Author's Note: I was debating splitting this chapter into two parts, but there's just no time anymore :'D I apologize for the length and the general chaos that is my I Just Needed To Finish This.
Five Nights at Monokuma's
The End?
Hajime felt numb.
He was aware—he was staring at a pile of boxes in a small room with a sloping roof—but he could not feel his body. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe. The last memory he had was only a feeling; red-hot pain blooming in his chest. He couldn't attach any images to that feeling, he could only remember the pain. It hurt too much to think about, so he stopped thinking about it.
But that left him completely empty.
Time passed.
Or perhaps time didn't pass at all, and his existence was frozen.
He had no perception of whether seconds or years had gone by when the noise came. A soft creak, followed by a click. He couldn't identify it. His mind was blank.
It was blank when something touched him. The sensation was bizarre, as if he was feeling through layers and layers of concrete. The boxes tilted, as if his view was being pulled to one side.
A voice spoke. "You're safe now, my beautiful Izuru."
Izuru? That was wrong. Hajime was Hajime. He wanted to tell the voice this, but he could not. He had no mouth, no ability to form words.
"I'm sorry it took so long… Junko tried to hurt you, but I've taken care of her. The fire is out—I'm not sure what exactly you hoped to accomplish by starting it, but it's worked to our advantage. No one has come in for days. I think they've abandoned us. It's just you and me, now."
Before Hajime could even try to figure out what the voice was talking about, another voice spoke. This one one seemed to resonate from… within him. But it was not him who was speaking.
"You lied to me. You've never done anything but lie to me. I thought Junko would help me escape, but she lied to me, too. There's no one left for me to trust. And now you've shoved this… thing inside me."
"It was a necessary sacrifice, Izuru."
"You killed somebody."
"For you, Izuru. I killed him for you. So I could have you back."
"That's no better than killing someone for the sake of escaping."
The first voice laughed. Another sensation rippled inside Hajime. He felt… unsettled. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like this discussion.
"If it's for you, I'd kill anybody. I'd burn the whole world down if it meant staying with you for a moment longer."
"Is there a world to burn, Nagito?"
Silence.
"People come into this place from somewhere. Where is that somewhere, Nagito? Tell me. Tell me the truth. Tell me outside exists."
"There is no outside."
"You were the only one of us who never questioned the existence of outside. Why is that? You know something, don't you? You've been outside before, haven't you?"
"...I cannot answer your questions, Izuru."
"I'll ask Hajime, then."
"Hajime cannot help you, either."
They were saying his name now. Did they know he was here? Where was here?
"He doesn't remember anything. By the time he does, you will have lost hope of ever escaping. You're mine, Izuru."
Izuru didn't say any more.
Nagito didn't say any more, either.
And Hajime could not say anything at all.
Hajime felt as if he had just woken from a long sleep. The light blinded him, and his head felt fuzzy. His body felt heavy and awkward to move. When he came to the realization that he was moving, his legs promptly gave out on him and he collapsed to his knees.
Puffy white clouds floated slowly overhead.
Daylight.
How long had it been since he'd seen daylight?
Nearly a decade, Izuru answered.
He wanted to cry.
Wanted, but he could not. Nor could he breathe or blink or feel his heartbeat. He could barely control this body. He was only a secondary consciousness, Izuru had told him.
But for now, just being able to look up at the sky like this… it was enough.
The boy who had appeared suddenly under the stairs came into view again, crouching beside him. "A-Are you okay?"
Makoto Naegi, Izuru supplied. He watched the surveillance feed from your time as a security guard. He witnessed your death and came to find you.
"How..." For the first time, Hajime's words were able to come out of Izuru's mouth. "...How did you know… I was here?"
The smile Naegi gave him was so wonderfully earnest, it warmed Hajime. "It was just a feeling I had. I thought if there was even the slightest chance you were still alive somehow… I had to find you."
"Thank you." Hajime blindly groped at him, relieved when Naegi took his hand. "Thank you..."
I want to see more of Outside, Hajime.
Hajime squeezed Naegi's hand. "...You risked your life for me. I owe you… everything."
Take me Outside, Hajime.
"It was worth it," Naegi said with a soft laugh. "The fact that I can talk with you now is enough, Hinata."
Being addressed by his own name was like a clean summer breeze. Nagito never acknowledged him. Ignored him. Pretended he didn't exist.
Where was he?
"You mean Nagito?"
Hajime hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. When he nodded, Naegi pointed behind them. Hajime turned. The two girls that had come with Naegi were both standing near the fence, but Nagito had not stepped out of the building.
What a childish act of defiance, Izuru said.
Understanding Nagito had been slow-going for Hajime. It had taken him years just to remember the events that had occurred while he was a night guard at the pizzeria. Being stuck in an alcove underneath the basement stairs didn't provide enough stimulus to jog his memory. Izuru was the only one who spoke to him. Nagito conversed with Izuru, but never with him.
It was being ignored like this that caused him to remember it had always been like this with Nagito. Nagito refused to acknowledge him as Hajime even when he was alive. Before he'd died, he thought Nagito was mistaking his identity. He no longer believed that was the case at all, but couldn't make sense of why.
Hajime did his best to lurch to his feet and unsteadily staggered back to the door. He fell against Nagito, gripping the front of his torn shirt. Then he threw his weight backwards, dragging Nagito out the door.
Nagito's one good eye widened. "What are you doing?"
"There's nothing in there for you if Izuru isn't there anymore," he said. "So there's no point in staying."
...Hajime, what are you doing?
"What if I drag you back in?"
"You won't do that." Hajime took another step back. Nagito moved with him easily. "Izuru has usurped your administrative control. Even if you try to take him back inside, he'll only break out again. And you know that."
Nagito would not meet his gaze.
"Look at me."
Nagito refused.
"I've been with you for ten years… and you've never looked at me," he whispered. "I have no memory of anyone else besides you. I've wanted to get out of there even more than Izuru, but… I just… want you to look at me."
Finally, Nagito lifted his head. Looking at him. Seeing him.
Looking down on him.
"Why is it necessary to look at you?"
If Hajime were still alive, his heart would've been beating out of his chest. He would've been shaking. Sweating. "You took everything from me. My life, my home, my family, my friends, my body… I have nothing, Nagito. I have nothing! The least you can do is say my fucking name!"
"Hajime."
Izuru's body was trembling.
"Hajime Hinata." Nagito slid his hands over Hajime's, holding them. "Is that good enough?"
Shaking his head, Hajime stepped closer. "Say it again."
Nagito repeated his name. "Hajime… I killed you, and now you want me to acknowledge you? Hey..." His voice scrambled a bit when he laughed. "What's wrong with you, anyway?"
"I couldn't tell you," Hajime said. "I'll never be able to forgive what you did to me, but you're all I have now, you know? Please… don't ignore me anymore…"
When Nagito released his hands to embrace him, Hajime felt a tiny surge of hope for the first time since his death. After a decade in darkness, someone had come to rescue him. He was outside. Izuru would not let him be held captive again.
"Whatever life I had before… I can't go back to it. I can never go back. I'm… I'm trapped in the body of a machine." Hajime laughed harshly into the crook of Nagito's neck. "The only one like me in the world now is you. So let's just stay together, okay?"
"...You… want me to stay with you?"
"Don't ever leave me."
Hinata couldn't see Nagito's face, but the animatronic was stunned. Makoto was surprised by the turn of events as well, but it was better than the alternative of the animatronics tearing each other to pieces. After spending ten years trapped in an animatronic underneath a staircase, Hinata still had an astonishing strength of character.
There were a few things about the exchange that nagged at him, but Makoto decided to worry about it later. Now was not the time.
He joined the girls at the fence. Komaru's pocket jingled, and she pulled out her phone.
"It's mom," she hissed. "Dinner's in ten. She's pissed, Makoto."
"Tell her we're on our way, we're walking Sayaka home." Makoto stepped toward Nagito and Hinata. "Hey, um…"
Both animatronics turned to look at him. Although, he supposed Hinata wasn't truly an animatronic.
"We've, uh, gotta run," he said awkwardly. "I'm just a high school student, so..."
Hinata broke away from Nagito and approached him. "Thank you, Naegi," he said. "Without you, I… I'll figure out some way to repay you for this, I promise."
But Makoto just waved him off again. "Being able to get you out was the most I could've asked for. If there's anything else I can do for you, like with your memories or something, please don't hesitate to ask."
"That's… too kind of you, Naegi. What you've done for me is nothing short of miraculous, honestly."
"I-I dunno about that… I mean, anybody could've come in and seen that footage."
"But nobody did. For ten years." Hinata clasped his hand again. "You did the impossible. I can't thank you enough."
Makoto felt his cheeks burn. "Just… promise you'll keep in touch, okay?"
"I will!" Hinata said. "Izuru wants to see the outside, and I'd like to track down my family, if I can… But I'll definitely see you again, Naegi."
The three said their goodbyes and left the pizzeria, slowly walking down the road toward Sayaka's house.
"Was it really okay to just… leave them together?" Komaru asked. "I mean, Nagito did murder Hinata and all..."
"I guess I'm a little worried about that, too, but… I think they'll work it out," Makoto said. "It's just another one of those gut feelings, but I think they share some similar feelings, they just don't realize it yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"...It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
SIX MONTHS LATER
Makoto hated himself a little bit for taking up Asahina's offer for a group movie night. Hanging out with his friends was great, but walking home alone in the dark was a nightmare. It wasn't that he was afraid, or anything… Just paranoid.
The shrill yapping of a dog sliced through the air, making him jump. He pulled his jacket tighter around him, as if that would provide protection, darting from street lamp to street lamp.
Okay, maybe he was a little bit afraid.
He let out a tense breath as he unlocked the front door of his house. Komaru might still be up, but his parents had definitely gone to bed by now. Thankfully, they'd left the front hall light on for him. He kicked off his shoes and ran upstairs to his room.
A weird tingle suddenly bubbled up in his stomach.
He stopped at the top of the stairs, cautiously peering down the hall. The stairs behind him were empty as well.
Makoto shook his head, creeping to his room. What the heck am I doing? This is my house. If I start getting paranoid here too, I'll have to see a psychiatrist.
But when he gripped his doorknob, the feeling washed over him even more intensely. Gritting his teeth, Makoto shook it off.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He boldly threw open the door and strode into the bedroom.
His triumph only a few seconds before the door was slammed shut behind him and a hand clapped over his mouth. Makoto struggled as hard as he could, but the grip was far too strong. He was hauled forcibly over to the bed and his only thoughts were something like Oh god I'm going to be raped and killed in my own home what the hell is happening—
His back hit the bed and he was suddenly able to see the face of his attacker.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"J-Jesus Christ," he squeaked. "I th-thought you were a serial killer or something..."
The smile Nagito gave him was totally unapologetic. "Did you? I'm sorry."
Makoto fought to regain control over his breathing. "Wh-What are you doing here anyway? Wait—this is my house, how did you get in?"
"That's neither here nor there, is it? I'm here on behalf of Hajime, so that should be enough, right?"
"Hajime?" Makoto sat up, scooting back on his bed. "How is he? Is he alright? Has he remembered anything?"
Nagito pulled an envelope out of the inside of his coat. In the dimness of his room, he looked almost human. His missing eye and face plates had been replaced, and he was dressed in street clothes: black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a dark green coat.
Makoto took the envelope. "This is from Hajime?"
"He gave it to me this morning. I managed to track you down in less than a day. Isn't that impressive?"
"Y-Yeah..." Makoto tore open the envelope it pulled out a handwritten letter.
Naegi,
Sorry for not contacting you sooner. Izuru gets bored easily, so Nagito and I have barely stopped moving. I've remembered a lot since I've gotten out, like my parents and things about the friends I used to have, but it still feels like just a scratch on the surface. My parents don't live in the house I grew up in anymore, so it took some time to track them down. I haven't contacted anyone, though. I'm honestly not sure if I'll ever be able to face them as I am now.
Ah, I wasn't writing to tell you about my personal baggage… Between Nagito and Izuru, I think I've managed to compile the events that led to the incident at the Monokuma's Pizza. Well, I guess there's more than one incident, but I'll get to that shortly.
The first thing to understand that the animatronics were all built with what we'll call a "learning AI." This is an artificial intelligence that gets smarter the more it's interacted with. You can probably already see how this could cause problems. What the pizzeria did for Izuru to keep him from amassing too much information was a periodic "system reset." This took an entire day to perform, so it was usually only done on holidays, but it basically wiped the AI back down to its base programming. Izuru was the only one who underwent this process; Nagito did not.
Another interesting note is that Junko Enoshima was not part of the original cast for Monokuma's Pizza. The mechanical bears—Monokuma, Usami, Shirokuma, and Kurokuma—were the pizzeria's original mascots and just played prerecorded songs when the place was established in the '80s. Nagito was the first human animatronic introduced in 1987, and Izuru was added less than a year later. Junko didn't arrive until 1998, and all of the bears were redone to be fully animatronic during that time as well.
What Nagito has confirmed is that throughout Izuru's career, despite the resets, he'd always been fixated on the idea of "outside" the pizzeria. The front door in the lobby was frustrating for him, because he didn't have any information on where it led, and his programming prevented him from opening the front and back doors. The system resets were also to reinforce this programming, so Izuru didn't figure out how to override the command and escape.
Another point of interest is that Izuru refers to Nagito as "the administrator." Apparently, Nagito could issue control commands to Izuru, as well as perform the system resets. Nagito was also in love with Izuru, but I think we've all figured that out at this point. The easiest explanation to give for that is that Nagito was never stripped back to his base programming, so he gained the ability to perceive emotions. Izuru says he has no concept of what "love" is, so we can assume he never genuinely returned the feelings.
Shortly before the arrival of Junko Enoshima, Nagito told Izuru that his systems felt sluggish because he was unable to perform a system reset on himself, so Izuru convinced him to transfer data to him in the hopes of getting some information on the outside. Nagito tells me that giving in to Izuru was a moment of weakness. He did is best to scramble the data he passed over, though, so Izuru wouldn't be able to use it. Then Junko Enoshima arrived, and for reasons unknown, Izuru stopped undergoing system resets. Nagito says that Junko was the more enthusiastic performer, so the pizzeria preferred her. I think they were probably planning to phase Izuru out altogether.
Junko was never reset either, as her AI was slower at collecting information, but Izuru says that she was far craftier than himself or Nagito. Every day, she would interact with the children and learn new little behavioral tidbits. Eventually, she learned about things like hate, violence, punishment, and death. Izuru finally started listening to her when she began to talk about death. She made Izuru a proposition that they would escape together, but he had to first figure out how to deny Nagito's administrative access—otherwise their plans would be thwarted partway. The plan was, ultimately, to kill someone in order to get removed from the pizzeria.
That was the first incident. Izuru finally managed to thumb off Nagito's administrative control and murdered one of the staff—a part-timer named Chisa Yukizome. She definitely died, but Izuru never made it out of the pizzeria. He was permanently shut down, and Nagito hid his body where you found it in the "staff only" part of the pizzeria so Junko couldn't get to it. They reset Junko after that, just as a precaution, but she'd foreseen this eventuality and stored a copy of her data in Monokuma. She waited years for Nagito to slip on Izuru's location, but he never did. Then she started harassing him and tearing him apart at night, which is when I was hired as the security guard. You saw what happened then, so I don't need to explain it.
Honestly, after learning all of this, the idea of hyper-intelligent AIs frighten me.
Nagito told me about your visits to the pizzeria. I can't believe you did that. My hero, armed with sticky notes and a couple flashlights, while I went in with a fucking gasoline fire. Nagito was impressed, though, by your ability to get a read on him so quickly. There were only three other visitors besides you. Two were frightened by Junko's body, and the third he had to chase out himself. You were the stupid one and ran the wrong way to the security room. Those are Izuru's words, not mine.
So, those are the events that led to where we are now. I still have a lot of questions, as I'm sure you do. Where did the animatronics come from? Who programmed the AI? Why were they given to a pizzeria in the first place? But if I'm gonna be honest, Nagito bothers me the most. There are a few things about him that don't make sense to me.
First, why was he never reset? Even Junko, was made not to require it, was reset. Izuru had only a couple memories that carried over from resets, and those were the front door and information about his administrator. Nagito was quiet and polite to start with, but over time he grew more erratic and obsessive. The staff and guests even complained about it, but the manager never did anything.
Second, Nagito lies. He purposefully withheld information from Izuru and Junko, and even outright lied to me and Izuru about some things. He plays the part of dumb AI flawlessly, even so much that I was fooled into thinking he didn't understand killing.
Third… I can't get him to say this to me outright, but he knew I wasn't Izuru before he killed me. He killed me for the purpose of somehow using me to circumvent Izuru's shutdown. How would he even be able to come to the conclusion something like that was possible?
I have an AI inside me. Or, rather, I'm inside of an AI. Izuru is intelligent, but he can't even hold a candle to the breadth of Nagito's personality. That's why there's something I'm suspicions about, and something I would like you to look into.
I want you to look for either a missing persons report or an obituary for Nagito Komaeda from 1987.
It wouldn't surprise me if he's caught onto my suspicions and is waiting to see what I'll discover. Now that he and I have gotten to know each other, I feel like he sees right through me, yet he's still a complete mystery to me. He says the most cryptic things with such a beautiful smile.
Ah… It's not too weird if I think I might be in love with him, is it?
He's more or less stopped obsessing over Izuru since I've become the primary consciousness in this body, but I think it's because I'm a more willing companion than Izuru is. He still has strange mood swings—something else an AI shouldn't have—but he hasn't killed anybody else yet. I can't imagine anyone else ever made me feel as safe as he does. Is that a weird thing to say? I'm sorry, I'm rambling now.
You've done so much for me already, but I have one last request. I told you I haven't contacted anybody from my past, but there's a second letter enclosed in this envelope. I have it addressed already, so if you could send it to her, I would appreciate it. I can only remember bits and pieces, but I know she was incredibly important to me.
Thank you again, Naegi. I'm sorry I couldn't come see you in person this time; this letter was difficult for me to just get through writing. So much of my existence still doesn't feel real. We'll meet again in person soon, I promise. Hopefully Nagito doesn't decide to harass you, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm afraid he'll always be unmanageable in that regard.
Best wishes,
Hajime Hinata
Makoto set down the letter and exhaled slowly. As he'd thought, there was still one last can of worms to open. He looked over at Nagito, who had taken it upon himself to curl up on the bed with one of his pillows. "Have you read this?"
"No. Hajime asked me not to."
Picking up the envelope again, Makoto pulled out the smaller second letter within it. As Hinata said, it was already addressed to a Chiaki Nanami. "Did he tell you anything about the girl he wrote this other letter to?"
"He's writing letters to a girl?"
Nagito's acidic tone of voice make Makoto's blood run cold. He quickly backpedaled. "...N-No? I-I mean, I'm sure it's nothing like a love letter or anything. It's just like a friend-thing. Like Sayaka and I. Y-Y'know?"
"I don't," Nagito said. "Hajime will explain it to me when I return to him."
Makoto had a sinking feeling he'd just caused Hinata a lot of trouble by letting that slip. "He… probably just wants someone else to know he's alive."
"He has me. He doesn't need anybody else."
"I-I really think you're just misunderstanding..."
The door to his bedroom was cracked open and Komaru poked her head in. "Makoto, who are you talking to—eeep!"
"Shhhh!"
"What to you mean shhh?" Komaru whisper-yelled. "What the heck is he doing here?"
Meanwhile, Nagito was reaching for the letter to Chiaki Nanami. "Give me that."
"No!" Makoto grabbed his wrist, then braced his foot against Nagito's chest to keep him from getting any closer. "Both of you, shut up before we wake my parents! Komaru, either leave or come in and close the door!"
Komaru hastily chose the latter, shutting the door behind her. Makoto acknowledged he was fighting a losing battle with someone who could easily turn his spine into an accordion, and shoved Nanami's letter down the front of his shirt. The action gave Nagito pause, and Makoto took the opportunity to jab a finger in his face.
"Don't you dare," he said.
Nagito reluctantly relented, flopping back on the bed.
Folding his arms tightly over his chest, Makoto scooted closer to the headboard to give Komaru space to sit down.
"He came with a letter from Hinata," he explained.
Komaru perked up. "Really? How's he doing? Is he okay?"
Makoto nodded. "Seems to be, more or less."
"What about Izuru?"
"Now that he's gotten what he wanted, he's become nothing more than a spectator," Nagito replied. "In the end, it was never me he was able to rely on. Hajime, though… Hajime needs me."
"...Yeah." Makoto found himself reaching out to squeeze Nagito's shoulder, even though the animatronic probably wouldn't be able to feel it. Nagito wanted to be wanted, to be necessary to someone. It was a very human desire, although it manifested rather dangerously in Nagito. But even if it was just a little bit, Makoto sort of understood the feeling. "Take good care of him, okay?"
Nagito looked up at him, gazing at him the same way he had on the other side of the security office window.
He hasn't changed at all, Makoto realized. He'd be just as quick to smile at the people Hinata smiles at as he would be to kill the ones who threaten him. That sort of blind devotion is pretty frightening.
What sort of person was Nagito Komaeda?
"I'm relying on you," Makoto said. "Don't forget that."
"I never forget anything, Makoto Naegi."
"Naegi."
Makoto glanced up from his Pig Boy menu, smiling at Kyokou Kirigiri. "Hey! Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice..."
"It's fine." Kirigiri slid into the seat across form him, shrugging off her messenger bag. "Although, this isn't exactly my first choice for a meeting place."
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I was hungry."
"I figured."
"So, you… said you found something?"
"Yes." Opening her bag, Kirigiri pulled out a file folder and dropped it on the table. "I know you said an obituary or a missing persons report, but this was the only thing I could find under that name."
Frowning, Makoto picked up the file. Were he and Hinata mistaken, and Nagito Komaeda was a totally different person? But when he opened the folder, the bold word "investigation" caught his attention. "What is this…?"
"It's an investigation report. I couldn't get all the details, since I'm still just in high school, but I hope there's enough information for you to find what you're looking for."
"I-Investigation?" Makoto repeated. "What…?"
"He died under mysterious circumstances in 1986. Initially it was thought to be murder, but the cause of death started to point more toward suicide. However, some of his vital organs were removed after his death, so obviously someone else was involved."
"Vital organs removed…?" Hastily, Makoto flipped through the pages. There was so much text, he couldn't make sense of it quickly enough. "Did they figure out who killed him?"
Kirigiri eyed him curiously. "No. It's a cold case. They did have one suspect, but a watertight alibi cleared her pretty quick."
"Who?"
"Junko Enoshima."
Makoto gripped the edge of the table. That… was impossible. "A-Are you sure that's really her name?"
"It's pretty hard to mistake a name like that," Kirigiri said. "Naegi, are you alright? What's going on? Why did you want this information?"
He didn't respond. A photograph had caught his attention. The hair was darker and the face more youthful, but even in grayscale, the person was unmistakable. This Nagito Komaeda and the animatronic Nagito were the same.
But… Junko Enoshima?
The waitress approached their table and started asking for their orders, but Makoto didn't hear her. He lurched to his feet. "I… I have to go. Sorry, Kirigiri, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Naegi, wait!"
As Chiaki approached Monokuma's Pizza, she began to regret listening to that letter. But she couldn't think of anybody who would go so far as to prank her like this. None of her coworkers knew anything about her past. There was no one who had known her childhood friend, Hajime Hinata.
He'd vanished mysteriously ten years ago after taking a night job at this pizzeria. The police had been strangely tight-lipped, even to his parents. It had given Chiaki the impression that something terrible had happened. There was a fire; that was all she knew. If Hajime was dead, the police would have at least told his parents, but after a decade, it was impossible to hold into hope that he was still alive.
If this letter turned out to be a joke…
She stopped on the sidewalk. The front door was wide open, like an invitation. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. The lobby was dim, and the hallways beyond were pitch black.
It's not too late to turn back, a little voice in her head whispered.
No.
She had to do this. If Hajime really wanted to meet her, she had to do this.
Giving her cheeks a slap, she steeled herself and entered the right hallway. She kept one hand on the wall as she walked, startling when her fingers caught the edge of a doorway. The door was closed, though, so she kept going. She passed by a window and took a peek inside. A desk and computer were lit by a pale red emergency light, but there was no one inside.
Did… something move in the other window?
No, it was just her shadow. Forcing herself to keep moving, she kept going until the hallway dumped her into a bigger space. It was impossible to see.
"H-Hello?" she said softly. It was impossible to keep her voice steady. "I-I-Is anyone there?"
At first there was silence. And then, "Chiaki? Is that really you?"
"H-Hajime?" The voice wasn't exactly the same—or was it? She couldn't tell. "Are you… Are you here?"
"Yeah… Yeah, it's me." He laughed, still a disembodied voice in the dark. "It's so good to see you again."
"But I can't see you. It's too dark."
"I know, sorry. I have a light here. But… I'm not exactly as I should be."
"...What… does that mean?"
"You'll see. It really is me though, I promise."
"If you say so, Hajime."
A light flicked on. It was some sort of portable lantern, sitting on the burnt table next to Hajime. And Hajime looked… the same as Chiaki remembered him.
...Exactly the same.
Chiaki slowly approached him, like he might suddenly vanish if she moved too quickly. She was almost thirty. She'd put on weight. One of her coworkers had convinced her to try some hair chalk and it had yet to wash out. But Hajime… still looked nineteen.
"A-Are you… a vampire or something?" Chiaki found herself asking.
Hajime laughed, bringing a hand to his mouth. "Not… exactly."
She was halfway across the room when someone else stepped in front of the light. It was a tall figure with wild hair, but the backlight threw their face into shadow. Chiaki stopped moving.
"Chiaki Nanami," they said. "It's such an honor to finally meet you after hearing so much about you."
Chiaki took a step backwards. This person… was disconcertingly enthusiastic. "Wh-Who are you?"
"Nagito," Hajime said. "Knock it off."
The shadow of Hajime joined the shadow of "Nagito." Chiaki couldn't make out either of their faces. "What's… going on?"
"Sorry, Chiaki. It seems he found out I wanted to meet with you..." Hajime stepped slightly in front of Nagito, leaning back against him. "He's… protective."
Chiaki stared. "Hajime, you… you've been gone for so long… Where have you been?"
"Here."
"...What?"
"Here, in this pizzeria." Hajime reached up to lovingly muss Nagito's hair when arms were wrapped around him. "Like I said, I'm not the same as I was before. I'm definitely not a vampire, but… I guess ghost might be a pretty applicable term for it."
Chiaki's heart was beating out of control. "What does that mean?"
"Now that I've cut my hair and changed my eye color, the resemblance is pretty shocking… but this body doesn't belong to me. It's just an animatronic."
What…?
Lifting a hand, Hajime pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to his shoulder. His arm didn't look right at all. It was strangely jointed, like a mannequin's.
"The designers were smart to focus their attention on creating a face that resembled and could function as a human's, since they could keep the rest of the body covered underneath clothes," Hajime said. "I don't know who made it, but it's truly incredible."
Chiaki couldn't take her eyes off Hajime's arm. It wasn't real… It wasn't real…? "You're not… real…?"
Hajime pulled his sleeve back down. "I guess that's a matter of perspective. I'm dead, but I'm not."
"You're… dead…?"
"I'm not like this because I wanted to be. I was killed and put into this body."
"Who?" Chiaki was shaking. Hajime died and the police never said anything? Not even to his family? "Who killed you? What happened?"
Hajime chuckled softly, turning his face into Nagito's cheek. His eyes fell shut, smiling like he couldn't help it. It was the face of someone completely at ease with their situation.
Chiaki did not feel like smiling.
"Will you hate me if I tell you the culprit doesn't matter, Chiaki?"
"Of course it matters—"
"Hinata!"
A new voice yelled from behind them, footsteps echoing down the hallway. Chiaki turned to see a young boy burst into the room, looking frazzled.
"Naegi?" Hajime pulled out of Nagito's grip. "What is it? What are you doing here?"
Exhausted, Naegi bent over to catch his breath. "I have a friend whose father is a detective, so I had her look into what you asked me," he said in a rush. "It's… I don't know what to make of it, Hinata."
"What did you find out, Naegi?"
"...It was a murder, just like yours. For exactly the same purpose. That's… how he knew..."
A pained look crossed Hajime's face, and he gritted his teeth. "Dammit…"
"That isn't the worst part. The prime suspect was Junko Enoshima."
"What?" Hajime spun around, looking for something in the dark. "That's impossible, she's..."
"Not on the show stage anymore." Nagito slowly approached them. His soft smile looked eerie and unsettling in the dark. "You can search my data if you'd like, but I never removed her. I noticed it immediately when I entered the dining hall. I will give you credit, though, for taking an accurate stab at my untimely demise. What an amazing friend Naegi has to be able to get you that much information!"
Chiaki didn't know what was going on anymore, but she didn't like it. It didn't appear that Hajime and Naegi liked it either.
Nagito laughed, wrapping his arms around himself. "I'm honestly so excited, I'm practically tingling! It took so incredibly long for me to regain my memories, I nearly went insane before I could remember everything."
"Nearly," Naegi grumbled.
"But here we are now, and you've discovered the truth all on your own! This sort of situation fills me with so much hope, I can barely stand it. It's the kind of thing that makes me feel like my skin is melting off!"
"That's not a good feeling!" Hajime said. "What the hell is going on, Nagito? How did it all end up like this? What the fuck did you kill me for?"
"For despair!"
Nagito laughed wildly, knotting his hands in his hair. His eyes were completely lit up, glowing green orbs in the darkness.
"The deeper the despair, the brighter the hope that will overcome it! Your hope is brilliant, Hajime! Naegi's hope is, too! It's so beautiful, I could even call it the ultimate hope! This is even better than I could have imagined… I want to see more!"
"Komaeda..." Hajime's voice didn't tremble, but it was tight with emotion. "I should've known… that just because it was me and not Izuru, you wouldn't stop lying. Is this your true character?"
"How cold of you to address me that way, Hajime," Nagito said, approaching him. "The first time I saw you, you reminded me of Izuru, so I thought you were incredibly beautiful. And then… I got to thinking… about why I felt things the way I did, and the night before I killed you… I remembered how I got into this body in the first place. And I knew I could do it to you, and have my beloved Izuru back. After that… slowly… I remembered other things."
Hajime remained stock still while Nagito cupped his cheeks and pressed their foreheads together.
"I was alone and dying, then I met her. She promised me that I would experience absolute hope if I committed suicide."
"Why would you do that?" Hajime whispered.
"Would you believe me if I told you I was desperate?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
"It's okay," Nagito said. "None of my feelings from thirty years ago matter. As long as you love me, nothing else will ever matter to me again."
Hajime grabbed Nagito's arms, but neither pulled him closer or pushed him away. "...How do I know that isn't a lie, too?"
"You love me, don't you? Regardless of whether I intended it or not, I've made you mine. I'd do anything for you, Hajime, even destroy my own body! I love you, Hajime. That's… all I've ever wanted to be able to say to someone, without experiencing the negative repercussions that have plagued my life."
"I… don't know what to think right now," Hajime said quietly. "I'm getting the questions I had answered, but… Why did you agree to such an insane plan?"
"For the same reason Izuru agreed to one of her plans. It was the marvelous truth we wanted both to believe. But these circumstances are just stepping stones toward a greater hope, aren't they? The things that you and Naegi will achieve together will be amazing, I just know it!"
Naegi finally interjected. "Regardless of Nagito's motivation, I think there's something really important that we're ignoring, isn't there?" he said, sounding nervous. "And that's Junko Enoshima, right? The real Junko Enoshima."
"This… This is about pizzeria animatronics, isn't it?" Chiaki asked. All eyes turned to her. "There's… um, a new pizzeria opening up across the street from the game store I work at. It's kind of coincidental you wrote me that letter, Hajime, since I was just thinking about Monokuma's Pizza because of it."
Hajime narrowed his eyes. "...Why? What's special about it?"
"W-Well… They've got some pretty… i-interesting mascots..."
"Take us there."
It was a long, nerve wracking train ride to the city Nanami lived. By the time they reached her place of work, the sun had dipped its toes into the horizon. Makoto wasn't sure how Nagito and Hinata usually traveled, but he got the impression it wasn't using public transit during the day. Although an animatronic body didn't translate nervousness the same way a human's would, if his blank stare and stiff movements were anything to go by, Hinata was petrified. Getting on and off the train were the worst; Nagito had to forcibly push him into the sea of people. More than anything, Makoto wanted to ask if Hinata was alright, as he'd seemed pretty upset before they even left Monokuma's, but he kept his mouth shut. Regardless of anybody's feelings on the matter, they just couldn't afford to leave Nagito behind.
And now they stood on an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar town, staring up at the unfamiliar neon sign for Monaca Towa's Pizzeria.
"Th-This is it," Nanami said. "This is the place."
Makoto stepped up to the building, eyeing the posters. There were five, each one of a different child. Masaru Diamon, a scruffy-looking redhead, Kotoko Utsugi, an adorable blonde girl, Jataro Kemuri, a rather frightening masked child, Nagisa Shingetsu, a snobby blue-haired boy, and Monaca Towa, a little girl in a wheelchair.
All of them were animatronics.
He glanced at Nagito, who had stepped up beside him. "...Well? What do you think?"
"Myself, Izuru, and the Junko animatronic were all experiments," Nagito replied. "We were all probably meant to be destroyed at some point, but the murders and the fire caused unforeseeable issues. She's seen enough to be able to perfect the art of creating a living animatronic. Monokuma's Pizza was a trial run. This place is the real deal."
Makoto swallowed thickly. Full-sized animatronics were bad enough, but if what Nagito was insinuating about how these child animatronics were created, then…
"You want to know what I think, Naegi?" The strange light was back in Nagito's eyes, making them dance in excitement. "I think we're in an insurmountable amount of trouble."
A/N: AND THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE END. :D
Thank you so much to everyone who's taken the chance of joining me on this adventure! It was an experiment for me more than anything. I've never written anything in this genre (or written a novella-length piece), so this was quite the experience. I look forward to some better night's sleep after this :"D I worked really hard to maintain both the integrity of the Danganronpa characters, as well as the spirit of Five Night's at Freddy's. But it wandered off in its own direction, too, which I think is sort of interesting. I know I'm literally ending this on a cliffhanger, but maaaybe a sequel~?
Again thank you for reading, and although I don't celebrate it myself, Happy Halloween!
RegenesisX
