Long time no see. I actually have an excuse for why this chapter took so long: My computer crapped it's pants last week, a few days before I planned to upload. As a sort of apology, though, this chapter is quite a bit longer than usual. Even if I didn't plan it that way.

Either way, I hope you enjoy.


Chapter 19

Helping Out

The next morning was very much the same as the day before. The tone was lighthearted, but more dull, as the lack of progress was making the students restless. However, something new was in store, a major difference. As Hajime entered the dining hall, he noticed the others had formed a crowd, and they all had their backs to him.

"...Hey, what happened?" He struggled to look over everyone's shoulders. When he finally got a clear look, he was surprised by what he saw.

Fuyuhiko stood, wearing his usual suit and an eyepatch over his right eye. He extended his hand in a greeting gesture. "I got something I wanna say!"

"...Fuyuhiko!? Is it okay for you to be moving around like this so soon!?" Hajime asked.

"Well... he shouldn't be okay..." Mikan said.

"Whatever I say after this point... I apologize in advance if I make a mistake! My last name is Kuzuryu! My first name is pronounced, "Fu-yu-hi-ko!" I'm still an inexperienced member of my family's business! From this point forward, I hope we get along so we can get to know each other better!"

"Just... what the hell was that?" Gundham asked.

"I-It's nothing, really... Just a greeting..."

"This is already weird..." Maki muttered.

"So... that eyepatch..." Byakuya pointed out.

"Ah... it's nothing." Fuyuhiko said.

"There's no way that's nothing, since... that eye is no longer..." Mikan trailed off.

"So you can't see out of it, huh..." Nekomaru muttered.

The Yakuza put on a brave face. "Heh... it's only one eye. Besides, don't I look like I gained some prestige or somethin'?"

"F-Fuyuhiko..." Sonia started. She was interrupted by Hiyoko.

"Why are you acting all cool and stuff! Don't you understand the position you're in right now!? Do you really think we'll forgive you that easily for what you did!? Don't you get it? It's your fault Mahiru is dead... No, not just Mahiru. Peko died because of you, too. It's all your fault!"

Fuyuhiko stared at the floor, unable to offer a response.

"U-Um... Hiyoko..." Mikan started. "We've finally been able to get together with everyone..."

"Huh? So what if we're all here? You better not say we're "friends" or something. There's no way a killer like him will ever be our friend!"

After a moment, Fuyuhiko finally looked up. "Yeah, you're right... It's all my fault... I already know that... It's my fault... that those two are dead..."

"Are you... planning to just give us your "so what?" attitude?"

"It's... not that..." He fell, folding himself into a deep bow and pressing his head against the floor.

"...F-Fuyuhiko!?" Hajime asked.

"Huh...? What the heck?" Hiyoko asked. "Hey, don't mess with me! Do you really think we're gonna forgive you if you just drop to your knees and cry!? Do you really think a half-assed apology will make us forget what you've done!?"

"No... I don't think that at all..." He muttered. One of his hands moved around, obscured by his body. Nobody was able to tell what he was doing until a pool of crimson spread out from under him.

"This is..." Ibuki started. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! It's blood! It's bloooooood!"

Mikan shrieked. "Fuyuhiko... has slit his own stomach!"

"Wh-What... what are you doing...?" Hiyoko asked.

Fuyuhiko slowly rose, clutching his wound, tears streaming down his face. "I-I didn't think... I'd be forgiven with such... a half-assed apology... But... if I don't do this... m-my feelings... won't feel resolved...!"

"You fool!" Nekomaru snapped. "That doesn't mean you should slice your stomach!"

"We must carry him to the hospital as soon as possible...!" Mikan ordered.

"Y-You're right! Someone, lend me a hand!"

"I'm on it." Maki said, handing Mikan her lab coat. As she moved to help Fuyuhiko, she said, "That's two coats I've had to ruin with your blood, now."

Fuyuhiko struggled against her and Nekomaru. "S-Stop it... I can walk there myself...!"

"There's no way you can walk!" Mikan snapped. "Haaaah... Even though I took the time to patch you up, now I need to sew your wounds all over again!"

The Yakuza finally relented. "Tch... I feel so ashamed... I-In the end... I made trouble for everyone again..."

"Wh-Who cares about that? Let's go!"

The four of them left the dining hall, with Maki and Nekomaru supporting Fuyuhiko, and Mikan trying to keep the coat around his wound.

Those that were left found themselves in awkward silence.

Eventually, Chiaki spoke up. "Hey Hiyoko, I've been thinking about this for a while but... What would Mahiru say about all this? I know you guys were best friends so what do you think?"

"What... would Mahiru say?" The smaller girl turned toward the photo display she put up before. "What would Mahiru say...? She'd probably get mad... really mad... And after she got mad..." She trailed off.

"Hmmm... This is a rare occurrence." Nagito finally said.

"If you're thinking about saying something inappropriate again... now's not the best time." Hajime warned.

"No, it's not that... Does anyone know where Akane is?" At that, everyone present looked around the dining hall.

"Ah... now that you mention it, she's gone." Ibuki realized. "It's so strange for her to not join us for breakfast."

"Hmm, I have a bad feeling about that... too." Chiaki said.

"A bad feeling...?" Hajime repeated.

"I mean... hasn't she been acting a little weird these past few days?"

"She's always weird." Gundham said.

"Mmm... but I'm a little worried, though."

With nothing else to talk about, the students all finished their meals and left, feeling uneasy.


Maki groaned as she and Nekomaru stepped out of the hospital. "I have to say, that's not how I planned to start my day."

"Yeah. I'm surprised at how reckless Fuyuhiko was, considering what Peko went through to protect him..." Nekomaru said.

Maki eyed her outfit. Her and Nekomaru gained quite a few bloodstains carrying Fuyuhiko across the islands. "...We should probably get back and change. I need to grab a clean lab coat, too."

"Right, the others have probably seen enough bloodstains for a lifetime." He agreed, before thinking. "Hmm... I'm impressed at how many of our classmates wear multiple layers in this heat. And even more impressed that none of them have collapsed yet."

"Says the guy in the thick leather jacket."

Nekomaru laughed. "You have a point. Maybe I shouldn't think too hard about it." They continued walking for another few minutes before he spoke again. "I gotta say, I'm also impressed at how you're able to put aside your grievances over Fuyuhiko to help him. That's admirable."

She shrugged. "I couldn't care less about Fuyuhiko as a person. As a factor in this game, though? That's different. Whether or not his apology earlier was genuine, he's still unstable and could snap at any moment. Growing up in a crime family, plus having your only friend die? Doesn't exactly scream "functional citizen" to me."

"I see. You're trying to keep an eye on him. Should we tie him up like we did with Nagito, then?"

Maki considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Honestly, I'd much rather deal with Fuyuhiko than Nagito. And I'm afraid that trick would only work once. If we did it again, the others would quickly figure out it was us. Even if they didn't, you'd probably just spill it again, somehow. Besides, tying someone up is a temporary solution. One way or another, we're going to have to face our problems eventually."

"...So, I can understand wanting to keep an eye on him, but..." Nekomaru paused. "If you're afraid of him doing something dangerous, is it really a good idea to leave him alone with Mikan?"

"I already warned her to be careful, but you're right. Once I get changed, I plan on heading right back. I already volunteered to help her out, after all." As she spoke, she gradually slowed her pace. She hesitated, then turned to look back. "Hmm... Maybe I should've have left in the first place. She's probably got her hands full with the stitching..."

Nekomaru smiled. "I'm proud of you, Maki."

"Huh?"

"You used to be so aloof. I always got the impression you were only ever thinking of yourself. But over time, it seems like you've improved considerably! You've made a bunch of friends, you're always working with us to solve the mystery of this island, and I feel like I can genuinely call you a friend!"

"...Jeez, you sound like my dad. But thanks. I guess it's not often I get praised for something other than my intellect. But even I'm not sure why I'm feeling this way. The stress of the game must be getting to me. Who knows, maybe after the next trial I'll become a complete saint."

"Maybe!" He said, turning to continue walking. "But, don't jinx it like that. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we don't need anymore murders."

Maki smirked as she followed. "Well, you can't speak for everyone if someone is secretly plotting a murder at the moment, can you?"

"Hmph. I can't say I like the way you think. But I guess that's part of your job description, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Even if someone isn't plotting a murder right now, you can guarantee someone will be after Monokuma reveals his next motive. Which, I might add, could be pretty soon given our timeline."

"I'm not exactly excited about that..."

"...You're worried about what Akane's going to do, aren't you?"

"Hah! You can read me like a book. I just don't want my athletes doing anything reckless."

"Hey, I'm with you there. I'd try to assure you that everything will be fine, but I must admit, I'm a little pessimistic when it comes to these things. Part of the job description, you know?"


As per usual, things were quiet in the observation room. Taichi was still at work with the cybersecurity. I was watching a bunch of teenagers on an island try and cope with death. Miaya was with me on that one. It was almost the end of her shift, and we had already talked extensively about my mental state.

"It's just stress." Was her conclusion, spoken through her Usami avatar.

"Really? That seems kinda obvious." I said. "I mean, we're all stressed, aren't we?"

"Maybe, but sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one. And while it's true everyone else is stressed as well... When was the last time you took any time for yourself?"

I had to concede she had a point.

"We all work in shifts. We take time to unwind, to rest, to recuperate. But you've purposely been overworking yourself, even before you arrived at this island. That's why you're suffering these symptoms. Have you ever put any thought into why you push yourself so hard?"

"Why? That's obvious, isn't it? I want to help rebuild the world, and bring it back to the way it was before the Tragedy. In order to do that, I have to stop the killing games, and put a stop to the Ultimate Despairs."

"Everyone else feels the same way. Are you sure that's all there is to it? Perhaps... you feel like you have something to prove?"

"Something to prove? What do you..." I trailed off as some memories started surfacing.

"I should just sit in the background where I belong. Heh... I don't know why I even tried... I don't know anything..."

"The only person I'm angry with is myself... because you're all fucking right! None of my plans worked. Not one... I couldn't save Sayaka, or Leon... I couldn't save Toko or Mondo... Or Taka... Or Hifumi... Or Hiro... And in the end, even after spilling my secret to Sakura... I still couldn't save her... I'm... fucking worthless..."

"The only thing that ever chose me was bad luck, and a loony scientist. Anytime I try to protect someone, there's a good chance that they end up dead, and if they don't, someone else probably will. On top of that, I'm fat. I'm afraid of the dark. I'm absent-minded. I'm not confident in myself! I've never been!"

"Congratulations, Albert. You are special. But not in any way you wanted to be. I don't think I've ever met someone as incompetent as you. You're just the Ultimate Loser."

"That's... That's a good question, actually."

At that moment, the door opened as Chiaki entered for her shift.

Miaya slowly wheeled toward the door. "We'll continue our talk another time, Al. For now, just be sure not to neglect yourself."

Chiaki held the door open for her, then made her way over and took a seat beside me.

"...Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm good. For now."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Well, we weren't getting anywhere with this. Might as well get right into it.

"So, I had an idea after I woke up this morning. Er, last evening. Whatever."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about Maki, and realized something I had forgotten. In every other case, this universe is exactly the same as the Danganronpa I know, except for things that I affected myself. Which means... Maki's existence must be tied to my actions somehow. Maybe she was some no-name at Hope's Peak who I managed to piss off or involve in the Tragedy in some way. But there's only one way we can find out."

"You're talking about me, right?"

"I still don't have any of my memories back. The others in my class have some memories restored, thanks to the Future Foundation's efforts, but I can only recall what little bit Toshihide unlocked for me before he left. And it's not like I could ask the Remnants, even if they weren't in the simulation. So... you're the closest person to me with full memories of your time at Hope's Peak."

"I'm sorry, Al." She said, looking away. "I really don't know anything about Maki."

"Well, I didn't think it'd be that easy. What I had in mind was more like... Do you think you could tell me more about myself, back then? What did I do, how did I behave, that sort of thing?"

"Let's see..." She was lost in thought for a moment. "You were always really quiet."

"Somehow, that's not surprising."

"Well, it wasn't just the normal, shy kind of quietness. I think it was because you just couldn't speak Japanese very well back then."

"Oh. That makes sense. During the killing game, Toshihide used his psychic powers to act like a translator for me, and afterwards he imparted me with his knowledge of the language. Before that, I would've had to learn it all manually."

"Yeah, you were always mixing up words and stuff. That's not to say you weren't shy, though. I think you were worse than I was before I arrived. But only with people outside of mine or Makoto's classes."

"Well, that's just par for the course with me."

"Outside of our classes, most of the students didn't seem to like you very much. I think it was because you were the only Reserve Course student allowed on the Primary Course campus, since you were Tomonaga's apprentice."

"Ah. So I earned scorn from my fellow Reserve Course students by getting special treatment, but wasn't accepted by the Ultimates since I wasn't talented. A classic "of two worlds" scenario. Except, less literal than usual, for me."

"Still, you always put on a brave face and tried to help everyone around you. Even though you seemed unsure of yourself, you were always willing to offer an ear to everyone. I think, in the long run, you helped my classmates more than I ever did."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short. You were important enough to them that when they thought you died, it kick-started their transformation, right? I know that's not exactly the best thing to hear, but it does make it obvious just how important you were to them. So, never... Never downplay the impact your connection can have. That kind of bond is one of the most powerful things in this world."

"...Thank you. That helps. I just..." She looked up and stared at the monitor showing the security footage of the Pod room. "I just hope we can bring things back to the way they were before, you know?"

"I know your friends can make it out of this. No matter what they have to endure. We just have to have hope until then. As for things going back to the way they were, though... That's impossible."

"Huh?"

"Every second, we move toward an uncertain future. Change is a part of life, one that's unavoidable. No matter how much we want to turn back the clock, to live the life we had before the change, it's impossible. There's no save point to be reloaded. That moment's gone forever. The past is in the past."

Chiaki's eyes fell to the floor.

"...But we can make something better out of our future. We can make a future where no one ever has to play these sick, twisted games ever again. A future we can spend with our friends, without having to send one of them to a war zone, or making them worry about us because we're pushing ourselves to the breaking point. Isn't that the kind of future you want to live in?"

She looked up and met my eyes. A small smile forced itself onto her face. "Yeah, you're right."

I returned a smile of my own. "That's what I wanna see. Now..." I slowly stood up. "I gotta use the bathroom. We can keep talking about this when I get back. We got all the time in the world, after all."

"Hey, Al?"

I stopped at the door. "...Yeah?"

"Do you really think a future like that is possible? Do you think we can get there?"

"I know we can. Rather, we will. We have to, for the people who died on our watch, and for the people we still have to fight for."

My response seemed to satisfy her, at least. I made my way out of the room to carry on my business.

I still wasn't sure where the happy middle was between my personal ideals and my promise to my friends, but I knew I'd find a way to make that future possible. I had to.


That evening, Maki returned to her cottage after her long shift at the hospital. She was barely inside for a minute when her doorbell rang. Groaning, she pulled out a scalpel she had picked up and held it behind her back as she opened the door a crack.

"Nice to have met ya!" Ibuki greeted. "It's the past tense of "nice to meet you"! You know, since we've already exchanged "nice to meet you"s!"

"Hello, Ibuki." Maki subtly returned the scalpel to her pocket. "Coming out of anyone else, that statement would feel threatening."

"Allow me to apologize for surprising you with my sudden visit... I'm sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!"

"...So what brings you here this late?"

"Um... Ibuki doesn't get it either... but it looks like... an invitation was sent to everyone..."

"...Invitation?"

"See, this thing." Ibuki produced a small card and passed it to Maki.

Invitation Ticket

9:00 p.m. at "Titty Typhoon".

Party for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's Recovery

"...Uh-huh. You're throwing a party?"

"I-I-I don't know what you're... talking about... at all... I-Ibuki just... just brought the invitation... Well then, Ibuki has some preparations so I'll go on ahead! I'll leave it to you!"

With that, the Musician dashed off, leaving Maki alone and confused.

"Jeez, she's a terrible liar. I don't think she could be more obvious if she just told the truth." She returned her gaze to the card. "The music venue, huh? Not the classiest place to hang out, if the name is any indication, but why not? I might as well play nice."

For the third time that day, Maki made her way to the third island. Along the way, she met up with a few other students who received similar invitations from Ibuki, which at least served as a relief that this wasn't some sort of trap. As if any of them believed Ibuki was capable of coming up with something like that.

As she arrived at the venue, she noticed even more students inside, including someone who was expected but was still a surprise.

"F-Fuyuhiko... why are you...!?" Hajime stammered.

"What...? Is it bad I came?" He asked.

"No, not that... is it okay for you to move around?" Hajime asked. Fuyuhiko was standing rather stiffly, probably due to the bandages under his clothes. However, if he was in pain, he didn't show it.

"...Yeah, it's nothin'."

"There's no way you're okay!" Mikan snapped. "You're seriously injured!"

"They took the time to throw a party for me... There's no way I wouldn't come..."

"I understand how you feel, but you really shouldn't overwork yourself..."

"I'm not... overdoing... it..."

"Fine then. Just let him do what he wants." Nekomaru decided.

"B-But..."

"It's fine, just let him be. Apparently yakuza have pain tolerance down to an art..."

Maki shrugged. "Regardless, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I'd rather relax tonight than do anything crazy. Hopefully, at the very least, we won't have to deal with any wounds reopening."

"R-Right... Like she said." Fuyuhiko agreed.

"But... it looks like Hiyoko definitely didn't come." Nagito noted.

"...That seems to be the case." Gundham said.

"And... Akane's not here too." Chiaki added.

"Wh-What is that wild woman off doing?" Nekomaru wondered. "I hope she's not planning to do anything strange..."

Suddenly, the stage lights flicked on and filled the music venue with trippy, vibrant lighting.

"...Oh my!" Sonia gasped.

The mic sparked to life as Ibuki brandished her guitar. "Heeeeey y'all! It's Ibuki Miodaaaaaa! Thanks for coming out today! My specialty is making beef stew! Haha, I may not look like it but people tell me that I'm a nurturing type! So I'm gonna do my very best performance so I can make everyone feel better. I hope you're all pumped up! All right, I'll start singing this first song with full-on energy! So put your hands together for... "From Me to You Too"!"

From the title, Maki was expecting some sort of lighthearted love song. Her eardrums were surprised when, instead, she was met with psychotic screaming and heavy metal. "Well, there goes my relaxation plans." She covered her ears and did her best to ignore the noise.

When the music finally died out, Ibuki announced, "Thank you everyone!"

"S-Such an overwhelmingly baleful resonance!" Gundham gasped, trying to calm his hamsters. "Even my Four Dark Devas of Destruction look less lively than usual!"

"I-I too... am starting to feel chills...!" Sonia said with a shiver.

"It's a... uniquely disturbing song, that's for sure." Byakuya offered.

"With a title like "From Me to You", I thought it was going to be a sweet love song!" Mikan said.

Hajime stammered. "I-If I recall... the reason why Ibuki left the high school girl's band was..."

"Creative differences..." Chiaki recalled.

"Yahooooo!" Hiyoko cheered. "It's awesome! That's the first time I've heard such a famous song!"

"...H-Hiyoko!?" Hajime gasped. Everyone else turned to her with wide eyes, as well.

"Ah, you came?" Chiaki asked.

"S-So what if I did...? I was invited too, you know..."

Mikan spoke up. "But... if you're attending Fuyuhiko's recovery party, that means... You've... already..."

Rather than snap and make a fuss like everyone expected, Hiyoko answered, "A-Are you stupid...? Don't misunderstand. There's no way I'd forgive him that easily. Cause... he's a yakuza, you know? He's the type of person who preys on people by tricking them. Even now, he's probably just pretending to be sorry... so he can try to trick us!"

"...There is no way that is possible." Sonia said.

Fuyuhiko raised a hand. "No, I get why she'd think that of me..."

"Yeah, that's right. That's why we're never going to believe in you. Get it? This doesn't mean we've made up or anything. I'm only cooperating with you until we get off this island."

"...Huh?"

"Just remember... if anything happens, you're the first one who's gonna get cut off."

"...Sorry..."

Maki sighed. "Well, I suppose that's the best we're going to get."

"Eeeee... I'm glad..." Mikan cried. "I'm really... really... glad..."

"Ew, don't cry!" Hiyoko snapped. "Pigs have no right to cry! You're grossing me out!" She turned toward the rest of the students, and caught Hajime staring at her. "...Hey, what are you looking at?"

"N-Nothing..."

"Hey, how much longer are you guys gonna be bummed out!? I came all the way here 'cause you said it was a party! C'mon Ibuki! Hurry up and start the next song!"

"Roger! Thanks for waiting! Let's go right ahead to the next song!"

"...Huh? There's still more?" Nagito asked.

"Oh dear..." Byakuya groaned.

"Now that this recovery party is in full swing, I've got a ballad prepared that totally fits the mood... Grab a partner and slowdance to... "I Squeezed Out the Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is"."

"H-Hey!" Monomi suddenly appeared. "What's everyone doing here!?"

"Whoa, Monomi!?"

"Heeey, don't interfere!" Hiyoko snapped. "Aw, and I was enjoying such a fun party too!"

Monomi gasped. "...I wasn't invited to the party..."

"Kyahahaha! Obviously not! You'd ruin the party if you were here."

Monomi gasped twice in a row, which sounded so fake the students barely reacted. "...But seriously, now's not the time! Now's not the time to enjoy a fun party!"

"...Wh-Why?" Hajime asked.

"A-Akane... Akane is... Akane is duelling Monokuma!"

"Wh-What did you say...?" Nekomaru asked.

"A-At this point, Akane's gonna be in danger... Please... do something... to save her!"

"It looks like... my bad feeling was correct." Chiaki muttered.

"That stupid fool!" Nekomaru roared. "No... I'm the one who was the fool... It was my mistake to not keep my eyes on her! Tch...! As a team manager, I should've had a proper grasp of my athlete's private life... Dammiiiiiiit! This failure will haunt me for the rest of my life, or my name isn't NEKOMARU NIDAIIIIIIIII!"

"N-Now is not the time for regret! Let us make haste!" Sonia ordered.

"OF COOOOOOUUUUUURRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSE! Fuyuhiko finally returned to us... The thought of anyone else in our group getting taken... I won't allow it! I will never allllllooooow iiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt!"

"Hey Monomi...! Where's Akane and Monokuma!?" Hajime asked.

"U-Um... they're at the beach where we first arrived at this island... Please hurry! If you don't, Akane's gonna get killed!"

"You don't have to tell me!" Nekomaru declared. "I'm going FULLLLL SPEEEEEEEED AHEEEAAAAADDDDDD!" With that, he sprinted out of the music venue.

"We should hurry too." Chiaki beckoned for the rest to follow as she headed after him.

Ibuki stood on stage, still not entirely sure what was going on. "Heeeeey... everyone... Thanks... thanks everyone... No, that's not it! I know Akane's in deep trouble but you guys suck! Screw this half-baked comfort! If this were a song title, it'd be "Salt Seeping into My Broken Heart"!"

"I don't really get it... but you look pretty bummed out." Hajime said.

She groaned and tossed her guitar to the ground. "C'mon, you shouldn't make a fuss here. Let's hurry over to the beach already!"


As the crowd of students arrived, Akane and Monokuma were at a standoff. Although it wasn't much of one, as Akane was knelt to the ground, her injuries and exhaustion made it difficult for her to stand. She glared at Monokuma as she struggled to regain her breath.

"A-Akane!" Hajime shouted as he arrived last.

"Looks like you're just barely avoiding any fatal injuries..." Monokuma noted, impressed. "Yep, at least your agility is worthy of praise. But did you only challenge me just so you could show me your sweet dance moves?"

"D-Dammit...! Why... why can't I even graze you with my attacks!?"

"Well, you know... we're on completely different levels. That means we view the world differently. It's like a character from a punk manga challenging an enemy from a superpowered battle manga. Puhuhu, it's obvious you can't win."

"Monokuma is an advanced machine..." Nekomaru muttered. "However... as far as speed is concerned, Akane is far faster than any athlete I've ever seen! And she says she can't even graze him with her attacks? Is that... even possible?"

"However... because it's possible, that's why she's in this situation, right?" Nagito said. "As long as she's ended up like that, there's not much we can really do about it. At the very least, we should... try and overcome the despair of Akane's death, and use it as "fuel" to bolster our hope... Like Fuyuhiko did, you see."

"Don't fuck with me!" The Yakuza snapped. "I... never want to feel that feeling ever again... If I have to feel that way again... I'll make sure I stop it, even if it costs me my life...!"

"N-No, you can't!" Mikan begged. "You'll really die if you keep overexerting yourself!"

"It's... just a little life Peko gave me... It's not precious anyway...!"

"You stupid idiot!" Nekomaru snapped. "That's exactly why you need to take care of it!"

"...Huh?"

"He's right." Maki agreed. "To say it isn't precious... Are you saying Peko's sacrifice was in vain?"

Fuyuhiko couldn't respond.

Maki sighed. "I just need a second... There's a way out of this... I just need to-"

"You stay back too, Maki..." Nekomaru warned. "That goes to the rest of you as well...! I'll take it from here...! This is NEKOMARU NIDAI's final firework! Make sure you sear it into your eyes!"

Monokuma turned his gaze from the crowd back to Akane, and pulled out an arm cannon. "Now then, it looks like everyone's here, so I might as well finish this! Didn't I say I won't allow any rule violations against me? This... is what happens when you break the rules! Disappear!"

He fired a missile straight ahead. Akane flinched, preparing for the final attack to collide with her. But it never did. At the last second, Nekomaru jumped forward and took the hit, using his large body to shield Akane.

The explosion lit up the whole area in a white light, temporarily blinding the students. There was only one voice that cut through the deafening boom. "...N-Nekomaru!"

When the light faded and the students could see again, they were met with a gruesome sight. Nekomaru laid on the ground, with a cave where his gut should've been, and burn marks along the rest of his body. Blood seeped into the sand under him, painting the beach a deep crimson. Akane knelt at his side.

"N-Nekomaru... Why did you... s-save...?"

"Ha... Isn't it obvious...?" He managed to choke out. "Supporting their athletes... is... a manager's duty... H-However... Wh-What a shame... For someone like NEKOMARU NIDAI... to... It was just a little shot from a bazooka... I really am the worst... Heh... hehe... hah..."

"G-Get ahold of yourself! Nekomaru!" She looked like she wanted to hit him, but was too afraid of further damaging him.

"Akane... The time I've spent with you... i-it... it wasn't so bad... Don't... die... Akane..."

"...Kh! N-... Nekomaruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

As Akane's cries filled the night sky, Nekomaru's body slumped, the last of his energy leaving him. The whole time, he never stopped smiling.

"Are... you kidding me...?" Hajime managed to say.

"Wha-...? Wha-Wha-Wha...? Holy craaaaap...!" Even Monokuma was surprised. "Instead of the rule violator... Akane... What a major failure! I ended up killing Nekomaru, who had nothing to do with this!"

"H-Hold on..." Akane shouted. She had the side of her head pressed against Nekomaru's chest. "I-It's faint... but his heart is still beating...! He's not dead yet!"

"...Eh!?" Mikan ran forward.

"Then you gotta hurry and treat him!" Monomi told Monokuma.

"Hey Monokuma... You can do something about this, right...!?" Fuyuhiko asked. "Save Nekomaru like you saved me!"

"Th-That's right...! If you kill someone who didn't violate the rules, that makes you the one who violated the rules!"

Monokuma looked between the two of them and shrugged. "Then let's just say we're even!"

"...Huh?"

"In exchange for forgiving Akane for breaking the rules, let's just say Nekomaru was the sacrifice... So isn't it okay to say we're even!?"

"Y-You're not gonna save him!?"

"Jeez... guess I have no choice. It's annoying, but it'd be boring if he died a meaningless death... Sooooo... for today only, I'll activate my special trump card."

Once again, the students could hear a distant siren. An ambulance appeared out of nowhere, and a Monokuma with a stethoscope came out.

"...Ha-wa-wa!? This again!?" Monomi asked.

"Just leave the rest to me: Doctor Killgood!"

"He even recycled the same line again!"

Once again, two Monokumas carrying a stretcher came out and started loading Nekomaru onto it. "We gotta get this patient to the Monokuma Hospital ER and get him under 24 hour observation, stat! Soooo, I'll see you later!"

Finally, the Monokumas and Nekomaru all entered the vehicle as it disappeared from sight.

"What... the hell...?" Hajime muttered. "Why did this... happen...?"

"Fuyuhiko finally returned to us..." Sonia sobbed. "I cannot believe Nekomaru is gone now..."

"N-No... more... I can't stand this... anymore!" Mikan cried.

"Hey, can you stop yelling?" Hiyoko asked. "Screaming won't help, you know!"

"C-Cause... 'cause 'cause 'cause...!"

"This isn't 'cause! This is what happens when we let our guard down! All this talk about everyone getting along... We were just fooling ourselves. We were... just pretending we understood the situation we're in... Teamwork, friendship, cooperation... Nothing matters... The stupid ones will just be killed one after another... It won't be a mystery when you're eventually betrayed... That's why I'm never gonna rely on anyone... That's... the "reality" here."

"A-Are you saying it is meaningless for us to even work together...?" Sonia asked.

"If it really did have meaning, Nekomaru wouldn't have ended up like that! He ended up like that... because of his weird feelings of friendship..." She turned to Akane. "...Hey, you understand too, right? When the stupid ones try to act on their own, it makes trouble for everyone else. So can you please not involve me? I don't wanna die a meaningless death."

"H-Hiyoko, blaming Akane will not help solve anything."

"We don't... hafta worry about coach Nekomaru..." Akane assured them.

"...Huh?"

"Man, that's disappointing..." Hiyoko groaned. "It's all your fault and you're not even worried about him..."

"A-Akane... you're not worried about Nekomaru...?" Mikan asked.

"There's no need to worry about worryin'!" She snapped. "I know coach Nekomaru is a monstrous guy. There's no way he's gonna die from somethin' like that... There's no doubt! Nekomaru is definitely gonna come back! S-So... when that happens... I'll make sure... I apologize to him. Cause I was too weak, and I caused him trouble... So when he comes back... I'll make sure... to say I'm sorry."

"A-Akane..." Hajime muttered.

Maki, who had been standing away from the group, staring out to sea for the last few minutes, finally turned and started walking. "Come on, let's go. We can talk about this in the morning if we need to."

Her command was cold and tired, but commanding all the same. No one argued. Everyone slowly made their way back to their cottages, the cheery mood thoroughly shattered.


Nekomaru's one of my favourite characters from DR2, yet it's taken me this long to get around to having him and Maki share an on-screen interaction. Guess that just goes to show how many interesting characters there are in DR2, I'm constantly struggling to pick which ones for her to talk to. Still, Nekomaru's a wholesome guy, which is just what Maki's in the mood for. And just in time for him to "die," too!

Albert's finally putting his detective skills to use, which is just as well, since we're almost halfway through the game and he needs to figure it out before the finale. We also gain some insight into what he was like before the Tragedy (though it's not too hard to figure that out, just imagine how he would've been if he never got character development in the first story). And hopefully, things will keep going good so Chiaki can get her positive attitude back, because I'm actually getting kinda sad having to write depressed Chiaki.

In the next chapter, Monokuma will announce his motive.