*checks calendar*... Oh hey, it's Friday. I'm supposed to update the story today. *checks clock*... Shit.
Admittedly, I was kinda behind on this one due to a blackout wiping out a fair few paragraphs. And now I'll have to live with the feeling that what I've written as a replacement reads inferior when compared to the original, which shall never see mortal eyes again.
In any case, like the previous chapter, I originally planned to jam more scenes in here, but it ended up getting kinda crowded with just the two. Combine this fact with the aforementioned blackout, and yeah.
Any other news... Hmm... In one month's time, I will have been working on this story for exactly a year. That's pretty wild to think about, when my previous two stories averaged at about half that time.
Yeah, I think that's it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 28
Alone Together
Byakuya and I arrived in a small computer room near the top of the administration building, where Makoto and Kyoko were waiting for us. This was the Communications Room. It was where our broadcast would take place, and where the others had come to contact me before I arrived on this island.
Technically speaking, since we had laptops, we could probably preform the broadcast anywhere, but this room allowed us to directly connect to the servers, and since it was on the highest floor, this was the spot where the connection would be the clearest. At least, that's how I think it works.
I had expressed concern that connecting to the server might reveal our location to the rest of the Future Foundation. Not only did this further reveal my ineptitude with computers, but Kyoko explained that it was a little late for those concerns when she had already contacted her grandfather to send her files to aid with the investigation. And before that, to contact me when this whole mess began.
"Hey guys. Everything ready?" I asked, stepping inside.
At the sound of my voice, Makoto turned from the desk he was sitting at to face me. "Hey, Al. Sorry for bothering you, I just thought you wouldn't want to miss this."
"Not for the world." I agreed, sitting beside him so I was in the webcam's view.
"Have you made any progress with that?" Kyoko asked, pointing to the files in my hand.
I shrugged. "I've been reading through it, if that's what you mean, but I haven't found what I'm looking for yet..."
"It's not like the rest of us are very busy." Byakuya said. "Maybe if you bothered to tell us exactly what it is you're looking for, we could help."
"Problem with that is, I'm not exactly sure if that would help or make things harder. The whole thing's written in a sort of semi-code that I've been trying to translate. I think it'd be faster if I just did it myself."
Before they could press the issue any further, the screen lit up with an alert for an incoming call. Makoto clicked to allow it, and the connection was established. For a few more seconds, the screen was a choppy mess, and we could only make out distorted voices. Eventually, though, the line stabilized, and I could make out the familiar faces of Komaru and Hina.
"Makoto!" Komaru called out when she saw his face.
"Hey, Komaru! Is everything going well? You're not hurt, are you?"
I figured there wasn't much to be gained from listening to their sibling reunion talk, other than being able to brag that I've witnessed it from both ends of the connection. I swear, they did this every time, and it seemed Hina, Byakuya, and Kyoko were aware of the process as well. So instead, I turned my attention to what was happening on the other end. Neither of them seemed injured in any way, though Hina seemed more roughed up than when I last saw her. That was par for the course, given her assignment. Judging from the background, they were in a different hotel than the one we were hiding out in before I left.
In the background, some of the others who volunteered to go with Hina sat around a table, playing cards or something and only half paying attention. Kenshiro, Takaaki, Takemichi, and Yuta. Maybe not the strongest group of escorts. Kenshiro had some sort of heart disease, if I recalled correctly, and looked pretty sickly despite his intense power. Takaaki was old, but he was a former police officer. And Yuta... back during my time in Towa, he ended up taking a hit to save my life, and lost his legs as a result. Thankfully, after having Future Foundation look at him, they were able to give him some prosthetics that seemed to work well. But that didn't make me feel any less guilty.
I glanced at Hina. If she was at all bothered by her brother's injuries, she sure never showed it. In fact, when I told her about it, she was just happy to know he was alive. I suppose that's not so strange. If I saw one of my siblings or old friends after all this time, I wouldn't waste my energy being upset if they were maimed, I'd just be happy to know they're okay.
She must've noticed me staring (how that came across on a video chat, I don't know), because she interrupted Makoto and Komaru's conversation. "So, how have things been without me? I want all the details."
I raised a hand. "Ooh, I think I can get this in like, eight words, uh... "Crazy computer chick makes everything worse"..."
"That was six words." Kyoko said with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, and uh... "Can't sleep." There, that works." Assuming we were allowing contractions, of course.
"But you always had trouble sleeping, right?" Komaru asked. "I always thought you had... what's it called? Insombreness?"
"Insomnia? Not really. It's just that in the whole time you've known me, my sleeping places were the stone floor of a resistance base, and a bunch of abandoned hotels."
Hina squinted at the screen. "So... Makoto, Byakuya, Kyoko, and Al. Where are the others?"
"Since this is kind of a cyber attack, Chihiro's been working himself to the bone." Makoto explained. "We decided to let him get his rest."
"And Celeste is... well, Celeste." I added.
She nodded, understanding exactly what I meant. "Speaking of the cyber attack... Do you have any leads on who the hacker is?"
Right. Hina had been kept almost completely out of the loop on our investigations. We were only able to do these broadcasts every so often, and it wasn't like she really needed to know this stuff, so she was never informed. But I knew how frustrating it could be to be kept in the dark.
"We... haven't had many leads." I admitted. "The biggest problem is that, for most of this, we haven't really been sure of the true nature of our opponent. Is this "Maki Yugami" a computer virus, someone forcibly entering the program, or something else entirely? That was always the biggest hurdle."
"Which one is it, then?"
"Please, do tell, Al. We're all very curious." Byakuya pressed.
I rolled my eyes. "At this point... I'm pretty sure she's human."
Byakuya squinted, clearly not expecting that answer. "...But, she-"
"She was able to alter several of her settings within the program, including making herself invincible and hiding her real name, Alice Kizuki. Her files are also being protected by the Junko virus, and in turn, her files are protecting the virus as well. Is that what you were going to say?"
"Well, yeah-"
"I think this can all be explained rather simply, however. I believe that Alice has entered the computer, in a similar way those stasis pods let our Remnants enter the program. Except, instead of entering the program itself, she's entered the computer, allowing her to effect and alter a lot more than she should be able to."
Everyone else was silent, on both ends of the connection. Byakuya took a measured breath, no doubt thrilled about how I interrupted him twice in a row. Finally, he said, "You think that theory is more likely than the idea that someone just placed a virus in our system? Especially considering the Junko virus proves that the latter is entirely possible?"
"Considering the latter doesn't account for the overwhelming evidence that she's human? Yes, I do think it's more likely."
Before Byakuya could respond again, Kyoko smirked and said, "Interesting. Care to elaborate?"
Her words were blunt, but they carried pride. I was happy to oblige. "She's talked at length about her past, and with many details that seem unnecessarily suspicious. If she was crafting her backstory in an attempt to stay inconspicuous, she failed spectacularly. First, she spoke of a past where she tried to lead a group of people, and apparently failed to such a degree that she doesn't wish to lead anymore. As she hinted at this, she also related pretty well with the Ultimate Imposter, implying she knows what it's like to wear a face that isn't her own, and also knows their true identity, or lack thereof. Most striking, however, is that she also confessed to Hiyoko that she was a participant in a killing game in the past. If this detail is false, it seems like an extremely odd thing to say about yourself, especially when the group hadn't learned of our killing game by this point. But if it's true, those implications are even worse. This connects to a theory that I've been working on, but I'll get to that later. Furthermore, during the first three "chapters," she expresses a strong desire to keep the group together, but losing Mikan seemed to break her mask, and now she's a sad, cynical woman who's willing to sacrifice the others to survive. If that doesn't sound like a human reaction, I don't know what is, and I'm the secondary resident psychologist. And her interactions with Mikan, while short... they seemed real to me. Alter Ego can do a lot, and even seems to experience a range of emotions. But love and loss? No, I don't think so, not completely..."
My pause was just long enough for Byakuya to get in, "That theory you mentioned... What is it?"
"That's what I'm trying to find evidence for now..." I said, pointing to my notes. "I think... Alice really did participate in a killing game, but the exact nature of it... I don't know."
"Toshihide's notes..." Kyoko muttered. "You think...?"
"I can't prove anything yet. I just need more time." I looked them each in the eye. "Just give me that much, alright?"
Makoto thought for a moment before saying, "I hate to bring it up, but we're not sure how much time we really have. The rest of the Future Foundation is breathing down our necks."
"They won't be here for another little while." I said. "Trust me, Alice might have blindsided me, but I've seen this scenario before. We'll make it to the end of the game."
"And if your presence here somehow changed that?" Byakuya asked.
"It won't. Trust me." I was pleading, but I managed to put enough of a "Drop it!" in my tone that no one responded.
"So, how are things going on your end?" Makoto asked his sister. "Are the evacuations going smoothly?"
Komaru nodded. "We must've gotten at least half of the survivors out of the city by now! I mean, assuming they're spread out evenly... I'm sort of behind on math. Also, I guess we could've been passing over some hideouts or something, so..."
"Well, that statement quickly became a downer." I muttered.
She perked up at the sound of my voice. "Oh, I almost forgot! Al, you're not gonna believe this, but guess what we found out the other day?"
If I'm not gonna believe the answer, how could I possibly guess it? "Uh... that unicorns are the national animal of Scotland?" No one laughed, rather, they gave me weird looks. I tell ya, I get no respect.
"Um... no. We found out that the Warriors of Hope are still alive." She said happily.
I tilted my head, and my mouth hung agape. "...A few questions. Firstly: How? Second: Not that I'm a fan of children dying, but why is this a positive thing?"
"Well, first... I actually don't know. They didn't really explain it." She admitted. "But just a few days ago, we ran into them. Some Monokuma Kids were ganging up on them, but we helped them out. And the best part is, they're trying to help! They want to stop Monaca just as much as we do, and they've been helping with evacuations! Well, trying to, anyway. It's kinda hard, since the adults want to kill them, too. But they've been calling us and giving us information. At first, we weren't really sure if we could trust them, but nothing bad's happened yet. I think they're really trying to make up for what they did."
"Holy shit..." I could hardly believe it. I knew Monaca had probably survived, given her last known status, but I never thought the others would be. Not only that, but they're helping? That's... That's exactly what I've asked for from every bad guy I've challenged. Atonement. Sure, I didn't expect the kids to forgive adults, especially considering their pasts, and I knew they were probably planning to continue their plan for a children's paradise or whatever. But the fact that they were going for a non-violent solution was... "That's... That's incredible. Man, it looks like you guys really don't need any help, huh? You've got an army of ten now."
"Well, I wouldn't put it like that." Hina said. "They are just kids, after all."
"During the apocalypse, age doesn't really matter as much as usefulness. They are Ultimates in their own right, remember?"
"So, is there anything else we should know?" Kyoko asked. "Should I arrange to have some supplies delivered? Anything like that?"
"I think we're doing pretty good." Komaru said. "We still have leftovers from the stuff these guys came in with, and there are still some places we can scavenge from if we have to."
"We could always use more medical supplies." Hina added. "But other than that, I think we're good."
"In that case, I guess we don't have much else to talk about." Makoto said, with a hint of reluctance. "Should we end the call here?"
Hina nodded. "I guess so. Same time next week?"
"It's a plan."
"Stay alive, girls." I said. "We'll get you outta there before you know it."
They nodded, and Komaru added, "Bye, Makoto."
He smiled. "Seeya, Komaru."
With that, the screen cut to black.
I wheeled around in my chair to face the others. I could easily tell that the atmosphere in the room was much lighter than when we began. It made sense. We had everyone from class 78 on this island, except Hina, so getting to connect with her was like a weight off our backs. Her telling us that everything was going smoothly was even better. Makoto hid it well, but I could tell he was almost giddy to know both Hina and his sister were alright.
Hell, I myself could barely hold back a light laugh. After opening up to Chihiro earlier, and getting to see Hina and Komaru again, I was in a much better mood than I've been throughout the last... month-and-a-half, I think. Seems the power of friendship isn't just a silly trope.
"You guys go on ahead." I finally said, gesturing to my notes. "I'll need some alone time for a bit."
"Up here?" Kyoko asked.
"It's as good a spot as any. Chair. Desk. Everything I need for serious studying."
I bid them warm goodbyes as they left to handle their own separate investigations. Whatever those entailed. Hm, maybe I should've asked for help after all.
Reading through Toshihide's notes wasn't as simply as one would think. I couldn't just skim the text until I found what I needed, due to the aforementioned code the notes were written in. I didn't know if it was intentional or if he was just that eccentric. And no, it wasn't a simple cipher. He literally just replaces important words with Google Translate-filtered garbage. It took me an hour of reading gibberish before I realized the phrase "meters per second" was being replaced by "1000/s." So, for example, instead of saying "12 meters per second," the files would say "12 1000/s." And yes, all equations were written out completely. Toshi apparently had no use for shorthand symbols.
After I realized this, I've been trying to figure it all out, writing down a legend as I went along. Sometimes, I'd have to go back and correct something. I have to say, if it really was intentional, then Toshi may have actually created the most frustrating code in the world for his research. I can just imagine him laughing if it were ever stolen, muttering to himself, "Go ahead. If you want it, earn it." And knowing him, especially with his photographic memory, he probably never wrote down a key. He probably kept it all in his head.
You know, it was almost funny. Maybe my talks with Chihiro and Hina and Komaru were making me greedy, but I found myself missing the scientist. Not dearly, of course, I could deal with never seeing his face again. But I had to admit, the idea of getting to sit down and talk with him was appealing. What would he say? What would we talk about? Would we be civil? Or would we be at each other's throats? Would he wish to speak with me after all this time?
While I definitely didn't remember as much as Chiaki, or even as much as my classmates, some memories of my time at Hope's Peak were resurfacing. And, surprise surprise, Toshihide was a common figure in all of the memories. I remember hating his guts for taking me from my home. I remember clinging to him as my only rock stable rock in the crazy world of Ultimates. He tried to guide me, tried to make a lesson out of every mistake I made.
And in the end, his future self betrayed us both.
Could I honestly claim they were the same person? I like to think the Toshihide from my time in the killing game wasn't all bad. He had a nobler side. He could've easily killed me without me or my friends' permission. But he didn't. Sure, he wasn't a friend, but maybe he wasn't an enemy, either. I mean, would I be able to hold on to my sanity if I was in his situation? Forced to witness a killing game on repeat, 11,037 times, with no physical body and no one to talk to?
11,037 killing games... About a week after the Future Foundation rescued me and my friends, I found a calculator and did the math. I still remember the result I got. The killing game lasted over three weeks, but let's low-ball it and say 21 days. 21 x 11,037 was 231,777 days. Divide that by 365 days per year, and Toshihide must've spent more than 635 years altogether trapped in that time loop. No one could leave that situation with their mind intact.
Was a similar situation the reason Alice had such an unstable mind? At this point, anything was possible.
Without even glancing up from my notes, I called out, "I know you're there, and I know you're watching me. You wanna save me the trouble and just show yourself?" When my response was silence, I sighed through my nose. "Of course not."
It didn't matter. I had a list of allies I could count on. I didn't need my enemies to help me thwart themselves. They would meet a downfall of their own design in time...
The next morning, everyone gathered in Grape Tower at 7:00 a.m., as Monokuma instructed. None of them really wanted to get up so early, especially when it was hard to keep their energy, but they couldn't exactly disobey Monokuma, either.
Most of the students grumbled and muttered their complaints. Even Byakuya couldn't stop himself from sighing under his breath, "Tired..." This ended up breaking the dam.
"Shut up." Maki said simply.
His eyes widened. "That was... a rather harsh response, for a single word."
"Doesn't matter. You've got calories to burn. You're the last person here who's allowed to complain. If this motive goes on long enough for bodies to start dropping, the first one to bite it's going to be Nagito, or Hiyoko, or me."
"Wow, you have enough concern for me to put my name first? I'm honoured." Nagito muttered, though the way he kept shooting her side-glances made it hard to tell if he meant it.
Byakuya eyed Maki up and down. "I do have to say, you have been losing weight at an alarming rate since we've been locked in here..."
It was true. Along with her skin becoming more pale, and her eyes more bloodshot, Maki had been thinning out. Her once curvy figure was now thinner than Chiaki or Sonia. She shrugged. "I've got an extremely fast metabolism."
"...Really."
"Yeah. Really. Dude, you watched me eat a burger and fries. With my figure, I can only get away with that kind of eating because of my metabolism. I was always pretty pleased with it, meant I could eat whatever I wanted and never gain an ounce. Now, though, it seems to be working against me. How the tables turn." Her casual demeanour did nothing to ease the other students. They all just eyed her as if her mood could shift at any moment.
Nekomaru was the next to speak. "In any case, I think Maki raises a good point. Complaining won't get us anywhere. We're all in the same boat, so we should be encouraging one another, not dragging each other down!"
"Easy for you to say, you don't get hungry." Hiyoko shot. She was trying to hide it, but she had her hands wrapped around her stomach.
"I'm in a similar situation... I left my charger inside my cottage..." He explained.
"Man, you guys are already starting to brag about how unhealthy you are..." Monokuma laughed, appearing in the centre of the room.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming here...!" Fuyuhiko snapped.
"N-Now that we have all gathered here so early in the morning, what do you intend to make us do this time?" Sonia asked.
"I just want everyone to be healthy again." He explained.
"...Healthy?" Hajime repeated.
"You're losing your drive because you're burning rubber down the Unhealthy Highway, right? I'm offering this service so that you can all feel healthy again! Sooooo... From this day forward, I'd like you to make Monokuma Tai Chi part of your daily routine every morning!"
"...M-Monokuma Tai Chi?"
"All right, start the music!"
What proceeded was about a half-hour of precise and near-constant muscle movement that the students were clearly too tired for. Nekomaru was the only one able to keep up with Monokuma, on account of their robotic bodies. Whenever a student fell too far behind, Monokuma would snap, forcing them to pick up their slack. By the end, everyone was sweaty, sore, and even more hungry.
"Phew, we sure worked up a good sweat!" Monokuma said. "Staying healthy is definitely super important!"
"Oh fuck off..." Fuyuhiko growled. "We did a bunch of pointless exercise thanks to you, and now we're hungrier than ever...!"
"Can't... breathe..." Byakuya muttered from where he lay collapsed on the ground.
"The road to good health is not an easy one! It might be painful, but we'll do this again tomorrow! Unless something big happens, I won't allow any tardies or absences. Make sure you remember that!" With that, he disappeared.
"Y-You intend... to keep making us do this...!?" Sonia called out to the spot he was standing.
"Th-This is fucking bullshit...!" Maki snapped. "H-How much longer is he going to play with us like this...!?"
"Didn't he say... until the killing starts?" Nagito recalled.
"It seems the plausibility of those words is finally starting to affect us..." Gundham said. "If this persists any longer, it wouldn't surprise me if something really did happen..."
"God dammit..." Maki muttered. "I'm not dying here...! No matter what I have to do, I refuse to die here!"
"Wh-What are you saying!?" Hajime gasped. "Calm down!"
"Or what? You'll tie me up like Nagito? Let me slowly wither away, unable to do anything about it? Is that what you want to happen to you, too? It's like Nekomaru said, we're all in the same boat here, and it's a sinking ship! Are you just telling us to give up and die!?"
Hajime was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, he spoke with conviction. "...I'd rather... have that happen to us... than have our friends kill each other..."
This surprised the other students. "...Huh? Do you mean that you'd rather die?" Nagito asked.
When Maki recovered from her shock, her anger redoubled. "Y-You... You're fucking crazy! All of you are crazy! But not me! If you really want to stay here and rot, you'll have to kill me first!"
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Chiaki snapped. "Making a scene is just going to make us hungrier. So... let's just calm down for now."
"You're right... even if you guys fight, our situation isn't going to change." Nagito agreed.
"Wait to die from impending starvation..." Gundham muttered. "Or wait for someone to kill someone else before that happens... At any rate, it's a rather difficult situation."
"Which is the true hope...? I'll just follow what everyone else decides... If you're going to choose, you should hurry. The longer we keep waiting, the closer we get to death!"
Nagito's words were ultimately the end of the conversation. No one had the energy to spare talking with each other, let alone argue. The group scattered, with everyone going their separate ways.
While it was unlikely anyone was astute enough to notice, Maki was not seen by anyone for the rest of the morning.
I think we're getting a pretty good image of what Al's theory is. What are the details, how will he prove it, and is it actually true? And, more importantly, is it the big twist in Maki's backstory I've been holding on to? Well, no to that last one, but it's a nice guess.
Maki's not getting along with her classmates. That makes me sad. *grabs popcorn* But not really. Still, she seems to really like pushing the idea that she's willing to take desperate measures. Will she actually do anything, or will another blackened beat her to the punch?
...Could you imagine if I actually had my super-mysterious OC be the killer in the fourth case? That'd be hilarious. Am I foreshadowing or just joking around? Only time will tell.
In the next chapter, we'll continue to starve, and maybe get the next case underway. Maybe.
