Nothing too crazy happens this chapter, but I still consider it important. The moments focused on in this one are mostly the same as they happen in the game, but I decided to include them since Maki's (and to a lesser extent, Twogami's) reactions provide a little difference, and I can use the opportunity to show some relationship development for her.

In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter 17

Moving Forward

Hiyoko awoke early that morning. She had something that she felt she needed to do, but it would take a while and a lot of hard work. Still, she did her best, and by the end of it she was quite proud in her piece, even if it didn't quite look how she envisioned it in her head.

The sun had rose only a half ago, but she saw no need to head back to bed to try to get some sleep. The others would be arriving at the dining hall shortly. Seeing nothing else to do, she turned to head toward one of the tables to take a seat. However, when she turned, she saw someone heading up the stairs.

"Wah! Hajime!? You're already here!?"

"Hiyoko, you're the only one here..." He noted. "What are you acting so anxious about?"

"I-I'm not acting anxious... I-I just happened to be awake by coincidence, so... I just came here early."

"I-I see..." His attention was caught by what was set up in the corner of the room. "...Wh-What the heck is this!?"

A panel filled with flowers was framed by skulls, bones and candles, giving off an atmosphere of death. In the centre was a pinboard covered in photos taken by Mahiru.

Hiyoko cleared her throat and did her best acting. "Woooooooow, what's this!? What an adoooooorable decoration! I don't know who did it but they must've spent so much time and effort doing their best to make it. Kyahahaha! Mahiru's gonna be happy, too! I don't know who did this but we should be grateful to them! Riiiiiight?"

"...Hey Hiyoko... did you-" Hajime's inquiry was interrupted when more students arrived.

"Ah... good morning." Mikan greeted. "It's so rare to run into you two here. Hm-hm-hm, what are you looking at?" She moved closer and stared at the piece. "...Huh. KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! What are these... these horrifying photos!?"

"Yo! What happened!?" Nekomaru shouted as he arrived.

"What's up, what's up!? Is it a brawl!?" Akane asked, right behind him.

"What is going on here?" Byakuya asked as he joined them. "It's too early in the morning for this ruckus."

"This... this is baaaaad...!" Mikan whined. "P-Please... take a look at th-those photos!"

"Photos?" His eyes followed hers. "...Woah, that is... an interesting display piece..."

"Muhhh...! This is clearly an insult against Mahiru...!" Nekomaru decided.

"I dunno who the hell did this crap... but they've got a lotta nerve..." Akane growled.

Mikan looked pale as she backed away. "Haaaaah... this is too much... To actually treat... Mahiru's photos... like this...!"

Hiyoko was shocked, this wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Before she could say anything, Hajime jumped to her defence. "Ah, everyone... I understand how you feel, but it's probably..."

"Good morning, everyone!" Sonia greeted.

"Good mongrel!" Ibuki added before opening her eyes. "Kyyyaaaaaa! What's with those nasty photos!? They're giving off a crazy huge ominous aura!"

"There is no excuse... this is too terrible!" Sonia agreed. "How could someone be capable of such a heartless trick...!"

"No, seriously... it's just..." But Hajime was again interrupted, this time by Hiyoko.

"...I know, right? Seriously, it's just the worst. Jeez, I wonder who the hell did it."

"...Huh?"

"You're right... There's no way... Mahiru will be happy... with this..."

"She won't just be unhappy..." Nekomaru said. "I'm sure she'll be so angry she'll cry tears of blood...!"

"Regardless, we can search for the culprit later." Byakuya decided. "Right now, let's take this down."

"S-Seriously... this is..." But Hajime was interrupted yet again when Maki and Chiaki walked in.

"Tears of blood?" Maki repeated. "Do I even want to know what we're talking about?" She paused when she saw the piece. "...Huh. Interesting. A little macabre, sure, but... I think I like it. It's a nice reminder."

Everyone gave her an odd look. Chiaki nodded. "Yeah. Someone took their time to make this memorial so we can mourn for Mahiru. You can't take it down."

"...Huh? Mourn Mahiru?" Mikan repeated.

"Well, yeah, I mean..." Maki paused. "I'm not exactly an art critic, but focus a little more on the meaning behind it, rather than how it looks. It was just made a little clumsily."

"Despite their clumsiness, I'm sure whoever made this probably did their very best..." Chiaki agreed. "If you look at it carefully... don't you feel like you can sense their feelings? Mahiru's not alone... She'll be with us now and forever... This... was probably made with those feelings... So I definitely think... Yep. It's a nice decoration."

"After hearin' you say that... I'm startin' to feel the same thing!" Akane said.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I don't really wanna take it down!" Hiyoko cried out.

"...Huh? U-Um... Was the person who made this...?" Sonia asked.

"M-Mahiru... was really... really nice... She politely... taught me... how to tie my kimono..."

"She was... really good at taking care of others..." Mikan agreed.

"Mahiru's... probably lonely by herself... So I wanted to tell her... that she's not alone... even if she's in heaven..."

Tears streamed down Nekomaru's face. "Guuuuuuuuuh... Hiyoko... y-youuuuuu...!"

"I-I did... wanna... make it look better... but... But... unless I'm dancing... I'm so clumsy at whatever I do... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I'm sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyy!"

"I-I am terribly sorry..." Sonia apologized. "I spoke out of turn without considering your feelings at all...!"

"Sorry Hiyoko." Akane said simply.

"I-I'm sorrryyy...!" Mikan apologized.

"Right, of course." Byakuya agreed. "Upon closer inspection, I can see you put a lot of effort into this."

"Let's keep it around until we get off this island." Maki suggested.

"...No, it should come with us when we get off this island, too." Sonia added. "It would be a waste to leave behind... such wonderful photos."

Hiyoko sobbed a few more times before asking, "...So we're not gonna take it down?"

"Of course not! We'd never do that!" Nekomaru assured her.

"Weren't you guys the ones who started shoutin' that?" Akane asked.

After a moment, Hiyoko wiped her face and smiled. "Fine, then I'll forgive you all! Except Mikan, of course!"

"Wh-Why!? Why are you so strict with me!?"

"Maaaaan, it's so unexpected..." Ibuki remarked. "I really can't imagine Hiyoko being so diligent and earnest about something!"

"Wh-Who... cares about that...?" She sputtered.

"...Hiyoko has a very kind heart." Sonia said.

"K-Kind, oh c'mon... It's not like that... Jeez! Stop it already!"

"Haha, you don't hafta be embarrassed!" Akane said.

"Seriously, stop it! Don't tease me!"

"Awww... Hiyoko is so adorable when she's embarrassed!" Mikan teased.

"Shut the fuck up you pig-faced troll!"

"Eeeeek! Why only me!?"

"Guess I should've seen that coming." Maki said with a sigh. "I guess we can go with "Kind, to an extent"."

"It's very... like you guys to settle things like this." Chiaki said.

"...Hm? Really?" Hajime asked. "It feels like we made such a huge fuss about it and finally settled things."

"...That's just like you guys. Little by little, we're trying to understand and find the good in each other. That's the reason why we can move forward... without feeling despair toward our situation... Yeah, you guys are all splendid."

Gundham chose that moment to walk in. "Hmph, I have arrived. Apologies for the wai- What the...!? What is this object that is releasing such a foul aura!? Hm, a malice clings to Mahiru even after her death... We'll be sucked in if we look directly at it!"

Nagito arrived just behind Gundham, and nodded in agreement. "...Wow, this is a... very hopeless object. It doesn't belong in a hopeful place like this at all... It's absolutely brimming with malice... Let's just hurry up and destroy it. I can't stand to look at it for even one more second."

"Stand aside!" Gundham ordered the crowd. "I shall shatter this barbaric, blasphemous false idol to pieces!"

"...Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Just as quickly as she stopped, Hiyoko began crying out once more.

Hajime turned to Chiaki. "Now that those two are here, do you still think we're splendid?"

"Hmm... Looks like it's gonna take a little more time."

"...I completely agree."

"I wouldn't hold your breath. We're more disorganized then a train wreck." Maki remarked as she stared upon the ensuing chaos. "Still... I guess we're the only ones crazy enough to accept each other. I guess that's as good as we're going to get."


Eventually, the chaos died down, and everyone settled in for a quiet breakfast. It was clear nobody wanted to talk about what had transpired the previous day. And so they sat in silence.

This silence was interrupted quite awkwardly when Akane leaned back in her seat and announced, "Phew, I'm stuffed! I can't eat another damn bite!"

"My word..." Byakuya muttered. "You have no sense of pacing, do you? Aren't you worried about choking or something?"

"I never get worried!"

"You don't!?" Ibuki asked. "Wait, what about Fuyuhiko!?"

"Is he really all right?" Sonia wondered. "I was so, so concerned... I could not sleep at all last night..."

"Plus, if his fate is in Monokuma's paws, I'm even more concerned...!" Nekomaru added.

"Ugh... If I only could've tended to his wounds somehow..." Mikan cried. "I wish I wasn't so useless..."

"...Well, I don't think you guys should worry about it..." Akane said.

"I suppose you're right. Even if unintentionally..." Maki said. "Worrying over something out of our hands won't do us any good. We'll just have to, and I want it on record that even I can't believe I'm saying this, put our faith in Monokuma for now."

"Right! So with that in mind... Leave the rest to me! I'll question Monokuma and avenge Fuyuhiko!"

"...Actually, I take it back. I don't think we're on the same page, after all."

"What vengeance?" Nekomaru asked. "You just want to test your skill...!"

"Well... yeah!"

"Haha... She flat out admitted it..." Nagito said.

"Okay everyone!" Monomi called out, appearing out of nowhere. "Can I have your attention please!?"

"Oh it's you, Monomi... what do you want...?" Nekomaru muttered.

"Man, the fun mood's over now thanks to you." Hiyoko shot.

"Huuuuh? Did I just ruin the mood!? Jeez, don't treat me so harshly! I did my very best today too!"

"...Hey, who the hell're you?" Akane asked. "We're talkin' about somethin' important, so go away."

"Okay, I'm sorry... Wait, nooooo! I definitely don't wanna be treated like an outsider!"

"Just what do you want?" Hajime asked. "What do you mean by, "I did my very best"?"

"Ah, you finally asked me! Well, once again I've defeated another Monobeast! How do you like me now? I worked hard, didn't I!?"

Nagito realized it first. "If you've defeated a Monobeast, that means..."

"That's right! You are now able to visit yet another island!... So let's all live happily ever after with each other this time, okay? No more getting tricked by Monokuma... No more thinking about leaving this island... Let's all live together peacefully as best friends!" She paused, and stared at the faces of her students. "Huh? Are you guys thinking about leaving the island, even though I just said not to!?"

"More importantly, Monomi, what happened to Fuyuhiko!?" Sonia asked.

"...Huh, Fuyuhiko? Um... You see... I... don't really know..."

"You're part of that mysterious World Ender organization, aren't you?" Gundham asked.

"That's the organization that brought us to this island, right?" Hiyoko asked. "Since you're the one who brought us to this island, that's gotta be it. Hey, I don't know if you're a rabbit or a pig, but just what are you planning!?"

"This is a great opportunity...!" Nekomaru said, standing up. "It's time you finally filled us in...!"

"Ugh... what a dilemma..." Monomi muttered. "But... that's the one thing I can't say... Truly, this is the tragedy of middle management!" With that, she disappeared.

"She ran away again!" Ibuki snapped. "She's always like this when things get inconvenient for her!"

"Oh well, who cares about Monomi?" Nagito asked. "More importantly... She mentioned a new island... What should we do?"

"I do not think we should be exploring when Fuyuhiko is in danger..." Sonia said.

"But we must move forward, no matter what despair stands in our way! That's what hope should be!"

"What "hope"...?" Hajime asked. "You always say that just before you lead us into a trap..."

"I'm also worried about Fuyuhiko, but... is it really okay if we just stay here and do nothing?" Chiaki asked. "...Isn't it better if we do what we can?"

"What we can, huh... She's right... Let's try to find a way off this island before he comes back."

"You are right..." Sonia agreed. "Fuyuhiko will not recover any faster if we just stand around and do nothing."

"Then it's decided." Nagito said. "Let's explore and search for a new hope!"

"So wouldn't it be faster to just beat up the rest of the Monobeasts and search all the islands in one go?" Akane asked. "If that strange-lookin' rabbit can defeat one, it should be easy for us too!"

"...Hey, don't think about doing anything reckless." Nekomaru warned.

"Anyway, let's begin!" Nagito pushed. "Let's open the way to a hope-filled future with our very own hands!"


The third island seemed to have some sort of "dystopian wasteland" theme going on. It was a desert island, with only a few patches of vegetation throughout, and most of the buildings were the kind of places you could find in a city, albeit decrepit. This fact was made even clearer to Hajime as he walked to an area labelled "Electric Avenue." There were a bunch of street booths filled with electric appliances at the end of a narrow alleyway. Machines and other parts were cluttered together on display.

Still, Hajime decided it was best to search around. It would be perfect if they could find something that could be used to contact the outside world. Joining him in this area was Chiaki and Maki.

"...Soda Pop would've loved this place." Maki noted.

"Yeah... He would have..." Hajime agreed.

"...Well, not much we can do about that right now. All we can do is make sure the monsters responsible for this face justice."

"Right. And that starts with us getting off this island."

"You got that right." Maki tilted her head. "I wonder what she's up to?"

He turned and saw Chiaki fishing through a pile of electronics. "Chiaki, what happened? Are you looking for something?"

"...Yeah, I was wondering if there are any game consoles in here. Sometimes old hardware is treated like junk."

"Ah, so that's what you're doing."

"I already have a TV in my cottage, so it doesn't have to be a non-portable device... I'll settle for anything."

"If you do find something, let me know. I'll help you carry it back to your cottage."

"Yeah... I will."

"Heh, digging through trash for games." Maki couldn't help but smirk. "You can be a bit of a kid sometimes, Chiaki, you know that?"

"I'm not a kid. Besides, you can't say stuff like that, we're the same age." She countered.

"You don't know if that's quite true. I could be older than you, by just a little while. Oh, but I suppose we shouldn't be taking about this in front of Hajime."

"Why... does that matter?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? A true lady never reveals her age to a gentlemen."

"But I already know you're the same age as me. What do a few months matter?"

"Months, days, minutes." Maki shrugged. "Time adds up quickly. I mean, just look at these computers. They're probably only a couple years old, but they're treated like junk anyway." For emphasis, she kicked a nearby desktop over.

An idea dawned on Hajime." I know... if we can connect to the internet, we might be able to call for help with these...!" He quickly grabbed a laptop from the pile and booted it up, trying to see if it could find something. "...It's no use. Looks like it's not connecting."

"Boy, what a shocker..." Maki muttered.

Hajime pointed at the screen. "Usami X File... what is this?"

That caught Maki's attention. "What? Open it, open it!"

He ignored her pushiness and did so. "It's a document file... Based on the format... it looks like it's some kind of report."

About the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History.

This horrendous event originated... with some students of Hope's Peak Academy causing a revolt. The students of the Reserve Course Department were... dissatisfied with being treated differently than the primary department, and began to fight the academy. At first, the dispute was confined to the campus, and hopes were high that it would settle down someday... But things quickly escalated. Behind the scenes of that rebellion, a huge authority was exerting its influence... Eventually, it spread like an infection, provoking riots in various parts of the world. It was unlike any previous act of terrorism or coup d'etat... It seemed to have a much different purpose. However, no matter what we assume, we simply cannot apply reason to this subversive movement. Nonetheless, the destruction is not chaotic or disorganized... It is both purposeful and malicious. Ther-fore... it is a subvers-ve movement fu-l of despair. Hope's Peak Academy became the or-gin of this incident, and was forced to put an end to th-ir long history... As f-r the students who surviv-d, they w-re f-rce- to k-ll e-ch o-er as a lesson in despair.

Hajime groaned. The words beyond that were too garbled to make out. "But... what is this?"

"Hmm... how normal..." Monokuma noted as he appeared beside the students. "It's not normal like a dog barking. It's such a normal reaction that it's quite novel. Hey, can't you react with more gusto!? Don't you know how very, very important this scene is!?"

"Could it be...? Were you the one who created this file...?"

"...My my, what makes you think that?"

"B-Because... it's obviously the only thing I can think of! The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history... Riots in various parts of the world... And... Hope's Peak Academy getting destroyed...? It sounds like something stupid you'd make up."

"He's got you there." Maki said.

"And? And?" Monokuma pressed.

"What's Hope's Peak Academy's Reserve Course Department? I've never even heard of that before...!" Hajime snapped.

"...Huh, really? That's weird... of all people, you should definitely be the only one who knows about it..."

"Wh-What do you mean...?"

"I guess you forgot about it, along with the memories of your school life. So it can't be helped."

"...While we're on the subject of stupid things... that file said something about students who survived. Is that... is it referring to us? Then the rest of that file..."

"I wouldn't know an important story like that! Cuz the only thing I'm good for is being cute!" With that, he disappeared.

"Dammit...!" Hajime snapped. "He ran away again...!"

"Reserve Course... Students who survived..." Maki shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure whoever they are, they aren't connected to this situation." She craned her neck and stared at a nearby surveillance camera. "No one can help us at this point besides ourselves."

"D-Don't worry, it's going to be fine..." Hajime said, to himself more than anything. "I'm sure he's making all that up..."


"...Nagito." Maki greeted coldly as she stepped into the hospital.

"Hello, Maki."

"You know, this is the first time we've been alone together since Nekomaru and I tied you up. No hard feelings about that, I hope?"

He shrugged. "As long as you know you were just delaying the inevitable. Delaying my progress in creating the absolute hope that-"

"That can overcome any despair, yeah, I remember."

"Unless... delaying that is your hope, after all? If so, that would make you an agent of despair, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not here to debate philosophy with you, as fun as it may be. I'm here because Sonia told me that Mikan made a discovery here?"

Their conversation was interrupted when the doors of the hospital opened. Hajime entered, hesitating when he saw Nagito.

"You're late, Hajime. Looks like you're the last one." Nagito noted. "There are patient rooms lining the hallway, but everyone is apparently gathered at the room in the very back."

"...You're not going with them?" Hajime asked.

"Miss Sonia... As expected from the Ultimate Princess... She cordially asked me to come... She's very much in touch with the feelings of us common folk. Nevertheless... I know my place, and I'm not reckless enough to go along with her. Since it's going to be such a touching scene, a worthless thing like me would just be a nuisance, right?"

"At least he's self-aware..." Maki muttered. "I'll be in there, if you guys need me." With that, she walked through the doors to the hallway.

"...A touching scene?" Hajime repeated.

"Hajime... I'm jealous of you." Nagito admitted.

"J-Jealous? Of me?"

"You don't know what your talent is, but you're showing no distress and you're even openning up to everyone... That must mean you have a lot of confidence in yourself, right?"

"...Are you being sarcastic?"

"N-Nope! Not at all... But still... I do wonder what sort of talent you really possess. Since you've dragged it out this long already, I'm sure it must be an appropriately magnificent talent..."

"Wh-Who knows...? It's not like it's my fault for dragging this out."

"You're right... Ah, I'm sorry... I'm sorry for stopping you for such a foolish conversation... Please go on ahead. Take care."

Brushing him off, Hajime indeed continued down the hall, to the room that he was directed to. As he neared it, he could hear voices on the other side.

"Sounds like they're all really here but... What are they doing here?" To find his answer, he opened the door and stepped through.

When he saw what had everyone gathered there, he joined them in their shock. Sitting in the hospital bed in the room was Fuyuhiko, covered in bandages.

He stared mostly through the window at his bedside, only barely acknowledging his classmates. "What...? You all look like you've seen a ghost..."

"F-Fuyuhiko... are you all right?" Hajime asked.

"Heh... It's just a scratch."

"Th-That's not a scratch at all, though..." Mikan noted.

"Well, I'm relieved to see you!" Nekomaru said. "I was worried you were done for!"

"Heh... There's no way I'd die from something like this... There's no way... I can die..."

A moment of silence passed before Mikan began to explain to the newcomers, "Earlier... I asked Monokuma and he showed me his medical records. There's a lot of sword-related wounds... But... they were relatively light wounds. No organs or nerves were damaged... Considering how fiercely he was attacked... this is pretty miraculous!"

Maki chuckled. "You've got the devil's own luck, you know that?"

"...Who knows? Maybe it wasn't luck." Chiaki suggested. "Maybe... Peko gave her life to protect Fuyuhiko."

"She protected him... while she was getting attacked by that horde of marionettes!?" Ibuki gasped.

"But if she really wanted to protect Fuyuhiko at all costs... It's not strange to think... that she would've done that. No, I think it's better if we think about it like that. You think so too, right Fuyuhiko? That must've been what you thought... There's no way you can die, right?"

The boy didn't respond at first. He continued to stare out the window, forlorn. He rolled over in his bed, turning his back to the others. "Who knows...?"

Another moment of silence passed. Mikan suddenly said, "Um... I think Fuyuhiko should rest here for a while. His wounds haven't fully healed... so it'd be bad if he overexerted himself. No need to worry. I'll take care of him for the time being. I mean... that's what nurses are for."

"...You hear that, Fuyuhiko?" Akane asked. "Just relax and get some sleep. I'll be the one who avenges you!"

"Akane... Fuyuhiko has finally come back to us." Nekomaru said. "You better not do anything reckless... I can't stand... the thought of losing someone... any longer."

"I know that! I just hafta win, right!?"

"Heh... then do whatever you want!"

"H-Hey... Nekomaru...!" Hajime started.

"You're the kind of woman who refuses to listen once her mind is made up. I know that all too well... So do whatever you want. I don't care about you anymore. However... I'm never going to do "it" to you again!"

"..."It"?" Sonia repeated.

"Oh boy..." Maki sighed.

"P-Please keep your voices down!" Mikan begged.

"H-Hey... Wait a sec, Nekomaru... I-It was my first time... I never thought... something that feels sooooo good even existed in this world... M-My body still hasn't forgotten... And now you're sayin'... you're just gonna stop all of a sudden...? L-Look... my body's gettin' all hot again just thinkin' about "it"...!"

Maki looked skyward, her hands spread out, mouthing something that looked like, "Why am I surrounded by these people?"

"If you're not going to heed my warning, it's unfortunate but "it" must come to an end!" With that, Nekomaru stormed out of the room.

"H-Hold on! I... I can't live without "it"!" Akane followed close behind him, practically trying to cling to him.

"...I wonder what that was all about?" Sonia asked.

"I'd rather not think about that..." Maki muttered. "In any case..."

"Phew... it's finally quiet..." Mikan said. "It's such bad manners to raise your voice inside a hospital."

"...Humans are such foolish creatures." Gundham said.

Hajime noticed Hiyoko standing in the corner, quietly glaring at Fuyuhiko. "...Hey, Hiyoko?"

"...It's... nothing..."

Chiaki yawned. "Now that I have some peace of mind, I'm getting sleepy. I should go home for today."

"Same here... All that walking just wore me out..." Hajime agreed.

"Yeah... so let's go home... Let's go home... and get some sleep..." With that, she hung her head and started snoring on the spot.

"So what should we do?" Hajime asked. "Do you guys want to call it quits for today? We can talk about it tomorrow, I know we're all tired from all the walking we've done today."

"Um... please leave Fuyuhiko to me." Mikan said. "I will make sure he's nursed back to health... I will do my very best to nurse him back to health so I won't be hated!"

"Well, you're already halfway there, then." Maki remarked, giving Hiyoko an almost parental glare. She and the other students made their way to the door. Then, just before she left, she leaned in close to Mikan, her mouth just beside the Nurse's ear, and said as quietly as she could, "Keep a close eye on him. He hasn't said or done anything crazy yet, but most people in his situation don't usually keep their mental stability. If he even had much of that to begin with, that is."

"R-Right, of course... I'll make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous!" Mikan said, a little too loudly.

Maki flinched, and glanced around. If Fuyuhiko heard, he didn't give any sign. She sighed, and leaned in again. "Not just that, though. Sure, a suicide attempt is most likely, but... he might also take it out on others. And if you're the only person around... I'm just saying, you should be a little more vigilant for now. We don't need any more bodies showing up."

Mikan nodded, finally catching on. She managed to whimper out, "W-Well... Even so, i-if all he does is try to hurt me or something... Well, he p-probably won't do anything I've never had to deal with..."

Maki gave a look of pity. "...You've got a strange sense of humour, Mikan." She turned and started slowly walking off, but she looked at the Nurse over her shoulder. "I'm not sure what happened in your past to make you like this, but... I'm the closest thing we have to a resident therapist. If you need help, or even just someone to talk to... Please, don't hesitate to ask me. I swear on my name, I won't be upset. And it'll be free of charge, too."

Mikan stared after the girl, surprised by her response. After a moment of thinking, she shook her head, turned, and started searching the building for medical tools.


And with that, the new island has been revealed to us. Hiyoko's learning not to be as much of a snot, we learn more about the Tragedy, Fuyuhiko's okay, Maki's disgusted by sex jokes but also worried about both the Nurse and the Yakuza. Looks like everything's coming up roses for us. Hopefully it'll keep up, and nobody ends up pushing up roses in the future. *Laughs in Danganronpa*

In the next chapter, some new developments will play out.