Dinner inside the dining area was lively. It was a familiar scene for those who were in the Neo World Program, but the rest of the party were enjoying the resort food to varying degrees. Though everyone stood relatively close to each other, people showed their preferences in who they wanted to interact with. Somethings, from Makoto's point of view, never changed. Still, a nice relatively relaxing mealtime with everyone was a nice change of pace. Suddenly some food was flung at him from his side. Glancing at where it came from, it wasn't much of a surprise when he immediately spotted Junko grinning straight at him. Wiping off the debris off of his face, he narrowed his eyes while she returned a more innocent look.
Kyoko crossed her arms. "Typical Enoshima."
"Lighten up, purple chick!" Junko stuck her tongue out at her. "All that stressing's going to turn all that hair into gray. But then it'd be a better look for what you really are."
"Hmph. I'm capable of having fun. I have something you lack, though. Self-control."
The fashion icon rolled her eyes and laughed while the detective looked away from her.
A sigh escapes Makoto's lips. He was hoping for at least some sort of common ground to be reached at some point. But these two girls seemed irreconcilable. For good reasons, he knew, but he couldn't help but be a little disappointed. He noticed Mukuro was a distance away along with Hina, throwing glances toward him every so often during the meal. Now that he's had some time to actually get his bearings from all the insane things that happened to him recently, he frowned at how complicated things became. Even though this was a world where there was no Tragedy, it just became that more confusing for him.
"You've been awfully quiet for a while, Makoto-kun." Kyoko picked a stray crumb from his cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Ah...it's just..." Makoto forms a half-smile. "Nah, I'm just thinking too much again."
"You're not the type to idly think. Not anymore."
"I think there's a few things that don't need to be said. It's not too hard to figure it out, right?"
"While I might know what it is, it still means a lot when I hear it." Kyoko looked straight at him with a neutral expression.
"Yeah. I know." Makoto laughed softly in response. "I'm just glad to know you're in my corner. I guess I'm grateful."
His words completely caught her off guard. "Saying things like that so haphazardly is so..." A touch of red spread on her face.
"Funny how he makes you turn into a little girl for a few minutes." Junko said with a tinge of venom.
"A shame the opposite isn't true for you." Was the former vice headmistress' retort.
"Please. I'm willing to have some mature times with him." She finished her statement with a wink. Makoto almost choked on the barbecue he was eating. After tapping his chest with his fist a few times he finally swallowed his surprise and gasped for air.
"Naegi-kun." A shy, yet friendly voice called to him from behind. He turned slightly and saw Mukuro there. "Can we...talk?"
"Oh! Of course, Ikusaba-san." He quickly followed the former SHSL Soldier out of the eating area before another round of mudslinging came from Junko and Kyoko. Alone in the area with the stairs, Mukuro finally turned around to talk with him.
"I've been...talking to Hina-san."
"Oh? That's good. You two seem a lot closer."
"Well we both have physical talents. It seems we had common ground with that and...other things. If only I had realized this sooner..."
"You shouldn't really feel that way. I'd say this whole experience has been something along those lines for a lot of things." Remembering her confession he gave a small smile. "Is everything alright?"
She didn't answer immediately. "It's been a while since we've talked like this."
A nervous laugh inadvertently leaves Makoto's mouth. "Look, about what I feel for you..."
Mukuro shook her head. "You...you don't need to say it." She held her right arm with her left hand.
"Ikusaba-san, I—"
"I'm not as cool as Kirigiri-san nor as appealing as my sister. It's...understandable." Despite her words, she looked pained.
Makoto sighed as he scrambled to form his next sentence.
"Even so, I...I can't help my feelings. I couldn't end up hating my sister for what she did to me. And I still can't stop loving you."
He didn't know how to respond to that.
"Naegi-kun, I want to ask you something."
"Yes?"
"I want to...I want to be your shield."
"Excuse me?"
"Even though you don't feel the same way about me, I'm forever grateful to you. It's probably why I still love you. I want to protect you."
"Ikusaba-san."
"The first choice I ever made in my life was joining Fenrir. I want this to be my second choice." A small, but sad smile appears on her face. "I'm tired of always watching from afar. So I would like..."
"Are you sure you want to do something like this?"
"I've always lived my life in service to others. For many different reasons. It's, for better or worse, who I am at my core. I'm sorry, Naegi-kun."
"...if it's your choice then I can't really be disappointed, now can I?"
She lit up despite her disappointment. "So that means..."
"Remember what I said? I can't really stop you from making your own decisions. You still chose to care about Junko and you're willing to go this far for me. If this is something you can look back and be proud of then I'm not going to judge you for it."
"You're not making it any easier to try and get over you." Mukuro's eyes misted but she was smiling. "You really are one-of-a-kind."
Hajime walked over to Monaca's lodgings after the chaotic meal was complete. Arriving in front of the room, Nagito just exited that very room himself.
"You should stop babying her, Komaeda."
"Ah. Well, she wouldn't even bathe without my assistance. Pitiable. In some ways I had her turn out like this."
"While that's true, she's still a fully capable teenager." Hajime sighed and looked away momentarily. "Anyway just leave the rest to me. I need to ask what she's found out on her end of things."
"Of course, Hinata-kun. Good night."
"You better sleep this time, alright?"
"Such kind words will help." Nagito smiled and walked off to his own cabin. Hajime knocked on the door several times before entering.
"Ah! Big bro Hajime." Monaca sat up from laying on her stomach on her bed. True to Nagito's cleaning prowess, whatever junk food wrappers and other assorted messes were cleaned out of the room. She even put down the game she was playing and gave him her full attention.
At first it was flattering that she idolized him in a way, but it quickly grew to be extremely strange for him. No wonder she got along fairly well with Nagito. They most likely talked about him occasionally.
"I wanted to thank you again for letting me use your parts for making Nanami-san."
"It's no problem!" She smiled normally.
"Were you able to find out anything about Jabberwock on your end?"
"Umm..." Monaca tapped her chin and looked thoughtful. "Not really. Even looking over big sis Chiaki's footage, there really wasn't anything weird about the first island or the waters around it."
Hajime couldn't help but smirk a little bit. "You've been getting along with her, haven't you?"
The former mastermind pouted angrily. "No way! She's just a stupid robot. Just a silly A.I. that barely knows how the world works."
"You treat her better than how you treat most humans, Monaca."
"Y-Yeah, but Mona- I'm not supposed to be nice with a rival! That's not how any of this works!"
"Rival? Seriously?"
The former Towa heiress looked him straight in the eye. "She took on the form of someone you held dear, right? Am I wrong in assuming you have some affection for her?"
"More like a little sister. She's not exactly the... poor girl... who died." He swallowed his bitterness and regret to continue the conversation. "Besides, Nanami-san already said she's bad at dating sims anyway."
"Hmph. So my rival is the human one, is it?"
"You know I'm not going to let you do anything to her, much less anyone, right?"
"Well of course! You are essentially the SHSL Übermench." She very visibly cheers and crushes. "So cool!"
"You really make it sound better than it actually is." Hajime sighed. "Just keep an eye out for any strange activity. And don't do an all-nighter again."
"Awww but I'm almost finished with my playthrough!"
"Seriously, I don't need Komaeda to be your servant. You're a big girl now, aren't you?"
"Tch. I guess." Monaca pouted. "I thought you didn't like him."
"There's things about him I don't like. But ultimately he ended up being a good enough friend."
"Fine, fine. I'll...try to shower more."
"Not just that." Hajime crossed his arms. "You need to go outside more, too."
"What?! Ew! No! Not the sun!"
"You know, most people who say that sort of stuff are just being facetious. But for you it's actually a problem."
"Ughh.." Monaca couldn't help but being a little bratty toward her new idol. "Fine I'll...try to go to the beach. But I'm bringing my games out with me!" She crossed her arms. "The glare is going to be so bad."
"Hey, I never said you had to exercise. Though that'd be a good idea too."
"I'll pass..."
"Fine, fine. This is still progress."
Komaru woke up in her cabin. She looked over and saw Toko still sleeping soundly. At the very least she smelled more like the sea rather than what she normally did. Ending up on a resort island during a strange plot she barely understood was frankly a not-too-surprising development of her not-so-normal life at this point.
At least I can catch up on my anime.
While she was browsing through her phone, she decided to peek out her window. She immediately saw two people she had never met before walking from the cottages. She could barely make out their conversation.
"...we'll...in trouble."
"Important..."
Watching the redhead and smaller blonde girl walking away farther and farther away, she decided to stop eavesdropping and continued to figure out what the status of her favorite shows were in this dimension. Toko eventually stirred from her slumber, trying to hide away from the shining tropical sun shining through.
"Argh...s-seriously? Just five more minutes..."
"Don't think the sun's going to let you get those, Toko-chan."
Another groan comes from her partner as she finally decides to rise from the bed. "And I was having a nice dream this time."
"Oh? Ew."
"H-Hey! Like you're one to talk, Cumaru."
"That joke's still not funny."
"Can we go and get breakfast already? I wanna get there before it gets too crowded like last night."
"Yeah, sure." Komaru stretches as she goes to put on more clothes. "Need to check on the kids, too."
"Mm." Toko sat up and squinted toward the intrusive light. "They're...not so bad to have around, you know?"
"Really? You told me it was a super stupid idea."
"I-I know. But they've kinda grown on me. Don't tell them I said that."
The not-super-high-school-level girl laughed in response. "Sure."
After a few minutes of preparations, the two girls exited their lodging and almost immediately found Nagisa leaning against a wall in the early hours of the morning.
"Shingetsu-san? I know you're up early usually but..." Komaru didn't mask her concern. "What's up?"
"Just have a lot on my mind. That's all."
Toko didn't look him straight in the eye. "About that pickled brat?"
"No! Not Monaca-chan." Nagisa pinched the bridge of his own nose. "I haven't felt that way about her since she...kissed me." His look made no attempt at hiding how much disgust he had for what she pulled on him.
"S-So whats wrong? Got the teenage feels?" Toko looked at him this time.
"Maybe? I don't know. I'm trying to figure out something."
"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Komaru said in a soft voice. "It's not like we're both that much older."
"I don't think you guys can help me with this one."
"What? Why not, Shingetsu-san?"
"It's just..." Nagisa sighed and recomposed himself. "It's embarrassing."
"Really? It c-can't be that bad." Toko bit her thumb slightly. "Don't be a big baby about it."
"Come on, Toko-chan. Don't be like that. We're not going to force him to talk or anything."
Nagisa's look intensified. "Promise you two won't say anything?"
"Sure. We promise."
"Ugh. F-Fine."
"So I—"
"Morning!" Kotoko walked up looking cheery in new clothes.
"Aaaaah!" Nagisa almost jumped as if he was a cat. "N-Never mind. I'll see you guys at breakfast." He walked quickly away, leaving the girls in complete confusion.
"Huh? What's up with him? Haha, he was kinda like a kitty. Really adorbs." Kotoko smiled.
"B-Beats me. Guys are just so confusing sometimes." Toko replied.
Komaru thought to herself for a few moments and then turned over to the former child actress. "Where's Daimon-san and Kemuri-san?"
"Oh, those two idiots are already eating. I went to go get you guys."
The younger Naegi's stomach grumbled slightly as she laughed nervously. "Oh. Yeah, we have been out here for a while, huh? Let's get going then."
"Finally. I'm starving." Toko complained.
"I wonder if they serve tuna eyeballs or kangaroos for breakfast?"
"Seriously Komaru, you have screwed up taste buds."
Makoto's morning wasn't as peaceful as he was hoping it'd be. He was sitting on his bed, looking straight at a tied up Junko with an unhappy looking pair consisting of Kyoko and Hajime. Mukuro also happened to be awake as she leaned against the doorway.
"So what happened this time?" Makoto was still groggy from being woken up suddenly.
Hajime rubbed his forehead. "We caught her planting things all over the first island."
"Aw! You two ruined the surprise! Killjoys."
"What was she planting?"
Kyoko crossed her arms in contempt. "Various things. Explosives. Security cameras. I'm unsure where she even procured it all. Or, more importantly, how many potential victims we would have had on our hands."
"Aw come on! I wasn't going to sink the island or anything." Junko adopted her cutesy persona. "A peaceful place like this could sure use some shaking up!"
"With explosives?! Junko." Makoto groaned.
"You know what they say about idle hands, Makoto. Upupupupu."
"Could you direct your energies into something more constructive, please?!"
Junko broke out into a smile. "Oh, you mean like creating a fun game we can all play? Sounds interesting."
"No!"
"You don't even know what kind of a game I wanted to make. Come on." She pouted.
"I'm pretty sure we've already experienced the boring punchline you were going to make with that one." Hajime's face maintained its neutrality. "Between you and Monaca, I figured I would have a handful. Thanks a lot, Kirigiri-san."
"Don't mention it." Kyoko kept her eyes fixated on her mortal enemy. "After all, we are working together. And the last thing we need is an Enoshima-brand surprise."
"Sorry, you two. I had no idea what she was doing." Makoto sighed. "What do you two recommend I do here?"
Hajime grit his teeth. "Aside from the obvious thing you refuse to do, the only alternative is something that she probably wants. Typical."
"You just have to learn how to play to win, Kamakura." Junko stuck out her tongue at him.
Kyoko cut in. "I'd say lock her up in the brig. But I doubt it'd hold her for very long. And that might create more problems down the line."
"Aw...can I stay tied up, though?" Her unsettling grin made an appearance.
Hajime narrowed his eyes in response while Kyoko continued to look straight at her with her iron mask of non-expression.
"Seriously, what were you trying to accomplish here?"
"Oh? Were you expecting a grand plan of some sort? You alright know what my goal is."
"And how does this exactly tie into that goal of yours?"
"I'm right here in your room now, aren't I?"
Makoto couldn't help but grumble a little bit. "You know that I've been trying to focus on what's going on here."
"Pfft. Is it really that bad?"
The SHSL Hope could help but widen his eyes. "What? You of all people know how bad it can get."
"Sure. That's the worst case scenario. But what if the world turns into something a little more exciting? We can't say for sure, right?" Junko inched closer, despite being her hands tied by the rope.
"The entire dimension could collapse, right?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. Aren't you supposed to be the annoyingly optimistic one? Or did you finally catch a case of despair?"
Kyoko and Hajime watched them closely, not saying a word. Mukuro felt uneasy.
"It's not right for someone to just one person or a few people to decide what happens to everyone else here. It's not our right at all."
"So what? This isn't like where we're from, Makoto! No one's going to thank you. You're not going to be paraded through the streets and celebrated worldwide."
He cracked a small smile. "Sure. Maybe a part of me wanted to be extraordinary. That's why I went to Hope's Peak Academy after all. But not to the extent of what happened."
"...it just wouldn't be fair, wouldn't it? Why do you want to make the world happy if you won't be?"
Regret and anxiousness washed over Hajime as he remembered a similar uestion that she posed to him when she first met "Izuru Kamakura" in his cell. He knew what he himself ended up choosing. And he expected he knew what Makoto would answer in kind. But he still wanted to see and hear it with his own senses.
"Who said I'm not happy now? I've got good friends. I'm healthy and in one piece. Honestly, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now." Makoto smiled, his teeth showing. "Sure, I could do nothing right now. But the way you're trying to sell it to me is giving me no choice but to oppose it."
"Ugh! Still so stubborn. But I guess I wouldn't be deeply in love with you if you weren't!" A cheeky and throaty laugh came from her as she undid her ropes. Kyoko and Hajime were not surprised at all by this development.
"You're too intense sometimes." Makoto responded. "But...I get that's what makes it you."
"Yes, well, that intensity could be toned down a bit more. For the sake of everyone else here, of course." Kyoko chided. "She seems content, regardless. What a troublesome girl."
"Typical Enoshima." Was all that Hajime could muster from his mouth.
"I'm just glad it didn't escalate further." Mukuro finally said.
Junko groaned as she casually sat next to Makoto. "Seriously, sis, how much more disappointing can you get?"
The former SHSL Soldier ignored her taunt and looked over at Makoto. "Sorry about waking you up early."
"It's fine. It was important." A yawn escaped from his lips as he raised an eyebrow toward the mastermind grinning next to him.
"As much as I would like to continue babysitting the SHSL Despair, Togami-kun should be docking in port soon." Kyoko uncrossed her arms and turned around. "Do keep her out of trouble."
Hajime smirked. "Well she is kind of a troublesome creature. Thought of buying her a collar, Naegi-san?"
"E-Excuse me?"
Junko giggled. "That doesn't sound too bad."
Makoto just showed a look of bewilderment and disgust. After the immediate reaction finally passed from his face, he turned toward the former SHSL Detective. "Alright. Keep me posted, Kyoko-chan."
"Of course." She walked past Hajime and Mukuro to head toward her objective.
"So you've found nothing else on the first item, Hinata-san?"
"Sadly. Though it was most likely going to be the case. I'd imagine the fifth island may have something. That's just simple deduction, though.
"It's still pretty far away." Makoto added. "But it would make the most sense."
"Well, it's not like any Monobeasts are blocking the way. I plan on heading there with Komeda and Nanami soon."
"Hey, good luck."
Hajime chuckled. "You know I already have that."
"Doesn't hurt to wish it now, does it?"
A sigh escaped from the artificial SHSL Hope. "I guess not. I shouldn't be surprised with how laid back you are."
"I just have a lot of faith in everyone, I guess."
"Aw. Even me?" Junko moved her face closer.
"In...some ways, yeah." Makoto replied. "But could you NOT try to cause massive property damage?"
"So bodily damage is okay?"
"Absolutely not!"
Mukuro couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.
Komaru stretched her arms out as she looked out at the ocean. Reading some manga on her phone (from legal sources, mind you) while relaxing at the beach ended up being way better than she imagined. Toko, on the other hand, was hiding under an umbrella that they bought warily eying the sun. She kept a silent, but watchful eye on the former Warriors of Hope as they were enjoying their time in the sand. Scanning the shoreline for any potential weirdos that would try to approach them, she immediately spotted a familiar-looking blonde man walking with a smelly fortune teller and Kyoko.
"M-Mas...Togami-sam—ugh. Togami-san is here!" She continued fighting her inward excitement over the attractive young business heir.
"Huh?" Komaru looked up. "Oh! Togami-san and...that's Hiro-san, right?"
"Ugh. I was hoping not to notice." Toko sighed.
The trio of former Future Foundation members approached them in their little umbrella.
"Good morning." Kyoko greeted with a professional tone. "I trust nothing strange occurred for you all this morning?"
"Ah, nope! Not at all Kirigiri-san!" Komaru smiled as she put away her new phone. "Everything's been kinda like a normal vacation should be."
"I'm glad that you're all relaxing, but you shouldn't forget why we're here in the first place."
"Of course not! Right, Toko-chan?"
The former SHSL Literary Girl in question was busy trying to avoid contact with her former self-proclaimed beloved. "That's why I'm here. She won't forget, I promise that."
"Hmph." Byakuya finally sounded off. "At the very least you two aren't complete slackers. More than I can say than a certain one with an atrocious hairstyle."
"Wh-whoa, hey Togami-chi!" Hiro sighed. "My hair is totally awesome, dude."
"Your hair and breath stinks. Did you not use the products I gave you?"
"Uh...I mean..."
Byakuya was far from amused as he crossed his arms.
"Honestly, you're a lost cause Hiro." Toko snapped in reflex. "Ergh..." She groaned and bit her lip.
The heir to the Togami estate shifted his eyes over at the young teenagers. "I've been informed that you took these troublemakers under your wing. Well, considering that much larger threats are able to roam free I'll allow this for the moment."
Komaru lit up. "Really? Thanks Togami-san!"
"Don't take this the wrong way. I'll make sure to keep a close eye on all of them myself. I am capable of this with the resources at my disposal."
Even Komaru found herself unnerved with his boasting. "Well...you're giving them a chance. That's the important part."
"Indeed. Consider it me repaying you for your deeds back in Towa City."
"Sure." The heroine of said city nodded.
"Now if you'll excuse me, the rest of us have some discussions to attend to. Especially with that boneheaded older brother of yours." The SHSL Heir didn't even wait for any responses as he continued toward the resort in his all-black suit. Komaru and Toko watched them walk away for a long while.
"He's always so serious, isn't he?"
"I-I think it's cool." Toko couldn't help but show a perverted smile on her face.
"You know, I thought you would be all over him when we met up with everyone at the rebuilt Hope's Peak. What happened?"
"Oh...well...after all that's happened, I can't really live in my delusions anymore."
"Wow! You came to that realization all on your own? I'm really happy for you."
"H-Hey!" Toko pointed angrily at her. "Besides, I didn't get to it on my own. It was all your fault!"
Komaru was shocked. "Wait, what? What did I do?"
"I can't have my d-delusions anymore because you genuinely w-wanted to spend time with me. E-Even though I kept doing things wrong, s-saying the wrong things, you...you n-never ran away."
"Toko-chan..."
"You even started showing up in my dreams! Ugh!"
"Aaah! W-We...wait, hold on...!"
"At first you were just some...kind of...bit character in them. But then more and more you just..." A splash of red covered her morose face.
"That's uh...I never knew."
"I used to think your brother was a dense idiot but it seems that it's more of a Naegi thing." Toko looked away. "You must think I'm terrible now."
"What? No. I really like you, too, Toko-chan!"
"R-Really? You're not just saying this out of pity?"
"Of course not. You're my partner. We have our fights here and there, but I'm genuinely happy to be with you."
Toko looked down and didn't say another word. Komaru studied her face, and she saw a small and faint smile.
"Ugh. This is why I don't like party games." Monaca was whining about another loss handed to her by the android Chiaki. "Let. Me. Win!"
"Sorry, Monaca-chan. But as a bearer of the name Chiaki Nanami, losing at Marko Party is out of the question."
A big pout from the green-haired girl came as she crossed her arms in a huff. Chiaki in response pouted back. The two found themselves with puffed up cheeks toward each other for a good couple of minutes. Hajime found himself amused at the two girls who, for all intents and purposes, would be mortal enemies otherwise.
"You two done?"
"Oh! Hi, big bro Hajime!" Monaca smiled widely for him. "Did you need something?"
"I figured you two would be playing games together again. Nice to see that you're getting sunlight."
"Did you think I would lie about doing it?" Monaca returned to her puffed up cheeks. "I'm hurt."
"Don't take it personally. Anything that deals with either the outside or other people, you tend to not go through with it."
"Hmph! That's only because big bro Nagito would be the one who tells me to do it." The child prodigy groaned. "Last thing I want to do is something that he wants me to do. I don't want to listen to all that hope and despair stuff anymore."
"Fair enough. Speaking of which, did either of you two see him around?"
"I'm afraid I haven't, Hinata-kun." Chiaki answered. "I haven't seen him since last night."
"Really? As far as I can analyze, he isn't plotting anything for the meantime. Maybe he's currently in 'bad luck' mode."
"I hope not." Chiaki pulled up her hoodie. "The last thing Komaeda-kun needs is to get hurt more."
"He may have gone on ahead. I was planning on going to check out the fifth island today."
"All the way there? I guess it makes sense. Maybe you won't find the final boss there, but since it's so far away from the docks there's probably something weird going on over there."
"More than likely." Hajime nodded.
"I'll come with you!" Monaca interjected. "Check this out."
She took out a small remote control and larger-than-man-sized Monokuma popped out from under the sand. With a big "Upupupu" he picked up the lazing Monaca and moved closer toward Hajime.
"Ahahaha! Well, guess I'm part of the party now!" Monokuma exclaimed.
"S-Seriously? Ugh. This bear..."
"Don't be so glum, my lab-grown chum! Monokuma, the SHSL Headmaster, is here to carry this investigation!"
"Well, I guess we need the extra pair of...eyes." Hajime sighed.
"And a pair of claws wouldn't hurt either!"
Monaca perched herself on top of the mechanical bear as she pulled out her Nantendo DS. "Ready to go, big bro!"
"Seems Monaca-chan is full of surprises herself." Chiaki smiled, despite looking at the same being that tormented them years prior.
"Alright. Let's go find Komaeda. Make sure he hasn't gotten himself into trouble."
"Oh. That won't be necessary, Hinata-kun." Nagito approached them with a couple of familiar faces.
Inside Hajime's mind, there were a few alarms going off almost immediately.
"Hey, Hinata."
The voice came from a familiar redheaded photographer. Next to her was a familiar looking blonde dancer. Their incarnations from this dimension hadn't run into Hajime yet.
"Big bro Hinata! Wh...what's going on? This is Jabberwock Island, right? But why's it look so different?" Hiyoko looked around, completely tense.
"You better tell us what's going on." Mahiru put her arms on her waist. "We woke up on the shoreline and there were PEOPLE around. We're supposed to be hiding from the world, right?"
"...it's a long story." Hajime groaned. It seems like things were slowly getting out of control.
ANote
Kaede found herself being escorted to a room in the facility they were in. Everything seemed like a blur to her. Her head was aching. She was trying to breathe deep breaths as she felt the remnants of her being choked. Trying to get a handle on the situation, she started to remember what happened to her.
She died.
Flashes of her body being tortured in some strange piano-related execution started to show up in her mind. She wanted to scream. And then she felt the tinge of guilt from the events that transpired.
She was in a killing game. Keyword was. The words coming from the Danganronpa staffer sounded muffled to her. She couldn't quite understand what she was listening to but a sight of a familiar person shook her out of her daze.
Rantaro was sitting at a couch in a room they led her to.
"Amami-kun?"
He showed a small smile and sighed, his eyes closing for a moment. The staffer said a few more words which the so-called SHSL Pianist acknowledged and left her alone with the person she supposedly murdered earlier.
"Guess you got executed, huh?"
"Amami-kun, I'm so sorry, I—"
"Hey, don't apologize. We all agreed to this killing game in the first place, right?" Rantaro sighed. "Besides, not like the first time I've died."
"Wait, what...?" She recalled that V2 was being aired currently. "Oh, right. V2. You told me you weren't allowed to talk about it when I asked you."
"Yeah. Now you see why. I wasn't exactly a survivor. I was more of a sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?"
"Only two people can win at the very end. For shock value. The prize money isn't too bad, either."
Kaede sighed. "Oh, that's...sorry to hear that." Internally, she was more surprised at the words that came out of her mouth.
"Not like any of you knew what SHSL talent they gave me in the game. I was the SHSL Survivor. A pretty screwed up joke, if you ask me." Rantaro stood up and placed his hands on his sides. "They designated me the 'protagonist' of V2 and then I ended up deciding on sacrificing myself. But my survivor perk gave me a pretty cool edge. I would've figured out the clues I left behind eventually."
"Yeah, you did get a lot of focus in the show." Kaede sighed in disappointment. "I died so early, too."
"Don't worry about it, Akamatsu-san." The former V2 contestant smiled. "From what I saw, you're going to be one popular character."
"Saw? Are you watching the killing game?"
"Yeah. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I guess I wanna cheer on some people." He sat back down. "The guy who was walking with you was telling you all about that stuff. But I'm pretty sure you didn't listen. They just wake you up and get you away from the place where they're holding the game and then say all that stuff while you're all disoriented."
Kaede immediately rushed over to the large flat screen on the wall opposite the couch. "Saihara-kun."
She watched the post-trial scenes and couldn't help forming a small tear in her eye.
"You two really hit it off in the pre-game. Guess he's your type."
"H-Hey, let's not be so hasty. He is pretty cute, though." Kaede began thinking. "In fact, there were a lot of cute people in the game."
Rantaro couldn't help but laugh. "Glad to see you're cheering up. Might as well take advantage of the hospitality they're giving us for the moment. Not like we can leave."
"Really?" Kaede crossed her arms. "I guess they want to keep everything secret. How did they even get us into the game...?"
"Beats me. We all went to sleep after the big feast on the first night, right? Then we ended up in a place with messed up memories and our personalities tweaked."
"That's...that's right. Is that how they did V2, too?"
Rantaro continued. "Bingo. And whatever they did, it makes it only last for a week and change. Even though the games are like three to four weeks long."
"How are they doing this?"
"Not like I know. We're not allowed anywhere near where everyone else is."
Kaede sighed and resigned herself next to Rantaro on the couch. "Maybe..." She looked straight at Shuichi on screen. "Maybe you can figure it out, SHSL Detective..."