the door. She eyed the number of empty desks, and the people standing around the room, but ultimately moved to stand behind the teacher's desk. A sign of confidence, Nagito noted. Maybe she was a strategist?
"Well... since you are the last student to arrive, let's start the discussion." Byakuya decided.
"Eh, this is everyone? How do you know?" The heavily-pierced and energetic Ibuki Mioda asked.
"There are only sixteen desks in this classroom, and this girl is the sixteenth student..." He answered smugly. "It's obvious if you bother to think about it...!"
However, at that moment, the door slid open once again, and a boy with a rather average appearance stepped in. "...Huh?" He stood and stared awkwardly at everyone in the room. Nagito smiled, knowing he probably had a much similar reaction himself.
"Who goes there?" The albino girl with a kendo sword that was Peko Pekoyama asked after a few seconds.
"...Eh?"
"Um... are you feeling all right? You look quite pale..." The regal and elegant beauty Sonia Nevermind asked.
"Ah, um..."
"Hey, could you be... You're also a freshman at this school, right?" The calm and confident Mahiru Koizumi wondered.
"Ah, then... you're all...?" Realization dawned in the boy's eyes.
"See for yourself. We're all freshmen, too." The carefree and flashy Kazuichi Soda told him.
"I assume... freshman like us have been gathered in this classroom..." The quiet gamer girl Chiaki Nanami guessed.
"It seems my earlier assumption was wrong..." Byakuya admitted under his breath. "...Hey, why don't you just come inside for now?"
"Eh? Ah, yes of course!" The boy quickly closed the door and made his way to a seat at the back of the room. After an awkward moment, he spoke up again. "Um... excuse me?"
"...What is it?" Byakuya asked.
"Why are we all gathered in this classroom? No one said anything about coming here, so... is there like, an entrance ceremony or homeroom happening now?"
"That's what I was wondering." The mysterious girl from before answered. "But then you, well, interrupted our discussion."
"Discussion?"
"Well, since we have no way to guess how many more are on the way, we might as well start now." Byakuya decided. "If anyone else shows up, we can bring them up to speed."
"And just what are we gonna talk about?" The short, pudgy Teruteru Hanamura asked. "The reason we're all gathered here in this classroom?"
"First, I need to confirm something." Byakuya insisted. "Out of everyone here... Is there anyone who actually remembers how they came to this classroom?"
"...Eh!?" The unknown boy nearly jumped out of his seat. Everyone exchanged glances, and surprised looks were shared all around as not one person raised their hand.
"So before you realized it, you were in this classroom... Then everyone here is in the same predicament... No matter how you look at it, it's unnatural. Even you stupid-looking ones would agree, right?"
"I-It sure is strange..." Mahiru agreed. "Nobody actually remembers how they came here... Hey! What do you mean, "stupid-looking"!?"
Byakuya ignored her. "The moment you set foot on campus, you felt a strange dizziness, and now you're here and you don't know why... That is what I experienced before I arrived here. Am I correct in assuming that's true of all of you?"
"Th-That happened to me too, but..." The unknown boy tried to argue.
"Eh!? That dizziness wasn't just me?" Teruteru asked. "Everyone felt the same dizziness... that's weird!"
"E-Even if it's just a coincidence... it feels too good to be true..." The timid and awkward Mikan Tsumiki said.
"So you're saying it's not just a coincidence, then." Byakuya said.
"...Hm?" Sonia tilted her head in confusion.
"Meaning... we can only speculate who's responsible for this strange phenomenon."
"Hah! I don't know what you're so worried about, but that doesn't sound like a huge deal..." The muscular and loud Nekomaru Nidai said.
"...What do you mean?" Kazuichi asked.
"I mean it's a minor problem. Instead of trying to figure out why we're here, we should try to figure out why we can't leave..."
"Huh? Whaddya mean we can't leave?" The athletic and spunky Akane Owari asked.
"Eh!? S-Seriously!?" Teruteru asked, panicked.
The mysterious girl made her way out from behind the teacher's desk and toward the door. She gripped the handle with both hands and pulled. The door simply clattered. She sighed. "Damn. We're actually stuck."
"...Huh, why!?" Mahiru asked.
"A little while after I got here, I tried to leave to go take a shit..." Nekomaru explained. "But that door wouldn't budge at all!"
"Hey, hey... what's going on?" Kazuichi asked.
"Even with all my might I couldn't open it!" Nekomaru continued. "It'd be absolutely impossible for all of you..."
"Eh? What do you mean you couldn't open it?" The youthful and childlike Hiyoko Saionji asked. "Why? That's not possible!"
"S-She's right! It's impossible!" The unknown boy said. "Because... when I went through the door, it opened normally... It wasn't locked at all...!"
"Ditto for me..." The mysterious girl added.
"Though I don't understand what forces are at work here... There's no denying that we have been locked inside this classroom." Peko decided.
"Wh-What do you... mean...?" The unknown boy asked.
"M-Maybe we're... getting mixed up... in something dangerous?" Kazuichi guessed.
It was at this point that Nagito finally decided to throw in his opinion. "Or perhaps... Doesn't it make more sense to think that this is the entrance exam?"
"The entrance exam?" The unknown boy repeated. "You mean, Hope's Peak Academy's?"
"But... according to Hope's Peak Academy, no such entrance exam exists." Sonia recalled.
"They may say that publicly, but it's possible that this is actually a special entrance exam." Nagito insisted.
"Ah, you're wrong. This is not an entrance exam." A soft voice responded.
"What was that just now?" Byakuya asked.
The short and short-tempered Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu stepped forward. "Hey, fatass... Why'd you make that cutesy voice all of a sudden?" Nagito also noticed the mysterious girl scrutinizing the yakuza. Perhaps her talent had something to do with law enforcement?
"I won't dispute your blunt remark about my weight. But that voice you just heard was not mine..."
"...Huh? Then whose is it?" Akane asked.
"Um, it's actually mine!"
"Who's there!? Where are you!?" Nekomaru asked.
"It sounds like it came from behind the teacher's desk." Chiaki noticed.
"There wasn't anything back there when I checked." The mysterious girl told them.
"All right! I see everyone has arrived! Let's begin!" The voice decided. While everyone may have arrived, Nagito noted that the dark and grandiose Gundham Tanaka had not spoken in a while, which meant this new voice must have been watching them rather than just listening in.
Everyone turned their attention to the front of the room. In a swirl of light, a stuffed white rabbit jumped out from behind the desk, wearing a pink dress and carrying a magic stick.
"What... is that...?" Sonia asked, shocked.
"Um... It looks like a stuffed animal." Mahiru said.
"That's right, I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal. Magical Miracle Girl Usami... A.K.A. Usami! I may not look like it, but I am your squeezably soft teacher. Nice to meet you all!"
"H-Huh? Am I hallucinating?" Teruteru asked. "Am I the only one who's seeing this?"
"Nah, I see it too..." Kazuichi assured him.
"What's with this talkin' Chihuahua!?" Akane burst.
"Eh!? That's a Chihuahua!?" Ibuki asked.
"...Does everyone here know what a rabbit it?" Usami asked patiently. "It's a lovable animal that's very fluffy and soft. That's what I am! A singing, dancing, talking rabbit mascot!"
"H-Hold on! Let me process this first!" Teruteru demanded.
"Okie-dokie!"
Teruteru turned from the rabbit and to the rest of the class. "Um... what do you guys think? I-I've never seen a stuffed animal that can sing, dance, and talk before..."
"I-It's probably remote controlled or something..." Fuyuhiko guessed. "Don't act like such a pussy over a child's toy."
"E-Even if it's remote controlled, doesn't it look too lifelike? That's pretty advanced for a toy..." Kazuichi noted. Nagito smiled. A fitting observation for the Ultimate Mechanic.
"Its movements and mannerisms are not the issue." Byakuya said. "More importantly, based on what it just said... It seems you know something about our current situation...!"
"Of course I do! I'm the lead teacher of this school trip!"
"School trip...? Hey... what do you mean, school trip?"
"A large group of students go on a chaperoned trip with a lead teacher! It's the biggest event of the school year!"
"W-We're not looking for such a literal answer..." The unknown boy responded.
"Now let's depart for the fun school trip!" Usami announced. She began to wave her stick in the air, and the whole classroom started shaking. The roof and walls split from each other and unfolded, revealing that the classroom was in the middle of a tropical beach. Everyone stood stunned by the sudden scenery.
"...Huh?" The unknown boy looked around, dazed. "What... the hell is this!?"
"Um... Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What!?" Teruteru shouted.
"This is a joke... right?" Kazuichi asked.
"Wh-Where are we!?" Ibuki begged.
"Huh? Wh-What's going on!?" Mahiru asked.
"Everyone! Please stay calm!" Usami told them. "There is no reason to panic! Seeeeee? Look around! Feast your eyes on this beautiful ocean... It's like your heart is being washed clean, isn't it...? It washes away everything... even all the bad things..."
"Hold on, give us all the details...!" Peko demanded. "Where in the world are we?"
""Where," you ask...? Well, obviously we're... "Out where it's better! Out where it's wetter!"... Out by the sea!"
"I-I understand that this is the sea, but... What are we doing here!?" Mikan asked.
"You know... You're throat's gonna get hoarse if you keep screaming like that."
"But... We were just at school and now we are by the sea... This is impossible..." Sonia said.
"Please do not worry. The school trip has just started! That's all!"
"But, like, why are we on a school trip all of a sudden!?" Ibuki asked. "You totally skipped alllll the stuff that comes before!"
"Sh-She's right...!" The unknown boy agreed. "We're all supposed to be attending Hope's Peak Academy."
"Ah, Hope's Peak Academy... I seeeee, I seeeee... You don't say... You guys are feeling unsure about Hope's Peak Academy. Then, in that case... Please forget about Hope's Peak Academy! That's why we're having a school trip in the first place!"
"...Huh?"
"The hell do you mean we should forget about it!?" Fuyuhiko snapped.
"Hey... what are you?" Byakuya asked. "Just what are you scheming?"
"Wha-Wha-Whaaat!? I'm not scheming anything! I'm doing this for everyone's sake! I'm praying from the bottom of my heart that hope will grow within everyone's heart! There's nothing dangerous on this island whatsoever! So please, there is no need to worry at all!"
Nagito stepped forward. "Island...? Did you just say "island"?"
"Yup, and it certainly is beautiful. It was prepared just for us, an island free from other people and danger."
"Are you saying... this island is uninhabited?" The unknown boy asked.
A bad thought struck Nagito's mind, one he had to express. "Perhaps... you brought us to this uninhabited island to make us kill each other...!?"
"Ha-wa-wa!? K-Kill each other!? Nuh-uh! No way! Bloody business, like causing violence or inflicting pain, is a big no-no on this island! Even the word "kill"... Just saying it horrifies me! Kyaah! So scary!"
"Then... what is this "school trip" you mentioned?" Byakuya asked. "What do you intend for us to do on this island?"
"All righty! I shall announce it to everyone right now! While you all relax on this island paradise, you must get along and strengthen your bonds with one another! That is the main rule on this heart-throbbing school trip!"
"Heart-throbbing school trip...?" Byakuya repeated. He looked like his heart had stopped throbbing.
"Spend these peaceful and relaxing days nourishing hope and lazing about, free from pain, free from suffering... Truly, this lovey-dovey heart-throbbing school trip is... everyone's homework!"
"Wha-! What the hell does that even mean...!?" The unkown boy snapped.
"Now then... Let the heart-throbbing school trip begin!"
I stepped off the boat and onto the dock, my legs still a little shaky, with my minimal luggage in my hands. I was greeted with four of my friends, Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko, and Chiaki. They all looked the same as the last time I saw them. Well, Chiaki got a fresh change of clothes, but that was really it, and it was her usual style anyway. The others looked sharp in their Future Foundation suits, though.
"Hey, guys. Long time, no see." I stepped forward and pulled them into a group hug.
"Nice to see you too, Al." Makoto said as I squeezed the life out of him.
"Hmph. At least you smell better than the last time I saw you." Byakuya said.
I stepped back to let them breath. "So, what's the sitch?"
"Well, obviously, if it were easy to explain, we would have done so by now." Kyoko explained. "You understand the basics, though, right?"
"Something's affecting the program, but it doesn't seem related to the Junko virus." I recalled from their brief description. "That about right?"
"You should see it for yourself." Chiaki decided.
"Well, that is what I came here for." I said. "Lead the way."
They lead me to the central island. In order to reach it, we had to take a bridge. To avoid messing up the ecosystem or something, the Future Foundation only set up temporary floating bridges. It seemed stable enough, but I didn't really trust it, so I picked up my pace when crossing. On the central island, we made our way to the administration building, which acted as the head office for Future Foundation on this archipelago. It was also where the project was being held.
After spending a few minutes walking through hallways and up stairs, I found myself in the Observation Office, which is the name we gave to the room right next to the Pod Room that allows us to view what's going on inside the virtual world. Inside, I found even more of my friends.
"Chihiro!"
"Al!" My friend got up from his seat at the computer to greet me. We hugged for a moment. It had been too long since I last saw him. When we pulled away, he looked me over. "Are you okay? You look awful..."
I laughed. "I've seen better days. But I gotta say, getting to see you has really got me better." I took a moment to look him over, too. It was a small difference, but he was a little taller than last I saw him, a little bigger. He had continued working out, even in my absence. And, of course, he looked adorable in a suit. I looked around the room. "Hey, Taichi."
"Hello, Al." The older man smiled tiredly. After being rescued from Towa, he decided to stay with his son and help with the Neo World Program. Even if some of the code they worked with was a little over his head, he was still a software designer. Also, I doubt he wanted to be separated from his child anytime soon. Most of the captives with surviving family shared that sentiment. The only exceptions were Komaru Naegi, obviously, and Fuhito Kirigiri and Aloysius Pennyworth, both of whom were trying to run the 14th Division while Kyoko and Byakuya were occupied. And yeah, when I say all the captives, that includes...
A meow sounded as I turned to Celeste, sat down at a table enjoying her afternoon tea, with her precious cat snuggling on her lap. I suppose I couldn't be too judgmental of the fact she brought her cat. I mean, I still had Toko's stinkbug Kameko with my luggage. "Hey, Celeste, Grand Bois Cheri."
"Hello, Albert. Nice to see you." She said somewhat dismissively. Grand Bois Cheri meowed at me, and I could've sworn he was looking down his nose at me.
I ignored them and turned to the final person in the room. I had managed to convince my friend Miaya Gekkogahara to watch over the project as well. I mean, she helped design the program, so why wouldn't she? As the former Ultimate Therapist, she had quite a bit of interest in the project already. All I had to do was call her up and ask for a favour, and that was that. "Hey, Miaya. How's it going?"
Her eyes met mine as she buried her face in her scarf. An avatar of Usami appeared on the computer screen at the front of her wheelchair. The Usami avatar answered me. "Hello, Albert! I watched over the project, just like you asked. Everything seemed to be going smoothly... until just a little while ago, that is."
"Speaking of, now that you've said hello to everyone, do you think we could get into exactly why we called you here?" Byakuya asked, pointing at one of the monitors.
It seemed to be a status list for each of the students. There were various bars measuring their hunger, thirst, temperature, and such. Green text off to the side read ACTIVE, which meant everyone was still alive. If they weren't in the program or were unconscious, the text would change to yellow and read INACTIVE, and if anyone died, it would change to red and read CRITICAL. So I knew no one was dead prematurely.
"What's the trouble?" I asked.
"Hang on..." Chihiro moved the cursor over to that monitor, and began scrolling down. It was all in Gojuon ordering, the Japanese equivalent of alphabetical order, with their surnames first. The only exception was the Imposter, who was represented by "?" and was thus at the top of the list. Eventually, I noticed a surname I didn't recognize.
"...Yugami? Maki Yugami?" I read. Even with the translator Toshihide left in my head, I knew very little of Japanese etymology. Still, even I knew that that... was a weird name.
"Do you know her?" Byakuya asked.
"No... No, I never heard that name before in my life." I answered. "Trust me, I'd remember." I checked a security monitor showing the Pod Room. There was no movement, just fifteen pods. "How did she get in the program, anyway?"
Chihiro shook his head. "That's just it, we have no idea. We only have fifteen pods set up. And the system isn't wireless, so she couldn't be coming in from somewhere else."
"Might I make a suggestion?" Celeste said, standing as Grand Bois Cheri leapt from her lap. "I noticed something that I think might be important."
"Oh, yeah?" I asked.
She pointed back to the status screen. "I may not be an expert, but I learned a lot about names while trying to come up with my own. Every name means something, and the meaning of a name can tell you a lot about the one who carries it. Case in point..."
I looked to the name again. "Maki Yugami..." The kanji making up Maki were the kanji for True and Hope, respectively. Yugami was a homonym for the Japanese word for a warp, or a distortion. "...Distortion of True Hope."
"It sounds like something Junko would come up with, does it not?" Celeste pressed.
"You think the Junko virus created her, after all?" Kyoko asked.
"Why not? Chihiro created Alter Ego and his sister, Alter Ego Chiaki. Who's to say an AI of Junko couldn't copy some of that code to create an entirely new identity?"
"I don't know..." Makoto muttered. "Could it really be that simple?"
"Actually... That makes some sense." Taichi said, nodding to his son.
"Yeah, actually." Chihiro agreed. "We noticed that the files for this Maki Yugami were buried a lot deeper in the system than the Remnants. We're still trying to get to them, but they're hidden behind so many firewalls, it's taking longer than expected."
"...Meaning what, exactly?" I asked.
"Well, she didn't get in through a pod, and the Junko virus seems to be protecting her files. Everything seems to point to Celeste's theory being true."
I considered this as Chiaki stepped forward. "How much of the system has Junko taken over?"
"Quite a bit." Taichi sighed. "Even with Albert's intel, it still took us by surprise. Whoever designed this virus was an expert, that's for sure."
"Keep it at bay." I commanded. "I don't know how this programming magic works, but just keep it back as long as you can. The second it takes control of the whole system, we lose."
"Right. We don't need to panic, yet. If I had to estimate, we're still in control of a little over 50% of the system, but our defences should be enough to slow it down quite a bit."
"You can count on us!" Chihiro said confidently as him and his father returned to their labours.
We stood around for another few seconds, unsure of what to do next, since calling me here didn't seem to help with anything.
Celeste started looking around. She muttered, "Oh, where did that damn cat get off to, now?"
Byakuya smirked. "Having a hard time keeping the pampered puss on a leash, huh?"
I turned to him. "Oh, Byakuya, you shouldn't talk about yourself like that." My remark earned a few chuckles throughout the room.
He sighed. "At least you haven't lost your wit."
"Bad cat!" Celeste said, kneeling next to the desk Chihiro and Taichi were working at. "Get out from under there! I am not crawling over to get you!"
"What's he doing?" Makoto asked.
"Ugh, he's just staring at the computer and... Okay, yes, come here." She picked up her cat and rose to her feet, huffing. "What am I going to do with you...?"
"You said he's been acting weird since we got to the island, right?" Chiaki asked.
"Right. Maybe it's the tropical air, or something." She guessed. "I guess we won't know unless we get a veterinarian to look at him."
I turned to Miaya. "How about you? You know anything about animal minds?"
She shook her head as the Usami avatar responded. "Sorry, but there's a very big difference between humans and cats. What about you, you're a psychologist, aren't you?"
I shook my head. "I'm allergic to cats, so I don't spend that much time with them. Speaking of, if you could keep him away from me, you'd have my gratitude."
Celeste nodded. "I suppose I'll return to my tea, now."
I watched her walk off before turning back to the monitor. I could see the in-game camera footage where all of the students, dazed and confused, were going around introducing themselves. Hajime, like I remember, was collapsed on the beach. I looked over, and there I saw her... Maki Yugami. She was having a conversation with Alter Ego Chiaki. She didn't seem worried about the fact that she was on a tropical island, or anything like that. Maybe she was just an AI...
"The only question is, why is she here?" I wondered. "I mean, she wasn't in the game's events, so how is my presence related to this?"
"There's not really any way to know that." Makoto said. "I mean, since our memories were stolen, we have no way to know what you did during your time at Hope's Peak."
"For all we know, Albert could've influenced Junko somehow before she made the virus." Kyoko agreed.
I stared at the screen. That didn't sit right with me. I mean, yeah, I imagine I had some effect on Junko before the Tragedy, but due to Toshihide's manipulations, I didn't get the chance to stop her. What didn't sit right with me, though, was the fact that she didn't seem to act too much different during the first killing game. Yeah, she was a fucking loon, but she didn't change the motives, or add bullshit rules, or anything. The only difference was that she let me participate. So why, after all those similarities, was her AIs behaviour the one thing that ended up different?
Butterfly effect works in mysterious ways, I guess.
"She's also lying quite a bit..." Celeste noted.
I turned to her, then looked back at the screen. "Really?"
"Yes. If I spent some more time observing her, I think I could pinpoint exactly which topics she's lying about."
Byakuya stepped up. "Well then, why don't we split up our roles? Chihiro and Taichi have their hands full fighting the virus. Makoto, Kyoko, Al, and I will investigate exactly what's going on, and whether or not this is an AI or something worse. Celeste, in the mean time, can watch the program to keep tabs on this Maki Yugami."
I smirked. "Wow, you're almost as good a leader as the Imposter."
His face paled as he sneered at me. "Don't even joke about that... There's no contest between me and that... glutton."
Celeste shook her head. "Well, anyway, I suppose I have nothing better to do. I can keep an eye on the program."
"I will, too." Chiaki insisted. "That's the whole reason I'm here. I have to make sure my classmates are okay. We can work in shifts."
Miaya's face lit up as Usami said, "I'll help, too! I did help design the program, after all! At the very least, I can keep note on the Remnant's mental state."
I scanned the room. "Alright. It seems we all have our places. Let's get to work." I turned one last time to the screen to see Maki Yugami.
Whether or not she was an AI created by Junko... or something else entirely... whatever the case, I got a feeling my troubles weren't over yet.
This wasn't the end for the battle between hope... and despair...
A new OC!? Why, I haven't seen anything like this since the great Susumu discovery of September '18!
For me, it just wouldn't make sense for Albert to enter the Neo World Program. I know he never played DR3, but I was spoiled on the twist involving them before I saw it happen, and since Albert originated as a self-insert, I think it's safe to assume he also knows the conclusion. So, what would it change? Why would he enter the program? Besides, if we need someone to manage the kids, that's Alter Ego Chiaki's job. The closest I could see Albert doing was also making an Alter Ego of himself to serve in the game, but that just felt weird. So, I introduce, Maki Yugami!
And I assure you, whatever your initial impression of Maki is, good or bad, it's likely intentional. By the end of the story, you'll see why... Also, her talent will be revealed in the next chapter. So much was thrown in right at the start, it would have been awkward to throw in her talent.
Anyway, if you're still on for the ride, then let's go. In the next chapter, we'll explore Jabberwock Island.
