"Hope!" Normal Speech
'Despair!' People's thoughts
"Truth!" Flashbacks
Disclaimer: I have as much ownership of the Danganronpa series as you do dear reader.
AN: Thanks to both RWBYJNPR and Zephyrius29 for beta-reading this chapter.
AN2: Other tags for this story (since the site only gives you 2): Mystery/Friendship/Drama.
Chapter 15
Among Allies, Friends, and Despair
"I'm truly glad you all had time to come at my request. I apologize for eating up your time though, Nanami-san, Akamatsu-san, Naegi-kun…"
Even after hearing those words in such a respectful and friendly tone, Akamatsu Kaede was still unable to hide the bit of nervousness that had her standing so tense in her spot to the right of her brown-haired senpai.
This was, after all, her first time not only inside the office of the Student Council President but also her first meeting with the man himself, Murasame Soshun.
Sure, the whole atmosphere was actually quite relaxed inside, something that made the quite elegant room feel less intimidating, but even so, she still couldn't calm down for some reason.
Would her behavior today leave an impression of her whole class to him? She was truly glad no one but the Luckster of her class knew about this meeting, for she could only imagine what might have happened if the rest found out about it.
"It's fine, Murasame-senpai, really!" The first one to answer back was Naegi, with a friendly smile firmly planted on his lips. "It is that time of the year after all…"
"We'll do our best as always, Murasame-kun." And to Makoto's side, it was the Ultimate Gamer that followed suit with a determined nod.
"Uhm…?" Kaede ended up raising her hand slowly with a confused frown on her face, earning the attention of the older trio. "I'm not sure why I'm here…"
Sure, her senpai had told her that she had been called here earlier today, but he hadn't told her the reason behind said call in the first place.
"Sorry about that, Akamatsu-san." Makoto actually whispered his words of regret, but she simply smiled in return, not really bothered by it.
"Right, I forgot you're new around here, Akamatsu-san." Soshun seemed to not see her concern as an issue, however. "Are you aware of the upcoming event that's being hosted by the school?"
"Event?" She questioned with a tilt of her head with her brow scrunching over for a second before a look of understanding filled her face. "You mean the Sports Festival?"
"Indeed." The brown-haired teen confirmed with a nod. "And as Class Representative that you are, I believe that asking for your help would be the best way to have your class to cooperate, Akamatsu-san, just like how Naegi-kun and Nanami-san have done before with their classes."
His words left the blonde deep in thought with her arms crossed over her chest just as she properly processed what she had just heard.
She was the Class Representative, and he wanted for her to make her class cooperate with the Sports Festival?
It didn't take a genius to figure that one out, especially considering how she remembered doing something similar back in her previous school.
"You want to make the classes help at setting up everything for the Festival, right?" She said just as she brought her fist down on her palm and with a smile on her lips. Sure, it wouldn't be easier to make them all help, but that definitely wouldn't stop her from trying.
She just wanted to do it without her senpai having to back her up all the time.
Her words, however, were met by nothing but silence.
And it was such a cold, unforgiving silence that it actually had her blinking in confusion with her mind trying to figure out if she had done something wrong.
The only response she got was a pat on her head.
"N-Nanami-senpai?" The blonde's word came out with nothing but surprise at the suddenness of the Ultimate Gamer's actions, especially since she hadn't even seen her move.
"You're cute." Chiaki's words only made Kaede's cheek to flush in embarrassment, for at that moment she felt like a kid being doted on by her mother.
The next thing she heard, however, was the sound of laughter, easily gaining her attention. It started like a low and calmed chuckle, but in less than a minute it had transformed into quite the boisterous laugh to the point that the owner of said laugh had to grab a hold of the desk behind him just to not stumble down.
"No." But just as quick as he had started laughing, Soshun's expression turned into one that showed nothing but tiredness so fast that the blonde knew she would have missed it if she had blinked. "What I need you to do as Class Representative is to make sure your class is as far as humanly possible from anything related to the upcoming Sports Festival."
Her jaw dropped, and looking to the side to try and meet Makoto's gaze only got her a nod of sad acceptance in response.
"Of course you and your class can still prepare yourself in the designated areas." The Student Council President explained right before bringing a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. "But for the love of God keep them away from anything related to the preparations!"
"I just… the school can't handle another incident." And then right in front of her eyes the Ultimate Pianist saw the President slowly becoming a shivering mess. "We just can't!"
"There there, everything will be alright, Murasame-senpai." And before she knew it, Makoto was already by the President's side and slowly patting him on the back.
"We already spent the funds that we had for the year in less than a month, Naegi-kun!"
"I-I'm sure nothing bad will happen, senpai."
"If the Sports Festival becomes a mess it will leave a permanent scar on my last year…!"
"I'm sure everyone will behave!"
"I might have to start selling my body just to fix the damages!"
"I will help, senpai, but I don't think-"
"Will you sell your body alongside me, Naegi-kun?!"
"N-not that kind of help!"
Kaede could only look at the now hugging pair of older Ultimates, with Makoto having none other than Murasame Soshun, the Ultimate Student Council President, slightly sobbing on his shoulder.
Chiaki for her part looked at the spectacle as if it was something that happened every day.
"Akamatsu-san." It was Makoto the one that called out to the still bewildered Pianist, who could not understand from where such a reaction-
"Try to imagine Oma-kun helping for the Festival."
Oh…Oh.
Her eyes widened not even a second later.
She vowed to herself to not fail, for everyone's sake.
"I will help you if it ever gets out of hand so don't worry too much, Akamatsu-san." It was the Luckster that tried to offer her words of assurance right after leaving the Student Council's office.
And while her words certainly sounding reassuring she still pursed her lips slightly.
How long was she going to bother him about her class?
"Senpai, I…"
Her words died before they left her mouth as a tune came out of her senpai's pocket.
"Sorry Akamatsu-san, but I need to go!"
And before she knew it he was gone, leaving a frowning blonde in his wake.
"Akamatsu-san." She wasn't by herself though, for the Ultimate Gamer still stood to her side.
"Nanami-senpai?" She questioned the older girl, who did nothing but to bring her phone to her face.
"Would you like a copy too?"
Nanami Chiaki became her second favorite senpai that day.
"Thank you for having me over, Sakakura-san."
"It isn't really an issue, but…"
"Ufufufufu."
"I don't remember inviting you, Chisa."
The Ultimate Boxer's harsh tone did little to affect Chisa's smile and happy humming, however.
It probably had to do with how close she was sitting to Naegi, Juzo decided.
"But you two were going to talk about the school, weren't you?" Chisa spoke with a slight pout aimed at her former classmate. "It's not fair for you to leave me out then, Juzo-kun! Kyousuke-kun wanted us to work together!"
A small groan left the Boxer, to which the orange-haired woman could only grin victoriously in response.
And as for the youngest Ultimate currently residing in the Boxer's room, he simply offered Juzo an apologetic smile.
Chisa had followed him here without him realizing it, after all.
"I just wanted to make sure you didn't try anything, Juzo-kun!" The Ultimate Housekeeper tried, and failed miserably, to hide her mocking smile behind her hand. "Kyousuke-kun told us about proper conduct, after all!"
If looks could kill, Makoto was sure Chisa would have died ten times over just by the intensity in Juzo's glare.
"Very funny." The Boxer's tone proved that he was hardly amused. "Only reason we're doing this here is because these rooms are the only places that aren't filled with cameras in the entire school."
The Luckster nodded slightly, remembering the reason he had decided to meet with Juzo in his room no less.
Hope's Peak Academy certainly did its best when it came to security, but even the school knew that for those students and members of the staff that decided to live inside the walls of the school that a certain amount of privacy was needed.
And with what he wanted to know he wasn't surprised that the Boxer wanted to have this conversation as privately as possible.
"You came here for this, right?" Wanting to get this over with quickly, Juzo moved his hand towards the laptop resting at the middle of the table, and with a press of a button, he turned the screen to the opposite side of the table so that Makoto could watch it properly.
"Nothing is happening…?" Chisa whispered in wonder with her face almost touching Makoto from her position at watching the video alongside him.
"I think that's the problem." Makoto murmured while his eyes remained focused on the screen, one that showed what he knew was one of the hallways of the school.
"It is," Juzo confirmed in an obviously frustrated tone. "Even if you were to look at that tape until the end you would see no one. Problem is that it should show which bastard stole the stuff from the warehouse."
Makoto nodded once more just before a sigh left his lips. He knew of course, that not even the security cameras had been able to catch the culprit behind the robbery.
In his mind, he believed in what the Headmaster had said, that such a thing like this and the sudden appearance of an Ultimate Despair had to be related somehow.
The most obvious way was that Ultimate Despair and this intruder ended up being the same individual.
And if such a thing was true then, as long as he was able to learn the truth about this incident, wasn't that the best way around figuring out who this Ultimate Despair was?
But if figuring this one out was as easy as that, then he was sure someone would have been caught by now.
"Here," Juzo spoke once more before sliding a small device towards Makoto who caught it quickly. "The copies of the surveillance videos are there if you really want to check them over. I doubt you'll find anything though."
"Thank you." The Luckster was quick to pocket the device, already planning on what he would do with such a thing.
"Suffice to say that I shouldn't be giving that to a student of all things, Headmaster's favorite or not." Juzo drawled once more with a small glare. "You better not let anyone find out I gave you that."
He was more than aware of the consequences if such a thing were to happen.
"You worry too much, Juzo-kun." For her part, however, Chisa didn't seem to worry all that much for any possible leak.
"And you worry too little, Chisa." The Boxer crossed his arms over his chest in open defiance. "Have you forgotten our real position at this school?"
"Kyousuke-kun trusts Makoto-kun," Chisa spoke as if those words were more than enough to settle the argument. "So do I and I don't like you acting as if you didn't."
Juzo only clicked his tongue in response, to which Makoto could only smile slightly.
He knew that there was indeed a tentative trust between him and the Boxer born out of the nature of their relationship, or rather the relationship with another certain former student.
"I won't betray your trust, Sakakura-san." He spoke resolutely, the suddenness of his words earning a surprised look from Chisa and a raised eyebrow from Juzo. "I know how important this is… I honestly just want for everyone in the school to be safe… that's why, even if I am on the Headmaster's side, I also believe in Munakata-san!"
Chisa's face slowly turned into a soft smile at hearing those words, while Juzo simply kept staring down at the time traveler's earnest face before slowly turning his head to the side, the frown on his face mellowing down just a bit.
"As long as you understand…" He spoke grimly before scratching the back of his head. "Shouldn't you be in class by now or something? That goes double for you, Chisa."
And before Makoto knew it Chisa had already stood up and had pretty much grabbed him by the shoulders, almost making him shudder under the intensity of her smile.
"He's right! The other teachers told me you skipped classes yesterday, Makoto-kun, so I'm making sure you arrive today safe and sound!"
The woman wasn't a fan of her students skipping classes, to say the least.
"I-I'm sorry, Sensei!" He spoke while almost breaking out in a cold sweat. "I just…wanted to check on the Elementary Course for a bit and I ended up losing track of time…"
Chisa's smile turned softer once more at hearing his reason, not the least surprised to hear such a thing from the teen.
"Of course you did." She said in a kind tone while slowly stroking his head, actually making the Luckster blush a bit in embarrassment. "As your teacher, I'll just have to help you with the material after class then!"
"Eh?" The way in which he was dragged up and almost pushed out of the room by the older woman told him he had no choice in the matter. "B-But Celes-san already-"
"Shush you, just let Onee-san take care of it all!"
"Onee-san?!"
When did their relationship change like that?!
"Oi, Naegi!"
Just when they were at the door it was the voice of Juzo the one that stopped the duo, with both turning their head back to look at the increasingly annoyed Boxer.
"You might want to check with that Ultimate Programmer you have for a classmate. We had him making sure no one had messed with the footage or the servers already, but you never know what else he might have found."
The Luckster nodded at the information, but the words of gratitude that were about to leave him were drowned by Chisa's sudden push on his back.
It didn't take long for Juzo to be alone in his room just as a tired sigh left him.
"Damnshotacon."
"I-I'm sorry, Makoto-san…"
"Its fine, Fujisaki-kun, really!" He knew he shouldn't have expected much, but he still couldn't hide the disappointment that had crossed his face after hearing that not even someone like Chihiro had been able to find something about it.
"The f-footage was clean…no one really edited it in any way…" The cross-dresser spoke in a soft tone with his face down because of the fact he had not been able to help his close friend. "The security programs in Hope's Peak are incredible too… I don't think a-anyone would have been able to break in so easily without alarming s-someone…"
Makoto ended up sitting after hearing such words, his face also glued to the floor while his eyes showed how deep in thought he was.
If the footage was clean then, how could someone have just avoided being seen by the cameras? Unless it had been a ghost of all things, wasn't this too much?
Sure, this was a world where people like the Ultimates existed, but even they couldn't just walk through walls or become invisible!
…right?
"M-maybe they did something to the cameras?" Chihiro proposed in a curious tone earning the attention of the Luckster. "I-I mean, instead of the f-footage, maybe they manipulated the actual c-cameras…?"
Could they have done so? But if so, how exactly?
"Nah, that wouldn't work."
Such comment made the duo turn their heads towards the Ultimate standing by the entrance, who also just so happened to be munching on an apple.
"Eh? I-Is that so…?"
"How do you know that, Soda-senpai?" Makoto asked the Ultimate Mechanic, who simply shrugged before taking another bite of his snack.
He hadn't been really surprised at finding the pink-haired Ultimate here after class considering the strange friendship the Mechanic had started with the Programmer because of their talents, but now it might even give him some more useful information it seemed.
"You can't really touch those cameras without an alarm going off almost immediately," Kazuichi explained after swallowing, a grin showing his sharp teeth to the world. "So if someone tried to do that believe me, half the school would have noticed it right away…"
Kazuichi looked even proud at being able to give such information out to the brown-haired teen, however said time-traveler could only frown slightly at hearing such a thing.
"And how do you know that, senpai?" This was certainly the first time he had heard about that little fact, and for him to hear it from the Ultimate Mechanic of all people…
"Well, you know…" The awkward chuckle that left Kazuichi did little to fool anyone. "I just… wanted to make sure they worked properly so that Sonia-san wouldn't have to worry for her safety, that's all! She's a Princess, you know? What if someone kidnapped her?!"
For some reason, the Mechanic's motives only worried Makoto even more.
"M-Maybe I could…" Chihiro's whispers, even though they were said in a low tone, managed to reach Makoto's ears.
"Fujisaki-kun?"
"If I used him then maybe… we could find out something that I m-might have missed…"
It didn't take longer than a second for the ahoge-haired boy to understand what the smaller boy was implying, with nothing but hope shining on his brown eyes at the idea.
After all, if someone could find something, it was definitely him.
"Are you sure, Fujisaki-kun? I thought you wanted to keep him a secret for now…" Even so, Makoto asked carefully, already knowing how Chihiro felt about his greatest creation to date.
"But if it is to help Makoto-san then…" Chihiro assured with a small smile. "And I want to help… to catch whoever did this."
"Only if you're sure then…" He definitely understood the Programmer's feelings considering how it had been his stuff some of the things that had been stolen.
However if there was something that Makoto knew by now, it was just how effective Fujisaki Chihiro's creations could be.
Especially when it came to a certain AI.
"I will start setting him up then… it might take a while but I'll be sure to let you know, Makoto-san." Another small smile appeared on Chihiro's face, one that Makoto made sure to return in kind. Sure, the boy's rather fragile disposition might fool others, but the Luckster had long since stopped underestimating the Programmer.
He would have died without the Programmer's Magnus Opus, after all.
"Hey hey, Makoto!"
"Huh?"
It was another hushed voice the one that reached his ears, courtesy of the older Ultimate that now had him in a hold with his arm around his neck, earning a confused blink from Chihiro himself.
"If you're done with your secret talk," Kazuichi whispered, apparently wanting to keep this to only Makoto's ears. "I need your help, man!"
"My help?" He whispered confusedly in return while deciding to just go with the flow of whatever was going on.
"Yeah! I don't know if you already found out, but Sonia-san is back already!"
Oh…Oh.
He knew he was forgetting something important.
"S-Sonia-senpai, you say?" For some reason he found himself feigning ignorance, but then again something told him that telling the older Ultimate that his not-so-secret crush had decided to visit him as the first thing she did in the country was not the best of ideas.
And that was ignoring that part of the visit.
"Yeah!" The obvious joy in Kazuichi's voice and expression only made the Luckster feel even worse. "So I need your help with making her fall for me, Makoto!"
This was, of course, hardly the first time one Soda Kazuichi had asked for his help in such an endeavor.
Suffice to say that those had never ended with any positive results in the three years he had interacted with the pink-haired Ultimate.
And if this had been asked to him even just yesterday he would have agreed to at least try and help.
But now? He was honestly feeling as if he had betrayed the Mechanic's trust.
"I…Soda-senpai…" He found himself not knowing what to say at all with the words dying on his throat just as cold sweat started forming on his brow.
A reaction that was not missed by Kazuichi.
"Hmm? You alright there Makoto?" The pink-eyed Ultimate asked with concern and a frown, which said expression slowly turning into a narrowed gaze that only made the Luckster even more nervous. "Don't tell me you…?"
And just as his eyes widened, but right before the Mechanic got time to finish his sentence, someone struck.
It was almost as if an actual whirlwind had entered the Research Lab of the Ultimate Programmer, with the door suddenly being opened and then closed so quickly that all felt like a blur.
Heck, to the normal eye it had been an actual blur that had just entered and taken one Naegi Makoto over its shoulder right before leaving.
And to Fujisaki Chihiro, it had been an experience that he had not been ready for, something that clearly showed in his perplexed expression.
But as for the Mechanic….
"Goddammit, Mioda! We were having an important conversation here! It's a life or death situation I tell you!"
He pretty much ran out of the Research Lab in the hunt for the quite familiar black, blue and pink blur that he now knew for certain was his classmate.
It almost felt like a rollercoaster if the Luckster was forced to describe it in some way.
How one person was able to move that quickly was something his mind wasn't able to process, especially when her talent should have nothing to do with such speed.
The whole world seemed like it was spinning by the time he was finally put down on the floor, his own figure wobbly and obviously dizzy with the only reason for his butt to not have met the floor being the steady hand that was resting on his shoulder.
"You looking a bit green there, Makoto-chan!" A voice that could only be called energetic was heard to his side but whatever strength he had to respond was instead used to make sure he could actually stay on his two feet. "Ibuki has never seen Makoto-chan puking before though…! Makoto-chan, do you think-"
"I would rather not, Mioda-senpai." He answered between deep breaths while honestly not knowing what to make of the disappointed pout that the Ultimate Musician, Mioda Ibuki, threw his way.
"Eh?! But Makoto-chan already saw Ibuki puking before!"
That experience had been hardly as good as Ibuki's tone made it out to be, especially considering the amounts of alcohol the Luckster remembers seeing his senpais drinking that day.
His rather pale face turned quite crimson at such a memory.
"Of course the first thing you would talk about would be something disgusting." A rather biting tone ended up cutting through the conversation, although those words were being mostly aimed at the Musician. "Can't say it doesn't fit though!"
Before he had time to say something in return it was the owner of the new voice the one that made the first move, more specifically by grasping his left hand with both of hers.
"And as much as I appreciate your help." The blonde girl known as the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, Saionji Hiyoko, spoke with a mocking smirk plastered on her face. "Be a good doggy and leave already, will you? C'mon now, shush shush."
"Saionji-senpai…" While Makoto himself wasn't a fan of the tone in which the blonde spoke it seemed that those words did little to affect Ibuki herself if the rather curious look on her face was any indication.
"But I wanted to play with Makoto-chan too!" The black-haired girl whined with a stomp, her words only making her blonde classmate to glare heatedly in return.
"We are not playing, you uncultured swine!" Hiyoko was not one to mind her words, to say the least. "We are going to practice to leave everyone speechless with our dance and I won't have you ruining that with your presence!"
"Wait we're doing what now?" It was only now that the time-traveler realized that he had been dragged into the Research Lab of the Ultimate Traditional Dancer no less.
Even if the stage resting on the opposite end of the rather large room wasn't proof enough of that, the sakura trees that surrounded it certainly were.
"Oh oh I know! I can play while you two dance!" His question was promptly ignored, however.
"As if that noise you make could be considered appropriate!"
"Then I'll dance too!" He was not sure if to label those weird movements the Musician was making as 'dancing' would be appropriate either.
"I swear if you do that again in my presence I'll destroy your guitar." The blonde spoke through gritted teeth almost as if she had been personally offended by the movements, which she probably was decided the Luckster.
"Uhm, senpais?" He called out once more, finally earning the attention of the bickering duo that slowly turned their heads towards him while still refusing to let go of his body.
Only for said attention to go away not even a second later just as they went back to look at one another.
"Leave dammit!"
"Woof!"
"You little…!" Hiyoko's patience could only go so far, however, so the blonde ended up simply growling before dragging the ahoge-boy away from the Musician's grasp and towards the stage on the other side of the room. "Just go stare at the corner or something then, I don't care!"
The fact that Ibuki saluted at the order didn't help with Hiyoko's mood to say the least.
"I'm still a bit lost here…" Getting kidnapped by the Ultimate Musician and then manhandled by the Ultimate Traditional Dancer was not how he thought his evening would go if he had to be honest.
"Don't worry." In comparison to when she talked with her classmate, Hiyoko's voice came out a lot softer than before. "We just need to start practicing from today onward. I want our day to be perfect!"
How was it that she could say so much and still leave him clueless like this?
Once they reached the stage however, the blonde turned around, finally looking at the rather confused expression that the younger Ultimate was sporting which only made her sigh in response.
"Don't tell me you forgot already!" The orange eyes of the older Ultimate narrowed towards him, to which he could only gulp in response. It was in times like this that he truly realized how much the blonde had grown considering that right now they were at the same eye-level.
Quite the contrast considering how even he had been taller than her before.
"You told me you would help me for my Exam, remember?" Hiyoko wasn't pleased with his silence, to say the least even though he definitely remembered that promise.
"Yeah, but…" While he knew what the girl was referring too he still wasn't sure of why he had been dragged here. He knew that Hiyoko liked to show him her dancing before an event like this, but wasn't this still a bit early?
"Good!" The girl nodded with a grin before pointing at the stage behind her. "Then go prepare! I have the perfect outfit for you already and we need to practice the moves starting today!"
He blinked owlishly at the magnificent stage in front of him before turning his focus to the blonde who simply kept smiling at him with her hands on her hips.
It didn't take a genius to understand what Hiyoko was implying.
"You want me to dance with you?!" His voice came out with nothing but incredulity for not even for a second had the thought of actually dancing with the older Ultimate crossed through his mind.
Sure, he had agreed to help her but he had been sure that it would be just like the years before, not like this.
"Isn't it obvious?" No, it was not actually, but Makoto knew better than to voice out such a thing. "I was fine before with you just watching, but now it's time to finish your training in the fine arts!"
He, as a matter of fact, did not remember signing up for any training like that.
"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Saionji-senpai…" His words came out in the most reasonable tone he could muster for there was a massive difference between helping and doing something like that.
Hiyoko did not see it that way, however, if the way she grew increasingly annoyed was proof of anything.
The only thing she did was to stare at him with a narrowed gaze for what he almost felt like an eternity, right before she huffed and turned around, giving her back to the confused Luckster.
"I see how it is now." Her voice came out with such venom that it almost made him flinch on the spot. "Now that you have the new students around you're suddenly too busy to help, right? I bet you already accepted to help them, right?"
"H-How did you-"
"Am I wrong?"
He closed his mouth immediately before looking down knowing that there wasn't much that he could say to that one.
"I don't care anyway!" Even though he wasn't able to see her face, it was the way that her shoulders shook and her voice quivered what told him otherwise. "I can do it by myself anyway, so why don't you leave? I'm sure someone must be looking for their precious senpai already."
The way it seemed that the blonde was even holding back a sob only made it worse for the time-traveler, who could only watch her back with clear regret in his brown eyes.
He truly didn't know that such a thing would mean so much to her to the point it would upset her like this if he refused. He just knew he would never be able to keep up with someone like the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, so wasn't performing alongside her simply out of the question?
It was different than with others for if he somehow messed it up then it would reflect badly for her, or at least that was the reasoning the Luckster was using.
And for someone as prideful as Hiyoko, wasn't ruining her art the worst offense that one could muster?
But seeing her like this, with her body quivering and the sound of sniffling leaving her from time to time, Makoto found his resolve slowly disappearing.
"I, if senpai…" He spoke slowly and with regret in his voice. "I mean, I-If Saionji-senpai is really all right with me then…I can…"
He could only imagine the amount of work he would have to do if he wanted to keep up with someone like Saionji Hiyoko, but if it meant stopping her from crying like this then…
"Great!"
"Huh?"
But when the blonde turned around not even a second later there were no signs of her previous state of heartbreak. Heck, she didn't even look like a single tear had ever appeared on her eyes, with the grin that was on her lips telling him one simple fact.
'…she got me again, didn't she?'
"Let me change first to show how we're doing this." And while he could tell that the blonde's happiness was genuine this time it still didn't change the fact that he had been fooled by her crocodile tears. "Besides, Nevermind has been all smiles today for some reason and it's been pissing me off so I need the distraction!
The chill that went down his spine at her words honestly made him shiver on the spot. He was only glad that she didn't seem to notice his reaction.
He probably had no way out of this, at least not one that would end well, but considering that the alternative was to perform in a way it wouldn't make the Ultimate Traditional Dancer look bad the Luckster was simply left with not knowing what to do.
So when the older Ultimate pretty much skipped towards the back area of the stage it left a young man that could do nothing but to hang his head down while groaning slightly.
"Sneak attack!"
Not that he even got time to think about anything, considering the pair of arms that had circled around his midsection before pulling him backwards so that his back met the front of the girl that had decided to hug him from behind.
"M-Mioda-senpai?!" To say that he was surprised by the sudden contact would have been an understatement. His shock reached the point at which he forgot to tell the girl that announcing her action made for not an effective surprise attack.
The way in which Ibuki rested her chin on his right shoulder while making sure their cheeks were touching did little to help with his embarrassment.
"Makoto-chan got tricked by Hiyoko-chan again!" The Musician announced in a sing-song voice. "Makoto-chan is probably going to be the daddy that spoils his children rotten… Oh! If Makoto-chan adopts Ibuki then he would spoil me too!"
Whatever he was going to say in response ended up never leaving his lips, however, and instead it was a surprised gasp what left him, which was accompanied by his eyes widening like dinner-plates and his whole face going crimson.
It wasn't every day you have Mioda Ibuki suddenly biting and slightly sucking on your neck, after all.
His attempt at speaking only came out as gibberish however, with the hold that Ibuki had on him becoming tighter right before she finally separated her lips from his neck, an action that was followed by the older Ultimate licking her lips.
"Yummy!" Ibuki chirped with a grin, while the Luckster still found himself too surprised to question her actions. "I read online that you can tell how a person's feeling by the taste of their skin so Ibuki really wanted to try it with Makoto-chan!"
"What?" He spoke in a daze and with confusion while also knowing that trying to figure out what went though Ibuki's mind was an ordeal all by itself.
"Chiaki-chan said that Makoto-chan still looked under the weather so Ibuki just wanted to confirm it." The older Ultimate spoke with a hum while resting her head on his shoulder. "But Makoto-chan would just brush it off if someone asked him directly…"
Even though the reddening on his cheeks was still visible, this time the Luckster's silence wasn't out of embarrassment, but rather of the fact that he knew she was saying the truth.
He sometimes forgot how perceptive the Musician could be.
"It's not that bad, senpai…really." His voice came out as a murmur, and even he could tell how it sounded as far from a convincing statement as it could get.
A small hum was the response he got, with the humming from Ibuki being the only sound that surrounded the two students. It didn't take long for him to recognize the tune that the black-haired girl had decided to use, and it was one that actually brought a slight smile to his lips.
He knew it was far from what Ibuki normally preferred to sing but he still couldn't help to find it incredibly soothing.
Whether it was because of the girl doing the humming or the memories of what said song represented he didn't know, probably both if he had to be honest, but at that one moment even if it was for just a few seconds the warmness that he felt was enough to make him forget everything that had been plaguing his mind throughout the day.
Her tune ended a few moments later, leaving the duo in a comfortable silence. There was no awkwardness or embarrassment between the two even considering their current embrace but instead, the soft expression in their faces told a story of someone more than willing to help a loved one and another one that needed it more than he could imagine.
"Ibuki just hopes Makoto-chan can find someone he trusts enough to help him." The Musician's sudden words threw Makoto out of his thoughts. "Just like how Ibuki trusts Makoto-chan!"
He turned his head to his side to look at the older Ultimate properly, to try and tell her that he did trust her, he truly did, but the only thing he found was the smiling visage of the Musician right in his face to the point their noses were almost touching.
It wasn't the closeness what got to him though, but rather the smile that the girl was displaying. It was one that was telling him that she understood perfectly, a smile of patience telling him that if he would have her she could also be that confident that he needed.
But against such an earnest look he ended up just moving his gaze to the side, truly feeling ashamed that he couldn't respond to such an honest offer of kindness.
He had been doing that a lot lately, hadn't he? To simply reject his friends like this, he truly hated how he was forced to handle such matters.
His lips parted slightly for he was more than ready to apologize to the older girl, even though the way his brow furrowed already told her everything Ibuki needed to know.
But once more he was stopped before speaking by the rather suddenness of the pink-eyes girl separating herself from him. Her action came right on time however, for just between the space in which she had been resting her head before a blur had passed by with such a speed and force that it actually ended up lodging itself on the other end of the wall with a mighty thud.
His head turned slowly towards said wall, only to watch as a folded fan rested firmly on the middle of it.
Then he turned his gaze to the opposite side where the one responsible for throwing the fan stood in obvious rage.
"Tch." Hiyoko clicked her tongue right before folding her remaining fan in her left hand. "I missed…"
"Eh? Are we playing catch now? My turn then!" If Ibuki was affected by the show of hostility then she definitely didn't show it with the way she ran to retrieve the lodged fan right before throwing it like a boomerang towards the shaking blonde that was her classmate.
And right at the middle of the two stood a silent Luckster who could only think of the future to come.
It always seemed to be mocking him.
The view that he had from the window of his classroom, he could only wonder if it was supposed to be some sort of cruel joke.
It was one of the reasons he made sure to never seat by that side of the room, or else something told him that he would never be able to pay attention in class.
Considering that the window offered a perfect view of the place in which most of his friends had met their deaths, he would like to think that he was justified regarding that belief.
He could do nothing but to glare at the old school building, with deep and slow breaths leaving him from time to time.
Why had he come to his classroom after leaving his senpais? He wasn't sure, he simply felt like he had to if he had to be honest
Almost as if just looking at that cursed building was going to give him some sort of answer.
But it didn't. Of course it wouldn't, for if things were really that easy to figure out he wouldn't be feeling as if he was running in circles.
Right now his two ideas seemed to be dead ends.
Trying to find out whoever had managed to steal stuff from the school while also leaving no trace seemed next to impossible at the moment. He could only hope that once Alter Ego was ready it would lead him to some sort of clue.
His second approach had to do with one of the aspects that for so long had confused about his situation.
The fact that he had underclassmen even to this day still felt a bit weird to him.
Sure, he supposed that it was a natural thing, but he certainly had no memories of ever hearing, let alone seeing any of them back in his time.
Of course, things back then had been different, but wasn't it still weird? Especially considering how Future Foundation had been adamant on preserving Ultimates at any cost and yet he couldn't remember anyone there mentioning someone from what was now known as class 79.
None of them were truly bad people, even with the past actions of some of them he truly believed in all of them, so just thinking that one of them could be Ultimate Despair because of their unexpected existence left a bitter taste in his mouth.
It also raised a lot of question about the whole time-traveling aspect in the first place, but considering how his knowledge of that was pretty limited he was aware that he could only go with the flow on that one.
A tired breath left him just as he moved his gaze from the building. He looked down at his feet for what felt like an eternity with nothing but the light of the evening sun filling the room in an orange hue.
It would get dark at any second now and he knew that he had to leave. He slapped himself on the cheeks slightly; knowing that letting himself get affected so much by this ordeal was the last thing he could allow.
After all, wasn't that the same as admitting his lost against Despair?
Naegi Makoto… I see… You're doing your best, aren't you?
I should respond in kind then…
Yes, I think it is time…
Aren't you excited? Don't you want to see if he will overcome this?
It is not my fault that you are not able to tell him the truth. Isn't that a proof of your own weakness?
Don't worry, I would never think of harming him like that…
Naegi Makoto gives my life a purpose, after all.
Without him… It would simply not be fun without him around…
…hmm?
How…strange…
I suppose... it is happening faster than I anticipated…
I wonder what will be left of you at this rate.
More reason for it to start then…
Yes, Naegi Makoto…
Let me see how you survive our first trial.
She hummed slightly while her arms lowered the small box in her hands.
She observed her Research Lab with a smile of pride and accomplishment. It was quite well organized after all, and this room was already like a home to her.
She was by herself right now, but she didn't mind. It was quite late after all.
It was a slow tune from her pocket what managed to get her attention.
And with her eyes widening slightly she moved quickly to retrieve her phone, a bit of excitement flashing in her gaze.
But that excitement was quick to turn into dread once she realized who was calling her, her previous smile also turning into a small frown.
She bit her lips, not knowing if to pick up or not.
She had no idea who it was that kept calling her from time to time.
And a part of her knew that talking with this person was wrong…
But…
Those calls always gave her the words that she wanted to hear.
They were soothing, helpful and kind. The voice always advised her and tried to help her when it came to matters that worried her.
The school…Her classmates….
And even the Luckster that she loved…
Even if she had no idea who it was on the other side…
"H-Hello?"
What else could she do but answer?
I'll admit my original plan was to separate this chapter into two parts, but after realizing how short that would make them I decided to just go with one chapter, so here we have a bunch of stuff going on, among them the appearance of the remaining character from the main games that had yet to appear and that bit at the end. This is the final chapter of this arc after all, so I wanted to end it with something like this.
The only good thing about the Student Council not being fleshed out in canon is that I can pretty much do anything I want with them like I showed for this chapter.
For those that wanted more about Ultimate Despair this chapter hints at a lot of things, especially for the next arc. Who was the girl at the end? That is the key for the next arc. I won't confirm anyone's suspicion but feel free to try and guess on your reviews/PMs.
I found Ibuki to be the hardest character to write if I had to be honest, while with Hiyoko I decided to not have her hit her final growth spurt just yet so she's at a middle point right now.
As a tradition, next chapter will be an Interlude one like Nagito's chapter. Which character this time though? I'll leave that as a mystery for now, but to make the list shorter the character is from the original Danganronpa and a girl. Have fun.
Can't say when the next chapter will be though, since with my lack of internet I had to rush up uploading this as a result of me not knowing the next time I'll get a good connection. This is why I haven't answered the reviews and PMs this time, I'll get to those as soon as I can!
Of course, thank you all for having read so far and for your continuous support with all the views, favorites, follows and reviews. There's still a long journey ahead so I can only hope it will be to your like.
Next Chapter: In the Eyes off…
My Ultimate Romantic Comedy is as Wrong as I Expected
"Naegi-kun? What are you doing here so late?"
"Maizono-san?" He asked in surprise not expecting someone else to come to the classroom just as he was leaving.
"I thought I had forgotten something, but…" She spoke in an even tone just before she blinked, her eyes darkening with each second to the point it honestly worried the Luckster more than what he would like to admit.
"M-Maizono-san?"
"What's that on your neck, Naegi-kun?" Her voice was devoid of emotion, forcing the Luckster to give on step back just as she moved in a step forward.
"W-what do you-"
"Is that a hickey?"
"N-no it is-" He tried to cover his neck with his hand but it was hard to do when you had the girl suddenly grabbing your wrist.
"Who did it?"
"I-I mean it was Mioda-senpai but-"
"Mioda-senpai? I see."
"I-I don't think you do…"
"Take off your clothes, Naegi-kun."
"What?!"
"I want to make sure she didn't leave any other marks."
"I'm telling you it w-wasn't like th-"
"I'll be sure to replace every single one if she did."
"…"
"…"
"…I think I need an adult now."
And thus the heartwarming (?) romantic comedy of the two continued.