The smells of Teruteru's expert cooking filled Hajime's nose. It was a smell he missed, though wouldn't admit out loud – mainly because the SHSL Cook would probably intensify his flirting toward the hapless former reserve student. Monaca was busy trying to refuse the large slabs of meat offered to her by Akane, whereas the rest of the class would look occasionally at Hajime with varying levels of interest.

Ibuki was busy singing out one of her new songs that she wrote, while Fuyuhiko and Peko were trying to steel themselves as they tried to ignore what she was singing. Teruteru was busy trying to flirt with the Impostor dressed as Mitarai, who simply kept on eating and complimenting him on his food. Their world's version of Chiaki was absorbing herself in a game while Nagito was trying to talk to her. Mahiru and Hiyoko were talking amongst themselves, while Mikan was trying to move and grab another piece of delicious food and fell in a compromising position on her back.

Chisa tapped Hajime on the shoulder. "No need to hold back, Hajime-kun." She smiled and presented him with a large bottle of sake.

"Really, Chisa-san?" Hajime sighed.

"Hey! It's not like Kyosuke or Sakakura-kun drink."

With a mix of both faint curiosity and resignation, he nodded and watched some of the rice wine being poured into a shallow cup placed in front of him. Chisa raised her own drink toward him.

"Cheers!"

An awkward smile on his face, he returned the motion. "Cheers."

The two cups clanged for a small moment before they both drank. His former homeroom teacher gasped with a big smile on her face, while Hajime himself tried to process what he just drank. He started to feel a little warmer, but nothing too out of the ordinary. He wasn't sure if it was a side-effect of being Izuru Kamakura or that he naturally wasn't a lightweight.

"So he's supposed to be your friend, Komaeda?" Kazuichi blurted out. "The hell man, he's not even a highschooler! Could've fooled me, though..."

Sonia laid her cup of hot green tea down on the table. "Soda-san. We should not be rude to guests. Are you not curious on how a man like him would become friends with a classmate of ours?"

"I mean... I guess I kinda am curious, Sonia-san." The SHSL Mechanic rubbed the back of his head.

"I, too, am wondering about this strange man. This one-eyed dragon must have mastery over the dark energies to be able to tame the snow-haired fiend of hope!" Gundham declared.

Hajime chuckled to himself, thinking about his new nickname.

"It was not just Komaeda-san that he's known prior. Also Koizumi-san, Saionji-san and Yukizome-sensei."

Kazuichi, as if alarms just started to ring in his head, blurted out. "Whoa, you kinda get around, don't you? Better watch out for him, Sonia-san!"

"I just happen to meet people." Hajime smiled with a calm expression. "Earlier I did run into Kuzuryuu, Pekoyama and now Owari."

"Hah!" Akane grinned. "He's a good guy! Anyone who takes care of others is a real man in my book. Isn't that right, old man?"

Nekomaru laughed heartily as he walked over to Hajime. "A man who truly knows the value in supporting others. You've got good instincts, Owari! Seems I haven't lost my touch as a SHSL Coach! I'm Nekomaru Nidai! Let's see that handshake of yours."

Hajime stood up and shook his hand.

"Good! A firm, steady, but not hand-crushing handshake! Gahahahahaha! I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do, Hajime Hinata." He walked back over to his seat to continue eating with the rest of the class.

Another awkward smile came from the former SHSL Hope's face. There was a part of him somewhat annoyed with these guys. They were SHSL students. Even with all the talents he had embedded to him at his disposal, he would never really be a part of their world. Before, he was beneath them. Now he was above them. And neither situation really appeased him all that much.

"Don't let it get to you too much, Hajime-kun." Chisa said in a hushed tone. "You already know they can be good friends. I'm a little annoyed that I didn't get to help you out with that."

"Really?" His voice had a tinge of Izuru's old speaking habits.

The homeroom teacher took another gulp of sake. "Yeah. But you disappeared. I never found out that it was you who ended up going into that project. The last thing I heard about you was that you were expelled."

"...of course they did. But it's alright, Chisa-san."

"Hehe." She smiled. "I suppose being confident in yourself was something you finally learned. Though...is it because you have all that talent?"

"It's part of it." He replied with a matter-of-fact tone. "But being in a life-or-death situation really hammered it home."

"A tough lesson for a tough guy." She mused.

"No! I don't want anymore!" Monaca whined.

"Aw, but you're not gonna get all big and strong like your big sis if ya don't eat!" Akane grinned and pulled the former mastermind's fork up to her mouth. "Gotta finish the whole plate!"

"Ughh...why are you so stupid, big sis Owari?" Monaca replied, a threatening look on her face. "You should leave me alone if you know what's good for you."

Unfortunately it didn't phase the gymnast, who only got pushier. "Give it a big ahhhh, Monaca!"

"No!" The green-haired teen whined. "I just wanna play my game!"

The Class 77-B version of Chiaki Nanami looked up from her Game Girl to give Monaca a look for a few moments, then went back to her gaming. Cham-P of the Twelve Zodiac Generals (having multiplied from the original Four Devas of Destruction) scurried over and took some of the Towa heiress' veggies while Akane was still trying to feed her.

Hajime peered over to an open window and saw the android Chiaki Nanami waving to him with her trademark comfy smile. She gave him an A-OK sign as she walked off, leaving Hajime to sigh next to the nosy Chisa.

"I know she doesn't eat, but it would've been nice for her to be here with us." He said in a low voice. "But for obvious reasons, she can't be here."

"Ahhh, I don't think you should feel too bad about that." Chisa replied. "I'm sure she's supporting you."

"Like always." Hajime finished the sentence for her. He then looked over at the other Nanami. As if she sensed him looking at her, she returned his stare. His heart jumped a beat and flinched slightly.

"You should talk to her."

Hajime looked back at Chisa. "That's a bad idea."

"Come on. How are you going to move on when the past is looking right at you?" The homeroom teacher took another drink. "That's part of moving forward into the future, you know."

The brown-haired man stood up. "Just don't pass out."

"Psssh. I may not be an alcoholic like Kizakura-san, but I can hold my liquor! Go ahead, Hajime-kun."

Taking that as her blessing, he walked over to where the SHSL Gamer was sitting. Nagito looked over and smiled.

"Ah, Nanami-san, this is the man I was talking about."

Chiaki looked up again from her game. "...Hajime Hinata, right?"

"Yeah. You're Chiaki Nanami, right? Nice to meet you."

"Thanks for taking care of Komaeda-kun. He seems a lot happier."

"Ah, well, I didn't really do much. You've been playing all night, though."

She moved her eyes back down to the handheld console. "I'm just about to beat this RPG. I made the mistake of starting it on the boat ride..."

Hajime held back a snicker. "Ah, well, you really want to finish what you started huh?"

"I can't help it. I'm kind of a completionist. But..."

She smiles as she finally put down the game and the credits roll. "...I try to do the best I can." She smiles at him.

He couldn't help but smile back for a few moments.

"Do you like video games, Hinata-kun?"

"Uh...well...I like playing them with others. I didn't bring a console of my own, though..."

"That's okay. I have some extra." True to her talent, she took out another Game Girl and presented it to Hajime. He nervously smiled and took the handheld from her. Trying to be careful with the lent item, he took a seat next to her. Nagito found himself holding back his breath. Two people he idolized were about to begin a run on a co-op game.

Such small gestures could only bring hope in the end.

Makoto opened his eyes slowly. The bed was extremely comfortable this time around. As he slowly started to rise from laying down, he felt a small headache. He remembered that both Kyoko and him both decided to finish the bottle of wine last night.

"Good morning, Makoto-kun."

He almost sprung straight into the ceiling when he heard Kyoko's voice next to him.

Kyoko sounded exasperated. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"O-Oh, Kyoko-chan. A-haha...you s-slept here?"

"Considering how drunk you were last night, yes."

"I didn't do anything weird, did I?"

"You mentioned wanting some endless curry. But other than some slurred speech, no, I guarantee you did not."

A sigh of relief comes from Makoto. "So you just...slept in bed with me?"

"Leaving you alone at the mercy of Enoshima would have been disastrous."

"That's not exactly what I meant."

"And where else would I sleep in this single-occupant cottage? Did you want me to slumber on the hardwood floors?"

"Alright, I get it, I get it...!"

Makoto finally sat up on the bed and looked over at Kyoko, who was in her collared blouse and skirt.

"Did you at least sleep well?"

"Well enough." She stirred a bit, still laying down. "You're not a bad bedmate, if that's what you're worried about."

"Ahaha...well...the last time you saw me asleep, I was pretty delirious wasn't I?"

"How you managed to get ill like that...well...perhaps it may have been tied to your mental state."

"Maybe." Makoto rubbed his eyes as he stood up from the bed. "...ugh, still feel kinda sleepy. Must be a hangover."

Kyoko laughed quietly while she was still laying down.

"How about you? Are you feeling okay?" Makoto asked sheepishly.

"I'm fine."

"Not even a headache?"

"Is it a problem?"

"I guess not. I didn't think you'd drink all that often."

"I don't." She stated, finally getting up. "Genetics, I suppose."

"Suppose...?" Makoto sighed. "We should go get some breakfast."

"Are you in a hurry?" She pushed aside the curtains to look outside at the sunny morning. "There is room service in this hotel, you know."

Taking a deep breath, he decided to lower his guard and walked over to where she was standing.

"You've never been this jittery before."

"I didn't notice. Yeah. I'm really nervous for some reason."

"You don't seem scared." She leaned over to him. "Perhaps you were expecting something else?"

"H-Hey, wait!" A nervous smile came from the former SHSL Lucky Student as he raised his hands slightly. "I wasn't. Honest."

"Then I'm a bit disappointed."

"Really?" He looked apologetic. "I-I mean, I'm not that kinda guy..."

"I know you aren't. You just happen to be fun to tease."

"Give me a break..."

They looked out at the idyllic scene of the resort, quiet in the morning.

"Though I never thought we'd be able to relax like this. Not for a long time, anyway."

"This whole nonsense has brought some benefits." The lavender-haired woman wistfully responded. "Even I can't help but find myself relaxing at times. A bit unlike me, don't you think?"

"I think you can have fun when you really want to."

"Hm? Hina-san has mentioned multiple times that I'm a chronic workaholic."

"You used to pull some long hours." He chuckled. "But that's a part of you, isn't it?"

"It is. But it's not a very desirable trait."

"I don't think you're that bad about it anymore."

"...I suppose you're correct. A younger me would be trying to brush off this conversation."

"I don't think a younger Kyoko Kirigiri would so readily sleep in the same bed as me."

"W-Well, that's...you...I—!"

"Sorry. That was revenge for earlier." A playful smirk formed on Makoto's face.

"Heh..." She narrowed her eyes and looked down slightly, a blush forming on her face. "I see. You're witty when it comes down to it."

"I'd like to think I'm just able to keep up now."

"Impressive." She turned to him. "And here I was worried you were starting to change."

"Change? In what way?"

She shakes her head. "No, you've always been like this haven't you? You were just too polite before."

"Ahh, well, I guess being an adult makes it easier for my thoughts to slip out of my mouth."

Kyoko moved closer to him.

Not responding any way physically, Makoto continued their conversation "You're more expressive these days."

"Being in limbo makes for a good teacher. Painful, but effective."

"I-I guess." He frowned slightly. "Though I'd like for you to realize things without the danger of death looming."

"That would be ideal, yes."

"...like being tone deaf."

"Being social is a skill that I still need to develop. Or are you saying that you would like to teach me?"

Stifling a chuckle, he smiled. "I'm not sure if I could teach you that much."

"You've taught me more than you realize."

"I guess we just keep teaching other things, then?"

"Of course. Life's more fun that way."

She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Ugh...I don't get how people can do this." Toko groaned as her eyes were closed. She was sitting cross-legged next to Komaru, doing the same thing.

Sakura was at a far end from them as they took up residence in an empty conference room and cleared the furniture, with the four former Warriors of Hope also trying to meditate.

Komaru sighed. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to sit still. I guess I've gotten so used to always being on the move. Besides, this isn't for us Toko-chan."

Stifling another groan, Toko sighed.

"Finding peace within yourself is something that requires effort. Meditation is simply a step toward that goal."

"Y-Yes, sensei!" Masaru answered.

"Try and stay calm, Daimon. You needn't answer me."

The redheaded teenager nodded as he kept his words in his mouth. After a few more minutes, Sakura spoke up again. "That should be enough. Keeping a clear head and mind should not only help with recovery, but also for self-reflection onto your own future."

"Thank you so much, Ogami-san." Komaru bowed.

"...I've only done a paltry amount compared to you, Komaru-san." The SHSL Martial Artist replied. "When Hina-san told me how you've taken in damaged youths as your own wards, I couldn't help but be impressed."

"Ah...thanks." The heroine of Towa City rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"I'd even go as far as to say you would make a formidable martial artist yourself."

"Haha. Maybe I would. But right now I want to focus on my dreams."

"Fair enough. A martial artist must be willing to learn in the first place."

Masaru grinned. "There's so many cool people out there! I'm going to become a cool hero someday, too."

"Really, Daimon? You're still going on about that?" Nagisa cupped his face into his palm.

"Oh yeah, Shingetsu-kun? What were you thinking about during meditating, then?"

"None of your business."

"Probably something perverted." Kotoko said with a deadpan expression.

"H-Hey! No way!"

"I thought of some new things I'd like to s-sculpt." Jataro mused. "I never thought about just...not doing anything and think."

"I don't blame you, Jataro." Nagisa reassured. "There's a chance to think about our pasts."

"O-Oh, I was...I was thinking about them. But I got ideas from them."

"Eh?" Daimon was shocked. "You're okay, right?! I don't want a friend of mine becoming one of those crazy artists!"

"A...A friend?"

"Yeah! I, uh, may have done some bad stuff to you before but...I think of you as a friend of mine."

Touched by the former Super Elemental School Level P.E., Jataro started tearing up.

"H-Hey! Why are you crying?"

"I'm...I'm just so happy."

"But then why are you crying?!"

Kotoko sighed. "Man, you two can be real idiots sometimes."

"Don't be too hard on them." Nagisa reminded. "They can be very sensitive."

"Wh-who's sensitive, you blockhead?!" Masaru retorted. "I-I'm totally not."

"Then why are you tearing up too?"

"I'm not! Shut up!"

Komaru laughed while Toko rolled her eyes. Hina walked in with a few boxes carried in her arms with Mukuro following suit.

"All done? Let's have some breakfast, then!"

The young teenagers immediately forgot what they were arguing about as they moved over to the former SHSL Swimmer and took some donuts for themselves. Hina, unsurprisingly, was taking the lion's share. While the four youths were enjoying their meal, the five older individuals gathered together for their own.

"Geez, Hina-san, you really can put those away." Komaru nervously smiled.

"I can't help it! It's my go-to for energy..."

Toko frowned. "You're just lucky it all goes t-to your tits."

"Hey!"

Mukuro sipped on some tea that she bought herself, quietly watching.

"You're looking alright, Ikusaba-san." Komaru smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Naegi-kun was safe, so I managed to."

"Huh. You trust Kirigiri-san that much?"

The freckled woman looked down at her drink. "She's...a good person. And she stands up to my sister. I think I just respect her now, actually."

"It's good that you aren't too hung up on your sister now."

"...I used to think I knew so much about the world." The former mercenary took a sip. "Having been deployed in countless battlefields, it was the one thing I could be proud of. But between being betrayed by Junko-chan and learning so much from everyone...I realized what little I knew."

"Oh?" Komaru leaned forward.

"About how people are...about what guys like. Stuff like that."

Hina swallowed another serving of the fried goodness. "You shouldn't be hung up on stuff like that either."

Toko frowned. "Of course she's still hung up on him. That sort of stuff doesn't disappear overnight."

"Well, I mean, you aren't stalking Togami anymore. There's hope." Hina pointed out.

"Ugh..." Stifling another insult that was about to escape her lips, Toko nodded. "True."

Mukuro nodded. "I doubt those feelings will go away."

"That just sounds so sad." Hina looked at her with a face full of pity. "And lonely."

"...it's more along the lines that I want to become more than just...what I am now."

Sakura crossed her arms and smiled. "It's a commendable goal. I can empathize. When you narrow your view to only a single goal, it's easy to forget about everything else. You become myopic. While I pursue becoming the epitome of strength, I remind myself that there are other things in life. Like becoming a good role model."

"Being myopic?" Mukuro reflected on those words. "...yeah. I guess that's a good way to describe it."

"Morning, Hinata." Mahiru waved at him in the hallway.

"Good morning. Not with Saionji?"

"She's exhausted from everything. I didn't want to wake her."

"...how are you holding up?"

"I'm hanging in there. I've got to be the rock, right?" The former SHSL Photographer smiled. "Besides, it's honestly better than having to live out in hiding for the rest of my life."

"Yeah. You're right." Hajime presented a closed-lip smile. "But it's a little hard pretending that you're someone else, isn't it?"

A shock appeared on the redhead's face. "Y-You make a good point. Now I'm starting to feel pretty exhausted..."

"Don't overdo it, Koizumi."

"I'll try not to. Hehe. You've really become dependable, haven't you?"

"My talents are kinda wired for me to be end up that way."

"No, I'm not talking about that." Mahiru crossed her arms. "You've gotten a lot more sensitive around people. You're even going out of your way to check up on me now."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Honestly. For someone who's supposed to be a supergenius, you can be pretty dumb sometimes."

A little fissure of annoyance started to form in his mind, but he let it go for the time being.

"I didn't even thank you properly. For helping us wake up."

"I wasn't going to just leave you guys unconscious."

"Then I'll just say it." She takes a deep breath. "Thank you."

Hajime couldn't help smirking a little. Mahiru blushed fiercely in response. "Seriously! You can be such a bonehead sometimes. Ugh. Never mind, forget I said anything."

"You're welcome."

She was just stunned into silence for a moment. "Yeah, well...anyway, I wanted to tell you what we managed to find out."

Snapping out of the curiosity he had, Hajime started to focus. "Oh. Alright, go ahead."

"No one's really done anything weird from what we could tell. But our class doesn't really spend all our time with each other. We mostly do our own thing."

"Has anyone said anything about it?"

"Well, Chiaki-chan wants us to hang out together at times. But other than that, everyone kind of does their own thing. Not too different than when we were students now that I think about it. That and the yakuza pair avoids me."

"Not too hard to figure out the reason why." Hajime added. "But nothing sounds too out of the ordinary. It's probably like Kirigiri-san said. Whoever's responsible is just waiting for the swap-ins to happen."

"So then how do we stop it? Or, uh, stop it from getting bad? I don't mind everyone coming over to this side but..."

Hajime kept silent for a few moments when she said that. But then piped up. "It's just like a killing game. The more people get surprised and show up, looking like a deer in headlights, the less of a pool of suspects we have."

"Do you really think it's one of our class?"

"Not entirely. It could easily be someone from Class 78. But none of them have been reported to be replaced, either."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at, Hinata."

"It means that even though this looks random... I'm suspecting that the mastermind is able to control who crosses over."

"That sounds insane. But... we've been part of some really insane things, haven't we?"

"I guess. Nothing's set in stone yet. It all depends on who shows up next."

"...all we can do is wait it out huh?" The freckled woman sighed. "Do you really think the world could end because of this?"

"It's possible. We aren't seeing any natural disasters yet, but what happens when the mastermind can't control what's happening anymore?"

"Doesn't seem like we can go back, either."

"If this is our new home, might as well protect it."

"Being heroes this time? I think I like this better than our last story."

Nagito, AI Chiaki and Monaca along with their robotic bear "companion" approached them.

"Ugh. Seriously, Monokuma still gives me the creeps."

"And you're looking as plain and boring as ever! Ahahahahaha!"

Monaca simply smiled sweetly, not even saying a thing to her murderous partner. Hajime narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately noticing what was going on.

The android girl smiled. "Everything seems A-OK. No one's showed up yet."

"No one's seen you either, right?"

"Um...I've been careful this time!" She leaned forward with a gung-ho attitude. "Besides, I'm not too bad acting like the real thing!"

"You're real, Nanami."

"R-Right. You're right!"

Mahiru couldn't help but smile. "You've really come into that role of yours. I'm starting to be impressed."

"Starting to?" Hajime sighed.

"You do have a way to inspire others, Hinata-kun." Nagito smiled.

"I think you have me mistaken with the actual SHSL Hope."

"Inspire's not the right word." Mahiru countered. "More like...calm people down."

"You guys can be really excitable sometimes. Someone has to do it."

Monaca smirked. "Sounds like they'd be lost without big bro Hajime."

"More like things would start blowing up on the island. We already have Enoshima to worry about. The last thing we need is Nidai to blow up all the toilets on the island."

Mahiru laughed nervously. "Since we're all here, we might as well get some breakfast together."

"A wonderful proposal, Koizumi-san!" Nagito smiled.

Checking some e-mails on his phone, Makoto looked up as he sat at the small coffee table in a nearby cafe. Hiro was clutching his head, ordering an ice tea-like drink.

"It's not even lunchtime yet, Hiro-kun." The brown-haired man sighed as he drank a cup of tea.

"Hey, I don't have a problem! Eh...besides, it's afternoon somewhere in the world." He sipped his alcohol without another care in the world. "You missed out on one hell of a party, Naegi-chi! I didn't know your sister could drink us all under the table!"

The former SHSL Lucky Student raised his eyebrow. "Me neither."

"Kirigiri-chi watching over the pink-haired demon again?"

"Well, between all of us, I think we can keep her from doing trouble."

Hiro laughed. "Yeah, you right. We got all these eyes on her, she's not gonna spread despair or whatever weird thing she's doing."

Finishing his errand on his cell phone, he put it away and gave full attention to the former SHSL Shaman.

"Speaking of trouble, you haven't got into any have you?"

"N-No way. Er...well...maybe I did try to flirt with some cute island girls, but I've been pretty good. Honest."

"You? Flirt?"

"Hey, man. Finding a lady to spend time with is a goal of mine!" Hiro grinned. "Not everyone can be you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dude, even I can see those girls swooning over you. You dog."

Makoto sighed. "It's more problematic than you're making it sound."

"Well, if it's a problem, why haven't you chosen anyone yet?"

"I'm not going to force my own feelings." The tired-sounding Naegi replied. "Though it's been a little better lately."

"Ah, yeah. I heard what happened from Hina-chi. Sounds like Ikusaba-chi could've used some drinks for herself."

"...she looked better this morning. Besides, I don't think drinking your problems away is the right solution."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it!" Hiro heartily laughed. "But seriously, I'm no heartbreaking Casanova like you, dude. I gotta actually put in the effort."

"Effort. Yeah...I think everyone's got to do that."

"Speakin' of that, ever thought about just taking them all?"

"Taking...them all?"

"Yeah. You know. One of those...polyrus relationships or whatever."

"Polyamory?" Makoto narrowed his eyes. "L-Look. Even if I was okay with that sort of thing, what makes you think the girls would be?"

"Huh..." Hiro actually looked like he was thinking hard. "Yeah. You got a point. Doubt Kirigiri-chi is the type to share like that. She's pretty old school. Enoshima-chi would probably do one of those, I think. But only if she's in charge."

Makoto couldn't help but be impressed with his intuition. He took another sip of tea.

"...and Ikusaba-chi would totally be a sub, so..."

The poor man with an ahoge almost choked on his drink. Smacking his chest a few times, he finally swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Now I'm all invested in this thing! Damn, who should I bet for?"

With a hoarse voice, Makoto asked. "Are you guys making bets on that too?!"

"Well...why not? Having some fun and making a little bit of cash? Think I might see if we can start up a little pool."

Naegi put his face into his right palm. "You guys can seriously be the worst sometimes."

"Hey, I'm not gonna disagree with you." Hiro replied. "But you still stay friends with us all the same. That's why I'm sticking by you, you know!"

After a short sigh, the former HPA headmaster smiled. "Well, that's nice to hear at least."

ANote

The subsequent investigation into his murder didn't do much to raise Ryoma's spirits. Kaede kept looking over at him, completely concerned for his well-being.

"...thought I'd get out of this funk by now." The SHSL Tennis Pro blurted out. "What did those guys do to me?"

Rantaro leaned back into the couch. "The same thing they did to all of us. Made us into better characters for the show."

"Yeah. But I wasn't this much of a wreck before."

"Maybe if you hold onto what you were, maybe you can break out of whatever thing they did." Kaede proposed.

"Worth a shot, I guess." Ryoma kept his eyes glued to the screen. "I'm mad, but at the same time I also feel like it didn't matter in the end. Pretty uncool of me."

"You were like that since the beginning. Don't you remember offering your life before the first trial?"

"Tch. You got a point, Akamatsu."

"Say, if you don't mind me asking, why'd Team Danganronpa make you into some kind of convict? Did you really murder someone?"

"Nah. Nothing hardcore like that. But I've been to juvie. It wasn't great. They really do make you think that your future's over when you're in there. Messes with the vibes, you know?"

"It makes sense." Kaede sighed. "How about tennis?"

"I mean, I straightened out and started to play tennis for my school. I wasn't some sort of Federer or something, but I think I was pretty solid."

"You probably make your opponents underestimate you." Rantaro added.

"That's probably it. People always love sticking with first impressions."

Kaede smiled. "Yeah, but now you've got a SHSL talent."

"...Akamatsu. You probably got the best deal out of all of us." Ryoma said with a tired expression.

"Did I?"

"You got more positive stuff out of what they did to you along with a SHSL talent. Mine comes with one hell of a cost."

"I...I guess I didn't really think about it like that."

Rantaro nodded. "It sucks to die first, but honestly...we got out lucky. We didn't spend that long as what they made us."

"Yeah but..." Kaede sighed. "A part of me is really glad it turned out that way, but I can't help but feel sorry for the others."

Ryoma continued. "See? You made out like a bandit. Don't worry about the rest of us too much, Akamatsu."

"No. That just means I can focus on helping you guys out." She looked toward Shuichi who was taking control of the class trial. "It's all I can do for you guys. And maybe...when he finally shows up, I can help him too."

The trio continued to focus on the trial until Kirumi had suspicions cast on her by Shuichi's deductive prowess. Ryoma only responded with a short grunt. The door finally opened to the screening room and Kirumi was being escorted by a Team Danganronpa staff member, still acting and looking dignified in her school uniform.