Miyu gulped as she set down her last shogi tile. The man sitting across from her slapped his forehead and gasped in horror. The Ultimate Luck sighed softly in relief. Was it her Talent, or divine intervention?

In the days after the Killing School Transfer, the survivors wasted no time hastening the end of the Tragedy. Miyu focused on the governmental and political, seeking to undo that which Haruna unwittingly caused under Junko's influence. Along the way, other survivors of other units tackled other fronts, and eventually, those specializing in magic and science brought back the consciousnesses of their fallen classmates through AI.

Miyu's phone (not a PheFo, thank God) buzzed in her pocket, and she had to stifle a chuckle, for she knew it was her three unit-mates' way of chuckling too. Now at last, the main trade roads between Towa City and this prefecture would be open again. That would help facilitate the flow of much-needed supplies to both sides. More importantly, this was where Shuichi's Killing Game occurred. It was unique among all the others in that it was supported by the people who watched it, Mastermind Tsumugi turning it into a reality TV show in their town.

Thankfully, she was dead now too, but Miyu, Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko still had plenty of work to do, turning the citizens of that prefecture back to the side of Hope, rather than the side of Despair. But today, they were one step closer, and all it took was one little shogi tile, and a whole lot of luck and nerve! Minutes later, a ragtag merry band of clowns came cartwheeling and caterwauling down the way. DICE.

Another thing Miyu accomplished in the days since the Killing School Transfer was uncovering the truth of Kurumi's backstory. Or at least, as much truth as there was in such a tale. They were a big-brother, little-sister duo, but the only thing known about the exact nature of their blood relationship was that it was shrouded in secrecy and scandal. Allegedly, one of them was an illegitimate child, but only Kokichi knew who…

They had a falling out in middle school, but reunited in light of the Tragedy, as Miyu discovered in the Ultimate Class Trial. Trying to save Haruna from herself, and Junko, Kurumi managed to get Kokichi and DICE to join forces with her and Lyrilily. They became Shiroma (Shiratori-Oma), the White Dove and Dark Horse. They were soldiers on the side of Hope disguised as allies on the side of Despair. They even both died in their respective Killing Games, although the contrast came in what happened after. There was no backup AI mind of or for Kokichi.

"Operation: "Journey to the West" is a success!" Kurumi cheered from Miyu's phone. She sorely missed her older brother, but she figured that this was the best way to honor his legacy. I'm gonna help Miyu overthrow the government, and then we're gonna replace it with our own!

"Kurumi! We have only just begun!" Haruna chided the other AI on the phone. "Oh, but Miyu did indeed do a wonderful job! Not that we doubted you or expected any less!" the reformed Ultimate Chairman added a second later, beaming with pride.

Miyu chuckled embarrassedly, but it felt so good to have this Haruna back that tears of joy pricked the back of her eyes as she laughed.

"Oooh, goodie, goodie!" Miiko chirped. "I'll go tell the others!" Somehow, her consciousness managed to leave the phone entirely, traveling along the 4D network back to Hope's Pinnacle, where LumiNeo waited. Even though none of Lyrilily was very tech savvy—and all of them were new to this type of technology—Miiko's Talent with the horror genre, and any and all languages, gave her an extra edge. (By contrast, for reference, poor Haruna had to be carried on a flash drive at all times because no one trusted her to properly transmit herself from device to device).

"How?!" Haruna could only shake her digital head as Miiko expertly weaved through the airwaves as if she'd been doing it since the day she was born. They received a text all the way from Hope's Pinnacle, from LumiNeo, Miiko had already arrived.

"Miiko loves horror, 'member? AI and robots are a big part of that! And Miiko loves and language and travel too! The includes binary language and digital travel, tee-hee!" Her father also was in the process of acquiring an AI company…

Haruna could only watch in disbelief, and Kurumi in mild envy and amusement, while Miyu gave a wet laugh and rested a hand over her heart. It was so good to have Lyrilily back again!

ooo

The work LumiNeo did kept her inside Hope's Pinnacle, unlike Lyrilily. In the same way she was a holy trinity of mortal, machine, and magic, the work she did covered multiple fronts. Of course, she aided in the increase of knowledge surrounding the world of AI, and even magic, but an unexpected part of her time at Hope's Pinnacle involved therapy with Hiiro Yano, of all people. LumiNeo was trying to learn how to navigate life as two minds in one body, and they were trying to integrate Nova into their system too.

It was a system they mutually named "Nebula", for "star nursery", comprised of Lumina, Neo, and Nova. And LumiNeo wasn't the only one. Aoi Miyake and ALTER-EGO—the Blue Rose/Black Thorn System—were having the inverse problem, trying to adjust to life apart. As more and more of the fallen students were brought back utilizing technology and magic, ALTER-EGO and Aoi's consciousnesses were separated. Now they could exist as one, or multiple, if they wished. They could exist as AIs on a screen, or they could inhabit robot bodies.

The freedom was unparalleled, and it left Aoi and ALTER-EGO reeling. Already, they were experimenting with gender and pronouns again, Aoi and ALTER-EGO both identifying as genderfluid, comfortable with any pronouns, with the gender changing depending on how they presented, and whether they were together or apart. LumiNeo did not notice any gender changes for herself, but adjusting to an altered consciousness was still new territory for them all. That was what Hiiro was for.

When she wasn't busy making up for her past sins working with the other magical Hiro, the Ultimate Diviner was trying to earn back the trust of the others by helping them in the mental realm as well.

"Think you're up for a little redemption?" LumiNeo teased, smirking. LumiNeo was two minds in one entity, so sometimes, their personalities were more or less dominant. Whenever LumiNeo was teasing, and often times spoke with a higher voice, that was when she was feeling more Lumina than Neo, and vice versa. The Ultimate Hope AI was intrigued by the Ultimate Despair Turned Therapist and her DID skills.

The Ultimate Diva, meanwhile, thought of one of the songs she and her unit once performed. I Am the Best. In an original draft, the lyric was, "I'll be the God!" before it was changed to something a little less overt. Perhaps I was wrong for not keeping it.

The thought amused Neo, but unlike her old self, some of Lumina was infecting her, whether she liked it or not. She was not quite so selfish and independent as she used to be, this time more willing to be humble and humbled. Airi even got her wish in that Neo eventually began to open up to her, slowly seeing her as more and more of a confidante. And LumiNeo wasn't the only one opening up…

"Thank you, for being RONDO's Ultimate Hope, Tsubaki," Aoi said, cool metal hand brushing the Ultimate Vocalist's cheek. As one used to a body, Aoi was quick to volunteer trying out a robot form for themself. Now at last, they had two working eyes again.

"O-o-oh! It's- it's- it's- nothing!" Tsubaki blushed. At first, her eyes darted away, but then, they narrowed. No, after everything all of us have been through? I'm not gonna let this scare me any longer! That's in the past!

ALTER-EGO watched them from a nearby monitor. The freedom of expression so great in the digital world, ALTER-EGO wasn't even human anymore, presently taking the form of a large, beautiful, handsome blackbird. Had ALTER-EGO been able, they would've been smirking.

"Actually, Aoi… It's really all thanks to you…!" Tsubaki breathed. "There's just… a lot I have to tell you… Do you have some time?"

"Always for you, Tsubaki," Aoi murmured, nodding, completely enchanted by the other girl. ALTER-EGO's screen buzzed with static as they gave a cawing, crowing laugh. And all the while, Hiiro and Nagisa weren't much better. While Nagisa was busily and happily connecting herself up to Calendula—literally—Hiiro was trying to smother her to death with love and affection.

Of all the futures I ever expected to see, let alone be a part of…! The Ultimate Diviner just couldn't help herself! Even Nagisa was alive again. Despite all the Despair Hiiro created and endured, it seemed as though the side and light of Hope had ultimately won out!

"Oi! Hiiro!" Nagisa's robotic voice was muffled by Hiiro's embrace, but she managed to wrap a metal arm back around the taller student. Seems like I missed a lot, but… hey! So long as I got Hiiro, Aoi, Tsubaki, Shino, and Calendula, I think I could be happy just about anywhere!

ooo

"Thank you, Saori," Hajime-Izuru smiled sincerely at Saori, and she gave an awkward, embarrassed squeak.

"S-sorry it's such short notice!" She held a clipboard over the bottom half of her face, as if trying to hide behind it.

"No, no, it's perfect!" Hajime-Izuru's mismatched eyes drifted shut as he continued to try to get Saori to see that he wasn't mad at her. The old him might've been, a boy with little patience for those he perceived as stupider than him. But this new Hajime-Izuru? "I appreciate everything you've done to help me and my class, and I'm glad we were able to help you in return!" He was no longer as temperamental as he'd been in his Killing Game, the Killing School Trip. He'd come to make peace with his "dark alter ego".

In the weeks following their respective Killing Games, survivors across every academy worked together to craft a narrative that would help transition the world smoothly back into peace (or at least, as smoothly as possible). Saori somehow wound up in charge of the logistics of shipping Hajime-Izuru and his class off to safety, since they were taking the fall for the final Killing Game of the world. It was an unfair ending for them, but every student was in agreement that one last perjury was worth it if it helped them finally win and complete the game…

And as fate and luck would have it, a perfect island awaited Hajime-Izuru and his classmates: Jabberwock. Thanks to Airi and Shano's work on the island, it was still blessed and protected by Artemis. All Hajime-Izuru and his class had to do was sail past Angie and Dalia's Island of Atua, but although Robot!Dalia was unable to leave Hope's Pinnacle, she was able to grant Hajime-Izuru and his class safe passage through their portion of the sea. That was why Saori was on the docks, since the likes of Rika and Dalia were confined to the academy.

Marika, meanwhile, of all people, was working with some of the Ultimate Detectives to sus out the last of Junko's potential backups and allies. That girl was a mystery upon a mystery upon a mystery, so they could never be too cautious about sweeping to streets for any lingering mysteries. Despite her lack of connection to the Ultimate "Fashionista", the Ultimate Model was one of the ones the detectives called upon the most. Maybe Marika wasn't a Despair, but that didn't mean she didn't have hidden depths…

The only one of M4 not actively working on Class 77B that day was Rika, who was given the day off to spend time with her little brother, Masaru Seto-Daimon. She'd almost worked harder than all the other ex-Masterminds combined, but in her opinion, she had more to pay back than any of the rest of them. Aside from being Junko's favorite, and one of the most destructive and dangerous Despairs, Rika knew she'd ruined herself in her brother's eyes. She would be lucky if one lifetime was enough to gain back even some of his trust.

Or at least, that was what she told herself. Although Masaru was indeed deeply hurt, angry, upset, and disappointed because of Rika—all of which were new and painful feelings he'd needed a lot of help exploring safely—his sister's actions spoke louder than her words. Not a day went by that she didn't put all of her AI mind and robot body into trying to fix the world she once nearly broke, burned down into ashes and dust.

She's… pretty cool… The little boy decided, staring up at his big sister's shiny, metal body with wide, blue eyes. Rika, meanwhile, smiled back down at him, and she knew that if her metal eyes would've been capable of it, she would've wept tears of joy enough to flood every last ocean and sea. It would be more than enough to carry Hajime-Izuru and his class to Jabberwock and back.