My name is Kaoru Kaneko. My first name means 'Fragrance', my last name means 'Golden Child'. My first name isn't that important. At least, in this world, my last name isn't really important, either. But it's true. I really am a golden child. My parents had all the money someone could want. We lived in a nice house, but it wasn't a mansion or anything. My parents wanted to live a good life, not one that reminded them constantly of their material wealth. I went to a nice school, had a bunch of nice friends, had a nice sister. Had, that is.

It's all gone now. I've accepted that fact.

My parents died at the beginning of the Tragedy, before the government self-destructed. It was in a riot. They were coming home from work. Slowly, as each of my relatives were picked off, the money got gradually closer and closer to me. My younger sister and I. We had it all.

The moment my parents died, my sister and I knew what was going to happen. The apocalypse. Everything was going to end. We knew having money in bank would be worthless. We knew having physical cash would be worthless. So we bought hundreds of millions of yen worth of antiques, paintings, jewellery, all the physical weath that we missed out on. Not because we wanted the wealth, mind you. It's because we knew that all this stuff would be destroyed. Like our parents, someone would never get the chance to see such beauty every again. We had to save it. We stuffed all the stuff in a sprawling basement and covered it so that no one would ever find it.

The riots eventually got to our street. People with masks toar down the road, smashed into every other house and robbed, killed, pillaged, everything. Our house was no exception. But we hid everything and they never found it. I remember that day so clearly. I see it again every now and then. Everything she did. It's all because of me. I can't lose hope now.

"Hey, brother."

"Yeah?"

"They're at the door."

"I hear them."

"Go hide in the basement."

"I'm not wimping out."

"I'm not, either."

She grabbed the rifle out of my arms.

"Hey! Don't take the gun! They'll kill you! Mika. Please, don't leave me."

"Kaoru. If they find nothing here, they'll burn it down. Just look across the street. You have to go. Hide yourself."

"Mika. I'm not leaving you. We die together."

She pushed me, and I fell over, onto where the trap door was located.

"Go, Kaoru. Live. No matter what happens, you'll remember me?"

She smiled.

"Like how they'll remember all the things we saved. Even if I die, even if I fall into Despair, remember me, okay? You have a furture. I'm going to give you that by the cost of my own future. Maybe I'll make it out. You have to go, Kaoru. Go!"

I opened the hatch and closed it. She covered it up. I could hear her through the floorboards. I had to make not even a whimper, but I couldn't leave her. Mika was ready to die for me. She waited patiently by the door as the masked people knocked it down.

She shot at them. As soon as my ears stopped ringing, I heard a scream. Mika. What are they doing to you? It felt like days I was down there, listening to my sister's screams of torture and sheer despair. All I could do was listen. Listen to the cacophony. I sincerely have no idea how long the pain lasted. All I know is that when they left, I slammed open the hatch and went Mika.

I fell to my knees as soon as I saw her body. I refuse to describe the way she looked at that time. I gagged when I laid eyes upon her. I don't want anyone else even to imagine it, I don't want anyone to feel the pain I felt.

She was dead. I knew that. Just by a glance, anyone could tell that such torture was to inflict death upon anyone. My sister, dead because these people wanted to spread 'Despair'. I was angry, but I couldn't lash out the fire I felt inside because that would make everything that she went through meaningless. So I cried. I didn't want to be like them, causing hatred and sadness. What would Mika think of that?

"K…Kaoru."

God, why do you mock me. Why did you make her say my name?

"I hate you, Kaoru. Why'd you leave me, Kaoru?"

Pain swept across every fiber of my being. Then, it washed away with relief. Even if she hates me, even if the last person I knew hated me beyond belief, I knew it was fine because she was alive.

I'll save you, Mika. I'll save you from Despair. Give you one last bit of Hope before you die. After all, that's what you gave me.

I wonder how many people have had a life just like mine? A life normal until everything falls? Should I be happy knowing that something interesting happened? No. I shouldn't be sad, either. It's not our faults, the only thing we can do is live on, anyways.

I push myself up off the cement. It always frightens me to sleep outside, but as long as I have this backpack, I feel safe. It's something Mika stitched for me, and I feel guilty putting weapons in it, but it's something I have to do. I'm sure she'd understand. She's all scarred over now, but at least she's alive.

Every time I see another one of these Monokuma masks, I get angry. I always want to tear them to shreds, carve them, make them my pincushion, like what they did to Mika, but I stop myself. I get angry, but I make it swift. These things don't deserve an interesting, painful death. They need the end, and they need it quick.

I guess everyone sees Hope in a different way.

I met two people named Murata and Kin. They were nice enough. Ever since I left the Future Foundation place, I've been wandering around, looking. I still can't find it. They came from that area so they gave me directions. I'm going home. Once I find it, I can sell some stuff and help find a cure for Mika. Maybe a therapist. She's not violent, just…Apathetical. Evidently, there's quite a few people like her. The Future Foundation had free hospitals set up for those types of people. I'm glad someone cares.

I use the directions they gave me and continue down the street. I get lost a lot, but that's fine. I'm making a map. Easiest ways to avoid the Monomasks and the best routes. It'll help someone down the line.

When I made it back home, it was like a breath of fresh dust. My eyes watered and I couldn't see anything around me. I don't know if I was crying because there was grime in my eye or because my memories of Mika and my parents. I picked up some painting.

On my way back, I met another guy. I don't remember his name, but he told me some shocking details. He said that there was another killing game. A second one. But this time it was with the Future Foundation members. I couldn't believe it. Some people were in there since the first one, like the Ultimate Hope, Makoto Naegi. From what the guy told me, everyone else there is pissed because he helped the Remnants of Despair. They think he's a traitor.

What crap.

Watching the first killing game, I really respect Naegi. He did his best in such a horrible situation. If only I could have done the same to help Mika. After all, I'm no Ultimate. I'm just me. Kaoru Kaneko.

…

I watched Makoto Naegi fight Despair. After a couple hours seeing each Future Foundation leader being picked off like livestock, I couldn't take it anymore.

I brought back a painting, and evidently, it was done by some famous person. The Future Foundation bought it off me. I told them about my sister and they said that they'd look after her. They actually seemed to think that they may be able to help her. One of the doctors said that he devised a new method, but it comes with some risk. I told him to do it, immediately. I think I made the right choice. She's dead inside as it is, so even if it's a risk, I'm going to save her.

They told me what may happen to her. They said that she may die. They said that there was a 40% chance she'd die. That's actually not that bad. They said if it goes through, there would be some side effects. The procedure includes combustion of the brain, so there will be some scarring and some personality changes. This is the second time they've done this, so they're not sure how it'll go. It succeeded last time, but the subject became unable to think properly.

Mika will live. She may not be the same, and she may always need to have me by her side, but she's my only family left, and I'm not willing to let her die. She will live.