They're lying to themselves, even now...

The boy thought as he stood there.

They're telling themselves they need this show, that they need killing... That they need Danganronpa...

They couldn't be more wrong... Those bastards wanted a distraction, something fake to draw their attention away from the real world.

But Danganronpa isn't fake. Danganronpa is real. And lying to yourself, telling yourself that it was ok because only made-up people died, doesn't make it better.

Even if believing a lie makes it the truth, choosing not to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie.

The boy let out a deep sigh, smirking to himself.

I was lying to myself, too. This was just a game to me... I could die any second, but I didn't care...

I needed to lie to myself... To survive...

But the two of them got me to accept the truth. That this game isn't fiction - it's just murder. None of them should enjoy this shit...

Kokichi Ouma snuck forward, examining the scene through a cracked window from the second story of the academy. Glass shards scattered across the floor like shells on a beach, yet the boy stepped over them without a glance.

Outside, Keebo's back floated a good twenty feet in front of the boy. A glow illuminated from the robot's gun, giving light to the night sky and the field underneath. The robot, having just finished an argument with Tsumugi, was still focused on the group of students below.

Kokichi's eyes met hers, and he gave her a stiff nod. He could tell she acknowledged it, as she turned towards Rantaro and nodded.

A sneaky grin appeared on the boy's face as he thought back to ten minutes ago... When he begged Gonta to throw him towards Keebo, despite his physical frailty, in an attempt that was masked as simply buying time.

Keebo dodged the attack, sending Kokichi barreling into the second story window. But what Keebo didn't expect was that Kokichi would get up afterwards.

That was my plan, nee-hee-hee! I expected Keebo to underestimate me!

The impact left a large gash across the boy's head. Pink blood oozed down his face, enough that would normally send anyone to the hospital. Yet, the boy stood tall.

Lifting his right hand, he raised a toy helicopter, fetched from his lab. After turning it on, the toy's blades began spinning - rotating fast enough to lift him for a few seconds, but wouldn't hold him for much longer. It should be just enough...

Kokichi took a deep breath, a smile still plastered onto his face.

This world will be saved by me!

Kokichi Ouma!

He watched as Tsumugi kissed Rantaro, Keebo and the audience enthralled with the spectacle. It was time...

Taking a few steps back, he began sprinting forward. Kokichi jumped, pushing off the ground, the helicopter sustaining his height.

Tsumugi's lips eventually pulled away from Rantaro's. The girl felt a mixture of fear, anticipation, and happiness. She couldn't quite understand it, the whirlwind of emotions turning her stomach inside out.

Rantaro's eyes sparkled in front of her, so much that she couldn't help but smile. She closed her eyes and let out a light giggle before turning back to Keebo. A spark of determination started a fire, burning in the girl's eyes.

Keebo's eyebrows remained horizontal, a light sigh escaping his mouth.

"W-Was that supposed to do anything?"

Tsumugi put a finger to her chin, and let out a playful hum.

"Hm... Yes, I think so."

The robot retaliated, waving his gun around. Tsumugi - and a few others as well - jumped at the sight.

"You think? I'm still here, pointing this gun at you. I'm still going to kill all of you. It didn't do anything!"

Tsumugi shrugged.

"You'll see."

Smoke spouted out of Keebo's ears, and his face reddened. She knew it wasn't wise to enrage a robot holding a gun, but Tsumugi could see the figure approaching behind him. Kokichi Ouma was flying down from the second floor, mere inches away.

"I'll see? I-"

Not long after Keebo began speaking, a hand reached onto his head and grabbed the ahoge antenna, yanking it off. The robot's eyes widened as he heard a voice behind him.

"My other plan was a lie. This one's better. Nee-hee-hee!"

Keebo froze, his joints jittering as if he were being electrocuted. His eyes flashed bright white, slowly transitioning back into a dull blue. In the meantime, Kokichi gently floated down, pocketing what he stole.

Gasps of relief could be heard from some of the students. Kaito and a few others cheered, and even the more reserved students couldn't help but chuckle and grin.

Tsumugi let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in. It was over. It was finally over... All the stress... All the doubt... All the suspicion...

There were definitely flaws in her plan. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was because she never gave up that they were able to stand now. She could've given up many times before... The girl thought back to her scene in the bathroom... It seemed like it happened days ago, yet it was merely hours...

The girl instinctively turned towards Rantaro and jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He grabbed her as well, swinging her around in a circle. Despite his injuries, an exceedingly warm grin was on Rantaro's face.

Above them, Keebo's face grew pale as he regained control of his body. Shaking away any last thoughts, the robot jolted right and fired his gun, aiming at the glass cage - as there was no better way to discharge his weapon. The students looked up as he did so, the light from the energy ball drawing their eyes. Eventually, it collided with the cage, bursting in a display of yellows and whites. The sound of shattering glass could be heard amidst the explosion, shards being thrust in all directions. Thankfully, the group was far enough away to avoid any debris.

When the smoke cleared, Tsumugi could see the blast had left a gaping hole in the cage's exterior. One large enough - and low enough - that the students could leave through. The darkness of a real night on Earth flooded in - although there wasn't much of a difference.

Keebo quickly floated to the ground, and Tsumugi released Rantaro to walk towards him. Immediately after he touched down, he clasped his hands and bowed toward her - his back almost horizontal. He tilted his head up slightly to speak.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience I've caused. While you all were fighting, I was rendered helpless, held captive by my inner voice. Not only did I cause you all much harm, I couldn't provide you any assistance. I don't deserve your forgiveness, by any means, but I would like to offer my apologies. I am forever in your debt."

Tsumugi could only imagine how he must have felt... Being trapped in his own mind, unable to act... It must've been terrible. She felt bad for the boy.

And now, he was blaming himself for actions that his body took, but his mind did not. The girl couldn't hold him responsible for that.

The girl approached Keebo, leaning forward a bit to lower her head. She giggled.

"Oh, Keebo..."

The robot looked up at her, wincing in confusion. Tsumugi continued.

"I forgive you. You tried your hardest, and everything turned out fine in the end. I can't really be mad at you for that."

Keebo stood up straight, his voice growing louder.

"B-But I was the one who decided to let them take over! I caused all of this! It's all my fault..."

Tsumugi tilted her head, "Wellll, technically I caused all of this by being the Mastermind of this Killing Game... So if anyone should feel bad, it's me."

Keebo shrugged, looking down at his gun arm, which promptly transformed back to his old arm. He shuddered.

"I tried to kill you, Tsumugi... Knowing you have that power inside you... And not being able to stop it... I feel like I don't even deserve to live anymore..."

A gentle hand was placed on the boy's shoulder. His eyes widened at the unexpected gesture. Tsumugi smiled as she responded.

"Keebo... Everyone goes through difficult times. I've been going through them as well, I just didn't know it at the time. Being the Mastermind behind these games, thinking what you're doing is right when it's clearly wrong... In a way, that's worse than killing.

"These dark thoughts happen to everyone. The power to be malicious, the power to kill... It's a terrible power. One that should never be awakened in anyone. If not stopped, it's a downward spiral into madness, leaving a trail of death...

"We're both very lucky that someone else was there to help us move forward."

Tsumugi turned towards Rantaro, and the others. The students who helped them defeat the Despair that was Danganronpa. Her friends.

Rantaro nodded at the gesture, and stepped up next to the girl.

"Yeah. Just like navigating through uncharted areas, each person can only see so much by themselves. They see what they choose to see. Tsumugi and yourself were fixated on Danganronpa, and couldn't see anything else.

"That's where friends come in. Your friends have eyes themselves, to see what you're not seeing, and because of this, they can help you overcome your weaknesses and show you the truth."

Tsumugi grinned a wide grin at the robot, who was still fidgeting, unsettled by the discussion. She reached to the side and grabbed Rantaro's hand before continuing.

"If you have friends, it doesn't matter how plain you are, you can survive anything."

Keebo looked away, and responded. His voice was quiet, and a stutter manifested, unlike his usual self.

"I... I guess... B-But what about them?"

Keebo held up a weak hand, pointing towards the hole in the cage. Tsumugi nodded in response, knowing who the boy was referring to.

The audience. The many other victims of Danganronpa...

At that moment, Tsumugi knew. She couldn't just stop here, with this group of sixteen. If she wanted to be true to her word, and true to herself, she needed to help them. Help every last one of them, until the trauma of Danganronpa vanished.

The girl stared into Keebo's eyes, yet it seemed she was fixated on something more distant. She spoke up with a confident tone.

"To everyone who is still watching... Just like how we were there for each other, I want to be there for you as well. All of you...

"Even though you tried to kill us, I know that, deep down, you all are good people. Because we're still alive. You didn't have to attempt to reason with us... You didn't have to give us time for last words... Yet you did.

"That's because you all knew how bad killing was - even if you won't admit it yourselves. You all knew that by killing us, you'd be killing real people. Your hesitation proved it.

"And that's a good thing. That's the first step - and we can take the next one together."

Tsumugi looked towards Rantaro, who gave the girl a stiff nod. She then turned behind her, towards the twelve other students who were standing there. They looked tired, exhausted from their fighting, yet they still stood tall, smiling back at her.

"You'll all help, right?"

There were quite a few nods from the crowd, however some decided to speak up. Kaito motioned to step forward, however a coughing fit stopped him as he leaned on Maki. The girl held him up.

"Y-Yeah... If there's p-people who need savin', let's do it!"

Kirumi responded, "After all, I do have a responsibility to my country..."

Even Ryoma mustered up a few words, letting out a light chuckle, "If it'll give their lives meaning... And mine as well... It looks like we've got a ways to go..."

Kaede and Shuichi stepped forward also. The girl grabbed his hand as she spoke, triggering a deep blush on the boy's face.

"Yeah! If we work together, there's no stopping us!"

Tsumugi's grin widened with each response. It warmed her heart that they would still help her, after being put through all this.

"Thank you, everyone"

Kokichi snickered as he walked back over to the students, "I guesssss I can help, too..."

Upon hearing the boy, her eyes lit up. There was something she needed to do.

"Kokichi, can I see Keebo's antenna?"

Kokichi procured the item from his pocket, and held it out to Tsumugi. As she reached for it, he swiftly yanked it back, holding the device against his chest.

"Finders keepers! What if I wanted to keep this ahoge for myself? I wanna be a protagonist, too!

"Why do you want it back, anyways?"

Tsumugi responded, "I want to put it back on Keebo."

A few gasps emerged from the crowd, but the girl quickly addressed them.

"We'll need to confront them anyways, sooner or later. We may as well give them a chance to speak now. It's only fair."

She turned to Rantaro, who promptly nodded. Many of the other students did so as well.

Yet Kokichi was still hesitant. The boy tilted side to side in contemplation. But eventually, he conceded, handing the antenna over to Tsumugi. The girl promptly held the device out to Keebo.

"Everyone, please, listen to what we've said... Danganronpa might be over, but your lives are not. We want to help you all move on. And I won't stop until we've done so."

Keebo took his time retrieving the antenna from Tsumugi. He held it up, examining it for a few seconds. After gripping it tightly and taking a deep breath, Keebo spoke to the audience as well.

"I'm not mad at any of you. Just like how you all were controlling me, you all were controlled by something else - Danganronpa itself. And now that thing has no power over you. So, when they say they can help... I believe them... We will help you all overcome this... Please, trust me... Trust us..."

The robot slowly moved the antenna to his head, and firmly reattached it to his scalp. His eyes flashed, and his body convulsed lightly. Not long passed before his eyes stagnated a deep blue.

There was a moment of silence afterwards. Tsumugi was confident, but she still couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering. If the audience decided to reject her proposition, they could easily use Keebo's remaining energy to take out his gun and kill them... But they wouldn't... Would they?...

Every second that passed made Tsumugi even more nervous. Her heart was beating in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. However, that was quickly quelled by something she saw appear on Keebo's face. Something she wasn't quite expecting.

A few tears trickled down the robot's cheeks and off his chin. A smile forced its way onto his mouth as the audience spoke.

"Th-Thank you... Thank you for everything..."

Tsumugi shook off her nerves as best she could, and responded with a grin, "You are... very welcome..."

To think that the audience would be moved this much... It was every writer's dream... And it meant so much more to her, that it was because she did the right thing. For herself, and for everyone else...

Keebo stepped to the side, holding a hand out towards the crack in the dome that separated fiction from reality.

"We will be waiting... Outside..."

He began walking towards the makeshift exit. Tsumugi watched as the other students followed him as well, to the best of their ability. Angie joyfully skipped along, holding the hands of Himiko and Tenko. Gonta was being shepherded by Kaede, Shuichi, and Kokichi, while Maki was tending to Kaito. Kirumi assisted Miu, with Ryoma and Korekiyo not far behind them.

On each of their faces was a smile. They looked like they'd run out of energy any second, collapsing like a wave of dominoes. But their resolve wouldn't let them. They were the strongest people Tsumugi knew... Despite their injuries, they were all happy... Excited for their new future...

Tsumugi smiled. That wasn't the only thing to be excited about...

She turned back towards Rantaro, who didn't leave with the rest of them. His eyes followed the students as they walked off, a smirk appearing on his face. Once he realized she was looking his way, he turned to face her, giving the girl a wide grin.

She watched as his hair ruffled in the cool, night breeze. A field of green, despite being overridden by dirt patches from the crash... His skin was riddled with dust and bruises, his clothing was ripped in many places... The battle they had was truly intense.

Yet, Tsumugi thought he never looked better. The boy was radiant, a warm, uplifting aura emanating from his body. A real aura - very similar to the one he displayed on their fateful meeting in the library just last evening... The girl felt a welling in her heart as she stared.

Rantaro was the one to break the silence, speaking in a hoarse voice, "So it's finally over, huh..."

Tsumugi responded, "Yeah..."

The girl began sniffling, for no apparent reason. Her eyes watered, and even though she tried her best to regain her composure, Rantaro noticed. He let out a chuckle in her direction.

"Are you crying?"

Startled, the girl shook her head, a few tears falling to the ground.

"N-No, I'm just..."

Her words faltered, and she let out a sigh, sniffling.

"Yeah... Maybe a little...

"I'm just so happy... This is exactly what we wanted... It worked out perfectly..."

A stream of tears trickled down Tsumugi's face. Rantaro nodded as he stepped forward, raising a hand to the girl's cheek. He gently grazed it, his fingers wiping the tears from her eyes.

"And it's all because of you. You never gave up, and that's why we won."

A sudden warmth overtook the girl at Rantaro's touch. She giggled, taking another step closer to him.

"You helped too, y'know. And so did everyone else."

Rantaro smiled, and shook his head playfully.

"Yeah, that is true... But without you, none of this would've been possible."

Tsumugi lifted her arms, and wrapped them gently around the boy's neck. Her mind overflowed with so many feelings, she feared it might burst... Relief... Happiness... Gratitude... And love...

The girl responded, her voice slow and clear.

"And that wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't stopped me that day...

"So from the bottom of my heart... Rantaro... Thank you..."

Rantaro pushed forward, pressing his lips against Tsumugi's. The girl returned the kiss, closing her eyes. The two stood there, underneath the faux night sky. The stars sparkled above them, watching down on their earnest embrace.

It was a while before Tsumugi pulled back. She grabbed Rantaro into a hug, nestling her face into his chest.

"I love you"

Rantaro placed his arms around her as well.

"I love you, too"

They stood there for a few moments, the two of them holding each other tightly. After nearly a minute, Rantaro spoke up, turning towards the dome's exit.

"Well, I think we should get going..."

Tsumugi nodded, releasing the hug and shaking herself off. She reached over and grabbed the boy's hand, beaming. Rantaro smiled back, and the two proceeded to make their way towards the exit.

As they got closer, it seemed that many of the students were still gathered at that spot, a few of them standing outside. Tsumugi locked eyes with Kaede, who swiftly waved them on. She spoke up.

"Tsumugi, Rantaro, you gotta see this!"

The girl could barely hear her, with all the noise that was coming from the exit. A noise that grew louder as the two approached. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but eventually, it became very clear.

We will be waiting, outside...

Tsumugi gasped, turning towards Rantaro. She then dashed forwards, making sure the boy didn't fall behind.

The girl reached the hole in the cage, and took a step outside. And what she saw was beyond her wildest imagination.

Hundreds of cars were gathered outside, scattered across the barren desert in which the cage had been placed. And amongst them, were people. Thousands of them, their numbers growing by the second.

Each one of them was cheering. They clapped their hands, giving the girl and the students of Danganronpa a standing ovation.

The clapping grew louder as they saw Tsumugi herself. Various whistles and other noises could be heard above the sea of noise, but only barely.

Tsumugi stood there, stunned. She watched them, her mouth agape at their reception. She knew the audience accepted their ending... But to have them take the time to drive out here, in a matter of minutes...

The tears began flowing again. In her entire career, she never would've dreamed she'd get an ovation like this one... And it was because she did the right thing. Because she wanted a better life for herself, for Rantaro, for the other students, for the entire audience, and the world as well. The girl couldn't have been more proud.

She bowed towards her audience, which incited more cheers. She then prompted her classmates to do the same, which they did. With each round, the crowd got louder, and soon enough, Tsumugi couldn't hold it in any longer. She practically tackled Rantaro, bawling into his chest. Tears of joy. Tears of success. Real tears, not fake ones.

She finally had her own life... One that she wanted to live... Not just for herself, or for her audience... For her friends, and the one she loved as well... A life that rejected death... Rejected the killing game...

And one that would bring her true happiness.

The fifty-third season of Danganronpa was the last season ever broadcast. Tsumugi Shirogane and Rantaro Amami moved on to create a new show - hiring the fourteen other students who escaped with them. In this show, they would set up fake situations, with the goal of helping people get over their fears by exposure therapy. The show was titled, Ultimate Real Fiction.

A/N:

Well, that's it, folks! The finale! I'm a sucker for happy endings, and I couldn't resist. What did you all think of the ending?

As much as I loved the real ending of V3, this canon divergence has really grown on me, and I love how it turned out. Thank you all for sticking through this with me! It's been almost 2.5 YEARS since the first chapter was released. Can you believe it? :P (and even better - it has been 10 years since Danganronpa was first released in Japan. That's crazy.)

I think this is going to be my last full-length fic, unfortunately. I might write a few other oneshots, but I'd rather focus my efforts on writing my own murder mystery VN at this point. If you want updates on that, let me know.

Before I sign off for the day, I'd just like to thank you all once again. Reading 16 chapters and 53,053 words (excluding author's notes) takes a LOT of time and commitment, that is definitely not trivial. It's really humbling to see all the positive comments and favorites here. You all are the best :)

- Team Mike